April 2012 Archives
ILLINOIS def. NORTHWESTERN, 3-2Senior right-hander Zach Morton pitched Northwestern's third complete game of the series but Illinois got a run in the top of the eighth inning to edge the Wildcats 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. MICHIGAN, 11-8 INDIANA def. MICHIGAN, 11-5Despite having 14 hits in each of the two games in the doubleheader, the University of Michigan baseball team was swept by Indiana on Sunday afternoon at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. The Wolverines fell 11-8 in the first game and 11-5 in the nightcap. RECAP & BOX SCORESIOWA def. MINNESOTA, 5-4 (12)The University of Minnesota baseball team fell, 5-4, to Iowa in 12 innings for its first Big Ten home loss of the season. The Golden Gophers still won the series, 2-1, to bring their record to 26-20 (9-6 Big Ten), while Iowa stands at 17-22 (6-9 Big Ten). RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN STATE def. #13 PURDUE, 5-0Michigan State's David Garner went the distance in the first shutout of the year thrown against No. 13 Purdue baseball, leading the Spartans to a 5-0 victory Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Lambert Field. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. OHIO STATE, 8-7Penn State senior Sean Deegan was due, and did he ever deliver. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th , runners on second and third and the Nittany Lions trailing by two runs, Deegan hammered a towering shot over the right centerfield wall to give Penn State an 8-7 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. RECAP & BOX SCORECSU Bakersfield at NEBRASKA - Cancelled
Iowa 10, Indiana 0 The University of Iowa softball team won its third straight Big Ten series, downing Indiana, 10-0, in five innings on a soggy Sunday afternoon at Pearl Field. Following the game, the Hawkeyes recognized seniors Katie Keim and Liz Watkins for Senior Day. "I am proud our team for how they came out and got on them early," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "They stayed consistent throughout and continued putting runs up and when the weather started coming in they put a few more up to give us some cushion. RECAP
Game 1: Michigan 2, Illinois 1; Game 2: Illinois 2, Michigan 0 Game 1: The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan softball team won the first game of a doubleheader, 2-1, over Illinois before falling, 2-0, in the second contest on Sunday afternoon at the Wilpon Complex. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner earned the win in the first game, pitching 6.1 innings and giving up one run on seven hits with one strikeout. Freshman RHP Sara Driesenga picked up her third save of the season, throwing 0.2 innings of hitless relief in the seventh with two runners on base. Wagner accounted for both of Michigan's runs in the contest, hitting a two-run roundtripper in the fourth inning. RECAP Game 2: Illinois softball earned a series victory at No. 22 Michigan's Alumni Field on Sunday afternoon, falling in game one, 2-1 before shutting out the Wolverines in the series finale, 2-0. Junior catcher Stephanie Cuevas finished the first contest 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored on a seventh-inning homer. Junior starting pitcher Pepper Gay shut out Michigan in the second contest with a complete game effort while freshman third baseman Jess Perkins went 3-for-3, scoring both Illinois runs. "I really wish our fans could have seen all three of these games," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. "We really played `Illini Softball' this weekend, they were exciting games, all pressure-filled and we had to go on the road to do this. I am proud of the team effort to take two against a well-respected and strong Michigan team. It's a great accomplishment for everyone on this team." RECAP
Game 1: Northwestern 3, Ohio State 1; Game 2: Northwestern 8, Ohio State 5 Game 1: Senior Adrienne Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning of the first game of a Sunday doubleheader against Ohio State by crushing the sixth home run in Sharon J. Drysdale Field history to reach the roof of neighboring McGaw Hall, contributing to a 3-1 Northwestern victory. RECAP Game 2: Northwestern scored in each of the first four innings Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader against Ohio State, weathering a couple of Buckeyes' rallies and the weather itself for an 8-5 victory at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Northwestern earned a 2-1 series win over Ohio State with its victory, moving to 21-26 overall on the season and 8-10 in the conference. RECAP
Penn State 4, MInnesota 3 The Penn State softball team was heroic again on Sunday at Beard Field, beating Minnesota for the third straight time in walk-off fashion as Lauren Yao clubbed a single to win 4-3. The Nittany Lions trailed 3-0 early, but chipped away at the lead eventually earning the program's first-ever three-game sweep over Minnesota. Penn State was down to its final strike in the last two at-bats as Kailyn Johnson singled with two outs, pushing Alyssa Renwick to third. Both runners advanced a bag on a wild pitch during Yao's plate appearance. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Yao laced a screaming single through the legs of Minnesota's third baseman Kaitlyn Richardson to score Renwick easily. Johnson scampered home on the play as the throw from leftfield went wide of home plate and the Nittany Lions mobbed Yao on the diamond. RECAP
Purdue 6, Wisconsin 5 The spotlight was on the Boilermaker seniors in their final home game and the pair came through big in a 6-5 victory over Wisconsin. Molly Garst led the Purdue bats and Katie Hackney picked up the win on Sunday as Purdue won the series with the Badgers and reached the 30-win milestone for the 15th time in program history. Garst went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and two RBI as Purdue posted six runs on seven hits and three errors. Hackney (6-3) struck out two in the winning effort in three innings of relief work. Hackney and freshman Lexy Moore allowed the Badgers five runs on 10 hits. RECAP
Illinois 5, Michigan 1 (8) Illinois softball used a disciplined approach at the plate to secure a 5-1 victory over No. 22 Michigan in eight innings at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon. While the Illini lineup worked eight walks over the contest, the most issued in one game by the UM pitching staff on the season, Illinois broke through for five runs in the top of the eighth to earn the win against the Big Ten-leading Wolverines, who entered the day with a 12-3 conference record. "Scoring four with two outs in the eighth was huge for us," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. "Our hitters bared down, and this time of year that is usually what it is about, who can get that clutch hit and gain some momentum." RECAP
Game 1: Indiana 1, Iowa 0 (9); Game 2: Iowa 4, Indiana 0 Game 1: The Indiana Hoosiers (24-23, 8-8 Big Ten) showed why the game of softball is a team game, as everyone contributed in some form and helped IU to the 1-0 win in nine innings against the Iowa Hawkeyes (21-24, 10-6 Big Ten) at Pearl Field. Kelsey Brannon had four hits for IU and Meaghan Murphy (11-10) tossed her second shutout of the season. Murphy was outstanding in the circle, scattering seven hits and a walk as she went the distance in the circle. She struck out four batters in the game and was able to escape a number of scoring opportunities by the Hawkeyes unharmed. RECAP Game 2: Four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie and propelled the University of Iowa softball team to a 4-0 victory and a doubleheader split against Indiana on Saturday at Pearl Field. The Hoosiers won a pitching duel in opener, winning 1-0 in nine innings. "Like most splits, I would rather win the second one if we're going to lose the first one," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "I am a little frustrated on that early game that we didn't execute in certain situations. We had quite a few runners at second and third in scoring position. We didn't do the job we needed to, and they were all controllable things." RECAP
Game 1: Nebraska 5, Michigan State 3; Game 2: Nebraska 3, Michigan State 0 Freshman Mattie Fowler broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards all the support she would need in Nebraska's 3-0 victory over Michigan State in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. The win in the nightcap completed a doubleheader sweep for Nebraska, which improved to 31-18 on the season and moved to 12-5 in Big Ten play. The Huskers also won for the 16th straight time at Bowlin Stadium and improved to 13-0 at home this season. Edwards was dominant in the circle, firing a five-hit shutout. She added six strikeouts, while walking only one. The shutout was her third of the season and fifth of her career, but her first against a conference opponent. Game 1 Recap | Game 2 Recap
Ohio State 6, Northwestern 2 On a chilly day in Evanston, Ill., the Ohio State softball team defeated Northwestern, 6-2, Saturday afternoon at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The Buckeyes (28-18, 7-8 Big Ten) claimed two runs in the first and four runs in the seventh vs. the Wildcats (19-26, 6-10 Big Ten) en route to their seventh conference win of 2012. Sophomore Melanie Nichols had a solid performance in the circle for the Buckeyes, limiting the Wildcats to two runs in seven innings, while stranding 12 NU runners with three strikeouts. Nichols, a native of San Jacinto, Calif., improves to 11-7 overall in 2012. RECAP
Game 1: Penn State 6, Minnesota 5; Game 2: Penn State 4, Minnesota 3 (8) The Penn State softball team showed its resilience on Saturday, fighting back from 3-0 deficits twice on Saturday afternoon at Beard Field, emerging victorious twice in walk-off fashion. The Nittany Lions stared down seventh-inning deficits in both games winning 6-5 and 4-3 (8 inn.). Offensively, Liz Presto was the Penn State star going 4-for-7 in the doubleheader, driving home four runs in game one including a massive three-run double to tie the game in the fourth inning. In the circle, Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) won both decisions, going 12.1 innings with 16 strikeouts and reaching double-digit victories for the third straight year. The Penn State (16-27, 7-10 Big Ten) bats were alive all day collecting 22 hits putting the pressure on Minnesota's pitching staff to shut down them down. Six Nittany Lions tallied at least two hits as Penn State hit .328. RECAP
