Indiana

Purdue Takes Down Rival Indiana To Extend Big Ten Winning Streak, Highlighting College Baseball Roundup — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2024

Purdue Takes Down Rival Indiana To Extend Big Ten Winning Streak, Highlighting College Baseball Roundup — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America

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Purdue catcher Connor Caskenette (Photo courtesy of Purdue)

Purdue on Friday continued its spectacular run with a big night at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers defeated Indiana, 7-4, to open the in-state rivalry series in style and take over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings.

Purdue (31-15, 12-4) has won 11 straight Big Ten games, a streak that dates to March 31. With its win Friday and Illinois’ loss to Ohio State, Purdue now sits alone atop the conference. Illinois 26-16, 11-5) and Nebraska (29-15, 11-6) are a game behind, with Indiana (25-19-1, 10-6) and Michigan (24-22, 10-6) two games off the pace.

Purdue led Indiana for most of the game Friday. It took a 2-1 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run double from Connor Caskenette. Righthander Jordan Morales made that score hold up until the sixth inning when the Hoosiers tied the game at 2. But that stalemate didn’t last long, as the Boilermakers scored five runs over the seventh and eighth innings. Indiana made one final push in the ninth, but righthander Aaron Suval snuffed out the rally to close out the 7-4 victory.

Caskenette went 2-for-4 and drove in five runs to lead the offense. Morales, Avery Cook and Suval largely shut down a powerful Indiana lineup, limiting them to four runs on eight hits.

It was a banner night on what is quickly becoming a banner season for the Boilermakers. They on Tuesday became the first Big Ten team this season to reach 30 wins. This is their first 30-win season since 2018, when they went 38-21. Purdue is in first place in the Big Ten in May for the first time since 2012, the last time it won the conference. Between its conference standing, its winning streak and an RPI that has now entered the top 60, Purdue can start thinking about making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

Purdue’s rise has been remarkable and unexpected. The Big Ten’s preseason coaches poll only ranks the top six teams in the conference and Purdue was left off that list coming into 2024. But coach Greg Goff has the Boilermakers operating at the top of the conference. They’re led by Caskenette (.322/.435/.631, 12 HR) and freshman Luke Gaffney (.412/.497/.727, 11 HR), who missed Friday’s game, as well a strong pitching staff that ranks second in the Big Ten in ERA (4.63).

The pieces are all coming together for Purdue. There’s still a long way to go in the season and the Boilermakers have a precarious hold on both first place and a spot in the NCAA Tournament mix. But they’re playing excellent baseball at the right time of the season and now have a chance Saturday to win a key series against their rivals. If they can do that, they’ll carry plenty of momentum into the final two weeks of the season.

Ace Watch

Friday night is for the aces. Here we highlight some of the best pitching performances of the day.

Braden Davis, LHP, Oklahoma: Davis threw seven scoreless innings to lead Oklahoma to an 8-0 victory at Texas Tech. The junior struck out eight batters and scattered two hits and two walks. Davis improved to 6-3, 4.43 with 84 strikeouts and 34 walks in 65 innings this season.

Caleb Granger, RHP, Florida A&M: In a rivalry showdown against Bethune-Cookman, Granger threw seven scoreless innings to lead FAMU to a 4-0 victory. The junior struck out seven batters and worked around six hits and three walks. Granger this season is 8-2, 2.71 with 60 strikeouts and 21 walks in 69.2 innings.

Aiden May, RHP, Oregon State: May threw 6.1 scoreless innings to help Oregon State to a 2-1 victory at Washington State. He struck out seven batters and scattered five hits and two walks, while extending his scoreless innings streak to 16. May is 4-0, 3.13 with 52 strikeouts and 14 walks in 46 innings this season.

Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas: Smith struck out 14 batters in six innings to help Arkansas to a 10-3 victory at Kentucky to open a showdown for first place in the SEC. The junior held the Wildcats to one run on three hits and two walks while reaching double-digit strikeouts for the ninth time in 12 starts this season. The All-American improved to 9-0, 1.36 with 125 strikeouts and 25 walks in 66 innings.

