Indiana University Softball falls to Michigan in the Championship Game of the Big Ten Tournament
No. 8 seed Indiana’s run in the Big Ten Tournament fell just short in the title game as it lost to No. 2 seed Michigan, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at Bob Pearl Field. Indiana’s season record now stands at 40-18. Indiana got on the board first in the top of the second inning. Freshman Aly VanBrandt singled to right center and two at-bats later, Senior Aaliyah Andrews doubled to bring her home and make it a 1-0 game. In the bottom of the second, Senior Brooke Benson tagged second to get the lead runner out and then connected with junior Sarah Stone at first for a 6-3 double play. The third inning went by quickly for both teams, as each defense got out of the inning after facing only three hitters. Michigan tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a single from Stephenson to score Langford. The Wolverines would take the lead on an Indiana error, bringing in two runs to make it a 3-1 game. In the top of the seventh, Andrews would lace a hit up the middle and Cooper walked to put two runners on, but the Hoosiers could not score. Five Hoosiers were named to the All-Tournament Team: Aaliyah Andrews, Brooke Benson, Alex Cooper, Brianna Copeland and Aly VanBrandt. Andrews was 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a double. Indiana has reached the Big Ten Tournament Final for two consecutive seasons. Copeland only allowed two hits and one earned run while pitching in the circle.
Despite trailing 3-0 early, No. 8 seed Indiana rallied to force extra innings and exploded for a six-run eighth inning to defeat No. 4 seed Nebraska, 9-3, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Friday. Nebraska started the game with a 1-0 lead off an Andrews home run in the bottom of the first inning and would build the lead out to 3-0 with another home run and an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. In the bottom of the third, sophomore pitcher Sophie Kleiman recorded two of the inning’s three outs on strikeouts. Junior Sarah Stone got Indiana on the board with a blast of a home run to left center to make it a 3-1 game in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, the Hoosiers would tack on one more with junior Brianna Copeland hitting an RBI single up the middle to bring freshman Alex Cooper home. In the first at-bat in the top of the seventh, Cooper hit a game-tying home run to right center to make it a 3-3 game.
In the first at-bat in the top of the seventh, Cooper hit a game-tying home run to right center to make it a 3-3 game. The Hoosier defense got the job done in the seventh, forcing extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Indiana would go on a six-run rally to take a finalizing 9-3 lead. At the start of the eighth, Sophomore Avery Parker walked, and Freshman Aly VanBrandt bunted for a single. Then, redshirt senior Cora Bassett put down a sac bunt to advance both runners into scoring position. Then, senior Aaliyah Andrews would start the scoring rally when she hit a clutch single up the middle to bring home two Hoosier runs in. The rally continued with two singles to follow as Cooper hit a single to right field followed by an RBI single from Senior Brooke Benson to extend the lead to 6-3. Junior Brianna Copleand came up to bat to put the exclamation mark on the inning with a rocket of a home run out to left center, making the score 9-3.
Alex Palou wins the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Alex Palou’s first Indianapolis Grand Prix title fueled his second IndyCar Series title run. He’s hoping another dominant victory on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road course produces a similar result perhaps even a more monumental win in two weeks. The Spaniard beat his top two challengers off pit row on his final stop Saturday and outmaneuvered three-time race winner Will Power on the race’s only restart to beat Power to the yard of bricks by 6.6106 seconds.
Christian Lundgaard finished third, more than eight seconds behind Palou on the 14-turn 2.439-mile course. “It’s tough but it’s one of those races that you’re not really limited on the tires, so you can just go hard,” he said. “I would say we had a lot more advantage last year than this year, but I would still say the fact we can go 100%, pushing every single lap, maybe that’s why we see bigger differences.” For Palou, it was another milestone moment in his fifth IndyCar season.
The 27-year-old led a race-high 39 of 85 laps, captured his 10th career win, his first official win this season and his first win since becoming a father in December. Naturally, he also wished his wife, Esther, a happy Mother’s Day. Palou did win March’s exhibition all-star race, giving Chip Ganassi Racing three wins in the last four IndyCar events, and he became the first back-to-back Indy GP winner since Power in 2017 and 2018. The victory also put Palou atop the season standings, 12 points ahead of Power, with the season’s biggest race up next. Power earned his 31st career runner-up finish, which is sixth all-time. But the Australian with Team Penske still hasn’t won a race since June 2022.