Game 1: Purdue 7, Wisconsin 2; Game 2: Wisconsin 7, Purdue 1 Game 1: Purdue scored its seven runs on 11 hits and three Badger miscues, while allowing Wisconsin two runs on seven hits and an error. Sophomore Lindsey Rains posted a perfect 3-for-3 effort at the plate, while registering two RBI and a run in the contest. Sophomores Andie Varsho and Tori Chiodo managed two-hit days. Freshman Lexy Moore (20-8) went four and a third innings in the victory, while junior Erika Petruzzi and senior Katie Hackney held the Badgers at bay in relief work. RECAP Game 2: Wisconsin scored seven runs on 11 hits in the second game of a Big Ten Conference doubleheader at Purdue Saturday afternoon to win its school-record 12th league game of the season. With the win, the Badgers become the fastest team in school history to reach 30 wins, improving to 30-14 on the season. RECAP
ILLINOIS def. NORTHWESTERN, 5-4Northwestern rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning but came up a run short in the end as the Wildcats dropped a 5-4 decision to Illinois Saturday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA at MICHIGAN - postponedThe University of Michigan baseball team's game against Indiana scheduled for Saturday night has been postponed due to weather. It has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday starting at noon. MORE INFORMATIONMINNESOTA def. IOWA, 4-3Matt Halloran had a walk-off walk to earn a 4-3 win, today, over the Iowa Hawkeyes. With the bases loaded, Halloran took four straight pitches to end the game on a RBI walk. Minnesota battled back from a 3-1 deficit to win and stay in second place in the Big Ten standings. With the win, the Golden Gophers improve to 26-19 on the season and 9-5 in the Big Ten Conference. RECAP & BOX SCORE#13 PURDUE def. MICHIGAN STATE, 4-3 (14)Eric Charles delivered a two-out game-tying single in the ninth inning and Cameron Perkins won it with a walk-off hit in the 14th, as No. 13 Purdue baseball won a 4-3 thriller against Michigan State Saturday afternoon at Lambert Field to clinch another Big Ten series victory. RECAP & BOX SCORENEBRASKA def. CSU Bakersfield, 3-2 (11)Senior Kale Kiser came through with his second walk-off hit of the season in the bottom of the 11th inning to propel the Nebraska baseball team to a 3-2 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners in the first game of a double header on Saturday afternoon. After Austin Darby led off the inning with a walk and Chad Christensen moved him to third with a single, Kiser blasted a deep fly ball into the right-center-field gap that allowed Darby to coast home for the game winning run. RECAP & BOX SCORECSU Bakersfield def. NEBRASKA, 10-2Michael Pritchard extended his hitting streak to 21 games, but the rest of the night belonged to CSU Bakersfield, as the Roadrunners salvaged a doubleheader split with a 10-2 win in Saturday's second game in front of 5,111 fans at Hawks Field. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. OHIO STATE, 5-4Penn State baseball (21-22, 7-7) evened up its series with Ohio State on Saturday afternoon with a 5-4 victory over the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but put together a two-run inning to retake the lead. RECAP & BOX SCORE
ILLINOIS def. NORTHWESTERN, 2-0Senior right-hander Francis Brooke tossed a complete game with a career-high nine strikeouts, but Northwestern's offense couldn't back him up as the Wildcats dropped their series-opener with Illinois 2-0 Friday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. MICHIGAN, 8-1The University of Michigan baseball team fell to Indiana, 8-1, in the opener of the three-game set Friday night (April 27) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. RECAP & BOX SCOREMINNESOTA def. IOWA, 5-4Minnesota claims the first game of a three game series, with a 5-4 win against the Iowa Hawkeyes. TJ Oakes was accredited with the win, with 7.1 innings pitched where he gave up four runs, but only one was earned. RECAP & BOX SCORE PURDUE def. MICHIGAN STATE, 6-2Barrett Serrato connected for a fourth-inning grand slam and Joe Haase worked seven innings of one-run ball, leading No. 13 Purdue baseball to a 6-2 win against Michigan State in the opener of a series at Lambert Field that features the top two teams in the Big Ten standings. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. PENN STATE, 4-1Penn State baseball (20-22, 6-7) dropped its opener to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night by a score of 4-1. Penn State and Ohio State square off in the second game of its series on Saturday. Please note that the start time of that game has been moved to 1:05 p.m. RECAP & BOX SCORECSU Bakersfield at NEBRASKA - postponedFriday night's baseball game between Nebraska and Cal State Bakersfield has been postponed until tomorrow due to weather in the Lincoln area. The Huskers and Roadrunners will now play a double header tomorrow, starting at 2:05 p.m. and the second game will start roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. MORE INFORMATION
Illinois at MichiganGame 1: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., BTN Game 2: Saturday, 5:30 p.m., BTN Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN.com
Indiana at Iowa Game 1: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN.com
Michigan State at Nebraska Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN
Minnesota at Penn State Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, Noon, BTN
Ohio State at Northwestern Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, 3 p.m.
Wisconsin at Purdue Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.
All times ET and subject to change
ILLINOIS at NORTHWESTERNIllinois Notes - Northwestern NotesFriday, April 273 p.m. CT RHP Kevin Johnson (6-3, 3.61 ERA) vs. RHP Francis Brooke (1-4, 3.14 ERA) Saturday, April 281 p.m. CT RHP John Kravetz (5-3, 4.69 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Magallones (6-2, 3.99 ERA) Sunday, April 291 p.m. CT TBA vs. RHP Zach Morton (1-7, 4.01 ERA) INDIANA at MICHIGANIndiana Notes - Michigan NotesFriday, April 277 p.m. ET, BTN LHP Joey DeNato (6-1, 2.43 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Sinnery (3-3, 3.63 ERA) Saturday, April 286:05 p.m. ET LHP Kyle Hart (2-4, 3.21 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Ballantine (1-1, 3.44 ERA) Sunday, April 291:05 p.m. ET RHP Chad Martin (0-3, 5.97 ERA) vs. LHP Trent Szkutnik (2-3, 5.82 ERA) IOWA at MINNESOTAIowa Notes - Minnesota NotesFriday, April 276:35 p.m. CT LHP Jarred Hippen (3-4, 4.25 ERA) vs. RHP TJ Oakes (6-2, 1.54 ERA) Saturday, April 282:05 p.m. CT LHP Matt Dermody (1-5, 4.32 ERA) vs. LHP DJ Snelten (4-2, 2.17 ERA) Sunday, April 293:05 p.m. CT, BTN LHP Sasha Kuebel (4-0, 3.05 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Lubinsky (2-3, 3.60 ERA) MICHIGAN STATE at #13 PURDUEMichigan State Notes - Purdue NotesFriday, April 274 p.m. ET RHP Tony Bucciferro (3-2, 3.04 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Haase (6-0, 3.62 ERA) Saturday, April 282 p.m. ET RHP Andrew Waszak (4-3, 2.23 ERA) vs. RHP Lance Breedlove (6-3, 2.74 ERA) Sunday, April 29RHP David Garner (2-3, 4.14 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Podkul (2-0, 2.76 ERA) CSU Bakersfield at NEBRASKANebraska NotesFriday, April 276:35 p.m. CT RHP Spenser Messmore (3-3, 1.78 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Kubat (2-0, 2.59 ERA) Saturday, April 282:05 p.m. CT LHP Jeff McKenzie (3-4, 2.13 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Pierce (5-1, 2.79 ERA) Sunday, April 291:05 p.m. CT TBA vs. LHP Zach Hirsch (4-3, 5.10 ERA) OHIO STATE at PENN STATEOhio State Notes - Penn State NotesFriday, April 276:05 p.m. ET RHP Jaron Long (3-2, 2.08 ERA) vs. LHP Joe Kurrasch (3-2, 2.08 ERA) Saturday, April 282:05 p.m. ET LHP Brian King (3-3, 4.93 ERA) vs. RHP Steven Hill (4-3, 3.75 ERA) Sunday, April 291:05 p.m. ET RHP John Kuchno (6-3, 5.11 ERA) vs. RHP John Walter (1-6, 4.80 ERA)
Northern Iowa 4, Iowa 3 (8)
Iowa 7, Northern Iowa 0
Northern Iowa at Iowa (DH), 6 p.m. ET
Big Ten teams and players rank among the NCAA's best in several statistical categories. Look below to see conference representatives among the nation's top 25, and click HERE for a full list. TEAM STAT LEADERSBatting Average3. Purdue (.327) 16. Nebraska (.314) Runs per Game10. Nebraska (7.5) 15. Purdue (7.3) Hits8. Nebraska (451) 17. Purdue (437) Triples16. Illinois (17) Home Runs21. Nebraska (34) Slugging Percentage18. Nebraska (.452) 23. Purdue (.447) ERA13. Minnesota (2.90) 19. Michigan State (2.98) Hits Allowed (per 9.0 IP)20. Minnesota (7.98) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)6. Purdue (2.27) Fielding Percentage25. Nebraska (.975) Double Plays Turned1. Illinois (49) 7. Purdue (44) T19. Nebraska (40) T19. Ohio State (40) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio15. Purdue (2.88) INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERSBatting Average23. Jordan Keur, MSU (.404) Hits9. Jordan Keur, MSU (67) 10. Ryan Jones, MSU (66) Doubles21. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (16) Triples8. Stephen Talbott, PUR (6) 20. Kyle Schwarber, IND (5) RBI per Game14. Cameron Perkins, PUR (1.19) Total Bases21. Jordan Steranka, PSU (99) Stolen Bases14. Patrick Biondi, MICH (24) Walks22. Ryan Cypret, OSU (33) At-Bats per Strikeout (toughest to strike out)7. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (23.3) 22. Michael Pritchard, NEB (18.3) ERA16. TJ Oakes, MINN (1.54) Wins9. Blake Mascarello, PUR (7) Saves25. Nick Wittgren, PUR (8) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)20. Jaron Long, OSU (1.04) 24. Lance Breedlove, PUR (1.10) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio16. Lance Breedlove, PUR (6.88)
Look below to see where Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest polls. Click the links to view each complete set of rankings. NCAA RPI (top 70)No. 8 Purdue No. 51 Ohio State No. 57 Illinois No. 61 Michigan State No. 66 Nebraska Collegiate Baseball NewspaperNo. 17 Purdue Baseball AmericaNo. 15 Purdue NCBWANo. 13 Purdue USA Today/ESPN CoachesNo. 13 Purdue
INDIANA def. Miami (Ohio), 6-3
MINNESOTA def. North Dakota State, 11-7
North Central at NORTHWESTERN - Canceled
OHIO STATE def. Bowling Green, 8-4
PENN STATE def. Kent State, 6-4
Ball State at PURDUE - Canceled
Louisville 6, Indiana 4 Creighton 2, Nebraska 1 Northwestern 12, Northern Illinois 3 Kent State 11, Penn State 3 Penn State 9, Kent State 0 Loyola (Chicago) 3, Purdue 1 Wisconsin 8, Indiana State 0 Wisconsin 9, Indiana State 7
In the latest national statistics released by the NCAA on Monday, numerous Big Ten standouts appeared in the top 50 in many statisitcal categories.
