“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES ========================================================== INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES ========================================================== INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES VIRGINIA 20 NOTRE DAME 5 UCONN 13 BUTLER 0 MARYLAND 8 INDIANA 6 PURDUE 8 NORTHWESTERN 3 AKRON 7 BALL STATE 6 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 16 EVANSVILLE 3 BRADLEY 11 VALPO 10 COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://d1baseball.com/scores/?date=20260412 ========================================================== INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES LOUISVILLE 13 NOTRE DAME 5 UCONN 2 BUTLER 1 INDIANA 9 PURDUE 0 WESTERN MICHIGAN 13 BALL STATE 3 SOUTHERN INDIANA 2 TENNESSEE TECH 1 COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://d1softball.com/scores/?date=20260412 ========================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/wire/basketball/ ========================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKEBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/wire/womens-basketball/ ========================================================= INDIANA MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== INDIANA DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== INDIANA DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: https://www.espn.com/womens-college-lacrosse/scoreboard/_/date/20260412 ========================================================== NBA SCORES TORONTO 136 BROOKLYN 101 CHARLOTTE 110 NEW YORK 96 MIAMI 143 ATLANTA 117 CLEVELAND 130 WASHINGTON 117 BOSTON 113 ORLANDO 108 PHILADELPHIA 126 MILWAUKEE 106 DETROIT 133 INDIANA 121 LA CLIPPERS 115 GOLDEN STATE 110 LA LAKERS 131 UTAH 107 DALLAS 149 CHICAGO 128 HOUSTON 132 MEMPHIS 101 MINNESOTA 132 NEW ORLEANS 126 PORTLAND 122 SACRAMENTO 110 PHOENIX 135 OKLAHOMA CITY 103 DENVER 128 SAN ANTONIO 118 ========================================================== NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE Tuesday, April 14 East: CHA (9) vs. MIA (10), 7:30 p.m. ET West: PHX (7) vs. (8) POR, 10 p.m. ET > Winners advance to Playoffs as No. 7 seeds Wednesday, April 15 East: PHI (7) vs. ORL (8), 7:30 p.m. ET West: LAC (9) vs. GSW (10), 10 p.m. ET > Losers are eliminated Friday, April 17 East: 7/8 loser vs. 9/10 winner, 7:30 p.m. ET West: 7/8 loser vs. 9/10 winner, 10 p.m. ET > Winners advance to Playoffs as No. 8 seeds > First Round The schedule for the first round of the NBA Playoffs will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season. Eastern Conference (1) Detroit vs. (8) TBD Game 1: TBD at Detroit | Sunday April 19 (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 2: TBD at Detroit | TBD Game 3: Detroit at TBD | TBD Game 4: Detroit at TBD | TBD Game 5: TBD at Detroit* | TBD Game 6: Detroit at TBD* | TBD Game 7: TBD at Detroit* | TBD (2) Boston vs. (7) TBD Game 1: TBD at Boston | Sunday April 19 (1 ET, ABC) Game 2: TBD at Boston | TBD Game 3: Boston at TBD | TBD Game 4: Boston at TBD | TBD Game 5: TBD at Boston* | TBD Game 6: Boston at TBD* | TBD Game 7: TBD at Boston* | TBD (3) New York vs. (6) Atlanta Game 1: Atlanta at New York | Saturday April 18 (6 ET, Prime Video) Game 2: Atlanta at New York | TBD Game 3: New York at Atlanta | TBD Game 4: New York at Atlanta | TBD Game 5: Atlanta at New York | TBD* Game 6: New York at Atlanta | TBD* Game 7: Atlanta at New York | TBD* (4) Cleveland vs. (5) Toronto Game 1: Toronto at Cleveland | Saturday April 18 (1 ET, Prime Video) Game 2: Toronto at Cleveland | TBD Game 3: Cleveland at Toronto | TBD Game 4: Cleveland at Toronto | TBD Game 5: Toronto at Cleveland | TBD* Game 6: Cleveland at Toronto | TBD* Game 7: Toronto at Cleveland | TBD* Western Conference (1) Oklahoma City vs. (8) TBD Game 1: TBD at Oklahoma City | Sunday April 19 (3:30 ET, ABC) Game 2: TBD at Oklahoma City | TBD Game 3: Oklahoma City at TBD | TBD Game 4: Oklahoma City at TBD | TBD Game 5: TBD at Oklahoma City | TBD* Game 6: Oklahoma City at TBD | TBD* Game 7: TBD at Oklahoma City | TBD* (2) San Antonio vs. (7) TBD Game 1: TBD at San Antonio | Sunday April 19 (9 ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 2: TBD at San Antonio | TBD Game 3: San Antonio at TBD | TBD Game 4: San Antonio at TBD | TBD Game 5: TBD at San Antonio | TBD* Game 6: San Antonio at TBD | TBD* Game 7: TBD at San Antonio | TBD* (3) Denver vs. (6) Minnesota Game 1: Minnesota at Denver | Saturday April 18 (3:30 ET, Prime Video) Game 2: Minnesota at Denver | TBD Game 3: Denver at Minnesota | TBD Game 4: Denver at Minnesota | TBD Game 5: Minnesota at Denver | TBD* Game 6: Denver at Minnesota | TBD* Game 7: Minnesota at Denver | TBD* (4) Los Angeles vs. (5) Houston Game 1: Houston at Los Angeles | Saturday April 18 (8:30 ET, ABC) Game 2: Houston at Los Angeles | TBD Game 3: Los Angeles at Houston | TBD Game 4: Los Angeles at Houston | TBD Game 5: Houston at Los Angeles | TBD* Game 6: Los Angeles at Houston | TBD* Game 7: Houston at Los Angeles | TBD* * = If necessary ====================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ========================================================== NHL SCORES WASHINGTON 3 PITTSBURGH 0 BOSTON 3 COLUMBUS 2 MONTRÉAL 4 NY ISLANDERS 1 NEW JERSEY 4 OTTAWA 3 OT VANCOUVER 4 ANAHEIM 3 OT CALGARY 4 UTAH 1 ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ARIZONA 4 PHILADELPHIA 3 BALTIMORE 6 SAN FRANCISCO 2 MINNESOTA 8 TORONTO 2 LAS VEGAS 1 NY METS 0 TAMPA BAY 5 NY YANKEES 4 DETROIT 8 MIAMI 2 LA ANGELS 9 CINCINNATI 6 WASHINGTON 8 MILWAUKEE 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 KANSAS CITY 5 BOSTON 9 ST. LOUIS 3 CHICAGO CUBS 7 PITTSBURGH 6 SAN DIEGO 7 COLORADO 2 TEXAS 5 LA DODGERS 2 SEATTLE 6 HOUSTON 1 ATLANTA 13 CLEVELAND 1 ========================================================== MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS 9 LOUISVILLE 5 FORT WAYNE 5 LANSING 3 SOUTH BEND 5 PEORIA 4 ========================================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES INDIANA 3 ATLANTA 0 GRAND RAPIDS 3 COLUMBUS 2 DALLAS 3 OMAHA 0 ========================================================== UFL SCORES RENEGADES 28 AVIATORS 23 BATTLEHAWKS 34 STALLIONS 30 ========================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER COLUMBUS 1 ORLANDO 1 ========================================================== MAJOR NATIONAL HEADLINES/RELEASES GOLF RORY MCILROY FOURTH PLAYER TO WIN CONSECUTIVE MASTERS AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods and now Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman emerged from a tight pack of contenders to win the 90th Masters Tournament on Sunday, joining the trio of golf icons as the only players in history to conquer Augusta National in back-to-back years. McIlroy said earlier this week that winning one Masters would make it easier to win a second, and he dug deep into that belief on Sunday to rally from a two-shot deficit on the front nine to post a 1-under-par round of 71 for the winning score of 12-under 276 — one better than Scottie Scheffler. “I thought it was so difficult to win last year because of trying to win the Masters and the (career) grand slam, and then this year I realized it’s just really difficult to win the Masters,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “I tried to convince myself it was both.” McIlroy’s sixth career major also tied Faldo for the most by a European in the modern era and are tied for 12th-most all-time by any player. Cameron Young, Russell Henley and England’s Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose finished at 10 under to tie for third place. For Henley, his best career finish in a major came on his 37th birthday. McIlroy began the final round tied for the 54-hole lead at 11 under with Young, who birdied the second hole to reach 12 under and take the outright lead. It appeared McIlroy’s repeat quest might unravel when he went 3 over on the two par-3s on the front nine to fall to 9 under for the tournament. Suddenly, McIlroy’s name was looking up on the leaderboard at Young and Rose, who reached 12 under with four birdies in a five-hole stretch through No. 9. Scheffler was also making a run several holes ahead, and Henley reached 10 under through eight holes. That’s when McIlroy kicked it back into gear for the first time since closing with six birdies over his final seven holes on Friday. A birdie on the seventh hole got McIlroy back to double digits under par, and he pulled within one shot of the lead with another on the par-5 eighth. While Scheffler’s rally stalled for a long stretch with 11 consecutive pars and Rose and Young struggled to hole putts on the back nine, McIlroy kept ratcheting up the pressure. He birdied the 12th and 13th holes to go 2 under through “Amen Corner” and build a two-shot lead. McIlroy’s birdie on the 12th was one of only four all day to the tough traditional Sunday pin placement on the iconic par-3 that played to an average of 3.26 shots in the final round. “Historically, I think I’ve played the 12th hole pretty well,” he said. “It’s not a hole that you’re trying to birdie. It was a bonus that I did birdie it.” Scheffler kept it interesting with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to get to 11 under. Another birdie attempt on 17 stayed on the lip of the cup, and Scheffler parred out to post a 4-under round of 68 with McIlroy on the course with three holes to play. The two-shot cushion proved helpful for McIlroy when he pushed his drive on the 18th hole well right into the trees. He was able to punch the ball forward into a greenside bunker and put it on the putting surface with his third shot. From there, McIlroy easily converted the two-putt bogey and became the fourth player in history to successfully defend at the Masters. “I thought, if I could get to 14-under, I thought that everyone else would struggle to get to that score,” he said. “So, that was the number I had in my head. I got to 13 on the last and had that two-shot cushion.” After setting a Masters record with a six-shot lead after 36 holes, McIlroy played the final 36 holes in even par. That brought a host of players back into the mix, with at least four different players leading at some point during the final round. McIlroy admitted he kept a close eye on the leaderboard after falling back to 9 under to know where he stood in the tournament. “I obviously did the bulk of my work on Thursday and Friday. I don’t think I would have believed anyone if they said to me all you have to do is shoot even-par for the weekend and you’ll win,” he said. “I definitely thought I was going to need to go out there and at least shoot a couple of under-par scores.” Scheffler became the first player since at least 1942 to go bogey-free over the weekend at the Masters, according to CBS, but ultimately came one shot short of forcing a playoff that would have given him a chance at a third green jacket. Scheffler was 12 shots off the lead after posting his second-worst score at August National with a 74 on Friday before posting 65-68 over the weekend. “Overall, I’m not going to hold too many regrets, but yeah, definitely a bit disappointed now,” Scheffler said when asked if there was a specific shot from Sunday he wishes he had back. “But I started the weekend 12 shots back and ended up only one shot back. If I am going to blame anything, I should probably blame the first two rounds before I start looking at stuff from the last couple.” With six majors now on his resume, McIlroy said it is “cool” to be in the conversation as to who the best European golfer of all time is. And while he still declined to provide specifics, he insists the motivation is strong to continue to add on to his legacy. “I said at the start of the weekend here I felt like the grand slam was the destination, and I realized it wasn’t. I’m on this journey to — I don’t know, I just won my sixth major, and I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my game and my body,” McIlroy said. “I don’t want to put a number on it, but I feel like this win is just — I don’t want to say a stop on the journey, but yeah, it’s just a part of the journey. I still have things I want to achieve, but I still want to enjoy it as well. “I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and all of a sudden I win two in a row. So I still want to enjoy it. I’ve got a couple of weeks off before I go back to play competitive golf, but I don’t think I’ll go through that lull of motivation or the sort of things that I was feeling last year post winning this tournament.” ===== MASTERS MUSINGS: 5 TAKEAWAYS FROM 2026 AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL AUGUSTA, Ga. — After spending seven days roaming virtually every yard of Augusta National Golf Club, from the historic clubhouse to hours at “Amen Corner” on the other side of the expansive property, here are five takeaways from a memorable 2026 Masters Tournament. SCHEFFLER’S FLOCK GROWING Scottie Scheffler created an enormous buzz around Augusta National on Sunday by coming out with two birdies through his first three holes to get within two of the lead early in his round. When he pumped his fist with a clutch par save on the par-3 sixth hole, it appeared a dramatic run by the world’s No. 1-ranked player might be unfolding. Latest sports news That charge stalled for a few hours with 11 consecutive pars, but it didn’t stop the throngs of Scheffler fans from following him and providing the loudest roars on the course. He rewarded their faith with another spark by rolling in a lengthy putt for his first birdie of the week on the par-5 15th hole, and followed it with another on No. 16. Ultimately, Scheffler’s rally fell a shot short, but he has built a tremendous following. Scheffler doesn’t have Arnie’s Army, and it wasn’t close to the mass of humanity that followed Tiger Woods and climbed trees to get a glimpse of him in his prime. But it was abundantly clear that he was the people’s choice on Sunday. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose had strong followings as well, and Cameron Young gained some support as the top American to begin the day, but none of them drew the dedicated fan pack that Scheffler enjoyed. It was fun to see Scheffler and playing partner Haotong Li sharing a laugh walking off the 10th tee, with the Chinese star looking at Scheffler and saying, “Dude! Dude!,” followed by a comment about a fan interaction over a golf glove. KNAPP TIME? Jake Knapp’s yardage book reads “Knapptime,” and the 31-year-old might be on the precipice of becoming a breakout star on the PGA Tour. Known for his streaky ability to go really low, including a 59 in the first round of last year’s Cognizant Classic and a course-record 61 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Knapp has often struggled to put four solid rounds together. He was one of the last players to qualify for this year’s Masters when he slipped into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking on the final cutoff week last month. Playing in only his second career Masters, Knapp closed with a 70 on Sunday to snag an 11th-place finish. Not only does that stamp Knapp’s ticket back to Augusta National next year, but the former bouncer is starting to build a following with his smooth swing and Southern California swagger. Knapp also earned praise from someone who knows a thing or two about Augusta National. “I think Jake Knapp can win here. I really do,” said Fred Couples, the 1992 champion who played his practice rounds with Knapp this week. AN AUGUSTA LIKE NO OTHER? Determining how Augusta National will play is always a challenging task. This year provided an extremely rare mix of zero rain, very little wind and warm temperatures. The course had more brown spots than normal, and the famous camera-friendly azaleas weren’t in bloom. After the players struggled to find birdie opportunities on Thursday afternoon, Ireland’s Shane Lowry speculated that it might be the most difficult Masters we have seen in a while considering the forecast called for even warmer temperatures. But those conditions never materialized, despite the browned-out spots and firm greens. The fairways were hard and rolled out further than normal, leaving players with shorter shots into the green and better opportunities to spin the ball. After the course yielded a scoring average of 72.85 on Friday, the 70.63 average on Saturday was a record low for the third round of the Masters. Sunday proved to be slightly more difficult as one would expect, but the greens remained receptive for the most part. The final round scoring average was only a tick over par at 72.09. “Have you ever seen looking down the property how yellow the patron areas and how brown and purple parts of the greens and fairways are?” Spain’s Jon Rahm asked rhetorically. “It will be a long time until we see it like this. Definitely have some things in mind for future editions where it gets to this level.” DOES RORY’S SUCCESS POSE A PROBLEM? McIlroy’s quest for an historic Masters repeat was the No. 1 story all week, and deservedly so. He said that he didn’t begin 2026 with a singular drive to win consecutive Masters and that he remains motivated to accomplish new goals in his career. When pressed on what those are, McIlroy declined to provide specifics other than to say the goalposts continue to “keep nudging a little bit further and further out of reach.” But listening to McIlroy talk throughout the week, I’d be concerned if I were PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp. In discussing his preparation for the Masters, McIlroy said