But he was at a significant disadvantage with two team members — strategist Ron Ruzewski and engineer Robbie Atkinson — each serving a two race suspension for a cheating scandal. And yet David Faustino, who made the calls Saturday, still had Power racing near the front until Power’s used red tires wore down during the race’s final stint. “Just didn’t quite have enough on that restart,” Power said. “I had to lift coming into the last corner, just had too much push. Had to lift, otherwise it would have been an interesting battle into Turn 1. I didn’t know whether to go for the inside or the outside but he made it very clear he was going to blow up the inside, so I kind of went the outside.”
It marked the second straight year Palou dominated the race, though he didn’t come close to matching last year’s victory margin of nearly 17 seconds. “He had the shorter first gear, so his restart was a little bit better than mine,” Palou said of his move on the restart. “I just saw it coming and I had to defend. I didn’t want to give up the lead.” Lundgaard, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver from Denmark, led 35 laps. Two of Palou’s teammates — six-time series champ Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong — rounded out the top five. It was a career-best finish for Armstrong. “I think Alex was just fast today. He was fast here last year in May, in August,” Lundgaard said. “He’s fast wherever we go, really.”
Southern Indiana Bobcats dominate season opener over Midwest Vengeance
The Southern Indiana Bobcats Semi Pro Football Team began their 2024 Regular Season with a 41-8 rout of the Midwest Vengeance Saturday Night at Edgewood HS. The Bobcats are in their second season and are looking to build off a rough first season in 2023. The Bobcats won their lone preseason game 35-0 against the Kentucky Insanity on March 24, in Covington Kentucky. The Bobcats switched to the Mid-Central Football League after spending their first season in the Blue-Collar Football League.
The Bobcats scored on four of their five possessions to lead 21-0 going into the locker room. In the second half the Bobcats scored three more times while the Vengeance a first-year team from Indianapolis scored on 75-yard Touchdown pass with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats had five rushing touchdowns including three from Marquise Holt along with Andre Wells, and Floyd Johnson. Johnson threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Noah Ponce while the defense had two interceptions and recovered four fumbles. Andre Adkins added a field goal to end the first half and kicked two extra points. The Bobcats will be in action Saturday Night when they host the Kentuckiana Calvary at 6pm at Edgewood High School.
Indiana Fever win home preseason game over the Atlanta Dream
The Indiana Fever secured an 83-80 victory against the Atlanta Dream in its only 2024 preseason home game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night. Fever forward NaLyssa Smith had her second 20-point preseason scoring game, leading the Fever with 21 points. Fever guard and Former Indiana Hoosier Grace Berger ended with a game-high seven assists, while rookie guard Caitlin Clark posted 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Fever center Aliyah Boston and forward Katie Lou Samuelson each added 11 points in the Fever win, while Boston tallied a game-high four blocked shots as well. Berger played 19 minutes going 5-7 from the field, 5 rebounds and 1 steal. Clark went 4-12 from the field, 2-9 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line along with 6 assists and a block in 32 minutes. Thursday’s attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse – 13,028 – was the largest home crowd at an Indiana Fever home preseason game in franchise history, surpassing 9,024 on May 18, 2000 – the team’s first preseason home game, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Atlanta attacked the Fever early, building a lead as large as 15 in the first half and Indiana trailed 30-24 at the end of the first quarter. To end the first half, Fever rookie guard Celeste Taylor’s put back off of a missed field goal reduced the first-half deficit, 49-48, heading into the locker room. Taylor ended the night with eight points and six rebounds. Indiana responded out of the locker room and held Atlanta to only 31 points in the second half as the Dream shot less than 29 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Indiana outscored Atlanta, 38-28, in paint points, and the Fever held a strong advantage inside recording 11 blocked shots on defense in Thursday night’s preseason finale. Atlanta concluded its preseason slate with guard Allisha Gray, guard Aerial Powers and center Tina Charles, all ending the night with 10 points. Guard Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 13 points, while forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus added 11 points. The Fever tip off the 2024 regular season against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14 at 7:30pm at Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2, Disney+, the WNBA App and on WNBA League Pass.