Batting Average 30. Marisa Bast, NU, .426 46. Megan Blank, IOWA, .410 48. Kylene Hopkins, MSU, .408
Home Runs Per Game 40. Marisa Bast, NU, .29
Runs Batted in Per Game 9. Marisa Bast, NU, 1.21 30. Alicia Herron, OSU, 1.02 39. Evelyn Carrillo, OSU, 0.98 42. Brooke Thomason, NEB, 0.96 44. Kari Dorle, MINN, 0.95
Slugging Percentage 21. Marisa Bast, NU, .820 27. Alicia Herron, OSU, .790
Walks Per Game 18. Alicia Herron, OSU, .81 19. Adrienne Monka, NU, .81 26. Taylor Edwards, NEB, .78 45. Kari Dorle, MINN, .70
On Base Percentage 9. Alicia Herron, OSU, .553 24. Marisa Bast, NU, .527 27. Amanda Wagner, IND, .523
Stolen Bases Per Game 15. Emily Allard, NU, .62 24. Molly Garst, PUR, .58 35. Lindsey Rains, PUR, .51
Runs Per Game 46. Tyler Walker, MINN, .93 47. Alicia Herron, OSU, .93
Earned Run Average 17. Sara Moulton, MINN, 1.26 23. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 1.47
Wins 9. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 23 18. Sara Moulton, MINN, 22 22. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 21 35. Lexy Moore, PUR, 19 44. Cassandra Darrah, WIS, 18
Strikeouts 4. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 275 5. Sara Moulton, MINN, 266
Shutouts 21. Cassandra Darrah, WIS, 8
Saves 27. Carly Nielsen, MSU, 3
The 2012 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will be held May 23-26 at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Visit Tournament Central for details, including lodging and ticket information. TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Louisville at Indiana, 2 p.m. Nebraska at Creighton, 7 p.m. Northwestern at Northern Illinois, 5 p.m. Penn State at Kent State (DH), 3 p.m. Loyola (Chicago) at Purdue (DH), 3 p.m. Indiana State at Wisconsin (DH), 4 p.m.
All times ET and subject to change
Minnesota's TJ Oakes and Purdue's Lance Breedlove have been named to the Pitcher of the Year Watch List, the College Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday evening. Click HERE for the full announcement.
Indiana State def. ILLINOIS, 6-4
Miami (Ohio) def. INDIANA, 8-7
Bradley def. IOWA, 7-3
NEBRASKA def. Creighton, 4-1
NORTHWESTERN def. Chicago State, 12-7
PENN STATE def. Mount St. Mary's, 5-3
PURDUE def. Illinois State, 3-2
DePaul 3, Illinois 0
Notre Dame 7, Michigan State 1
Loyola (Chicago) 1, Northwestern 0
Penn State's Steven Hill was named National Co-Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA on Tuesday following his no-hitter on Saturday. COMPLETE RELEASE
Illinois at DePaul, 5 p.m.
Michigan State at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Northwestern at Loyola (Chicago), 5 p.m.
Illinois 8, Purdue 6 The Illini softball squad earned a series-securing win over Purdue behind early-innings offense that included a grand slam from senior first baseman Meredith Hackett, taking the Sunday afternoon finale of the three-game set, 8-6, at Eichelberger Field. Hackett finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and four RBIs while redshirt-senior left fielder Danielle Vaji added a two-run double and junior relief pitcher Jackie Guy tossed three shutout innings to earn the save. "We are excited about how we are playing right now," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. "You can see the offense has come alive. Week-by-week it has been inching back and I think now we are approaching every inning aggressively both offensively and defensively and we are trying to win each individual inning. We are seeing good team offense with a couple different players stepping up. Today, it was a big momentum grabber to have Meredith hit the grand slam. Great players get that distinction of being great by doing something big under pressure. She obviously did that for us today and stole momentum from them in the process." RECAP
Northwestern 8, Indiana 3 (Game 1); Indiana 11, Northwestern 3 (Game 2) Game 1: With the wind howling in Sunday in the first game of a Big Ten doubleheader at Indiana, Northwestern showed its power prowess with a pair of deep home runs and seven total extra base hits that aided an 8-3 Wildcats' win. Northwestern pounded out 13 hits in the game, seven for extra bases. Allard, Bast, Letourneau, DiPrima, Edwards and Scharkey all collected two hits. Edwards drove in three and scored twice, Letourneau knocked home two and scored twice and Bast also had two RBIs. RECAP Game 2: The Indiana offense stepped up to the plate in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday against Northwestern (18-24, 6-9 Big Ten), posting a 11-3 win in six innings over the Wildcats at the IU Softball Field in a game carried live on the Big Ten Network. The win gives Indiana two wins over Northwestern in the same season for the first time since 1997. The Hoosiers connected for three home runs in the game, matching a season high (BYU on Feb. 18). There were a number of offensive stars for the Hoosiers (23-22, 7-8 Big Ten) but equal to that was the effort in the circle by sophomore pitcher Meaghan Murphy (10-9) who went the distance to pick up her second win of the weekend. She allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts against a strong Northwestern offense. RECAP
Michigan 5, Minnesota 3 (10) Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner went the distance in the circle and hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning as the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team defeated Minnesota, 5-3 in 10 innings, on Sunday afternoon at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Wagner picked up her 23rd win of the season, pitching 10.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, and striking out seven. The Wolverines totaled 12 hits in the game, led by a 3-for-6 performance by senior centerfielder Bree Evans and two-hit games by freshman catcher Lauren Sweet and junior shortstop Amy Knapp. RECAP
Iowa 4, Michigan State 1 The University of Iowa softball team closed out the three-game sweep at Michigan State, downing the Spartans, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at Secchia Stadium. It is the Hawkeyes' second Big Ten Conference sweep and second consecutive series win this season. "The team came out and took care of business this weekend, and that's what they wanted to do," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "They did a nice job today in coming out and taking that third game win to get the series win here at East Lansing. It's not easy to come into someone's home and take three." The win improves Iowa's record to 20-22 overall and 10-5 in Big Ten action. RECAP
Ohio State 4, Nebraska 0 Sophomore Melanie Nichols led the Ohio State softball team to a 4-0 victory vs. Nebraska Sunday after throwing a three-hit, complete-game shutout at Buckeye Field. The native of San Jacinto, Calif., Nichols threw seven innings, allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk. "I thought Melanie had the heart of a Buckeye today and she kept their hitters off balanced throughout the entire game," head coach Linda Kalafatis said. "Our hitters came up with some key at-bats for us and it's great to finish off the week with a win on our home field." Nichols, the 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, improves to 10-7 overall this season, throwing her fifth complete game win in 2012. Offensively, junior Megan Coletta had a home run and two RBI and sophomore Evelyn Carrillo was 1-for-2 with an RBI. RECAP
Wisconsin 9, Penn State 0 Four runs in the first inning led to a big win for the Wisconsin softball team on Sunday at Goodman Diamond. The Badgers shut out Penn State 9-0 to sweep the Big Ten Conference series. "Penn State is a great program and I think historically they really had our number," said head coach Yvette Healy. "To come in and take three games at home is always exciting, especially when it is a team like Penn State who was in the NCAA tournament last year." RECAP
OHIO STATE def. ILLINOIS, 10-4After winning the first two games of the Ohio State series behind strong pitching, timely hitting and solid defense, the Illini issued seven free bases, managed only one two-out hit and made their first error in five games as the Buckeyes avoided the sweep with a 10-4 win in front of 1,062 fans at Illinois Field on Sunday. The loss snaps Illinois' four-game winning streak and drops the Orange and Blue to 22-17 overall, 5-7 in the Big Ten. RECAP & BOX SCOREGeorgia Southern def. INDIANA, 9-1A quality start from Chad Martin was wasted on Sunday as the Hoosiers failed to complete the series sweep, falling 9-1 to Georgia Southern (23-19) in Game Three. Indiana (18-22, 6-6 Big Ten) wraps up its current eight-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting the Miami (OH) RedHawks. RECAP & BOX SCOREIOWA def. PENN STATE, 4-2The University of Iowa baseball team beat Penn State, 4-2, Sunday afternoon in the series finale at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes scored three first-inning runs and never looked back en route to snapping a three-game losing streak. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN def. NORTHWESTERN, 5-4Junior/sophomore John DiLaura hit a 3-2 pitch into centerfield to score freshman Dylan Delaney and lift the University of Michigan baseball team to a 5-4 walk-off win over Northwestern Sunday afternoon at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN STATE def. MINNESOTA, 5-4Junior third baseman Torsten Boss delivered a game-winning, base-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Michigan State a 5-4 walk-off win over Minnesota Sunday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium. The extra-inning triumph gave the Spartans (26-13, 7-5 Big Ten) their third straight series victory over the Gophers, a first in series history for MSU. RECAP & BOX SCORE#16 PURDUE def. NEBRASKA, 8-3The Nebraska baseball team got a 3-for-4 performance from Richard Stock and Michael Pritchard extended his hitting streak to 18 games, but it wasn't enough as the Huskers dropped the series finale to the No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers by a score of 8-3 on Sunday afternoon in front of 6,014 fans at Hawks Field. Stock finished the three-game series by going 8-for-12 with one home run and three doubles to raise in average to .459 during Big Ten play. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Illinois 3, Purdue 1 (Game 1); Purdue 4, Illinois 2 (Game 2) Game 1: Illinois struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning to go ahead, 1-0. With one away, redshirt-junior Jessica Davis knocked a double to the left-center field wall, the fourth of the season for the shortstop. Two batters later, freshman third baseman Jess Perkins grounded a bouncing ball to Purdue shortstop Molly Garst, with Garst's offline throw to first allowing Davis to hustle home to break the scoreless tie. In the third, Hackett added two more runs to the Orange and Blue lead with the senior's eight homer of the season. Three batters after Booker singled up the middle, Hackett sent a 2-2 offering from Purdue's Lexy Moore 20 feet over the fencing to stake the Illini to a 3-0 advantage. Starting pitcher Pepper Gay made the early run support stand with another dominant performance in the circle, showing her maturity as the staff ace during her 102nd collegiate appearance. RECAPGame 2: The Boilermaker bats came through with three runs in the seventh to pull off a 4-2 comeback victory over Illinois softball in Game 2 on Saturday. Purdue trailed 2-0 after three innings and scored one in the fifth and three in the seventh to snag the win. The Boilermakers scored four runs on 10 hits and an error, including two hits each by senior Molly Garst and sophomore Andie Varsho. Illinois scored two runs on six hits and an error. Freshman Lexy Moore (19-6) struck out two batters in the complete-game victory, while relief pitcher Pepper Gay (15-12) was saddled with the loss after tossing the final three innings. Jackie Gay threw the first four innings, striking out two. RECAP
Indiana 8, Northwestern 6 After falling behind by five runs to Northwestern in the second inning, the Indiana Hoosiers (22-21, 6-7 Big Ten) came all the way back to post a 8-6 win at the IU Softball Field on Saturday afternoon. Meaghan Murphy (9-9) gave up four runs in the first inning and the first six batters reached base before she struck out the 7-8-9 batters in the bottom of the first inning to get out of trouble. From there, she put the game on her shoulders and kept the potent Northwestern attack at bay and allowed IU to mount its comeback. Murphy's final line showed six runs on nine hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Samantha Berenter had a sac fly and a two-run single to lead the offense for Indiana. Shannon Cawley, Brianna Meyer and Shelby Gogreve also had two hits in the game. RECAP
Minnesota 1, Michigan 0 (Game 1); Minnesota 6, Michigan 4 (Game 2) The University of Minnesota softball team had a historical day at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on Saturday as they garnered two wins from Big Ten powerhouse and the 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines. The Golden Gophers (28-15, 7-7 Big Ten) edged out Michigan (31-13, 11-3 Big Ten) 1-0 in a game one pitching duel as Sara Moulton struck out 10 batters, and Erica Meyer belted a solo home run. Game two began two and a half hours later, due to a rain delay, but the Maroon and Gold kept the momentum to defeat the Wolverines, 6-4. In Minnesota softball history, wins over Michigan have been rare with the all-time series sitting at 25-74, but on this day things changed. It is the first time since 1999 that the Gophers have defeated the Wolverines twice in a season. RECAP
Iowa 6, Michigan State 0 (Game 1); Iowa 7, Michigan State 1 (Game 2) The University of Iowa softball team extended its Big Ten Conference winning streak to four games with a doubleheader sweep at Michigan State on Saturday at Secchia Stadium. The Hawkeyes rolled to a 6-0 win in game one before downing the Spartans, 7-1, in game two. "I was proud of the team," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "We talked about being aggressive, getting on the board early and continuing to put runs up, and they did a nice job with that. When we continue to be the aggressor and get runs on the board, we're probably going to come out victors." RECAP
Nebraska 11, Ohio State 2 (Game 1); Nebraska 3, Ohio State 2 (8) (Game 2) Game 1: A pair of four-run innings powered the Nebraska softball team to an 11-2 victory over Ohio State at a chilly Buckeye Field in the first of two games Saturday night. The Husker offense tied its season high with four home runs in the win, while producing 14 hits, its most in Big Ten Conference play. Nebraska's 11 runs also tied its highest run output in a conference game this season. RECAP Game 2: A freshman and a senior teamed up to give Rhonda Revelle her 750th victory as Nebraska's Head Softball Coach, as the Huskers completed a doubleheader sweep at Ohio State with a 3-2, eight-inning victory in Saturday's nightcap at Buckeye Field. Senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann was impressive in the circle and freshman Mattie Fowler delivered the game-winning hit, as Nebraska swept the doubleheader to win its first Big Ten Conference road series. RECAP
Wisconsin 4, Penn State 1 (Game 1): Wisconsin 8, Penn State 0 (Game 2) A walk-off hit into left field by Mary Massei gave Wisconsin a sweep over Penn State on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Diamond for the first time since 1997. With a 4-1 win over the Nittany Lions (13-25 overall, 5-9 Big Ten) in the first game of the doubleheader, the Badgers (26-13, 9-4) became the fastest team to reach 25 wins in school history. Behind the strong pitching of Amanda Najdek, the Badgers shut out Penn State 8-0 in the second game of the doubleheader. Najdek pitched her second complete game and advanced to 5-1, only allowing two hits in five innings. RECAP
ILLINOIS def. OHIO STATE, 8-3Illinois scored eight runs with two outs and John Kravetz tied the school record for wins by a freshman pitcher with his sixth victory as the Illini beat Ohio State, 8-3, to win the weekend series in front of 1,424 fans on Saturday. First baseman Jordan Parr was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and shortstop Thomas Lindauer reached base five times, stole three bases and scored twice to propel Illinois to its fourth-straight victory. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. Georgia Southern, 3-0For the second straight day Indiana Baseball rode a dominant pitching performance to victory as Kyle Hart tossed a complete game shutout in IU's 3-0 win over Georgia Southern (22-19). Hart's shutout was the first for IU since Drew Leininger blanked Central Michigan back on March 14, 2010. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. IOWA, 2-0Penn State's Steven Hill outdueled Iowa's Matt Dermody Saturday afternoon in a 2-0 Nittany Lion victory over the Iowa baseball team at Duane Banks Field. Hill retired just two batters over the minimum in recording the first Penn State baseball no-hitter since 1995. RECAP & BOX SCORENORTHWESTERN def. MICHIGAN, 6-5 (11) NORTHWESTERN def. MICHIGAN, 8-5The University of Michigan baseball team was swept by Northwestern in a Big Ten doubleheader Saturday afternoon (April 21) at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. The Wolverines came back to tie the opener in the bottom of the ninth, but Northwestern outscored Michigan 3-2 in the 11th to win, 6-5. The Wildcats also won the nightcap 8-5, scoring four unearned runs. RECAP & BOX SCORESMICHIGAN STATE def. MINNESOTA, 3-2 (11) MINNESOTA def. MICHIGAN STATE, 4-2 The Michigan State baseball team split a doubleheader with Minnesota Saturday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium. The Spartans (25-13, 6-5 Big Ten) claimed a 3-2 victory on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning in game one, but had their five-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss in game two. RECAP & BOX SCORESNEBRASKA def. #16 PURDUE, 8-3In front of a season-high crowd of 6,257 fans at Hawks Field on Saturday afternoon, the Nebraska baseball team (26-14, 8-6 Big Ten) evened its series with the No. 16 Purdue Boilermakers at a game apiece with a 8-3 win. The Huskers outhit the Boilermakers 13-11 on the day, including four extra-base hits, while NU's pitching staff allowed just one extra-base hit. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Purdue at IllinoisGame 1: Saturday, 2 p.m., BTN.comGame 2: Saturday, 4 p.m., BTN.comGame 3: Sunday, 2 p.m.