that he has been practicing for weeks at Augusta National. There were days he would drop his daughter, Poppy, at school, fly up to Augusta for a practice round and be home in time for dinner. By having a singular focus on his Augusta National prep, McIlroy did not tee it up on the PGA Tour between The Players Championship and the Masters. He went so far as to say this week, “I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event. I’d rather come up here.” That could not have sat well at PGA Tour headquarters, or with sponsors at the Valspar Championship, the Texas Children’s Houston Open or the Valero Texas Open. In his post-round press conference, McIlroy did provide a bit of clarity, adding that getting to a major a week early was advice he once received from none other than Jack Nicklaus. And that he doesn’t plan on taking three weeks off from competition before every major. Of course, McIlroy has earned the right to play where and when he chooses. But with his global stature in the game and the PGA Tour Enterprises being a for-profit business, it doesn’t help matters when McIlroy skips some marquee events and shares his outright distaste for other second-tier tournaments struggling to stay relevant in the current landscape. MASTERS’ MASTERY The Augusta National Golf Club and city of Augusta have developed a secret sauce that makes the Masters a truly unique experience for everyone involved. It begins with the city’s pre-planning that largely alleviates traffic jams around the golf course. There are rarely backups, parking is free and fans are stress-free entering the course. Once they get inside the gates, a fleet of volunteers make sure foot traffic continues to move throughout the course with relative ease. No one knows exactly how many tickets the Masters distributes, but even with the leaders on the back nine on Sunday it was never impossible to find a direct view of any player or hole of interest. Scheffler said this week that he finds the entire Masters experience “enjoyable,” and Couples called Augusta National “the greatest walk you could ever have.” When stepping on the AGNC property, it feels like hallowed grounds chock full of history. And the club clearly spares no expense to make sure everyone’s experience inside its gates is enjoyable. It probably helps to have the resources of a massive store that some in the press have heard generates in the neighborhood of $1 million … per hour. ========================================================= NBA NBA ROUNDUP: RAPTORS TOP NETS TO EARN FIRST POSTSEASON SPOT SINCE 2022 Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 136-101 to clinch their first playoff spot since 2022. In recording his third triple-double of the season and the ninth of his career, Barnes helped the Raptors (46-36) secure the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They face the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round, beginning on Saturday in Cleveland. RJ Barrett scored 26 points, and Brandon Ingram added 25 points for Toronto. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each scored 11 points, while A.J. Lawson chipped in with 10 points. Immanuel Quickley had four points and five assists for Toronto and did not return for the second half because of a tight hamstring. NBA team news Chaney Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (20-62), who are in a lottery spot. Tyson Etienne scored 20 points, and E.J. Liddell had 17 points. Ben Saraf scored 15 points and also picked up six fouls. 76ers 126, Bucks 106 Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter as the host Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from Milwaukee in the second half to win what could be Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ last game at the helm of the Bucks. The club and Rivers are discussing a possible move to the front office for 2026-27, according to sources, after he has coached for parts of three seasons with the team. Rivers, 64, will be inducted as a coach into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in August. Quentin Grimes had four 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Philadelphia, which won its second straight and is locked into the play-in tournament. The seventh-seeded 76ers will host the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Center Joel Embiid was out again while recovering from an appendectomy. AJ Green made five 3-pointers for Milwaukee (32-50) to finish the season with 232 treys, breaking Ray Allen’s single-season franchise record of 229 in 2001-02. Green was 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3 in the first half for 19 points; he failed to score after halftime. Celtics 113, Magic 108 Baylor Scheierman tossed in a career-high 30 points to lead Boston to a victory over visiting Orlando in the final regular-season game for each team. The Celtics, who had already secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. Boston’s first playoff opponent will be the team that earns the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament, either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston’s starting lineup was Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza and Scheierman. The loss ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak. The Magic had won three in a row on the road. They will be the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and visit the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The winner faces the Celtics, and the loser will host the winner of the 9/10 matchup on Friday. Heat 143, Hawks 117 Bam Adebayo produced 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading host Miami to a win over Atlanta in the regular-season finale for both teams. Miami also got 26 points and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 25 points from Norman Powell, who returned from a groin injury. The Heat next will play at the Charlotte Hornets in the first game of the play-in round. The Heat, 5-10 over their past 15 games, are in the play-in round for the fourth straight year. Atlanta, which had already clinched its first playoff berth since 2023, sat its entire starting lineup plus three reserves. Veteran Buddy Hield led the Hawks with a game-high 31 points, and Corey Kispert added 21 points. Rockets 132, Grizzlies 101 Clint Capela produced a double-double in his third start of the season while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined for 39 points as host Houston closed the regular season with a victory over short-handed Memphis. The Rockets concluded the schedule with nine victories in their last 10 games. With the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs already secured, Houston rested four starters in its finale: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Capela paired a season-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds while Sheppard posted 19 points. Memphis had only seven players available. Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 26 points; Rayan Rupert (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Jahmai Mashack (11 points, 11 assists) added double-doubles for the Grizzlies, who closed the season with 21 losses in 23 games. Nuggets 128, Spurs 118 Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 18-plus minutes of court time — all in the first half — as the visiting Nuggets rolled to a win over San Antonio in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound teams. The Nuggets clinched the third seed in the Western Conference and will host sixth-seeded Minnesota for the first two games of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Denver ended the regular season with 12 straight wins and took three of the four games against the Spurs this year. Jokic played the necessary minutes to reach the league’s 65-game threshold for postseason award consideration. Victor Wembanyama sat out the game for San Antonio, which already clinched the No. 2 spot in the West and had little to gain from Sunday’s game. The Spurs will host the winner of Tuesday’s 7/8 play-in tournament game between Phoenix and Portland in the opening two contests of a best-of-seven first-round playoffs series. The Spurs had a three-game winning streak snapped but finished the campaign with a 62-20 mark, their best since the 2015-16 season in which they won 67 games. Cavaliers 130, Wizards 117 Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as playoff-bound Cleveland beat visiting Washington. Jaylon Tyson had 18 points and rookie Tristan Enaruna had a season-best 15 points for Cleveland, which is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will have home-court advantage over the fifth-place Toronto Raptors in their first-round series. Rookie guard Jamir Watkins scored a career-high 24 points for the Wizards, who finished with the worst record in the league. Bub Carrington scored 20 points and dished out nine assists, and Sharife Cooper had 20 points and six assists off the bench. Cleveland had eight players reach double digits in points. Pistons 133, Pacers 121 Eastern Conference leader Detroit closed out just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history, leading wire to wire in a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis. With the East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs also secured, Detroit limited its entire starting five to fewer than 26 minutes in the regular-season finale. That was plenty of time for Paul Reed to make some Pistons history, as he became the organization’s first player ever to score 25-plus points on a perfect field-goal shooting performance. Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 from the floor. The Pacers finished the worst season by won-loss record in franchise history. Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 21 points each, Kobe Brown added 20 and Ethan Thompson 18. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Hornets 110, Knicks 96 Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Coby White each scored 19 points as visiting Charlotte earned the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a win over New York. The Hornets will host the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. New York had nothing to play for after already clinching the East’s No. 3 seed. With most of their regulars sitting out, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti. Bridges’ consecutive games played streak reached 638 — the eighth longest in NBA history — with his 23-second appearance. New York will face the Atlanta Hawks, the East’s No. 6 seed, in a first-round series beginning Saturday. Mavericks 149, Bulls 128 Ryan Nembhard notched the second-most assists in a game in franchise history as Dallas beat visiting Chicago. Nembhard fell narrowly short of a triple-double in the season-ending clash, chalking up 15 points, nine rebounds and 23 assists. Only current Dallas coach Jason Kidd, with 25 assists in a two-overtime game in February 1996, has registered more for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points, his stellar rookie campaign ending with 10:11 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle on a bad landing while leaping for an offensive rebound. Rob Dillingham scored 25 for the Bulls. Collin Sexton contributed 19, Leonard Miller had 17 and Lachlan Olbrich added a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Timberwolves 132, Pelicans 126 Rookie big man Joan Beringer recorded career highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota held on for a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis. Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points for the Timberwolves, who relied on young players and reserves in their final game of the regular season. Zyon Pullin scored 19 points off the bench, and Joe Ingles capitalized on a rare start to notch a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves already were locked into the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference and will face the third-seeded Nuggets, beginning Saturday in Denver. Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 36 points on 12-for-29 shooting to lead the Pelicans. Fellow rookie Derik Queen finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Micah Peavy scored 21 points. Suns 135, Thunder 103 Jamaree Bouyea scored a career-high 27 points to help Phoenix close the regular season with a road win over Oklahoma City as both teams, with their playoff positions secure going into the game, sat the majority of their starters and major rotational players. The Suns’ Ryan Dunn scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8 for 11 from the field with a career-high tying 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Koby Brea added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix. Brea had scored just 25 points total in his first 11 NBA games. Rookie center Khaman Maluach had a career-high 18 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds off the bench as well. Branden Carlson tied his career high with 26 points to lead the Thunder. He also had 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort added 23 points off the bench. Oklahoma City is the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs. Phoenix is the No. 7 seed and will open the play-in tournament at home Tuesday against eighth-seeded Portland. Lakers 131, Jazz 107 Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each posted 22-point, 10-rebound double-doubles to help Los Angeles down visiting Utah in their regular-season finale. LeBron James completed his 23rd regular season, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes for the Lakers, who will be the No. 4 seed in next week’s Western Conference playoffs and face the Houston Rockets in the first round. Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, Nick Smith Jr. added 12 and Bronny James chipped in 11 for Los Angeles, which finished with its most victories in a season since the 2010-11 campaign (57). Oscar Tshiebwe led the Jazz with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh added 15 points apiece. Cody Williams and Bez Mbeng both scored 14 points and Blake Hinson had 10 for Utah, which recorded its second 60-loss season in franchise history and second in as many years. Clippers 115, Warriors 110 Los Angeles sent a message to it play-in opponent, riding Bennedict Mathurin’s 20 points and a stingy defense to a home win over Golden State in what turned out to be an otherwise meaningless regular-season finale. The Clippers lost a tiebreaker with eighth-place Portland and were relegated to ninth for play-in purposes, where they’ll get a home game Wednesday against the 10th-place Warriors. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention. John Collins backed Mathurin with 18 points, and Mathurin and Collins each collected a game-high nine rebounds, while Mathurin also found time for a game-high eight assists. In just his third game after missing 27 straight with a sore right knee, Stephen Curry paced Golden State with a game-high 24 points. Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110 Deni Avdija recorded 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Portland secured the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win over visiting Sacramento in the regular-season finale for both teams. Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which will play beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Trail Blazers will visit the No. 7 Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the play-in round. The winner goes directly to the Western Conference playoffs against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs while the loser will have a second opportunity on Friday. Precious Achiuwa registered 27 points and 11 rebounds and Nique Clifford added 24 points and seven rebounds for the Kings. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (22-60), which finished with the second-most losses in franchise history. The Kings went 17-65 in 2008-09. AFTER DOMINANT REGULAR SEASON, THUNDER BIG FAVORITE TO HOLD ONTO NBA CROWN Oddsmakers really like Oklahoma City Thunder to continue their reign over the NBA and successfully defend their championship. The Thunder, who concluded the regular season on Sunday with the league’s best record at 64-18 (.780), are the clear favorite to keep the Larry O’Brien Trophy at a range of +110 to +135, according to a survey of sportsbooks on Sunday night. Conversely, the Portland Trail Blazers, playing beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 season, have the most convincing to do. The eighth seed in the Western Conference, Portland has a play-in game against the Phoenix Suns and is the biggest underdog to make it all the way and win the NBA Finals, with some odds at +250000. NBA team news The odds closely align with the records, as the San Antonio Spurs (62-20, .756) have the second-best odds at +450 to +550. The Boston Celtics (56-26), fortified by the solid return of star Jayson Tatum from a ruptured Achilles in last year’s playoffs, are the next favorite. The Detroit Pistons (60-22) had the better regular season but perhaps not the track record of recent playoff runs compared to their Eastern Conference rival, who won the NBA title two seasons ago. DraftKings has the defending champion Thunder at +110, followed by the Spurs at +500, Celtics at +550 and Nuggets at +950. Then there’s a jump to the Cleveland Cavaliers (+1600), New York Knicks (+1800) and Pistons (+2200). The longest odds of the 20 teams are for the Trail Blazers at +200000. DraftKings favors the seventh-seeded Suns downing eighth-seeded Portland with a 4.5-point spread in their play-in game on Tuesday in Phoenix. FanDuel also likes Oklahoma City to repeat as the NBA champion (+115), with San Antonio and Boston next (each at +550), then Denver and Cleveland (each at +1100) and New York (+1800). Here, Portland is at +75000 along with Phoenix and Miami as the three teams with the longest odds. FanDuel takes the next step by putting odds on the finalists, with a Celtics-Thunder matchup the favorite (+330), which follows the conference breakdown of the overall winner odds. The Thunder represent the Western Conference in the top four favored matchups, against the Cavaliers (+550), Knicks (+850) and Pistons (+900). Those predicting a Celtics-Spurs final can get +1000 odds, and Cavs-Spurs at +1500. The longest odds are +75000 for Cavs-Warriors, Knicks-Lakers, Knicks-Clippers, Knicks-Warriors and Pistons-Lakers. Take the extra step and pick the matchup and winner, and that’s the Thunder over the Celtics at +500. A Boston series win over Oklahoma City is at +1200 odds. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, is favored to repeat as NBA Finals MVP at +135. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is next at +500. NBA team news BetMGM likes the Thunder to win it all at +135, followed by the Spurs (+450), Celtics (+550), Nuggets (+1000) and Cavaliers (+1400). The Trail Blazers have the longest odds at +250000. NBA FINALS WINNER ODDS (DraftKings)Oklahoma City (+110)San Antonio (+500)Boston (+550)Denver (+950)Cleveland (+1600)New York (+1800)Detroit (+2200)Houston (+6000)Minnesota (+9000)Atlanta (+13000)Philadelphia (+17000)Charlotte (+17000)Los Angeles Lakers (+25000)Toronto (+25000)Orlando (+35000)Phoenix (+60000)Los Angeles Clippers (+70000)Miami (+70000)Golden State (+80000)Portland (+200000) ====================================================== MLB MLB ROUNDUP: BRAVES POUND OUT 19 HITS IN 13-1 THRASHING OF GUARDIANS Dominic Smith homered and Jorge Mateo collected four hits as the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 13-1 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Sunday night. Atlanta starter Chris Sale (3-1) pitched six solid innings. The left-hander scattered eight hits, gave up one run, walked one and struck out six as the Braves won two of three games from the Guardians. Atlanta is the only team in Major League Baseball that hasn’t lost a series this year. The Braves pounded out 19 hits as second baseman Ozzie Albies was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Center fielder Mauricio Dubon was 3-or-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr had two hits and an RBI and third baseman Austin Riley also cranked out two hits, with a run and two RBIs. Left-hander Dylan Dodd went three scoreless innings in earning his first save of the season. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (0-2) was saddled with the loss. He lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up eight runs, 11 hits and one walk while fanning four. Orioles 6, Giants 2 Baltimore Orioles starter Cade Povich, pitching on his 26th birthday, allowed just five hits and one run while fanning five in his 6 2/3-inning outing. For Baltimore, Pete Alonso, Leody Taveras, and Taylor Ward had two hits apiece, while Samuel Basallo blasted a two-run homer. Casey Schmitt hit a home run and two singles for the San Francisco Giants. Starter Adrian Houser (0-2) lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 3 Corbin Carroll, James McCann, and rookie Jose Fernandez had two hits apiece for Arizona in a win over host Philadelphia. Pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo singled in the go-ahead run in a two-run eighth inning. Taylor Clarke (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh, and Paul Sewald pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save. Andrew Painter, the second Phillies pitcher, gave up three hits and one run in five innings. The scheduled starter, Painter did not open because of a migraine headache, the Phillies announced, before entering in the third. Trea Turner had two hits, including his first homer of the season. Twins 8, Blue Jays 2 Tristan Gray hit a three-run home run and visiting Minnesota defeated Toronto. Kody Clemens added a solo home run and Taj Bradley (3-0) went five innings to pick the win for the Twins, who have won six of their last seven. Minnesota scored three times in the second inning and added five more in the third. Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement each had three hits for the Blue Jays, who finished a 2-4 homestand. The Blue Jays had a 12-8 advantage in hits, but were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Max Scherzer (1-2) allowed eight runs, five hits and two walks and hit a batter while striking out three in 2 1/3 innings. Angels 9, Reds 6 Jose Soriano continued his hot start with 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings and Oswald Peraza homered to lead Los Angeles over host Cincinnati. Soriano (4-0) allowed two singles and walked three, while lowering his ERA to 0.33, tops in the majors. Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs and an RBI and Nolan Schanuel had two hits, two walks and three RBIs for the Angels. Logan O’Hoppe and Jo Adell each added two hits and an RBI. Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer and had two hits for Cincinnati, which lost for the fourth time in the last five games. Andrew Abbott (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. Marlins 8, Tigers 2 Dillon Dingler hit a three-run home run, Kevin McGonigle blasted his first career homer and host Detroit completed a three-game sweep of Miami. McGonigle reached base four times, including three hits, and scored two runs while Kerry Carpenter supplied a two-run shot for the Tigers. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal didn’t allow a hit until Austin Slater’s bloop single to center in the sixth. Skubal (2-2) allowed one run and two hits while walking two and striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (2-1) gave up seven runs and 10 hits in six innings. Alcantara had allowed just two earned runs in his first three starts. Otto Lopez had both Miami RBIs with a solo homer and a sacrifice fly. Rays 5, Yankees 4 Chandler Simpson collected three hits and two runs, and Tampa Bay hung on to beat New York and complete a three-game sweep in St. Petersburg, Fla. Simpson singled and scored in the first inning, hit an RBI single in the second and tripled in the seventh inning before coming home on a sacrifice fly. Cedric Mullins also tripled and scored for the Rays, while starter Drew Rasmussen (1-0) allowed one hit, struck out seven and walked none in six scoreless innings. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer with nobody out in the ninth inning to cut the deficit to one run before the Rays’ Mason Englert completed his first career save. Yankees starter Cam Schlittler (2-1) allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings, striking out eight. Athletics 1, Mets 0 Aaron Civale tossed 5 2/3 solid innings and combined with four relievers on a four-hitter for the red-hot Athletics, who completed a three-game sweep of host New York. Civale (2-0) gave up four hits and walked none while striking out three. Nick Kurtz homered in the third for the Athletics, who won the final five games of a six-game road trip to New York against the Yankees and Mets. Francisco Lindor recorded a pair of singles for the Mets, who lost the last five games of their six-game homestand. Freddy Peralta (1-1) took the hard-luck loss for the Mets after allowing the one run on four hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings. White Sox 6, Royals 5 Dustin Harris roped a pinch-hit double and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning, then made a late potential home run-robbing catch, as Chicago edged host Kansas City. Tanner Murray and Colson Montgomery each hit two-run homers and the White Sox used nine pitchers to win a contest that started after a three-hour rain delay and salvaged their split of this four-game set. With the score 5-5, the little-used Harris opened the seventh with a double, and eventually scored from third via a wild pitch by John Schreiber (0-2). Then in the eighth, Kansas City’s Michael Massey sent a Lucas Sims pitch deep to right field, but Harris reached up and snagged the ball at the top of the wall. Nationals 8, Brewers 6 Keibert Ruiz singled in the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning and Washington completed a sweep with victory over host Milwaukee, which has lost five consecutive games. James Wood hit his fifth home run of the season for the Nationals. PJ Poulin (2-0) got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Gus Varland finished with a perfect ninth for his first save. Gary Sanchez brought the Brewers even at 6-all with a three-run homer in the seventh. Brice Turang homered twice with solo shots in third and fifth innings. Jake Bauers hit his fourth homer. Milwaukee designated hitter Christian Yelich left in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness, the team announced. Red Sox 9, Cardinals 3 Willson Contreras had four hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in three runs to lead Boston past host St. Louis. Jarren Duran also collected three RBIs for the Red Sox, who received four hits and two RBIs from Trevor Story. Brayan Bello (1-1) limited the Cardinals to two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings. Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson each hit a solo home run and a single for the Cardinals, who trailed 7-1 after four innings. Walker’s home run was his MLB-leading seventh of the season. He homered six times in 363 at-bats during the 2025 season. St. Louis starter Andre Pallante (1-1) gave up seven runs on 10 hits in five innings and took the loss. Cubs 7, Pirates 6 Carson Kelly drove in pinch runner Scott Kingery with one out in the ninth inning to give host Chicago a walk-off win over Pittsburgh. Kelly’s RBI single delivered the Cubs’ first lead of the day as they rallied from deficits of 5-0 and 6-2 to avoid being swept. Cubs closer Daniel Palencia (1-0) tossed a scoreless ninth. The Pirates wasted two home runs by Brandon Lowe. The second baseman drove in five runs with a grand slam in the second and a solo shot in the fifth. Jose Urquidy (0-1) was responsible for the ninth-inning rally. Rangers 5, Dodgers 2 Jacob deGrom overcame allowing a leadoff homer to Shohei Ohtani by striking out nine batters, helping Texas defeat host Los Angeles, which lost for just the second time in its last nine games. Right-hander deGrom (1-0) yielded one run on four hits in six innings. Evan Carter homered to lead off the third and Josh Smith had an RBI single later in the inning for the Rangers, who notched their fourth win in six games. Brandon Nimmo drove in his second run of the day with an RBI single in the eighth and Josh Jung had two hits and reached base four times. For the second straight day, Ohtani homered to lead off the Dodgers’ half of the first inning. The homer was his fifth of the season. Kyle Tucker had an RBI single in the seventh inning to cut Texas’ lead to 3-2. Padres 7, Rockies 2 Ty France, Ramon Laureano and Jackson Merrill each homered San Diego finished off a four-game sweep of visiting Colorado in a game where both starting pitchers went down with injuries. France went 3-for-3, scoring three runs and finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Laureano and Manny Machado drove in two runs apiece, as San Diego extended its winning streak to five games, outscoring the Rockies 28-12 in the series. David Morgan (2-0) was awarded his second win of the series after throwing 1 2/3 hitless innings. The Padres got some bad news in the fourth inning when Nick Pivetta, who retired the first nine men he faced, exited in the top of the fourth due to right elbow stiffness. Colorado’s scheduled starter, Kyle Freeland, didn’t even make it to the post. He was scratched during warmups with what the Rockies termed left posterior shoulder soreness. Mariners 6, Astros 1 Logan Gilbert pitched seven strong innings for his first victory of the season as Seattle defeated visiting Houston. Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley, the Nos. 5-6 batters in Seattle’s lineup, both had three hits. Raley had two doubles and two RBIs. Yainer Diaz hit a solo homer for the Astros’ lone run. The Mariners have won the first three games in the four-game series between the American League West rivals. Gilbert (1-2), the Mariners’ opening day starter, allowed one run on four hits. With two starters going on the injured list last week and another sent back to Houston for further evaluation, the Astros were forced to go with a bullpen day. Right-hander Cody Bolton (0-1) served as the opener and allowed two runs on one hit in one-plus innings. ================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: DUCKS STILL IN PLAYOFF HUNT DESPITE OT LOSS TO CANUCKS Marco Rossi scored with 10 seconds left in overtime as the last-place Vancouver Canucks played the role of spoiler Sunday with a 4-3 victory over the host Anaheim Ducks, who needed a win to snap a seven-year playoff drought. Rossi rifled a slapshot past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal after taking a pass from Jake DeBrusk for the Canucks’ second power-play goal of the contest. The Ducks’ (42-32-6, 90 points) next chance to punch their ticket to the postseason with a win will be Tuesday when they visit the Minnesota Wild. Brock Boeser, Curtis Douglas and DeBrusk also scored and Rossi added an assist for the Canucks, who won their second straight game. Goaltender Nikita Tolopilo made 24 saves for Vancouver, which improved to 24-48-8, with 56 points. Cutter Gauthier scored two goals, Leo Carlsson scored one and Chris Kreider added two assists for the Ducks, who were trying to punch their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2018. Goaltender Dostal made 22 saves for Anaheim. Flames 4, Mammoth 1 Brayden Pachal scored his first goal of the season and added two assists, and host Calgary beat Utah. Matt Coronato, Connor Zary and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames, who had lost three straight and are eliminated from playoff contention. Dustin Wolf made 28 saves. In two wins versus Utah this season, Wolf stopped 56 of 57 shots. Lawson Crouse scored his 23rd goal of the season for the Mammoth, who have clinched a playoff berth and lead the Los Angeles Kings by three points for the first wild card in the Western Conference. The Kings have played one fewer game, but Utah holds the regulation wins tiebreaker (32-21). Vitek Vanecek made 19 saves. Capitals 3, Penguins 0 Logan Thompson stopped 24 shots in his fourth shutout of the season and Connor McMichael scored a pair and added an assist in Washington’s victory over visiting Pittsburgh. Trevor van Riemsdyk added his third goal of the season for the Capitals, while Martin Fehervary assisted on a pair and Ryan Leonard, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Ovechkin each added an assist. It may have marked the final home game for the 40-year-old Ovechkin, who has been mum about his plans. Stuart Skinner made 23 saves on 25 shots for the Penguins, who lost their second straight. Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2 Sean Kuraly scored and set up two others, leading Boston to a win over host Columbus. Boston clinched an Eastern Conference wild-card berth on Saturday. The first wild-card seed is still within reach with the Bruins battling the Senators for seeding. Henri Jokiharju and Mark Kastelic added a goal and a helper each for Boston, which swept the three-game season series against Columbus and snapped a five-game skid overall (0-3-2). Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli responded for the Blue Jackets. With the loss, Columbus’ chances at the third seed in the Metropolitan Division took a substantial blow. Jet Greaves stopped 19 shots. Canadiens 4, Islanders 1 Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook scored in a 55-second span late in the second period for Montreal, which eliminated collapsed New York from playoff contention in Elmont, N.Y. Jacob Fowler made 30 saves while Zachary Bolduc scored with 14.7 seconds left in the third for the playoff-bound Canadiens, who maintained their hopes of winning the Atlantic Division or finishing second and earning home ice in the first round. The Canadiens are tied for first with the Buffalo Sabres, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montreal does not have the regulation wins tiebreaker over either team. Casey Cizikas scored in the third for the Islanders, who occupied a playoff spot for most of the season before losing nine of their past 13 (4-9-0). New York entered the weekend one point behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division but had its hopes damaged in a 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators Saturday afternoon. Devils 4, Senators 3 (OT) Nico Hischier scored a power-play goal with 1:42 remaining in overtime and New Jersey earned a victory over Ottawa in Newark, N.J. Hischier collected two goals and an assist and finished off his fifth three-point game of the season by getting to the net after winning an offensive zone faceoff from Shane Pinto. Jack Hughes notched two assists to reach 50 assists for the second time in his career as the Devils improved to 14-7-1 in their past 22 games. Ottawa countered New Jersey’s early lead with three goals in a span of 6:32 during the second period. Reimer made 26 saves for the Senators, who saw a four-game winning streak stopped and are one point behind Boston for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. If the teams finish tied, Ottawa would win the tiebreaker due to their 37 regulation wins. ============================================== NASCAR TY GIBBS NIPS RYAN BLANEY IN OT AT BRISTOL Ty Gibbs finally became a Cup Series winner Sunday at NASCAR’s toughest short track. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver stayed out in his No. 54 Toyota for track position, then won his first career Cup race by nipping Ryan Blaney in overtime at Bristol Motor Speedway, taking the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn. In the series’ eighth race, Gibbs’ small lead evaporated when Riley Herbst created the ninth caution with four laps left to force the green-white-checkers overtime. Gibbs restarted in the preferred high line and denied Blaney’s No. 12 Ford by 0.055 seconds to win at the Cup level for the first time in 131 career starts, becoming the most recent driver to claim his first career checkers at Bristol since Kurt Busch in 2002 for Roush Racing. In his fifth season, the 23-year-old driver immediately thought of his late father, Coy, who passed away at 49 in 2002. He later gave his mother, Heather, the checkered flag. “I’d love for my father to have seen this, but I know he knew it was going to happen and expected it as well,” said Ty Gibbs, who was stellar with 12 victories in 66 starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. “What a great day.” Added team owner Joe Gibbs, Ty’s grandfather and Coy’s father: “This is one of my best experiences. … I know Coy is probably watching.” Without a win at Bristol, Blaney was dominant in the latter half of the race but slipped up in the low groove before the late caution and could not get the run he needed in overtime. “Fun day. Just wish we could’ve made it happen,” said the 2023 champ, who led 190 laps, second only to Kyle Larson’s 284. Larson, points leader Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe completed the top five. Toyota won for the fourth time in the past six races at Thunder Valley. Ross Chastain made the first bold move, moving from sixth to second on the first lap, while Gibbs fell back. But by Lap 60, Christopher Bell had worked his way to third, up 11 spots, in his No. 20 Toyota as pole winner Blaney pulled away from the 37-car field. Larson took the point after the first pit stops, but stablemate William Byron fell two laps down and dropped to 36th late in Stage 1. Larson and Bell, who combined to win the Bristol races last season, ended 1-2, respectively, in the 125-lap segment with Blaney, Briscoe and Josh Berry behind them. Like Reddick earlier, Bell was caught speeding on pit road and fell back to 26th. The No. 20 Toyota soon lost control, struck the wall off Turn 2 and spun on the backstretch. Larson’s No. 5 paced the way as Stage 2 neared its end, but Blaney’s No. 12 Ford moved to within a half-second. The two-time title winner repeated with another stage win, and Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar and Briscoe were top five. The cars were bunched up with just under 190 laps left when Herbst turned Kyle Busch, and Larson led Gibbs, Hamlin and Blaney following pit work. Blaney moved his Ford to the point on Lap 363 after contact with Larson as drivers raced the concrete half-mile track’s low or high groove and flirted with the notion of making it without another stop. ================================================= INDIANA HEADLINES/RELEASES INDIANA PACERS In their final game of the 2025-26 season, the Pacers (19-63) fell to the Detroit Pistons (60-22) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 133-121. Quenton Jackson scored 21 points, dished out eight assists, and collected three steals in the season finale to lead the Blue & Gold. Obi Toppin also tallied 21 points in just 18 minutes off the bench, matching his career high for 3-pointers made by going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. Paul Reed led Detroit with 26 points and six rebounds on perfect 11-for-11 shooting, while also going 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Tobias Harris added 24 points in 22 minutes on 9-of-12 shooting (4-for-4 from 3-point range). The Pacers had just nine active players for the season finale on Sunday. Tyrese Haliburton, Johnny Furphy, Ivica Zubac, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker all missed the game due to injury. While the Pistons have had the top seed in the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs locked up for several games, they only rested All-Star center Jalen Duren, electing to play all their other key players into the second half on Sunday. The Pistons jumped out to an early lead on Sunday. Reed scored 14 of Detroit’s first 24 points and Harris added the other 10. Reed started the night 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while Harris went 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Detroit led by as many as 12 in the early going. Toppin provided a nice spark after checking in off the bench midway through the first quarter, knocking down three of four 3-point attempts. But the Pistons reeled off a 9-0 run later in the frame to extend the margin to 17 and took a 41-27 lead into the second quarter. The ensuing frame was marked by a series of runs. Micah Potter scored eight points and knocked down a pair of threes to trigger an 11-2 Indiana run that trimmed the deficit to 52-47. But the Pistons quickly countered once again, this time with All-Star guard Cade Cunningham scoring seven points during a 13-0 spurt. Toppin and Potter continued their 3-point barrage, as Toppin buried three more triples and Potter added another during a 14-6 run by the Blue & Gold to get back within eight. But Detroit responded by closing the half with a 12-2 run to take an 81-63 lead into the break. The Pistons’ 81 points in the first half were the most the Pacers allowed in the first half all season. The Pistons stretched the lead as high as 27 points in the third quarter and all but sealed the outcome. Toppin provided some excitement for the home fans in the final minute of the frame, however. First, he tied his career-best mark by knocking down his seventh 3-pointer of the game with 29.9 seconds left. Then, after Jalen Slawson stole the ball in the closing seconds of the quarter, Toppin raced ahead and threw down his famous Eastbay between-the-legs dunk, though he was just a fraction of a second too late after the buzzer for it to count. Detroit took a 108-89 lead into the fourth quarter. The Pacers managed to get back within single digits in the closing minutes, as back-to-back threes from Ethan Thompson and Jay Huff cut Detroit’s lead to 126-120 with 2:21 to go. But that would be the closest they would get. Kobe Brown finished with 20 points and seven rebounds while going 4-for-7 from 3-point range for Indiana. Thompson tallied 18 points and six assists, while Potter recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jay Huff was the sixth and final Pacer in double figures, finishing with 13 points and five blocks. Isaiah Stewart had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and five rebounds off the bench for Detroit. Fellow reserve Kevin Huerter added 15 points and three steals. Cunningham finished with just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, but did tally eight rebounds and 14 assists in 22 minutes of action. Next up for the Pacers is the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10 in Chicago. The Pacers will only keep their pick if it lands in the top four, otherwise it will go to the Clippers as a condition of the Feb. 5 trade for Zubac. Indiana has a 52.1 percent chance of landing a top-four pick. The Pacers have not drafted in the top four since taking Rik Smits second overall in 1988 and have never had the first overall pick. Inside the Numbers Toppin’s seven 3-pointers matched his career high, which he set previously on March 17, 2025 at Minnesota. Brown’s 20 points were a new career high. It was his first 20-point game in his 145th career game. Potter recorded a double-double in each of the final three games this season and four of his final five. Thompson scored 15 points or more in each of the last four games of the season. The Pistons outscored Indiana 62-36 in points in the paint. ============================================== INDIANA FEVER INDIANAPOLIS (April. 12, 2026) — The Indiana Fever and free agent guard Sophie Cunningham have agreed to a new contact ahead of the 2026 WNBA season. After being acquired via trade ahead of the 2025 season, Cunningham returns to Indiana for a second year with the Fever. “We are thrilled to have Sophie back with the Fever and are grateful for her commitment to return and build on what we started a year ago. Not only is Sophie one of the best three-point shooters in the league, but she is an exceptional teammate, both on and off the court,” COO and General Manager Amber Cox said. “She plays with infectious energy that impacts not only our team, but our fanbase as well.” “We had a really special group last year and it was an incredible first season for me in Indy; I loved everything about my teammates and the Fever organization. We fought through a ton of adversity, and it was important to me that we have a chance to see through what we started,” Cunningham said. “I have a feeling this is going to be another special season, so I’m excited to get things started and to, of course, keep playing in front of the best fans in the WNBA. Let’s get spicy!” As part of the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Championship winning team, Cunningham was instrumental in helping the Fever lift its first trophy in over a decade, scoring 13 points and corralling seven rebounds in the title game. Cunningham returns following a 2025 season cut short due to injury but, despite only appearing in 30 games in the 2025 season, still finished fourth on the team in both scoring (257 points) and rebounds (105). Additionally, Cunningham led the Fever in three-point field goal percentage at 43.2 percent, good for the third highest percentage in the WNBA. On July 11, against the Atlanta Dream, Cunningham recorded her second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the 99-82 victory. Cunningham initially joined the Fever via trade from the Phoenix Mercury on Feb. 1, 2025. As a six-year member of the Mercury, Cunningham totaled 182 games, shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. ===== INDIANAPOLIS (April. 12, 2026) — The Indiana Fever and free agent Damiris Dantas have agreed to new contract terms, seeing the Brazilian center return for her third-consecutive season with the franchise. “We are very excited to welcome DD back to the Fever this season,” said team COO and General Manager Amber Cox. “She is coming off another strong offseason overseas, and we are looking forward to her continuing to be a valuable contributor for us. In addition to everything she brings on the court, DD is a fantastic teammate, contributing to the special culture we want to continue to build.” Dantas originally signed with the Fever ahead of the 2024 season and has since played in 58 games for Indiana, averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, and was a part of the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup championship team. Beginning her career with the Minnesota Lynx, Dantas went back and forth between the Twin Cities and the Atlanta Dream from 2014-2022, where she played in a combined 202 games and averaged a combined 7.6 points per game. A consistent presence for the Brazil National Team, Dantas has played in 81 games for her home country, making her debut in 2010 while she was still a teenager. Most recently competing in both the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying tournament in China and the 2026 FIFA Women’s AmeriCup, Dantas led both tournaments in scoring, averaging 22.0 points per game and 21.4 points per game, respectively. This past offseason Dantas competed with Botas SK in Turkey where she finished with the fourth most points per game (18.4) in the Women’s Basketball Super League. ===== INDIANAPOLIS (April 12, 2026) — The Indiana Fever have signed point guard and Indianapolis native Tyasha “Ty” Harris, adding veteran depth to the backcourt ahead of the 2026 season. “We’re excited to add Ty to our backcourt. She is a dynamic guard who will add depth to our rotation. She brings great experience, not only playing in the league, but for our coaching staff as well,” said Fever COO and General Manager Amber Cox. “On a personal note, it’s incredibly special to bring Ty back home to Indy where she will now be able to play in front of family and friends in a Fever jersey.” “I’m really excited for this next chapter with the Indiana Fever. Being back in Indy means a lot to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to join an organization that’s building something special,” Harris said. “I’m focused on continuing to grow, bringing energy every day, and doing whatever it takes to help this team win.” With five seasons of WNBA experience, Harris comes to Indiana having appeared in 172 games through stints at the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun, averaging 6.5 points per game across her career. Harris began her career with the Dallas Wings, drafted No. 7 overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft, spending three years in Texas before being traded to the Connecticut Sun. During her two years in Connecticut, Harris played under Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White where she set new career highs in points per game (10.5), playing some of her best basketball since joining the league. Harris was traded back to Dallas in 2025 but saw the season cut short due to injury. In addition to her play in the WNBA, Harris has spent several offseasons overseas, including in China (Liaoning Flying Eagles), Russia (Nika Syktyvkar) and Turkey (Cankaya and Kayseri Basketbol). Harris spent her college years at the University of South Carolina where she helped the school win its first-ever NCAA National Championship in 2017. By the time Harris had left South Carolina she had set program records in games played (139) and had earned the 2020 SEC Female Athlete of the Year and the 2020 Dawn Staley Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. As a Gamecock, Harris played two seasons with her new Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, where they both helped South Carolina become the consensus No. 1 team in the nation in 2020. Growing up in Fishers, Indiana, Harris’ signing marks a return to her hometown for the first time in her career. Harris led Heritage Christian to three-straight state titles and is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,004 career points, also holding school record in steals (487) and ranking third in assists (426). Harris will wear No. 52 for the Fever. =============================================== INDY IGNITE FISHERS, Ind. (April 12, 2026) – Any need to worry about a letdown from the Indy Ignite was misguided. Three days after clinching a place in next month’s Major League Volleyball playoffs, the Ignite took care of business today, sweeping visiting Atlanta at Fishers Event Center. The Vibe tested the Ignite in the final two sets but Indy still prevailed by scores of 25-19, 28-26, 27-25. The Ignite are now 18-4 this season, good for first place by 1.5 games over Dallas with six matches to play in the regular season. “Atlanta’s a tough team and they’re always going to push back and do good things and get us into well beyond those extra points,” Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci observed. “It’s good we could manage it and win those, and that’s important experience for us.” The Ignite relied on their experienced and explosive pin hitters – Azhani Tealer and Leketor Member-Meneh – to carry them against the Vibe. Opposite hitter Tealer led Indy with 19 kills, hitting 55.8 percent with 47.1 percent efficiency. Outside hitter Member-Meneh struck for 13 kills, hitting 44.8 percent on 34.5 percent efficiency. The duo was particularly impressive at the conclusion of the second set, when they combined for eight of Indy’s last nine points to secure the overtime win. As a team, the Ignite were successful on 41.5 percent of their hits with an efficiency of 28.0 percent in the match. Both figures were above their season averages that rank second in MLV. Indy’s defense limited the Vibe to 19.4 percent efficiency, improving the Ignite’s league-leading opponents’ efficiency to 19.9 percent for the season. “Congrats to Indy, they’re in first place for a reason,” Atlanta coach Kayla Banwarth said. “They’re incredibly talented. I have a lot of respect for all of their players, for Lauren. These numbers don’t lie; they had a great match. Azhani doing Azhani things and Lek had a great match as well. When you have multiple pins firing the way that they were firing, that’s going to be hard for us to stop.” The Ignite rarely trailed in the first two frames, though they did go down a set point in the second before scoring three straight on two Member-Meneh kills sandwiched around one from Tealer after Member-Meneh made a sensational diving save to keep the point alive. Atlanta stormed to a 13-7 lead in the third set before Indy edged its way back. The Ignite went ahead 24-23 on a Tealer back-row kill, then the Vibe dodged a pair of match points before another Tealer kill and a Lydia Martyn block closed out the victory. “I hope they always understand that we’re never really out of it,” Bertolacci said. “Volleyball is a game where you’re down four points, you side out and it’s three points. You get one ace and all of a sudden, it’s two points and you feel really much quickly like you’re back in the game. I think we try and keep that mentality all the time, and it’s good that we did.” Tealer credited setter Mia Tuaniga (39 assists, 10 digs) for “setting me great and I was just going for it.” She also said there was no chance of a letdown following Thursday’s exhausting five-set win at San Diego that locked Indy into the playoffs. “She wouldn’t let that happen, for one,” Tealer said, pointing to Bertolacci sitting beside her in the post-match news conference. “We just want to win all the time and clinching is not only what we came here to do. We want to win championships, so we’re still working towards that. So, no letdown at all.” The Ignite hit the road Thursday for a trip to Grand Rapids (9-14), with the match streaming live at 7 p.m. ET on WTHR+ and the MLV YouTube channel. They return home Sunday, April 19 to host Dallas in a battle of the top two MLV teams. The match starts at 6 p.m. and will be preceded by a 2 p.m. scrimmage between the Purdue and Indiana volleyball teams. For ticket information, visit IndyIgniteVB.com. Tickets for the 2026 MLV Championship, set for May 7-9 at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, are on sale via the MLV Ticketmaster website. Prices start at $19 and provide access to both the semifinal and championship rounds. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com. ============================================ INDIANS BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS – Alika Williams launched his first home run of the season and extended his hitting streak to 10 games as the Indianapolis Indians were victorious in the final game of the six-game homestand against the Louisville Bats on Sunday afternoon, 9-5. In the second inning, the Bats (8-7) took the lead first for the fifth time in this series. With the wind blowing out, a perfectly placed single by Blake Dunn dropped in between right fielder Ronny Simon and second baseman Termarr Johnson, allowing two Bats runners to score. Louisville’s lead was short lived, as the Indians (4-11) struck back immediately in the bottom of the frame. Davis Wendzel ripped a double down the third base line into the left-field corner, and advanced to third after Johnson beat out an infield single. Nick Cimillo followed with a sharp RBI-single hit right at the second baseman, knocking off his glove and escaping into shallow center field. Wind played a factor yet again, as long single hit by Mike Jarvis dropped in against the wall behind the left fielder to plate Johnson and tie the game, 2-2. With two on and two out, Alika Williams shot a 415-foot home run to left field off of Louisville starter Chase Petty (L, 1-2) to cap the scoring, bringing Nick Cimillo and Tyler Callihan home and extending the lead, 5-2. Rafael Flores Jr. led off the fifth inning with a single into center field. Endy Rodríguez followed with a ground ball hit right at the second baseman, but an errant throw got away into left field and allowed Flores Jr. to come home and Rodríguez to reach first base with a fielder’s choice. The Bats loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but Beau Burrows induced a ground ball to end the frame. Indianapolis followed suit and loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Ronny Simon cleared the bases with a double to the center field wall to make it a 9-2 ball game. Louisville cut the lead to four in the top of the ninth with a three-run home run by JJ Bleday off of Mike Clevinger to conclude the scoring. Wilber Dotel (W, 1-1) earned his first win of the season after going 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. Justin Meis, Beau Burrows and Michael Darrell-Hicks each pitched a scoreless appearance in the victory. The Indians head on the road to face the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They will begin a six-game series on Tuesday, April 14 at 1:05 PM ET. No starting pitchers have been named at this time. ================================================ IU SOFTBALL BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– A combination of strong pitching, stout defense and reliable bats for Indiana led to 9-0 win in five innings over Purdue on Sunday (April 12) at Andy Mohr Field in the final game of the weekend series. Indiana’s record now stands at 31-10 on the season and 10-5 in Big Ten play. GAME 3: INDIANA 9, PURDUE 0 (F/5) Indiana sweeps series 3-0 KEY MOMENTS • After a scoreless inning and a half, Madalyn Strader set the tone for the game with a solo home run to right center to put Indiana up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. • Indiana’s defense continued to halt any Boilermaker momentum in the third inning, converting on a 5-3 double play. • In the bottom of the frame the Hoosiers made it a 6-0 game with an Avery Parker double to right center to score three Hoosiers right before Josie Bird hit a 2-run bomb over the right field wall. • The offensive onslaught continued in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run from Hannah Haberstroh, an RBI double from Aly VanBrandt and a walk from Madalyn Strader with the bases loaded to make it 9-0. • Indiana’s defense put together a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth to end the game and secure the run rule victory. NOTABLES • Indiana held Purdue to just one hit and it was on the very first at bat of the game. • It was Indiana’s second series sweep in Big Ten play. They also swept Maryland on the road (March 20-22). • The win improved Troutt’s season record to 9-6. • Three Hoosiers homered: Strader, Bird and Haberstroh. • Indiana has won four-straight games. UP NEXT Indiana will next be in action on Tuesday (April 14) against Notre Dame for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Andy Mohr Field. ============================================ IU BASEBALL COLLEGE PARK, Md. – For the fourth time this season, the Indiana Baseball team (14-21, 6-12 B1G) was walked off in the final game of a weekend. Maryland (17-19, 4-11 B1G) hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to complete an 8-6 comeback victory in Sunday’s (April 12) rubber match. It’s the fourth series loss in conference play this year for the Hoosiers. Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry worked around trouble in the middle innings to give IU a chance to win the game. He carried the Hoosiers to the ninth inning with a two-run lead, even recording the first out in the final frame. A hit and a walk brought in veteran right-hander Michael Sarhatt (L, 0-1) who allowed the game-winning home run to the Terrapins. Without the services of sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny, IU got a much-needed jolt from the bottom of its lineup. Redshirt junior outfielder Ayden Crouse provided three hits including a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley followed that up with a two-run blast to take a three-run advantage. IU’s final run came on a three-base throwing error that allowed Crouse to score in the sixth. IU will stay on the road for one more game as it heads to Indiana State for a midweek contest on Tuesday (April 14) evening. First pitch in that contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Scoring Recap Bottom First A two-run single from Rylen Stockton opened the scoring for the Terrapins. Maryland 2, Indiana 0 Top Third Ayden Crouse laced a double down the line in left field to put the Hoosiers on the board. Maryland 2, Indiana 1 Top Fourth Will Moore hit a ball through the left side to bring home Caleb Koskie Maryland 2, Indiana 2 Top Fifth The Hoosiers got their big inning with a pair of home runs. Ayden Crouse broke the deadlock with a solo shot to center field. Jake Hanley added to the lead with a two-run blast to left field. Indiana 5, Maryland 2 Bottom Fifth Paul Jones II drove home a run on a sacrifice fly to center field. Indiana 5, Maryland 3 Top Sixth Crouse singled and would ultimately score on a three-base throwing error from the pitcher. Indiana 6, Maryland 3 Bottom Sixth David Mendez led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. Indiana 6, Maryland 4 Bottom Sixth Maryland hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game. Maryland 8, Indiana 6 Top Hoosier Performers #17 Koskie, Caleb 2-3, BB, R #5 Crouse, Ayden 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI #38 Yarberry, Jackson 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 K Notes to Know • Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie worked another pair of hits in the defeat to extend his hitting streak to 16-straight games. It was his 10th multi-hit game of the season and his third in the last seven games. Koskie is the first IU player with a 16-game hitting streak in a single year since Brad Hartong and Dustin DeMuth in 2014. • Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley hit his 10th home run of the season and his seventh in conference play. He’s the first player to hit double-digit home runs in both their freshman and sophomore seasons since Tyler Cerny and Devin Taylor (2023-24). Up Next IU begins a five-game week with a contest at Indiana State on Tuesday (April 14). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio. ========================================= PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Behind a pair of under-par rounds from sophomore Lauren Timpf, Purdue Women’s Golf is tied with Illinois for the lead at the Boilermaker Spring Classic. With wind gusting throughout the day, the Ackerman-Allen Course proved to be difficult as the two Big Ten teams sit atop the leaderboard at 6-over with 18 holes left to play. Purdue made 26 birdies and two eagles as a team during the first two rounds. The Boilermakers dominated the par-5s, playing the lengthy holes 16-under to lead the field. Timpf (-3) was a field-best 5-under on the par 5s, leading to rounds of 71 (-1) and 70 (-2) to place her second on the individual leaderboard and one shot off the lead. The Macomb, Michigan, native closed her opening round with a birdie at the first before rolling in a 6-footer for eagle on the par-5 second. Her afternoon round featured four birdies as the players battled the wind. Ida Lindqvist added rounds of 74 (+2) and 72 (E) to sit in a tie for seventh. In her second round, the freshman birdied two of her first three holes and followed that up with 12 straight pars. Samantha Brown and Ashley Kim carded 72s (E) in the morning. Both Boilermakers are currently in the Top 20, tied for 13th and 19th, respectively. Brown (+4) eagled her second hole of the day, while Kim (+5) began her tournament with back-to-back birdies. The Boilermakers look to protect their home course and win their second straight tournament, starting the final round at 9 a.m. ET on Monday morning. Purdue is paired alongside co-leaders Illinois, as well as South Florida (+14) and Minnesota (+24). For updates throughout the final round, follow Purdue Women’s Golf on X @PurdueWGolf. BOILERMAKERS 2. Lauren Timpf: 71-70—141 (-3) T-7. Ida Lindqvist: 74-72—146 (+2) T-13. Samantha Brown: 72-76—148 (+4) T-19. Ashley Kim: 72-77—149 (+5) T-31. Luana Valero: 77-75—152 (+8) *6. Michaela Headlee: 73-72—145 (+1) *T-28. Ella Weber: 76-75—151 (+7) *Competing as an individual TEAM LEADERBOARD T-1. Purdue: 289-293—582 (+6) T-1. Illinois: 286-296—582 (+6) 3. South Florida: 294-296—590 (+14) 4. Minnesota: 306-294—600 (+24) 5. Denver: 302-300—602 (+26) 6. Cincinnati: 310-293—603 (+27) 7. Princeton: 303-301—604 (+28) 8. South Dakota State: 300-306—606 (+30) T-9. Chattanooga: 303-307—610 (+34) T-9. Wisconsin: 295-315—610 (+34) 11. Findlay: 307-308—615 (+39) 12. Bradley: 313-306—619 (+43) 13. Illinois State: 316-304—620 (+44) 14. Northern Illinois: 311-312—623 (+47) 15. Butler: 318-315—633 (+57) 16. Purdue Fort Wayne: 318-321—639 (+63) ========================================= PURDUE BASEBALL EVANSTON, Ill. – Four Boilermakers connected for a home run in support of an eight-strikeout quality start from Austin Klug as Purdue Baseball defeated Northwestern 8-3 Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep. The Boilermakers (25-10, 12-6 Big Ten) have won seven of their last eight games in Big Ten play and improved to 16-5 overall since March 10. They posted their second consecutive sweep of the Wildcats (13-18-1, 5-10 Big Ten) in Chicagoland while improving to 9-1 vs. NU since a rubber game win in April 2023 at Alexander Field. Purdue scored in each of the first three innings and six of the nine overall in a wire-to-wire victory. Sergio DeCello, Eli Anderson, CJ Richmond and Avery Moore all went deep for the Boilermakers. Richmond’s homer was his eighth of the season (earning a share of the team lead) and 30th career at the NCAA level. Anderson also connected for an opposite-field blast, his first in two seasons as a Boilermaker. Klug took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning in his longest outing as a Boilermaker. He gave up consecutive singles to open the bottom of the seventh before handing the ball off to Thomas Howard and the bullpen. Klug struck out two hitters in the first, third and sixth innings; his eight Ks matched Jarvis Evans for the most by a Purdue pitcher this season. SUNDAY NOTABLES • The Boilermakers surrendered only eight runs over 28 innings in the sweep, their fewest in a Big Ten series since conceding three in an April 2024 home sweep of Michigan State. It was the fewest in a road series since giving up five in a sweep at Penn State in March 2018. • Purdue joined No. 3-ranked Georgia Tech as the only teams to sweep Northwestern this season. The Wildcats managed to stave off a sweep vs. USC at home last month and in road series at Rice, Oregon and Washington. • With Oregon winning its rubber game with Nebraska on Sunday in Eugene, the Boilermakers and No. 1-ranked UCLA (18-0 Big Ten) are the only teams to win five consecutive Big Ten series so far this season. • Purdue’s sweeps at Northwestern in 2024 and 2026 marked the first time ever that the program swept a Big Ten opponent in consecutive road series. The Boilermakers are 17-4 vs. NU during their streak of seven consecutive series wins dating back to 2018. Purdue has swept the Wildcats three times during that stretch. • Northwestern’s run in the eighth inning Sunday ended the Boilermaker bullpen’s streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings, which dated back to the ninth inning of the April 4 game vs. Illinois. • Purdue went 6-1 during its stretch of seven consecutive games vs. teams from the state of Illinois. • The Boilermakers enjoyed their third four-win week of the season, also achieving the feat with their four-game sweep of Marist the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1 and their four victories the week of March 24-29. • Purdue enjoyed a 27-7 edge in free passes for the series (20 walks, 7 HBP for the Boilers; 6 walks, 1 HBP for the Wildcats). STREAKS EXTENDED • Sam Flores: 14-game on-base; 10-game on-base in Big Ten play • Avery Moore: 10-game on-base; 5-game hit; 10-game on-base in Big Ten play • Quincy Malbrough: 6-game-hit; 5-game hit in Big Ten play; 5-game RBI in Big Ten play • Jackson Bessette: 6-game hit; 5-game hit in Big Ten play • Westin Boyle: 5-game on-base • Jake Kramer: 12 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings SERIES LEADERS • Quincy Malbrough: 6-for-11, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB; hit safely & drove in a run in all 3 games • Avery Moore: 5-for-10, HR, 4 BB, HBP, 3 RBI, 2 R, Sac Bunt; hit safely in all 3 games • Eli Anderson: 4-for-14, 2 2B, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 4 R, Sac Bunt, SB • Jackson Bessette: 3-for-11, 2B, 3 BB, HBP, 3 R; hit safely in all 3 games • Westin Boyle: 4-for-15, 2 2B RBI, R, 2 SB; hit safely in all 3 games • Starting Pitchers: 17 IP, 17 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 13 K • Bullpen: 11 IP, 8 H, R, 3 BB, 6 K DeCello went deep to right center with two outs in the second inning. Anderson led off the top of the third with another home run. Richmond’s two-out, two-run shot in the top of the fifth made it 5-0 Purdue. Moore’s rocket down the left field line in the seventh was also an inning-opening homer. Klug retired seven of the first eight batters he faced and 18 of 22 through his six scoreless innings. He retired the leadoff man in all six. The senior joined Zach Erdman (8 on Feb. 14 vs. Portland) and Cole Van Assen (April 3 vs. Illinois) as Boilermakers to work six shutout frames in a start this season. That trio led the way this weekend as Purdue only used seven pitchers to cover 28 innings. The Boilers did not have to go to the bullpen before the sixth inning in any of the three games. Anderson singled to lead off the game. A pair of passed balls allowed Purdue to score on the first out of the game as Quincy Malbrough’s RBI ground out plated Anderson from third base. After Northwestern had cut the Boilers’ lead in half with three unanswered runs, they responded with four hits in the top of the ninth to tack on a pair of insurance tallies. Moore and Richmond drove in runs after a leadoff single from Malbrough and a double to the wall in right field from Sam Flores. Purdue is back in action Tuesday when it hosts Miami (Ohio) in the opener of a five-game homestand. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET at Alexander Field. ============================================= PURDUE SOFTBALL BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Boilers were shutout 9-0 in game three against Indiana Sunday night at Andy Mohr Stadium. Purdue (26-15, 6-9 Big Ten) earned a lone hit in the game on a leadoff single from Khloe Banks in the top of the first. The Hoosiers earned seven hits on the afternoon through the five innings, but a five-run third ultimately took down the Boilers. BOILER BITS Offensive Highlights Khloe Banks: 1-for-3 Pitching Breakdown Julia Gossett: (L, 10-8) 2.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 13 BF Brianna Fontenot: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HP, 8 BF Brooke Perez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 3 BF Banks led off the game with an infield single, but that turned into the only hit of the game for Purdue. Indiana plated nine runs over five innings, including one in the second, five in the third, and three in the fourth. The Boilers used three pitchers, with Gossett going the first two, before Brianna Fontenot came in relief in the third. Fontenot was unable to stop the bleeding, and Brooke Perez came in final relief, earning the last two outs in a scoreless performance. The Hoosiers hit three homers, with five extra-base hits, creating a deficit the Boilers were unable to overcome. Purdue is back in action this week with another away series at Rutgers. For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). ========================================= NOTRE DAME BASEBALL SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team fell in a 20-5 (8 innings) contest against No. 13 Virginia in the Sunday rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium. The Cavaliers plated a run in the top of the first for an early lead. The Irish responded in the bottom half of the inning. Mark Quatrani reached on a dropped third strike passed ball, and Bino Watters hit an opposite-field single to left. Drew Berkland added a walk to load the bases. Mason Barth went the other way with a single to right field to drive in Quatrani to knot it up. Jayce Lee then used a sacrifice fly to right field to put the Irish ahead 2-1. Virginia countered with a three-run output in the top of the second as the lead changed hands again. The Cavaliers added another run in the top of the third for a 5-2 advantage. The Irish responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Mason Barth drew a one-out walk before Jayce Lee drilled a 368-foot homer to right field to make it a 5-4 game. The Cavaliers pushed four runs across in the top of the fourth and another in the fifth for a 10-4 lead. The Irish got one back in the bottom of the fifth. Brandon Logan had a well-struck single fall in left field. The Irish capitalized after a ball hit by Noah Coy was mis-played by the Cavaliers’ right fielder, which allowed Logan to score. Virginia, however, put up runs in each of the sixth, seventh and eight innings for the 20-5 final score. Jayce Lee was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and drove in another run for the Irish. Bino Watters went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Mason Barth was 1-for-3 at the dish with an RBI, a run and a walk. Brandon Logan went 1-for-2 and scored a run. Mark Quatrani scored once while Drew Berkland and Parker Brzustewicz each tallied a hit. Dylan Singleton suffered the pitching decision after 2.1 innings of work with two strikeouts. Ty Uber, Oisin Lee, Aiden Zerr, Noah Rooney, Kellan Klosterman, Evan Clark and Garrett Snyder all made appearances for the Irish on the mound. Notre Dame (16-15, 7-11 ACC) have a break from league play when they host in-state foe Valparaiso on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at Frank Eck Stadium. ============================================= NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team (17-25, 6-12 ACC) fell in Sunday’s rubber match to Louisville (34-9, 10-5 ACC) 13-5 in seven innings at Melissa Cook Stadium. Freshman Lily Hagan continued to breakout, as the Colts Neck, New Jersey native hit two homers on the day, both of the two-run variety. The long balls represented the fifth and sixth homers of the year for Hagan, a team-high after also homering yesterday. It marked back-to-back weekends that Hagan has had multiple home runs in a game after doing so against Florida State last Thursday. She’s homered in five of her last 17 at bats. As a team, Notre Dame collected 11 hits and only struck out three times in 32 at bats. Four Irish had multi-hit games (Hagan, Caroline O’Brien, Ava Zachary and Sydny Poeck). Zachary also notched an RBI, pushing her season total to 23. Notre Dame will look to turn the page this upcoming week with five games on the docket, starting off Tuesday night at Indiana. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus. ============================================== BUTLER BASEBALL INDIANAPOLIS – Butler dropped Sunday’s series finale against UConn 13-0. With the loss, Butler slides to 13-22 overall and 4-2 in BIG EAST play while UConn improves to 20-17 and 6-3 in conference action. BULLDOG HIGHLIGHTS Matthew Rhoades went 2-for-3. Gavin Gilmore recorded a hit. Gunnar Duncan and Charlie Shebler each tallied a hit. HOW IT HAPPENED Buckley struck out three of the first four Huskies he faced to begin the game. Butler threatened in the bottom half of the first with back-to-back singles from Rhoades and Gilmore, but UConn escaped the inning unscathed. The second and third were more of the same as Buckley and Oliver Pudvar were dealing on the mound. Through the first three frames, Buckley retired six Husky batters by way of strikeout. In the fourth, UConn broke through with two runs on three hits to take a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs were unable to respond, as UConn took the two-run cushion into the fifth. The Huskies added another run in the top of the fifth as the visitors extended the lead to three. BU was unable to plate any runs in the frame as the Huskies took the 3-0 lead into the sixth. After a scoreless sixth, UConn plated 10 runs on six hits as the visitor’s lead ballooned to 13. Butler was unable to mount a comeback as the Dawgs dropped game three of the series 13-0. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, April 14, as the Bulldogs host Ball State at Bulldog Park. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and a link to live stats will be available on Butlersports.com. ============================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball team held a lead through six innings but could not close it out game three of a BIG EAST series vs. Connecticut, falling 2-1. The Bulldogs (17-16, 9-6 BIG EAST) scored their run in the first inning, but the Huskies (20-22, 12-3 BIG EAST) rallied with two outs in the seventh to score both of their runs. Prior to the game, a ceremonial first pitch was delivered by Butler alum Jenny (Esparza) Levengood, 2010-13. Arguably the most dominant pitcher in Bulldogs Softball history, Esparza was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-Midwest Region in 2011. The two-time All-Horizon League first-team selection (2010, 2011) held Butler’s career strikeouts record after only two seasons, striking out 575 batters by the end of her sophomore season. Esparza finished her Butler career with 789 strikeouts. She owns Butler’s single-season record for wins (18) and strikeouts (307), and the single-game, seven-inning record for strikeouts (18). The Bulldogs took an early lead in the first inning when Olivia Robards doubled to send Makena Alexander home. Neither team was able to push another run across through the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Butler quickly got two outs. But a walk, followed by a triple, tied the game at one, and then an error allowed the go-ahead run to cross. Maren Berger pitched a complete game in the circle for Butler and took the loss. In 7.0 innings, she allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out a pair. Bulldog Bits Robards hit her 12th double of the season which was the 23rd of her career. Berger pitched her first seven-inning complete game in a Butler uniform. Alexander produced her 46th RBI of the season in the weekend series, breaking Butler’s single-season RBI record previously held by Ella White (2024). Up Next Butler will host IU Indy on Tuesday, April 14, and then travel to Georgetown for a three-game BIG EAST series next weekend. =========================================== IU INDY MEN’S GOLF SPRINGBORO, Ohio – On Master’s Sunday in the golf world, IU Indy men’s golf junior Titus Boswell dialed up a pair of masterpieces of his own at the Wright State Invitational on Sunday (Apr. 12), carding rounds of 67 and 69 on the opening day of the Wright State Invitational. With Boswell leading the way, the Jaguars sit third overall among the 13-team field at 572 (279-293). The morning round saw Boswell lead the way at 4-under 67 while freshman Jack Scudder shot 2-under 69 with just one bogey on his scorecard. Junior Brady Schier shot an even par 71 and Keaton Parmley rounded out the scoring group at 1-over 72. Boswell’s round included an eagle on the par-5, No. 4 and four birdies, three of which came on his opening six holes. Senior Noah Kirsch shot 2-over 73 and Preston Broce shot 5-over 76. Freshman Noah Parsetich also carded 5-over 76 while playing as an individual. Boswell led the way in round two as well at 2-under 69, making five birdies in his final 18. Parmley checked in at 2-over 73 and Kirsch shot 4-over 75. Schier was countable at 5-over 76 while Scudder and Broce shot 6 and 8-over, respectively. Partsetich posted a score of 77 in the evening round. “I’m proud of the way I played today,” Boswell said. “The score could have been a lot lower but I just have to look ahead and go play great tomorrow. I’m excited to go out there and fight for the win.” The Jaguars topped the field with 131 pars on day one while ranking fifth overall with 32 birdies. Boswell tied for seventh among the field with nine birdies while Scudder and Parmley ranked among the best in the field with 24 pars apiece. Host Wright State leads the field at 532 on its home course while WSU’s Timmy Hollenbeck is atop the board at 10-under for the week. The tournament wil conclude with a 9:00 a.m. start on Monday (Apr. 13). ============================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team got out to an early lead but couldn’t hold on in a 7-6 setback to Akron on Sunday afternoon at Shebek Stadium. The Cardinals (18-17, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) held leads of 2-0 and 4-3 early, but the visiting Zips (15-20, 6-12 MAC) escaped with the win to salvage the series finale after dropping the first two contests of the weekend. Brett Griffiths started the scoring with a two-run double in the first inning to give Ball State a 2-0 edge. After Akron responded with a three-run inside-the-park home run from Mitchel Szymczak in the top of the second, the hosts plated two runs in the bottom half of the frame on a Brayden Huebner RBI fielder’s choice and Brady Davidson sacrifice fly to regain a 4-3 lead. The Zips hit solo shots in the fourth and fifth innings to go ahead 5-4, but Jacob Gillis had an RBI single through the left side in the sixth to bring Huebner home and knot the score. Brody Chrisman hit what proved to be the game-winning homer in the seventh for a 7-5 advantage. Ball State’s DJ Scheumann notched a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, but neither team would score for the remainder of the day. Jeremy Jones (1-3) allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning in relief to be hit with the loss. Trieg Matthews (3-1) worked 4.0 innings of one-run ball for the Zips to earn the win. Chrisman and Szymczak both had three hits, including two home runs, on the day to lead the Akron offense. The next game for Ball State is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Butler. ================================================ INDIANA STATE BASEBALL NORMAL, Ill. – Weston Fulk homered twice and drove in four RBIs and Spencer Johnsen struck out a career-high seven batters as Indiana State secured the series win over Illinois State with Sunday’s 6-1 victory at Duffy Bass Field. Fulk connected on the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the second inning, added an RBI double in the sixth, and then connected on a solo shot in the eighth inning to provide all the support Indiana State (18-18, 8-4) would need in securing its fourth consecutive MVC series win. Johnsen (1-0) pitched his way around the Redbirds (22-14, 6-6) lineup with a career-high seven strikeouts over 5.0 innings on the mound. The Sycamore left-hander pitched around runners on the bases in all five innings, utilizing key defensive plays on a day plagued by high winds around Duffy Bass Field. Fulk finished the day going 3-for-5 from the plate with four RBIs and two runs scored, while Jeremy Martinez had a multi-hit effort as the Sycamores recorded eight hits overall in the game. Indiana State was active on the base paths with six stolen bases overall with Carter Beck (two), Emil Estrella (two), Caleb Niehaus, and Nomar Garcia all successful in opportunities on the day. Justin Hoff came into the game the bottom of the sixth inning and threw 2.1 frames in scoreless relief, while Jack Armstrong and Brady Banker bridged the gap to Colby Morse who retired both batters he faced to secure the save. Josh Outlaw scored Illinois State’s lone run of the day on his way to a 3-for-5 effort from the plate, while Graham Mastros tripled to highlight the Redbirds lineup. Luke Teschke (3-2) took the loss allowing three hits and two runs while walking five and striking out five in 5.0 innings on the mound. How They Scored Indiana State took the 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning as Weston Fulk connected on a two-run home run over the left field wall to put the Sycamores ahead early. Camden Karczewski put the Redbirds on the scoreboard and took a run back for Illinois State with an RBI double down the left field line scoring Josh Outlaw to make it a 2-1 contest. The Sycamores added to the lead in the sixth inning as Weston Fulk connected on a double down the left field line scoring Jeremy Martinez, before Nomar Garcia’s RBI grounder scored Caleb Niehaus to put the score at 4-1. Weston Fulk connected on his second home run of the game with a solo shot to left field in the top of the eighth inning to make it a 5-1 contest. The Sycamores capped the scoring on Jeremy Martinez’s single down the right field line in the top of the ninth inning scoring Jaxon Sparks to provide the final 6-1 margin. News and Notes Weston Fulk became the fifth different Sycamore to record a multi-homer game in the 2026 season after going deep in both the second and eighth innings. Fulk’s two-homer game marked the Sycamores’ second of the weekend after Carter Beck homered twice on Friday night, and Indiana State’s fifth overall in Missouri Valley play Carter Beck saw his hitting streak come to an end at 17 games as the junior outfielder went 0-for-4 from the plate, but his on-base streak continued after being issued an intentional walk in the contest. Indiana State claimed its fourth consecutive Missouri Valley series win after taking two of three from Illinois State over the weekend. It marked the first time the Sycamores won their first four series since the 2024 season when Indiana State claimed all nine Valley weekend series on the year. Spencer Johnsen worked a career-high 5.0 innings in his first win in the Sycamore Blue & White. He added a career-high seven strikeouts. Colby Morse recorded his second save of the season after recording the final two outs. Up Next Indiana State returns home to Bob Warn Field on Tuesday, April 14, as the Sycamores host Indiana in midweek play. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend. ============================================ PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S GOLF WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Hunar Mittal of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s golf team shot 81-76-157 on the first day of the Boilermaker Spring Classic (Sunday, April 12). Mittal overcame blustery conditions to finish her day with just one hole worse than a bogey, and that was her first of the morning. The junior had eight pars and a birdie on hole 10 in round one. To start round two, she birdied hole 15 to make up for the double-bogey in round one. From there, she strung together 12 more pars, including eight in a row on the front nine. Her 157 put Mittal in 61st place with 18 to play. Lillian Gottman shot 80-80-160 and is in 71st place. She had 12 pars in round one, with eight of them on the back nine. In the afternoon, she had eight more pars with a birdie on the 475-yard hole two. One shot back of Gottman, Natalie Papa turned in a 79-82-161. She birdied her first hole, the 452-yard 14th, then rattled off 18 pars the rest of the day. She is in 78th place. Emily Gottman shot 78-84-162 and is 81st. She had two birdies on the first trip through the course: the 383-yard 18th and the 475-yard second. She totaled 17 pars in her two rounds. Lara Dommach’s day was highlighted by an eagle on hole eight in round two. She holed out the 365-yard par-4 on her second shot and was the only player to eagle the hole all day. She had one of only eight eagles in the entire field. She also birdied hole 17 in round one and hole 10 in round two. She turned in an 82-83-165 for 86th place. Lillie Cone played as an individual, shooting 85-83-168 for 91st. She birdied hole 10 in her first round to go with seven pars. In round two, she had nine pars. The Mastodons shot 639 as a team and are in 16th place in the tough field. The last round of the event will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday (April 13). ================================================== EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S GOLF TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Halfway through the Indiana State Invitational, the University of Evansville women’s golf team leads the field at the Country Club of Terre Haute. Leading the way for the Purple Aces following the first round is Jane Grankina. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week shot a 2-over 74 on Sunday and is tied for the lead with Renae Jaeger of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. They are one stroke in front of a 3rd-place tie. Louise Standtke and Haley Hughes are tied for 9th place following the opening round. Both completed the day with scores of 5-over 77’s. Elizabeth Mercer is 13th with a 78 while Kate Petrova is tied for 14th with a 78. Adeline Wittmer is tied for 36th after carding a 96 in the opening 18 holes. UE heads into Monday’s final round with a 306. They are two in front of Indiana State and lead UIC by seven strokes. ===================================================== EVANSVILLE BASEBALL EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team was unable to complete the weekend sweep of Southern Illinois on Sunday, dropping the series finale by a score of 16-3 at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. The game was close through the first four innings, but the Salukis broke a 3-3 tie with a 7-run fifth inning. Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) had his third three-hit effort of the week, collecting three of Evansville’s five hits. On the week, McConnell went 11-for-16 at the plate, scoring six runs and driving in three. HOW IT HAPPENED Kenton Deverman (Dardenne Prairie, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) got the start for Evansville and struck out two in the first inning before retiring the side in order in the second. The Aces got on the board first in the bottom of the second, loading the bases and scoring on a fielder’s choice. SIU struck for three in their next at-bats, using consecutive RBI doubles to take their first lead of the day. Evansville got the runs right back in the bottom half, however, taking advantage of three walks and a hit by pitch to tie the game at three. The Salukis broke things open in the fifth, tallying six hits, including back-to-back home runs, to take a 10-3 lead. From there, SIU controlled the game, adding one run in the sixth, one in the seventh, and four in the ninth to take a 16-3 win. UP NEXT Evansville looks for the season sweep of the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday, traveling to Bloomington for a midweek contest. First pitch is set for 5 PM CT. ===================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball allowed five runs in the eighth inning and lost the series finale at Eastern Illinois University, 9-6, Sunday afternoon at Coaches Stadium in Charleston, Illinois. USI is 20-17 overall and 4-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, while EIU goes to 21-11, 10-2 OVC. The Screaming Eagles spotted the Panthers a lead for the third-straight game, falling behind, 2-0, after three innings. USI junior designated hitter Gavyn Boyle gave the Screaming Eagles their first lead of the series, 3-2, with a three-run bomb in the sixth. The home run was Boyle’s first of the season. EIU rebounded with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the sixth to lead, 4-3, but USI knotted the game at 4-4 with a single run in the top of the seventh. USI junior leftfielder Dane DeWees scored the tying run when junior second baseman Parker Martin reached on a fielding error. USI regained the lead, 6-4, with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday drove in a run with a sacrifice fly for the lead, while junior third baseman Ryan Skwarek gave the Screaming Eagles a two-run advantage, 6-4. The Panthers would rally in the bottom of the eighth with five runs to race back into the lead, 9-6. EIU would hold serve in the top of the ninth, stranding a USI runner on base. On the mound, junior right-hander Eben Hansen took the loss in relief. Hansen allowed two runs on two hits in facing three hitters in a third of a frame. Up Next for the Screaming Eagles: The Screaming Eagles finish their five-game road swing Wednesday when they visit Ball State University for a 2 p.m. (CDT) first pitch. The Ball State Cardinals are 18-17 after falling in the series finale with the University of Akron Sunday afternoon, 7-6. Ball State is 5-5 in the last 10 games. The Cardinals lead the all-time series with the Screaming Eagles, 5-1, after USI took the first meeting at the USI Baseball Field, 13-3. Following the USI-Ball State game, the Screaming Eagles return home for four games at the USI Baseball Field, beginning April 17-18 with a three-game conference series versus UT Martin. ============================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Softball won a tight 2-1 ballgame on Sunday afternoon to capture an Ohio Valley Conference road series win at Tennessee Tech University. USI Softball (13-22, 10-8 OVC) claimed its second series win on the road in OVC play and exited the weekend in a tie for fifth in the OVC standings. Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech (14-24, 11-7 OVC) suffered its second series loss in a row to position itself third in the conference standings. Sunday’s series rubber match began with USI freshman pitcher Mia Kiegel making her first career start and striking out two in the first inning. Even though Tennessee Tech scratched across a run to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, Kiegel and the Screaming Eagles limited the scoring to the solo run. USI responded quickly in the top of the third inning. With two outs in the frame, senior outfielder Caroline Stapleton and junior infielder Sydney Long delivered two RBI singles to give the Screaming Eagles a 2-1 advantage. After taking a 2-1 lead, USI’s pitching staff kept the Golden Eagles scoreless for the rest of the game, working around baserunners in three of the final four innings. Kiegel (1-0) earned her first career win after striking out four with one run allowed in four innings of work. Freshman pitcher Anna Kemp went 2.2 innings in relief before handing the ball over to sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus for the final out. Witthaus picked up her fourth save of the season. Offensively, USI totaled six hits, with the top four of the batting order tallying a hit. Tennessee Tech starting pitcher Faith Rush (3-2) was dealt the loss, surrendering two runs and one earned in three innings pitched. Rush was followed by Ella Wampler, who tossed the last four innings scoreless for the Golden Eagles. Next, the Screaming Eagles will head to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a critical series next weekend for the second half of USI’s two-week road swing in OVC play. The series is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before concluding with a Sunday doubleheader at Noon. The three-game set 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 WOMEN’S GOLF MURRAY, Ky.- University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf finished sixth at the Jan Weaver Invitational hosted by Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, Sunday afternoon. The team scored a combined 927 (+63) over the two-day event. Round 1 The Screaming Eagles opened the tournament with a team score of 299 (+11). Junior Tora Timinsky and freshman McKenna Lowe led the way with matching rounds of 74 (+2). Sophomore Fernanda Vera followed closely with a 75 (+3), while graduate student Valeria Lopez de Haro Juste completed the scoring with a 76 (+4). Round 2 Timinsky continued her strong weekend with a team-best 74 (+2) in the second round. Sophomore Brianna Kirsch added a 75 (+3) to the team score, while Vera and Lowe rounded out the scoring with rounds of 79 (+7) and 80 (+8), respectively, over the second 18 holes. Round 3 USI wrapped up the event, scoring a 320 (+32) in the final round, paced by Kirsch’s final-round 78 (+6). Vera followed with an 80 (+8) in the opening round, finishing second on the team. Timinsky and Lopez de Haro Juste rounded out the scoring, each carding an 81 (+9) over the first 18 holes. Up Next The team will compete in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship in Dalton, Georgia, from April 19–21, facing the rest of the conference in the three-day event. ================================================== VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF The Valparaiso University women’s golf team got off to a strong start to the Indiana State Invitational on Sunday, as the team posted its best 18-hole round of the season so far to open the 36-hole tournament hosted by the Sycamores at the par-72, 5950-yard Country Club of Terre Haute. How It Happened Senior Taylor Skibinski (Michigan City, Ind. / Michigan City) led the way on a positive day for the team, posting a 75 (+3). She is just one stroke back of a tie for individual medalist honors between Renae Jaeger (SMWC) and Evgeniia Grankina (Evansville) and sits in a tie for third of 39. Skibinski was two under on Holes 15-18 and one under on Holes 1-8. Junior Keira Cotter (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada / Guelph [Lake Superior State]), who has battled an injury throughout the season, returned to the lineup and finished second on the team with an 81 (t-17). Freshman Katie Estridge (Biloxi, Miss. / Biloxi) and senior Katelyn McCoy (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) had 82s to round out the counting scores for the Beacons. Valpo posted a team-score of 320 (+32), two strokes better than the previous season low of 322 in the second round of the Braun Intercollegiate in October. The Beacons finished the day in fourth of six on the team leaderboard. Evansville has a two-stroke lead over Indiana State for the top spot. Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy “We got off to a strong start with the most consistency we’ve seen as a team all year. We’re hoping to build momentum going into the MVC Championship.” Up Next The Beacons will play the final 18 holes of the event on Monday with an 8 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. ET shotgun start in Terre Haute. A link to live scoring can be found on ValpoAthletics.com. ============================================== VALPO BASEBALL The Valparaiso University baseball team rallied to tie Sunday’s game at 10 with a four-run seventh inning, but visiting Bradley hit a two-out, go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth to beat the Beacons 11-10 on a warm and windy day at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo cracked three home runs and totaled 14 hits in the defeat. How It Happened The Beacons played from behind early as Bradley hit a three-run homer in the top of the first, but the high-scoring tone was set right away when Valpo responded on a two-run homer by Brayden Pleau (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) that traveled 371 feet in the bottom of the first. The Beacons got even in the last of the second as Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) got all of one – a 430-foot drive to straightaway center. Valpo captured its first lead of the game with its third home run in as many innings in the bottom of the third as Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) cleared the wall with a 378-foot dinger, a three-run shot that put the hosts ahead 6-3. After the first-inning home run, Valpo starting pitcher Nick Baffa (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep) settled in, putting up zeros in the second, third and fourth. He retired the side in order in the top of the fourth to keep Valpo up three. The top of the fifth flipped the game as the Braves scored six times on six hits to take a 9-6 lead. A leadoff home run in the top of the sixth expanded the lead to four at 10-6. It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh, when Valpo got even with a four-run uprising. Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) ripped an RBI double, Javin Gauthier (De Pere, Wis. / De Pere) stroked a run-scoring single and Gavin Bennett came through with a clutch two-out, two-run knock to level the score at 10. Redshirt senior Spencer Boynton (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) pitched scoreless ball in his two innings, working the seventh and eighth. The Braves stranded the potential go-ahead run at third in the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Bradley drew a leadoff walk, and then a pop fly on the right side of the infield accounted for the first out of the inning. Then, all chaos broke loose as Valpo catcher Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) made a good throw to second on a stolen-base try despite being interfered with by the batter, and the runner at second over-slid the base and was tagged out by Sullivan. Bradley’s acting head coach (since the actual head coach had been ejected in the previous inning) challenged the call at second. After a lengthy review, the call on the field stood. Because the home plate umpire had called batter’s interference on the play as well, the Beacons thought they had a double play and cleared off the field. At one point, Bradley began warming up for the bottom of the ninth, but the umpires finally clarified that by rule the batter’s interference is ignored when the runner is caught stealing at second base. AJ Garcia, who would have been out on batter’s interference had Riley not cut down the over-sliding runner at second (and the runner would have been sent back to first in that scenario), received new life and took full advantage. Once his plate appearance finally resumed, he hit a go-ahead home run to right field that stood as the game-winner. Inside the Game Valpo’s three home runs tied a season high that was previously reached on March 22 at Murray State and March 31 at Northwestern. Cooper homered for the second straight day, lifting his season total to seven, all in the last 16 games. This marked the 11th home run of his collegiate career, all within the last two seasons. Sullivan notched his third home run of the season, all in the last eight games. This marked his 10th home run in his two seasons at Valpo. Pleau’s home run was his third this year including his second in the last five games. All nine Valpo batters had at least one hit, led by Pleau with three. This marked the third time this season that Pleau collected three hits or more. The lower third of the order – Gauthier, George Betevis (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett) and Sullivan – lashed out two hits apiece. One-run games continued to haunt the Beacons, as they slipped to 1-7 this season and 2-16 in the last two seasons in contests dictated by a single tally. The game required a lengthy three hours, 47 minutes to be played. This was Valpo’s second-longest game of the season, behind 3:48 on Feb. 20 at Wofford. Up Next The Beacons (9-22, 2-7 MVC) will visit Notre Dame on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT in a midweek matchup. The game will air on ACCNX with a link to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com. ========================================= 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 1883 “Good ballplayers make good citizens.” – Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States. Chester A. Arthur brings the Forest Cities ball club, a recently defunct franchise of the National Association, to the White House, making it the first professional team to visit with a president in Washington, D.C. Later in the season, the country’s Commander-in-Chief will host the new National League’s New York Gothams, who will become better known as the Giants in 1885. 1914 Major League Baseball returns to Baltimore as the first Federal League game is played with approximately 27,000 fans in attendance to watch the Terrapins beat the Buffalo Blues at Terrapin Park, 3-2. After the elimination of the hometown Orioles from the National League at the end of the 1899 season, John McGraw’s club joined the new rival American League in 1901, staying in the Charm City for two seasons before moving to New York to become the Yankees, after briefly known as the Highlanders. 1921 After President Warren Harding, an avid baseball fan, tosses the ceremonial first pitch at Griffith Stadium, Washington loses to the Red Sox, 6-3. The contest marks the first time the Senators have failed in six Opening Days contests when the United States President throws out the first pitch. 1926 On Opening Day, 38-year-old Senators’ hurler Walter Johnson strikes out a dozen A’s batters when he outduels Eddie Rommel for 15 innings, beating Philadelphia at Washington’s Griffith Stadium, 1-0. In his next-to-last season, the Big Train finishes the campaign 15-16 (.484) with an ERA of 3.63 for the fourth-place club. 1933 In the season’s second game, Browns’ flycatcher Sammy West goes 6-for-6 at Sportsman’s Park, collecting five singles and a double. The southpaw-swinging outfielder’s offensive output isn’t enough when the team drops a 4-3 decision to the White Sox in 11 innings. 