Local Sports Headlines: July 6, 2021

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Kivlenieks trajically dies of fireworks injury
24 year-old Matiss Kivlenieks, the goalie for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, died Sunday night relating to an injury sustained during a fireworks accident. Kivlenieks was in a hot tub when a mortar-style firework accidently fired nearby. The Police report stated that he slipped, fell, and banged his head on the concrete while attempting to get out of danger; although the medical examiner confirmed Kivlenieks death was a result of a chest trauma caused by the mortar blast. 

Indy Fever beat The Connecticut Sun 73-67
The Indiana Fever snapped a 12-game losing streak over the weekend with a 73-67 win against the Connecticut Sun at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The win also snapped a four-game drought against the Connecticut Sun dating back to 2019. Danielle Robinson played the entire second half and scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Offensively, the Fever turned the ball over only seven times on Saturday against one of the best defensive teams in the WNBA, which is the fewest turnovers the Fever recorded in a game this season. The Fever defense stifled the Sun all day as Indiana held Connecticut to its second lowest scoring total of the season and the second lowest shooting percentage at 35.8 percent on 24-of-67 shooting. Up next, the Fever welcome the New York Liberty to Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday at 7 p.m. ET for the final home game before the Olympic break. Friday’s game will be aired on Bally Sports Indiana.

Bartholomew Fairgrounds dedicate racetrack to Tony Stewart
The Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds has named their racetrack after Tony Stewart. Stewart, who grew up in Columbus, got his racing start right there on that track, winning the championship for the first time when he was only 8 years-old. Stewart has earned 62 Nascar wins along with 3 series championships, and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.