Northwestern at Indiana Game 1: Saturday, Noon Game 2: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN Game 3: Sunday, 4 p.m., BTN
Iowa at Michigan State Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, Noon, BTN
Michigan at Minnesota Game 1: Saturday 1 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Nebraska at Ohio State Game 1: Saturday, 5 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN.com
Penn State at Wisconsin Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com
ILLINOIS def. OHIO STATE, 9-1Junior starting pitcher Kevin Johnson held Ohio State to one run in 7 2/3 innings and junior DH Thomas Shelton blasted a three-run homer in the seventh, his first career round-tripper, to lift Illinois to a 9-1 win over Ohio State. The Illini scored six runs with two outs while holding the Buckeyes hitless in the same situation. It marked the fifth-straight series-opening win over the Buckeyes and gave Johnson his career-best sixth victory. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. Georgia Southern, 7-2It was a typical Joey DeNato outing on Friday as the southpaw guided Indiana Baseball (17-21) to a 7-2 win over Georgia Southern (22-18) with a final line that read like this: W, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. The offense came from a multitude of angles as four different Hoosiers drove in five different run scorers. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. IOWA, 5-2The University of Iowa baseball team dropped a 5-2 decision to Penn State on Friday night at Duane Banks Field. After playing on the road the last three weekends, the Hawkeyes are hosting the Nittany Lions in a three-game set this weekend. RECAP & BOX SCORE NORTHWESTERN at MICHIGAN - postponedThe University of Michigan baseball team's series opener against Northwestern scheduled for Friday night has been postponed due to rain. There will be a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday starting at 1:05 p.m. The three-game series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. MORE INFORMATIONMINNESOTA at MICHIGAN STATE - postponedThe baseball game between Michigan State and Minnesota scheduled for Friday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium has been postponed due to rain in the Greater Lansing area. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1:05 p.m. MORE INFORMATION#17 PURDUE def. NEBRASKA, 8-5After falling behind 4-0 to start the game the Nebraska baseball team (25-14, 7-6 Big Ten) evened the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth, but Cameron Perkins' second home run of the game in the top of the fifth proved to be the eventual game winner in a 8-5 win for the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night at Hawks Field. RECAP & BOX SCORE
ILLINOIS at John McDonnell Invitational - Fayetteville, Ark. ILLINOIS at Mt. Sac Relays - Walnut, Calif. INDIANA at Larry Ellis Invitational - Princeton, N.J. INDIANA at Polytan Invitational - Bloomington, Ind. IOWA at Musco Twilight XIII - Iowa City, Iowa MICHIGAN at Al Owens Classic - Allendale, Mich MICHIGAN STATE at Al Owens Classic MINNESOTA at Holst Invitational - St. Paul, Minn. NEBRASKA at Kansas Relays - Lawrence, Kan. NEBRASKA at Mt. Sac Relays OHIO STATE at Florida Invitational - Gainesville, Fla. PENN STATE at Bucknell Team Challenge - Lewisburg, Pa. PENN STATE at War Eagle Invitational - Auburn, Ala. PURDUE at Mt. Sac Relays PURDUE at Dave Rankin Invitational - West Lafayette, Ind. WISCONSIN at Mt. Sac Relays WISCONSIN at Azusa Pacific Multi-Events WISCONSIN at Musco Twilight Invitational
ILLINOIS at John McDonnell Invitational - Fayetteville, Ark. ILLINOIS at Mt. Sac Relays - Walnut, Calif. INDIANA at Larry Ellis Invitational - Princeton, N.J. INDIANA at Polytan Invitational - Bloomington, Ind. IOWA at Musco Twilight XIII - Iowa City, Iowa MICHIGAN at Mt. Sac Relays MICHIGAN STATE at Al Owens Classic - Allendale, Mich. MINNESOTA at Azusa Pacific Multi-Events - Azusa, Calif. MINNESOTA at Long Beach State Invitational - Long Beach, Calif. NEBRASKA at Kansas Relays - Lawrence, Kan. NEBRASKA at Mt. Sac Relays OHIO STATE at Mt. Sac Relays OHIO STATE at All-Ohio Championships - Oxford, Ohio PENN STATE at Bucknell Team Challenge - Lewisburg, Pa. PENN STATE at War Eagle Invitational - Auburn, Ala. PURDUE at Mt. Sac Relays PURDUE at Dave Rankin Invitational - West Lafayette, Ind. WISCONSIN at Mt. Sac Relays WISCONSIN at Azusa Pacific Multi-Events WISCONSIN at Musco Twilight Invitational
OHIO STATE at ILLINOISOhio State Notes - Illinois NotesFriday, April 206:05 p.m. CT RHP Jaron Long (3-1, 2.27 ERA) vs. RHP Kevin Johnson (5-3, 3.95 ERA) Saturday, April 213:05 p.m. CT LHP Brian King (3-3, 4.96 ERA) vs. RHP John Kravetz (5-3, 4.69 ERA) Sunday, April 221:05 p.m. CT RHP John Kuchno (5-3, 4.89 ERA) vs. TBA Georgia Southern at INDIANAIndiana NotesFriday, April 203:05 p.m. ET RHP Chris Beck (4-3, 3.73 ERA) vs. LHP Joe DeNato (5-1, 2.54 ERA) Saturday, April 211:05 p.m. ET RHP Justin Hess (2-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Hart (1-4, 3.83 ERA) Sunday, April 221:05 p.m. ET RHP Will Middour (1-2, 4.60 ERA) vs. TBA PENN STATE at IOWAPenn State Notes - Iowa NotesFriday, April 206:05 p.m. CT LHP Joe Kurrasch (2-2, 2.32 ERA) vs. LHP Jarred Hippen (3-3, 4.17 ERA) Saturday, April 211:05 p.m. CT RHP Steven Hill (3-3, 4.30 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Dermody (1-4, 4.83 ERA) Sunday, April 2212:05 p.m. CT RHP John Walter (1-5, 4.74 ERA) vs. LHP Sasha Kuebel (3-0, 3.14 ERA) NORTHWESTERN at MICHIGANNorthwestern Notes - Michigan NotesFriday, April 206:05 p.m. ET, BTN.com RHP Francis Brooke (1-4, 3.30 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Sinnery (3-3, 3.96 ERA) Saturday, April 211:05 p.m. ET RHP Brandon Magallones (5-2, 3.58 ERA) vs. RHP Ben Ballantine (1-0, 3.04 ERA) Sunday, April 221:05 p.m. ET RHP Zach Morton (1-7, 3.78 ERA) vs. TBA MINNESOTA at MICHIGAN STATEMinnesota Notes - Michigan State NotesFriday, April 203:05 p.m. ET RHP TJ Oakes (6-2, 1.41 ERA) vs. RHP Tony Bucciferro (3-2, 3.08 ERA) Saturday, April 211:05 p.m. ET LHP DJ Snelton (3-2, 2.19 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Waszak (4-2, 1.82 ERA) Sunday, April 221:05 p.m. ET RHP Austin Lubinsky (2-3, 3.28 ERA) vs. RHP David Garner (2-3, 4.24 ERA) PURDUE at NEBRASKAPurdue Notes - Nebraska NotesFriday, April 206:35 p.m. CT, BTN RHP Joe Haase (6-0, 3.09 ERA) vs. RHP Jon Keller (4-0, 3.94 ERA) Saturday, April 212:05 p.m. CT RHP Lance Breedlove (6-2, 2.23 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Pierce (4-1, 2.83 ERA) Sunday, April 2212:05 p.m. CT RHP Connor Podkul (1-02.30 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Hirsch (4-2, 4.53 ERA)
Michigan has named Kim Barnes Arico as the new head women's basketball coach, as announced on Friday. Barnes Arico arrives in Ann Arbor after spending the past 10 seasons at St. John's, guiding the Red Storm to a Sweet 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament and back-to-back second round appearances in 2010-11. For the complete release, click here.