Tyler Stromsborg, RHP, Southern California: Stromsborg threw seven scoreless innings to help USC beat Cal, 5-1. He struck out four batters, walked none and worked around three hits in his longest start of the season. Stromsborg is 3-8, 4.85 on the year.

Evan Webster, LHP, Louisville: Webster threw seven scoreless innings to help Louisville to a 3-0 victory at Boston College. He struck out six batters and scattered four hits and a walk. Webster improved to 4-1, 3.17, with 53 strikeouts and 14 walks in 59.2 innings on the season.

Around The Horn

LSU defeated No. 1 Texas A&M, 6-4, to earn a massive series-opening win in Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers pushed ahead with a four-run sixth inning, as Josh Pearson delivered a big two-run double. Relievers Fidel Ulloa (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R) and Griffin Herring (2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER) combined to quiet the Aggies’ offense in the late innings. LSU (30-17, 8-14) got a crucial victory for its postseason push and became just the second team this season to win a series opener against A&M (39-7, 15-7), joining Florida. The Aggies’ only series loss to date was to the Gators and they’ll need to fight back on the road to avoid another.
Florida also got a crucial win for its postseason push, as it beat No. 3 Tennessee, 4-3, in the nightcap of a doubleheader. The Volunteers won the opener, 6-2. The Gators (24-22, 10-13) beat Volunteers ace Drew Beam thanks to a strong effort from freshmen Liam Peterson (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K) and Luke McNeillie (1 IP, 0 R, SV). Florida won an SEC game that wasn’t started on the mound by Jac Caglianone for the first time since March 29, which was five series ago. With Caglianone set to pitch Saturday, the Gators have a strong opportunity to end a four-series losing streak.
Georgia Tech scored 11 runs in the final three innings of its nightcap at No. 4 Clemson to come back for a 14-12 victory. The Yellow Jackets were down to their final out of the game, trailing 12-11, when Mike Becchetti and Vahn Lackey hit back-to-back home runs to take the lead and stun the Tigers. While Clemson (35-10, 16-7) had won the opener, 11-4, it now faces a rubber game Saturday. Georgia Tech (28-16, 12-11) now has a golden opportunity for a key road series win as it tries to push into the NCAA Tournament mix.
No. 13 NC State earned another impressive road win with an 8-7 victory at No. 5 Florida State. The Wolfpack jumped on Jamie Arnold early, scoring six runs on the lefthander in the first three innings. Alex Makarewicz (3-for-6) and Jacob Cozart both homered to lead NC State. The Wolfpack already own series wins against Duke, Clemson and North Carolina and are now one win away from another one against an ACC power.
Troy routed No. 22 Louisiana, 16-5, in seven innings to extend its winning streak to seven games. The Trojans pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of six walks and six hit batters to score 16 runs, the most the Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed in a game this season. Louisiana (33-14, 17-5) still leads the Sun Belt, but Troy (33-14, 15-7) has cut the gap to just two games and will have the opportunity to further chip into the lead the rest of the weekend.

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Indiana

Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

Published

6 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of Hoosiers gathered at the Indiana Statehouse Saturday morning as part of nationwide ‘No Kings’ events to voice their concerns about the current administration.

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Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

“I’m out here today because what’s happening in our government is completely trash,” Donna Sipes told WRTV. “It’s wrong. We need to do something about it.”

“I’m tired of every single day when the TV comes on to see what stupid thing he’s done next,” Lindi Marti said.

WRTV

Attendees noted the growing popularity of the demonstrations.

“This is my fourth one to come to. I didn’t come to all of them when it was really cold, but I’m glad to see that they are getting a lot more people out here every time,” Marti added. “It seems like there’s more and more coming.”

Demonstrators highlighted specific foreign policy concerns, including the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.

“We’re bombing the heck out of them. We’re killing civilians,” Marti’s husband said. “We’re getting ready to send our Marines.”

Others focused on the administration’s handling of immigration.

“That’s what I’m concerned about,” Reverend Kenny Little told WRTV. “Little kids, they’re taking them away from their family. And I’m just one of those people, I think everyone got rights.”

Indiana medical students also attended the rally to speak out against changes to the healthcare system.