The Indiana Fever announced Friday the team exercised the fourth-year option on the rookie scale contracts of guards Lexie Hull and Kristy Wallace. Hull was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by Indiana and Wallace was traded to Indiana from Atlanta ahead of the 2023 regular season. The team also announced guards Maya Caldwell and Leilani Correa were waived today. Correa was the Fever’s third round pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft from the University of Florida.
Indiana Pacers Win Game 3 of the series over the New York Knicks
Andrew Nembhard hit a long three-pointer with just over 16 seconds to play to give the Indiana Pacers a 111-106 win over the New York Knicks to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tyrese Haliburton followed up his 34-point performance in Game 2 with another big night, scoring 35 points. Pascal Siakam added 26 points for Indiana. Donte DiVincenzo led New York with 35 points, while Jalen Brunson contributed 26. The third quarter was once again a problem for the Pacers as the Knicks outscored them by 10 points to rally from a five-point halftime deficit to a five-point lead entering the fourth. New York, who’s battled major injury problems all season long, played without another key contributor on Friday. Former Indiana Hoosiers’ forward OG Anunoby sat out with a hamstring issue he suffered in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Indianapolis Colts Sign five of their 2024 NFL Draft Picks
The Indianapolis Colts today signed five of their draft picks from the 2024 NFL Draft, including Defensive End Laiatu Latu, Linebacker Jaylon Carlies, Cornerback Jaylin Simpson, Cornerback Micah Abraham, and Defensive Tackle Jonah Laulu.
Latu, 6-5, 259 pounds, was selected by Indianapolis in the first round (15th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played in 37 career games (12 starts) at UCLA (2022-23) and Washington (2019-21) and totaled 101 tackles (62 solo), 35.5 tackles for loss, 24.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, six passes defensed and two interceptions. In 2023, Latu started all 12 games and collected 49 tackles (28 solo), 21.5 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, four passes defensed and two interceptions. He led the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.8) and ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game (1.08). Latu garnered numerous honors in 2023, and won the Lombardi Award, Ted Hendricks Award winner and the Polynesian Award winner. He was a finalist for the Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy. His name is pronounced lie‐AW‐too LAW‐too.
Carlies, 6-3, 227 pounds, was selected by Indianapolis in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in 48 career games (40 starts) at Missouri (2020-23) and totaled 221 tackles (159 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 17 passes defensed, nine interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2023, Carlies started all 12 games he played in and compiled 64 tackles (38 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, six passes defensed, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His last name is pronounced KARR-lyze.
Simpson, 6-0, 179 pounds, was selected by the Colts in the fifth round (164th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played in 47 career games (23 starts) at Auburn (2019-23) and totaled 116 tackles (89 solo), 4.0 tackles for loss, 21 passes defensed and seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). In 2023, Simpson saw action in 12 games (11 starts) and finished with 39 tackles (29 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and one fumble recovery. He garnered Second Team All-SEC honors.
Abraham, 5-10, 185 pounds, was selected by Indianapolis in the sixth round (201st overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. He saw action in 62 career games (46 starts) at Marshall (2019-23) and totaled 150 tackles (97 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, 55 passes defensed, 12 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked field goal. In 2023, Abraham started all 13 games he saw action in and recorded 36 tackles (22 solo), 19 passes defensed, four interceptions and one blocked field goal. He led the conference in interceptions and passes defensed. Abraham was a two-time First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection (2022-23). He earned Second Team All-Conference USA accolades in 2021.
Laulu, 6-5, 292 pounds, was selected by the Colts in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in 66 career games (24 starts) at Oklahoma (2022-23) and Hawaii (2018-21) and totaled 102 tackles (52 solo), 27.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, three passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 2023, Laulu played in all 13 games (three starts) and registered 11 tackles (four solo), 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack. He was an Academic All-Big 12 honoree. Laulu garnered All-Mountain West honorable mention recognition in 2021. His last name is pronounced lah-OO-loo.
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