April 21-22 ILLINOIS at Boilermaker Invitational - West Lafayette, Ind. INDIANA at Boilermaker Invitational IOWA at Boilermaker Invitational MICHIGAN STATE at Boilermaker Invitational PURDUE at Boilermaker Invitational WISCONSIN at Boilermaker Invitational
April 21-22 ILLINOIS at Lady Buckeye Invitational - Columbus, Ohio IOWA at Lady Buckeye Invitational MICHIGAN STATE at Lady Buckeye Invitational MINNESOTA at Lady Buckeye Invitational NEBRASKA at Lady Buckeye Invitational NORTHWESTERN at Lady Buckeye Invitational OHIO STATE at Lady Buckeye Invitational PENN STATE at Lady Buckeye Invitational PURDUE at Lady Buckeye Invitational
April 20 Wisconsin at Iowa - Noon CT Michigan State at Ohio State - 2 p.m. ET Minnesota at Nebraska - 2 p.m. CT Michigan at Penn State - 3 p.m. ET Purdue at Northwestern - 3 p.m. CT Indiana at Illinois - 3 p.m. CT
April 22 Northwestern at Indiana - 11 a.m. ET Penn State at Michigan State - 11 a.m. ET Nebraska at Wisconsin - 11 a.m. CT Illinois at Purdue - Noon ET Ohio State at Michigan - Noon ET Iowa at Minnesota - Noon CT
April 20 Iowa at Wisconsin - Noon CT Northwestern at Purdue - 1 p.m. CT Illinois at Indiana - 3 p.m. ET Nebraska at Minnesota - 3 p.m. CT Penn State at Michigan - 4 p.m. ET Vincennes at Indiana - 8 p.m. ET
April 22 Michigan at Ohio State - Noon ET Michigan State at Penn State - Noon ET Indiana at Northwestern - Noon CT Wisconsin at Nebraska - Noon CT Minnesota at Iowa - Noon CT Purdue at Illinois - 1 p.m. ET
Illinois senior gymnast Paul Ruggeri won the 2012 Nissen-Emery Award, presented annually to the nation's top senior male gymnast, becoming the fourth Illinois gymnast to win the honor. The award honors career excellence in gymnastics along with good sportsmanship and high academic performance.
Ruggeri is a seven-time All-American, three-time NCAA Champion, five-time U.S. senior national team member and six-time Big Ten Champion.
Illinois Release
Only two conferences in the nation boast 10 or more teams in the top 100 of the latest NCAA RPI, and the Big Ten is one of those two. Behind the SEC, the Big Ten's 10 top-100 squads are the second-highest total of any conference in the nation. Since the debut of the rankings on March 26, at least nine Big Ten teams have appeared in the top 100 each week, with 10 or more in each of the last three editions. Michigan leads the conference contingent at No. 24, followed by Northwestern and Purdue at Nos. 47 and 48, respectively.
Ball State 12, Indiana 4
Iowa State 4, Iowa 3
Minnesota 4, North Dakota State 0
Minnesota 5, North Dakota State 0
Nebraska 1, Nebraska-Omaha 0
Ohio State 9, Ohio 5
Ohio State 13, Ohio 3
ILLINOIS def. Eastern Illinois, 5-2
Bradley def. IOWA, 7-3
Eastern Michigan def. MICHIGAN, 7-2
MICHIGAN STATE def. Central Michigan, 11-1
MINNESOTA def. Nebraska-Omaha, 1-0
Cincinnati def. OHIO STATE, 6-5
PENN STATE def. Bucknell, 2-0
Nine Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 12 Northwestern. Michigan checks in at No. 14, followed by No. 18 Nebraska and No. 21 Illinois. Purdue sits at No. 29, followed by No. 33 Minnesota. Indiana is No. 47, while Penn State and Ohio State appear at Nos. 50 and 62, respectively.
Individually, 12 Big Ten women's tennis players and seven doubles pairs have been
ranked nationally in the latest ITA rankings. The complete list of
ranked singles and doubles players can be found below.
Singles 13. Emina Bektas, MICH 17. Kate Turvy, NU 45. Mary Weatherholt, NEB 65. Sonja Molnar, IOWA
67. Brittany Wowchuk, NU 73. Brooke Bolender, MICH
76. Petra Januskova, PSU
77. Leslie Hureau, IND 98. Allison Falkin, ILL
100. Janine Weinreich, NEB 108. Mimi Nguyen, MICH 115. Alexa Palen, MINN
Doubles 8. Brooke Bolender/Emina Bektas, MICH 25. Linda Abu Mushrefova/Nida Hamilton, NU 46. Natallia Pintusava/Magdalena Wiecha, MINN
48. Rachael White/Allison Falkin, ILL
53. Madeleine Geibert/Stefanie Weinstein, NEB 59. Marisa Lambropoulos/Melissa Kopinski, ILL 90. Linda Abu Mushrefova/Veronica Corning, NU
Seven Big Ten squads appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are followed by No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Michigan and No. 36 Indiana. Northwestern checks in at No. 44, Michigan State is No. 66 and Nebraska is No. 71.
Individually, 13 Big Ten men's tennis players and 15 doubles pairs have been
ranked nationally in the latest ITA rankings. The complete list of
ranked singles and doubles players can be found below.
Singles 6. Blaz Rola, OSU 7. Dennis Nevolo, ILL 8. Evan King, MICH 12. Chase Buchanan, OSU 30. Roy Kalmanovich, ILL 67. Peter Kobelt, OSU 72. Christopher Aumueller, NEB 83. Devin McCarthy, OSU 89. Leandro Toledo, MINN 101. Connor Smith, OSU 106. Benedikt Lindheim, NEB 111. Nelson Vick, OSU 124. Spencer Wolf, NU
Doubles 1. Chase Buchanan/Blaz Rola, OSU 20. Roy Kalmanovich/Dennis Nevolo, ILL 22. Evan King/Shaun Bernstein, MICH 27. Christopher Aumueller/Benedikt Lindheim, NEB
28. Billy Bertha/Fredrik Ask, WIS
31. Jason Lee/Russell Bader, PSU
33. Rok Bonin/Julian Dehn, MINN 34. Devin McCarthy/Ille Van Engelen, OSU 44. Chase Buchanan/Peter Kobelt, OSU 64. Blaz Rola/Connor Smith, OSU
69. Marc Bruche/Will Vasos, IOWA 72. Josh Graves/Spencer Wolf, NU 73. Diego Acosta/Aaron Dujovne, PUR
88. Aaron Pfister/Drew Lied, MSU 90. Isade Juneau/Jeremy Langer, IND
Nebraska represents the Big Ten in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings.The Huskers appear at No. 21 in the latest rankings. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten squads appear in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings, led by No. 9 Indiana. Nebraska appears at No. 15, followed by No. 18 Iowa and No. 24 Wisconsin. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest CRCA/USRowing Coaches Poll, while two more squads are receiving votes outside the top 25. Click HERE for the full poll. Rk. Team (first-place votes)1. Virginia (18) 2. Washington (2) 3. MICHIGAN (4)4. California 5. USC 6. UCLA 7. Princeton 8. OHIO STATE (1)9. WISCONSIN10. Brown 11. Stanford 12. Harvard 13. Washington State 14. MICHIGAN STATE15. Yale 16. Cornell 17. Notre Dame 18. Columbia 19. Dartmouth 20. Tennessee Others Receiving Votes: MINNESOTA 44, Clemson 22, Texas 15, INDIANA 9, Pennsylvania 8, Oregon State 8, Northeastern 6, Boston 4, Louisville 3, Duke 1, Syracuse 1.
Several Big Ten standouts rank among the top 50 in various NCAA statistical categories, according to the latest information released on Monday.
Batting Average 44. Megan Blank, IOWA, .417
Home Runs Per Game 36. Alicia Herron, OSU, .29 41. Marisa Bast, NU, .28
Runs Batted in Per Game 17. Alicia Herron, OSU, 1.13 19. Marisa Bast, NU, 1.13 29. Brooke Thomason, NEB, 1.02
Walks Per Game 10. Adrienne Monka, NU, .87 21. Kari Dorle, MINN, .79 29. Alicia Herron, OSU, .76 30. Taylor Edwards, NEB, .76 45. Kaitlyn Richardson, MINN, .72
Slugging Percentage 18. Alicia Herron, OSU, .841 26. Marisa Bast, NU, .795
On-Base Percentage 8. Alicia Herron, OSU, .559 26. Megan Blank, IOWA, .522 30. Marisa Bast, NU, .518
Runs Per Game 45. Tyler Walker, MINN, .95 48. Alicia Herron, OSU, .95
Stolen Bases Per Game 16. Emily Allard, NU, .64 18. Molly Garst, PUR, .60 33. Lindsey Rains, PUR, .53
Wins 9. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 21 28. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 18 28. Lexy Moore, PUR, 18 28. Sara Moulton, MINN, 18
Saves 21. Carly Nielson, MSU, 3
Strikeouts 4. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 243 10. Sara Moulton, MINN, 228
Earned Run Average 14. Sara Moulton, MINN, 1.19 28. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 1.43
Shutouts 22. Cassandra Darrah, WIS, 7
Indiana at Ball State, 4 p.m.
Iowa at Iowa State, 5:30 p.m.
North Dakota State at Minnesota (DH), 5 p.m.
Nebraska at Nebraska-Omaha, 7 p.m.
Ohio at Ohio State (DH), 5 p.m.