“We’re really worried about the attacks on the health care system in general, but with Medicaid… current estimates range from anywhere from 325,000 to 450,000 Hoosiers will lose coverage by 2032,” Wade Catt said with concern.

Poster image - 2026-03-28T202405.362.jpg

With midterm elections approaching later this year, attendees emphasized the importance of now taking action at the ballot box.

“If we don’t vote, then things are gonna not, they’re gonna stay the same,” a protester said.

Meanwhile, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith says he’s happy to see Hoosiers exercise their First Amendment right to protest.

However, he takes issue with the idea that President Trump is acting like a king. Beckwith says the fact that people have the freedom to protest is proof that the president is not acting like a tyrant.

He acknowledges that bridging the gap between the sides is probably an uphill battle, but believes communication is key.

“I think when you sit down with people face to face, you’re confronted with humanity. There’s another human sitting across that table from you and talking to you. And so, all I have to say, I think that’s probably the thing I would encourage all Hoosiers to do is say, ‘Hey, if you don’t agree with somebody or if you don’t like somebody, why don’t you try grabbing coffee with them? And give it 30 minutes, and just see what happens.’ I bet most of the time people will walk away with a much softer heart and spirit towards that person before they came in,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith is currently on a 92-county tour of the state. He says all sides are welcome to attend his events.

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Indiana

Young male dead after shooting on Indy’s northeast side

Published

18 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Young male dead after shooting on Indy’s northeast side

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police say one “young man” is dead after a shooting at the 1200 block of Rue Rabelais at about 7:19 p.m. according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

That is near the intersection of 56th Street and Binford Boulevard.

Police say the victim was taken to Riley Hospital where he later died. Investigators say they are still working to identify the victim.

There was no known information about a suspect. Police did say that they believe this is a targeted incident.

There was no other information immediately available.

This story has been updated with information from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

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Indiana

Mother and boyfriend accused in death of 4-year-old boy found in closet

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Mother and boyfriend accused in death of 4-year-old boy found in closet

This story contains descriptions of distressing circumstances involving children.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A mother and her boyfriend were accused of causing the death of a 4-year-old-boy found dead in a basement closet on Monday.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Angel Lovely, 37, and Nicholas Bergdoll, 36, on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office by Friday had not filed formal charges.

A sibling found the 4-year-old dead on Monday, according to investigators. Lovely and Bergdoll were in the home at the time but told police they were asleep when he died.

Born premature with cerebral palsy, the 4-year old couldn’t walk, was nonverbal, and ate through a feeding tube. Lovely claimed she would rarely put the child in the closet, only “when he won’t stop screaming” or when she “needed a break.”

But when investigators interviewed Lovely’s three other children, they said that the boy “stays in the closet all day,” and that “mom locks him in the closet” and “does not pay attention to him.”

An exact cause of death hasn’t been determined, but the child was found with blood in his mouth. Lovely said he’d been aspirating.

One of Lovely’s children told investigators they heard the 4-year-old gagging but didn’t say anything because it wasn’t unusual.

A neighbor living on Monticello Drive, Michelle Johnson, told News 8, “It’s horrible. It breaks my heart.”

Johnson had seen the other children outside the home but never knew there was a boy in a wheelchair living there. She said if she suspected they were being neglected, she would have called police or the Indiana Department of Child Services.

“We’re supposed to be a village and raise kids together,” Johnson said. “That’s really heartbreaking.”

Bergdoll told police, according to the investigators’ report, that he didn’t agree with putting the child in the closet: “I am not going to tell her how to f****** raise her kids.”

“I’m sickened,” IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson told News 8 in an interview.
“Think about putting yourself in that situation. Every day, do you want to be in a closet? Locked up, no light?”

Court records show the Department of Child Services had removed the boy from Lovely’s care because of medical neglect, but she regained custody last year against DCS recommendations.

Thompson, the neighbor, hopes the tragedy can be an opportunity for others to speak up when they see a child who can’t speak up for themselves. “Maybe you’ve got to make that tough phone call. Reach out. The city has resources.”

Johnson wishes she would have known what was happening so she could have said something. “Children don’t have a voice and we’re supposed to be their voice.”