1939 In a spring training game played in Norfolk, Virginia, Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig, with apparent muscle loss, especially around his shoulders, goes deep twice in a 14-12 exhibition loss against the Dodgers. The second and ninth-inning home runs will be the last round-trippers the Iron Horse will ever hit. 1953 On Opening Day, thanks to the three-hit pitching of Max Surkont, the former Boston Braves win their first game representing the city of Milwaukee by beating the Reds, 2-0, at Crosley Field. The contest marks the first time since Baltimore shifted to New York to become the Highlanders, later renamed the Yankees, fifty years ago when a franchise moved to a different city. 1954 In the first season opener at Forbes Field in 61 years, Curt Roberts makes his major league debut, becoming the first black to play for the Pirates. In his first at-bat, the former Kansas City Monarch second baseman, signed by 72-year-old general manager Branch Rickey, triples off future Hall of Fame right-hander Robin Roberts in the first inning of the team’s 4-2 victory over beat the Phillies. 1954 Not wanting to be associated with Communists, Cincinnati plays its first game as the Redlegs. The team will employ the new widely-accepted moniker for six seasons before the club reverts to the Reds, a shortened version of the Red Stockings, the team’s original name from 1882-1899. 1954 Willie Mays, who missed nearly two seasons due to military service, homers in his first game back, a sixth-inning blast off Carl Erskine that will prove the difference in the Giants’ 4-3 Opening Day victory over Brooklyn. The 22-year-old center fielder’s prodigious poke at the Polo Grounds might have traveled over 600 feet if the upper left-field stands had not impeded the ball. 1954 On Opening Day at Busch Stadium, Wally Moon hits a home run off Paul Milner in his first major league at-bat in the Cardinals’ 13-4 loss to the Cubs. The 24-year-old Redbird center fielder, the eventual National League’s Rookie of the Year, also homers in the last at-bat of his freshman season. 1954 Seven years after the team had threatened to strike over Jackie Robinson integrating baseball, North Carolina A&T graduate Tom Alston becomes the first black player to appear in a Cardinals uniform. The highly-touted first baseman, acquired from the PCL’s San Diego club in exchange for veteran infielder Dick Sisler and $100,000, pops out to first base in his first major league at-bat. 1954 In a 9-8 victory over the Braves, Reds’ outfielder Jim Greengrass hits four doubles, tying a 1901 Opening Day record set by Tigers’ first baseman Pop Dillon. In the same contest, Hank Aaron goes hitless in five attempts in his first major league game with the Braves. 1954 Philadelphia A’s second baseman ‘Spook’ Forrest Jacobs becomes the first major league rookie to collect four hits on Opening Day. In 1990, Expo second baseman Delino DeShields will become the second freshman to accomplish the feat on the first day of the season, going 4-for-6 in the team’s 6-5 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. 1957 The Red Sox select right-hander Russ Meyer (1-6, 6.21) off waivers from the Redlegs. The ‘Mad Monk’ will appear in only two games for Boston, posting a 5.40 ERA in five innings of work, including a start. 1962 On a wintry day, the Mets play their first home game ever when only 12,000 fans show up at the Polo Grounds to see the return of National League baseball to the Big Apple. On Friday the 13th, the Pirates score the decisive run on Ray Diavault’s two wild pitches in the eighth inning, beating the New York expansion team, 4-3. 1962 On Opening Day, Detroit’s starting pitcher Frank Lary pulls a muscle while legging out a seventh-inning triple in the team’s 5-3 victory over New York at Tiger Stadium. Subsequent arm problems resulting from compensating for the injury shorten the Yankee Killer’s career. 1963 Reds’ second baseman Pete Rose triples off Pirates’ pitcher Bob Friend to collect his first major league hit. The future all-time hit leader, who will amass 4,256 hits during his 24-year career, had gone hitless in his first 11 major league at-bats. 1964 After beating the Reds, 6-3, in the traditional Opening Day game in Cincinnati, Houston is in first place for the first and only time as the Colt .45s. The team becomes known as the Astros next season, reflecting Houston’s role in the nation’s space program. 1969 After the Cubs, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth, rally to beat the Expos, 7-6, twenty-seven-thousand fans spontaneously swarm Wrigley Field in an early-season frenzy. The fans’ reaction marks the first animated display of affection for the team since 1960 when Don Cardwell threw his no-hitter on Chicago’s north side. 1970 In their home opener at the Oakland Coliseum, a 2-1 victory over Milwaukee, the A’s use gold-colored bases. The MLB’s Rules Committee will quickly ban this colorful innovation, introduced by team owner Charlie O. Finley. 1975 The Astros retire Don Wilson’s number 40 posthumously in tribute to the right-hander, who was found dead of asphyxiation by carbon monoxide in the garage of his family’s home in January. The 29-year-old fireballer, the author of an 18-strikeout game that tied a major league record, spent nine seasons with Houston, compiling a 104-92 record and an ERA of 3.15. 1978 On Opening Day, Roger Maris returns to Yankee Stadium for the first time since being traded to the Cardinals in 1966. After shunning many previous invitations, the prodigal son returns to help Mickey Mantle hoist the club’s World Champion flag when team owner George Steinbrenner promises to install sod and lights on the baseball field at his children’s school in Gainesville (FL). 1978 In New York’s Opening Day 4-2 victory over Chicago, Reggie Jackson hits a three-run homer in the first inning, his fourth consecutive round-tripper at Yankee Stadium, after going deep three times in last year’s Fall Classic finale. The crowd celebrates by showering the field with Reggie! Bars, a chocolate and peanut candy bar with a picture of the slugger given to every fan entering the game. 1980 At Royals Stadium, Dan Quisenberry and Jamie Quirk become the first Q battery when Quiz enters the contest in the seventh inning. The pitcher-catcher combo combines to face nine Tigers in Kansas City’s 3-2 victory, with the 27-year-old right-handed reliever leaving the game after giving up a two-run homer to Champ Summers with two outs in the ninth. 1983 The Phillies, trailing by five runs entering the ninth inning, beat the Mets, 10-9, when Bo Diaz hits a walk-off bases-loaded home run. The Philadelphia catcher’s ‘ultimate grand slam,’ a home run that wins a game when a team is down by three runs in the bottom of the final frame, is tossed by Neil Allen, who faces only the last batter. 1984 On the same date he got his first major league hit 21 years earlier, Pete Rose, as a member of the Expos, doubles off Phillies hurler Jerry Koosman for his 4000th hit, becoming the first player in the National League to reach the milestone. Montreal beats Philadelphia in the Friday the 13th contest at Olympic Stadium, 5-1. 1985 With his team down 7-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Mariners’ left fielder Phil Bradley erases the three-run deficit with a walk-off grand slam. The game-ending round-tripper comes off Twins’ closer Ron Davis, who had given up a hit and two walks before surrendering the ‘sayonara slam.’ 1987 In San Diego’s home opener, the Padres waste no time making up a two-run first-inning deficit when the first three batters up in the bottom of the first homer off of Giant starter Roger Mason. Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk go deep to establish a major league record. 1990 “I chose the Moose because they are funny, neat, and friendly. The Moose would show that the Mariners enjoy playing and that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.” -AMMON SPILLER, a fifth-grader from Central Elementary School in Ferndale, WA. In front of the first sellout crowd (54,874 fans) at the Kingdome, Mariner Moose debuts on Opening Night, Friday the 13th, the first mascot in franchise history. The team chose a suggestion summited by Ammon Spiller, a fifth-grader from Ferndale, WA, from over 2,500 entries submitted by children 14 and under across the Pacific Northwest. 1993 Lee Smith passes Jeff Reardon to become the all-time major league saves leader when the Cardinals beat the Dodgers, 9-7. The right-hander reliever tosses a scoreless ninth inning at Chavez Ravine to record the 358th of his career. 1997 Wally the Green Monster, the Red Sox official mascot, makes his debut, emerging from the legendary left-field wall to everyone’s surprise on Opening Day. The green furry creature, who the Fenway Faithful does not warmly receive at first, becomes more endearing to the fans when the former player and current broadcaster Jerry Remy begins to create stories about the costumed character, sharing them during televised NESN games. 1998 Before tonight’s game against the Angels, a 500-pound concrete and steel beam falls into the empty loge boxes between third base and left field at Yankee Stadium. The mishap causes the postponement of the next two games scheduled for the Bronx ballpark, with the team scheduling one of the games across the river at Shea Stadium. 1999 At the Kingdome, Rangers’ starter Mike Morgan beats the Mariners for the first time since 1980 when he hurled for the A’s. The interval of 19 years, eight months, and nine days is the longest span a hurler has gone between victories over one team. 2002 After striking out three batters on nine pitches in the top of the ninth inning, Cardinal closer Jason Isringhausen gets credit for the win when the Redbirds score a run in the bottom of the frame for a 2-1 walk-off victory over Houston. During his immaculate inning, the right-handed reliever’s victims include Daryle Ward, Jose Vizcaino, and Julio Lugo, who all go down swinging. 2004 At SBC Park, Barry Bonds hits his 661st career homer off Brewers hurler Ben Ford to move up to third on the all-time home run career list, passing his godfather, Willie Mays, and leaving the 39-year-old Giant left fielder 53 behind Babe Ruth (714) and needs 94 to tie Hank Aaron (755). Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator Larry Ellison, a Giants fan who also ‘caught’ and gave No. 660 to a grateful Bonds, scoops the historic 468-foot seventh-inning blast out of McCovey Cove and decides to keep this wet souvenir. 2005 A nearby pedestrian saves eight-year-old Patrick McCarthy from getting run down by a truck when the boy starts to run into Boston’s Newbury Street traffic. The hero, who prevents the tragic accident by putting out his arm and saying, `Whoa, watch out, buddy,’ is the boy’s favorite player, Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez. 2008 Reds hurler Johnny Cueto walks his first batter of the season, ending a string of 22 strikeouts without issuing a base-on-balls. The rookie right-hander is the only post-1900 pitcher to fan as many as 18 batters without throwing a ball four in his first two starts. 2008 At the new Yankee Stadium, workers dig up a tattered David Ortiz jersey buried in the concrete by a Red Sox fan working on the construction site who had hoped to put a hex on the Bronx Bombers. The ballpark’s first ‘souvenir’ fetches a $175,100 bid in an auction to benefit the Jimmy Fund, a charity that raises money for cancer patients and their families at the Dana-Farber Institute. 2009 Nick Swisher, who throws 22 pitches, allowing just one hit and one walk before retiring the next three consecutive batters, including a swinging strikeout of Gabe Kapler, becomes the first position player to pitch for the Yankees since Wade Boggs took the mound in 1997. During the 15-5 rout by the Rays at Tampa’s Tropicana Field, the fun-loving first baseman volunteered to pitch the eighth inning to help save the bullpen after starter Chien-Ming Wang lasts only one inning. 2009 Second baseman Orlando Hudson completes his cycle in the Chavez opener with a sixth-inning triple down the right-field line in the Dodgers’ 11-1 rout of the Giants. The 31-year-old Darlington (SC) native, playing his first home game since signing with the team as a free agent, becomes the first Dodger to hit for the cycle at Chavez Ravine and the first franchise player to accomplish the feat in a nine-inning game since Gil Hodges did it in 1949. 2009 In a somber pregame meeting, Philadelphia president David Montgomery informs the players that Harry Kalas, who arrived at Nationals Park with the players on the team bus, collapsed in the broadcast booth and died shortly after being taken to a nearby hospital. In tribute to the 73-year-old Hall of Fame voice of the Phillies, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, and Scott Eyre, before their 9-8 victory over Washington, light up a cigarette and pass it around in honor of the broadcaster, whose smoking habit was legendary. 2010 The ‘Bring Back Orbit’ Facebook group hopes to convince the Astros to reinstate its former mascot, who was replaced by Junction Jack in 2000 when the team moved from the Astrodome to Enron Field. The social media effort pays off when the franchise announces the lovable lime-green outer-space creature’s return for 2013, their first season in the American League. 2011 Chipper Jones spoils Florida’s bid for a shutout when he homers in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Braves’ 5-1 loss at Turner Field. The Atlanta third baseman joins Eddie Murray (1,917) and Mickey Mantle (1,509), becoming only the third switch hitter in major league history to compile 1,500 RBIs. 2012 After surrendering a leadoff single to Cameron Maybin to start the game, Aaron Harang strikes out the next nine consecutive Padres in L.A.’s 9-8 victory at Dodger Stadium. The 34-year-old right-hander’s performance is one more than Johnny Podres’ franchise mark of 8 but falls one short of the major league record held by Tom Seaver, who fanned ten straight Friars for the Mets in 1970. 2012 Josh Thole’s bizarre base running blunder leads to a very odd double play in the second inning of the Mets’ 5-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park. After successfully reaching second base on R.A. Dickey’s sacrifice bunt, the 25-year-old Mets’ catcher shocks everyone, including the Philadelphia defense, by returning to first base, where he is tagged out to complete the unusual 3-1-6-4 twin killing. 2015 Jon Lester finally attempts a pickoff at first base, ending a streak covering 66 appearances. The Cubs southpaw, who signed a six-year free-agent deal worth $155 million to start for Chicago this season, last threw over to first base on April 30, 2013, while pitching for the Red Sox. 2019 Chris Davis ends his recording-setting streak of consecutive at-bats without a hit with a two-run single in the first inning of the Orioles’ 9-5 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Baltimore first baseman’s safety snaps the major league record at 54 straight hitless at-bats by a position player, easily extending the previous mark of 46 set by utilityman Eugenio Valez, who established the dubious distinction over two seasons while playing with the Giants (0-for-9) and Dodgers (0-for-37), respectively in 2010 and 2011. 2022 In his first start of the season, Clayton Kershaw throws seven perfect innings as the Dodgers blank the Twins at Target Field, 7-0. The 34-year-old southpaw, returning from last year’s elbow surgery, throws 80 pitches, striking out 13 batters during his seven frames of perfection. ========================================================= TV SPORTS TODAY Monday, 4/13/26 MLB REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVHouston Astros vs Seattle Mariners4:10pmMariners.TVSCHNArizona Diamondbacks vs Baltimore Orioles6:35pmDiamondbacks.TVMASNWashington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates6:40pmNationals.TVSN-PITChicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies6:40pmFS1NBCS-PHIMARQLos Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees7:05pmFanDuel Sports WestYESMiami Marlins vs Atlanta Braves7:15pmMarlins.TVBraves.TVBoston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins7:40pmTwins.TVNESNCleveland Guardians vs St. Louis Cardinals7:45pmGuardians.TVCardinals.TVTexas Rangers vs Athletics9:40pmRSNNBCS-CANew York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers10:10pmSNYSNLANBA REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVDetroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic7:00pmFanDuel Sports DETFanDuel Sports FLNew York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks7:00pmPeacockMSGPhiladelphia 76ers vs San Antonio Spurs8:00pmFanDuel Sports SWNBCS-PHICleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies8:00pmFanDuel Sports MEMFanDuel Sports OhioPortland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets9:00pmRip CityALTNHL REGULAR SEASONTIME ETTVDetroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning7:00pmFanduel Sports SunFanduel Sports DETNew York Rangers vs Florida Panthers7:00pmMSGScrippsCarolina Hurricanes vs Philadelphia Flyers7:00pmFanDuel Sports SouthNBCS-PHIDallas Stars vs Toronto Maple Leafs7:30pmKFAASNMinnesota Wild vs St. Louis Blues8:00pmFanDuel Sports NorthFanDuel Sports MWBuffalo Sabres vs Chicago Blackhawks8:30pmMSG-BUFCHSNColorado Avalanche vs Edmonton Oilers9:30pmALTSNLos Angeles Kings vs Seattle Kraken9:30pmESPNWinnipeg Jets vs Vegas Golden Knights10:00pmSNScrippsSOCCERTIME ETTVSerie A: Fiorentina vs Lazio2:45pmParamount+EPL: Manchester United vs Leeds United3:00pmUSAPeacockLa Liga: Levante vs Getafe3:00pmESPN+ About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” APRIL 12 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” APRIL 13