ILLINOIS def. Illinois State, 7-5
Louisville def. INDIANA, 21-4
MINNESOTA def. Nebraska-Omaha, 8-4
MICHIGAN STATE def. Western Michigan, 13-3
NORTHWESTERN def. Milwaukee, 4-3 (11)
Xavier def. OHIO STATE, 3-2
PURDUE def. Illinois-Chicago, 12-2
Illinois 5, Western Illinois 1
Michigan 10, Central Michigan 2
Big Ten teams and players rank among the NCAA's best in several statistical categories. Look below to see conference representatives among the nation's top 25, and click HERE for a full list. TEAM STAT LEADERSBatting Average6. Purdue (.324) 10. Nebraksa (.317) Runs per Game7. Nebraska (7.7) 17. Purdue (7.2) Hits2. Nebraska (423) Doubles per Game24. Purdue (2.15) Triples per Game14. Illinois (0.47) Home Runs per Game22. Nebraska (0.87) Slugging Percentage14. Nebraska (.458) Walks23. Ohio State (169) ERA24. Purdue (2.97) Hits Allowed (per 9.0 IP)19. Minnesota (7.82) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)8. Purdue (2.33) Fielding Percentage22. Nebraska (.976) Double Plays Turned1. Illinois (45) 11. Purdue (38) 20. Ohio State (36) 25. Nebraska (35) On-Base Percentage22. Nebraska (.396) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio13. Purdue (2.89) INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERSHitsT24. Ryan Jones, MSU (56) T24. Jordan Keur, MSU (56) Doubles14. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (15) Triples T10. Kyle Schwarber, IND (5) T10. Stephen Talbott, PUR (5) Slugging Percentage23. Josh Scheffert, NEB (.670) Total Bases22. Jordan Steranka, PSU (90) Stolen Bases12. Patrick Biondi, MICH (23) Walks20. Ryan Cypret, OSU (30) At-Bats per Strikeout (toughest to strikeout)7. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (24.2) ERA17. TJ Oakes, MINN (1.41) WinsT20. Lance Breedlove, PUR (6) T20. Joe Haase, PUR (6) T20. Blake Mascarello, PUR (6) T20. TJ Oakes, MINN (6) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)14. Jaron Long, OSU (0.87) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio14. Jaron Long, OSU (7.17) 20. Lance Breedlove, PUR (6.63) Complete Games17. Zach Morton, NU (3)
Look below to see where Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest polls. Click the links to view each complete set of rankings. NCAA RPI (top 80)10. Purdue 39. Ohio State 68. Michigan State 71. Nebraska 78. Illinois Collegiate Baseball NewspaperNo. 22 Purdue Baseball AmericaNo. 16 Purdue NCBWANo. 17 Purdue USA Today/ESPN CoachesNo. 17 Purdue
Western Illinois at Illinois, 8 p.m., BTN.comMichigan at Central Michigan, 3 p.m.
Four Big Ten women's golf teams rank in the top 50 nationally in the
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, led by 22nd-ranked Ohio State. Michigan State
sits at No. 27, followed by No. 32 Purdue and No.
42 Northwestern. Individually, three golfers rank among the top 50, led
by No. 27 Paula Reto of Purdue. Fellow Boiler Laura Gonzales appears at No. 28, followed by No. 31 Caroline Powers of Michigan State. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten men's golf squads rank in the top 50 nationally in the
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, led by No. 25 Iowa. Illinois checks in at No.
35, followed by No. 43 Indiana and No. 48 Purdue. Individually, three
Big Ten golfers also boast top-50 rankings, with Illinois' Luke Guthrie
leading the way at No. 22. Iowa's Barrett Kelpin ranks 38th, followed by 47th-ranked Eric Chun of
Northwestern. For the complete rankings, click here.
Illinois 8, Wisconsin 7 (Game 2); Wisconsin 10, Illinois 7 (Game 3) Game 2: The Orange and Blue broke open the contest with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-1 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the way. After freshman third baseman Jess Perkins led off with a four-pitch walk, redshirt-senior first baseman Danielle Vaji dropped a bunt down the third base line. Badgers third baseman Shannel Blackshear's throw was wide of first base and bounced off the fencing in foul territory, allowing Perkins to score Illinois' second run from first while Vaji moved to third. RECAPGame 3: A school-record six home runs, including three by Mary Massei, powered the Wisconsin softball team to a 10-7 win over Illinois Sunday afternoon at Eichelberger Field. In the series finale, Wisconsin (24-13 overall, 8-4 Big Ten) took an early lead with a first-pitch homer from Massei in the first inning. RECAP
Iowa 6, Nebraska 4 Two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a four all tie and lifted the University of Iowa softball team to a 6-4 victory over Nebraska in the Sunday series finale at Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes won two of the three games in the series. The Hawkeyes sixth inning began with a one-out single by junior Johnnie Dowling up the middle. With two outs, freshman Megan Blank singled to right field and advanced to second on the throw, putting runners at second and third. Dowling scored Iowa's go-ahead run when Nebraska third baseman Gabby Banda couldn't come up with a hard grounder off the bat of senior Katie Keim. Senior Liz Watkins followed with an RBI single to left centerfield, giving the Hawkeyes a 6-4 advantage. RECAP
Michigan 2, Michigan State 0 (Game 2); Michigan 5, Michigan State 0 (Game 3) The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team used stellar pitching from the freshman duo of RHP Sara Driesenga (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) and LHP Haylie Wagner to record a pair of shutout victories, 2-0 and 5-0, against Michigan State on Sunday in front of 2,631 fans at the Wilpon Complex. Driesenga recorded the win in the first game, throwing 5.1 scoreless innings and giving up six hits and striking out two. Wagner earned her second save of the season in relief, throwing 1.2 innings, allowing zero hits and striking out one. U-M totaled nine hits in the contest, led by a 3-for-4 performance by senior first baseman Amanda Chidester and a 2-for-3 showing with a run batted in by Driesenga. Junior second baseman Ashley Lane accounted for Michigan's other run, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. RECAP
Minnesota 6, Northwestern 3 (8) Behind a stellar day at the plate by freshman Tyler Walker, the University of Minnesota softball team clawed out a 6-3 eight-inning victory over Northwestern to garner the 2-1 series victory. The Golden Gophers captured the extra-inning triumph by plating three runs in the eighth. After shutting out the Wildcats in the seventh, Walker started the Gophers offensive burst with a single up the middle. The San Jose, Calif. native would notch the Maroon and Gold's go-ahead run on a fielding error by the NU third baseman. A pair of insurance runs would score on a Kari Dorle sacrifice fly and Madie Eckstrom infield chopper. Sara Moulton would cap off her complete game outing by shutdown the Northwestern offense in the bottom half of the inning to garner her 18th win of the season. The sophomore pitcher allowed six hits and one earned run while also fanning five batters. RECAP
Penn State 9, Indiana 4 The Penn State softball team won the series finale against Indiana, 9-4, on Sunday afternoon at Beard Field behind the bat of Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.). Hatfield's second-inning grand slam capped a seven-run frame as the sophomore catcher went 2-for-4 with five RBI. Danee Collett (Rogersville, Tenn.) had a key pinch-hit double that started the second-inning onslaught, driving home three runs. Cassidy Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.) struck again with her sixth home run of the year, all since her comeback (Mar. 24) from an appendectomy. RECAP
Purdue 2, Ohio State 1 (Game 1); Purdue 8, Ohio State 3 (Game 2) Game 1: A two-run home run by Erika Petruzzi in the fifth inning was all the offense Purdue needed to take a 2-1 win over the Ohio State softball team in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader. The Boilermakers scored their two runs on three hits, while allowing the Buckeyes one run on three hits and an error. Freshman Lexy Moore (17-5) struck out six Buckeyes in the win and sat down the last 16 batters she faced in order. RECAP Game 2: The Boilermaker softball team capitalized on Buckeye miscues and posted timely hits in an 8-3 win over Ohio State to secure the doubleheader sweep on Sunday. Purdue scored its eight runs on 10 hits and five OSU errors, while allowing the Buckeyes just three runs on six hits and an error. Junior Maia Monchek led the Boilermaker bats with a 3-for-4 effort and three RBI, while sophomore Lindsey Rains tacked on two hits and two runs. Freshman Lexy Moore (18-5) picked up her second win of the day, striking out four Buckeyes in the complete-game effort. RECAP
#18 PURDUE def. ILLINOIS, 4-1 and 5-3Starting pitchers Lance Breedlove and Connor Podkul teamed up to allow only one earned run over 14 innings Sunday, leading No. 18 Purdue baseball to a doubleheader and series sweep of Illinois at Lambert Field. Head coach Doug Schreiber won his 408th career game in the nightcap to become the program's all-time leader. RECAP & BOX SCORESPENN STATE def. MICHIGAN, 6-4Penn State seniors Jordan Steranka and Sean Deegan once again played heroic roles in the Nittany Lions' huge 6-4 victory over Michigan on Sunday afternoon. With the Lions trailing in the seventh, Deegan hit a two-run bomb to put Penn State up. Steranka added insurance with a homer in the eighth. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN STATE def. INDIANA, 6-0 and 20-10It was a rough day at the ballpark for Indiana Baseball on Sunday as the visiting Michigan State Spartans (22-12, 5-4 Big Ten) swept a doubleheader and took the series. The Hoosiers fall to 16-20 overall and 6-6 in conference play. At the midway point, IU is tied for fifth in the league standings. RECAP & BOX SCORESMINNESOTA def. NORTHWESTERN, 6-0The Golden Gophers completed their sweep of Northwestern behind some early offense and a solid pitching performance from Austin Lubinsky. Minnesota (20-17, 6-3) got RBIs from five different players on the way to a 6-0 victory over the Wildcats (10-22, 3-9). Minnesota allowed only two runs all weekend, as the Gophers won, 2-1, Friday and Saturday. RECAP & BOX SCORENEBRASKA def. OHIO STATE, 5-4 and 17-9The Ohio State baseball team fell to Nebraska in both games of a doubleheader, 5-4 and 17-9, Sunday afternoon at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes, who snapped a seven-game win streak, drop to 21-14 overall, 6-6 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska improves to 25-13, 7-5 in conference play. RECAP & BOX SCORES
ILLINOIS at #18 PURDUE - PostponedGame two of the Purdue-Illinois baseball series at Lambert Field has been officially rained out. The teams will play at doubleheader Sunday at noon to conclude the series. MORE INFORMATIONMICHIGAN STATE at INDIANA - PostponedHeavy rain showers in Bloomington have forced the postponement of Saturday's baseball game pitting the Indiana Hoosiers versus the Michigan State Spartans. The series will be completed on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon. MORE INFORMATIONIOWA def. South Dakota State, 6-1The University of Iowa baseball team defeated South Dakota State on Saturday on a neutral field at TD Ameritrade Park, 6-1. RECAP & BOX SCOREIOWA at Creighton - Cancelled PENN STATE def. MICHIGAN, 14-1Penn State baseball (14-20, 3-5) snapped a modest two-game skid on Saturday afternoon by breaking out with a 14-run and 17-hit performance to top the Michigan Wolverines, 14-1. Penn State faces Michigan in the rubber game of the series on Thon Sluggers Day tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. RECAP & BOX SCOREMINNESOTA def. NORTHWESTERN, 2-1Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Minnesota rallied to earn a 2-1 walk-off win to defeat the Northwestern Wildcats, today at the H.H.H. Metrodome. Kurt Schlangen delivered a RBI single to knock in Dan Olinger from third to score the winning run.With the win, Minnesota improves to 19-17 on the season and 5-3 in Big Ten play. RECAP & BOX SCORENEBRASKA at OHIO STATE - PostponedGame 2 of a three-game set between Ohio State and Nebraska has been postponed because of rain in the Columbus area. The teams will play a doubleheader at 11:05 a.m. Sunday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. MORE INFORMATION
Wisconsin 8, Illinois 0 URBANA, Ill. -- Timely hits, strong pitching and errorless defense led the Wisconsin softball team to an 8-0 win over Illinois Saturday night. The win was the ninth-straight for the Badgers, setting a school record for most consecutive wins. Wisconsin scored two runs in the third inning, two in the fifth and four in the seventh to improve to 23-12 on the season (7-3 Big Ten). Despite recording six hits, Illinois was unable to find its way past third base, falling to 17-19 on the season (2-8 Big Ten). Wisconsin and Illinois will continue Big Ten play on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at Noon. RECAP
Nebraska 7, Iowa 4 (Game 1); Iowa 7, Nebraska 6 (Game 2) Game 1: The Nebraska softball team scored six runs over the fourth and fifth innings and held off a late Iowa rally to capture a 7-4 victory in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Bob Pearl Field. Senior right-hander Ashley Hagemann earned the win in relief to win her fifth straight decision and improve to 18-11 on the year. Hagemann worked the final 4.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), on five hits, while striking out eight and walking four. Sophomore right-hander Tatum Edwards earned the start and allowed one run on two hits in 3.0 innings. Offensively, senior Nikki Haget went 2-for-4 with a season-high two RBIs. Tatum Edwards also had two hits for the Huskers. RECAP Game 2: Freshman Melanie Gladden's walk off RBI single down the left field line lifted the University of Iowa softball team to a Saturday doubleheader split against Nebraska at Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes dropped the opening game to the Huskers, 7-4, before scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 7-6 win in the night cap. Trailing 6-5 heading into its final at-bat, the Hawkeyes put together a seventh inning rally. Senior Katie Keim walked to lead off the frame before senior Liz Watkins followed with a double into the right centerfield gap. After junior Bradi Wall was hit by a pitch to load the bases, sophomore Brianna Luna drew a walk to even the tally at six. Gladden then laced the first pitch she saw down the left field line to plate pinch runner Sydney Reynolds and give the Hawkeyes the walk off victory. RECAP
Michigan 8, Michigan State 0 EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Powered by an eight-run fifth inning, the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team shut out Michigan State, 8-0 in five innings, on Saturday afternoon (April 14) at Secchia Field. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner got the shutout win in 5.0 innings, allowing just two hits with no walks and two strikeouts. The Michigan offense totaled eight hits on the afternoon, led by a two-hit performance from senior centerfielder Bree Evans as six different Wolverines tallied a hit in the contest. Freshman catcher Lauren Sweet went 1-for-3 with three runs batted in on a home run and junior shortstop Amy Knapp was 1-for-3 with two RBI. The Maize and Blue strung together an eight-run fifth inning, scoring six of the runs with two outs. RECAP
Minnesota 10, Northwestern 2 (Game 1); Northwestern 8, Minnesota 0 (Game 2) Game 1: Behind an Erica Meyer grand slam in the fourth, the Golden Gophers paired back-to-back four-run innings en route to their 10-2 five-inning victory over Northwestern. Shutdown pitcher Sara Moulton backed up the potent Maroon and Gold offense as she allowed only two hits in the contest. The Gophers' eight-run rule triumph is their ninth of the year, which is the second most for a single season behind 1999 when the Maroon and Gold had 10. RECAP Game 2: Junior Meghan Lamberth (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) fired a three-hit shutout -- her first of the season -- to make an eight-run outburst stand up in a run-rule shortened, 8-0 (6), Northwestern win over Minnesota Saturday in the second game of a Big Ten doubleheader. Lamberth's blank sheet was the second of her career and the first since she shut out Northern Colorado on March 21, 2010. She surrendered three hits and walked a pair with three strikeouts. RECAP
Indiana 12, Penn State 6 (Game 1); Penn State 5, Indiana 2 (Game 2) Game 1: The Hoosiers (21-18, 5-5 Big Ten) were able to take advantage of 13 walks issued by Penn State (11-23, 3-7 Big Ten) pitchers and broke the game open with five runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 12-6 win at Beard Field on the Campus of Penn State University. Shelby Gogreve had two hits, including her first career home run, and two RBI while Samanth Berenter's two-run double was the big hit in the game for Indiana. Brianna Meyer drew four walks and scored two runs while Amanda Wagner was issued three free passes and drove in three runs. RECAP Game 2: Penn State softball (12-23, 4-7 Big Ten) won the second game of a Big Ten doubleheader, 5-2, over Indiana (21-19, 5-6 Big Ten) on Saturday evening at drizzly Beard Field. The Hoosiers took game one 12-6 in a back-and-forth opener. Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted a 4-for-6 day with four runs scored, two RBI and three doubles to pace the Nittany Lion offense. Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) dealt a gem in game two to earn her first collegiate game. Behind the bat and arm of Wheatley, the Nittany Lions earned a split with Indiana by winning the nightcap 5-2. Wheatley tossed a complete game to earn her first collegiate victory allowing just two earned runs and two walks. At the plate, she went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in and a walk. RECAP
Ohio State at Purdue
The Ohio State softball games at Purdue, originally scheduled for Saturday, have been rained out. The Boilermakers and Buckeyes will look to get two games of the series in on Sunday. The teams will either play at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. or at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The game at 2 p.m. will be aired live on BTN.
#18 PURDUE def. ILLINOIS, 3-0Joe Haase pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings for his fifth consecutive quality start and No. 18 Purdue baseball recorded some timely hits in the first and eighth innings, winning a series-opening pitcher's duel with Illinois, 3-0, Friday afternoon at Lambert Field. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. MICHIGAN STATE, 3-2Indiana Baseball improved to 6-2 at home this season with the team's third consecutive walk-off win at Sembower Field, topping Michigan State, 3-2, in the series opener. The Hoosiers out-lasted Ball State in 15 innings last week and laid down a bunt single walk-off two days ago against Indiana State. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN def. PENN STATE, 7-3Penn State baseball dropped its opener to the Michigan Wolverines on Friday night by a score of 7-3 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Michigan's Brandon Sinnery pitched a complete game for the Wolverines. RECAP & BOX SCOREMINNESOTA def. NORTHWESTERN, 2-1TJ Oakes improved to 6-2 on the season, while Kevin Kray collected his sixth save of the year to lead the University of Minnesota baseball team to a 2-1 win over Northwestern, tonight at the H.H.H. Metrodome. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. NEBRASKA, 10-2The Ohio State baseball team plated seven runs in the bottom of the first en route to a 10-2 victory over Nebraska Friday evening at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes have won seven in a row to improve to 21-12 overall, 6-4 in Big Ten play, while Nebraska falls to 23-13, 5-5 in conference play. RECAP & BOX SCORE
April 14-15 Indiana at Indiana Invitational
April 14-15 Indiana/Northwestern/Ohio State at Robert Kepler Invitational - Columbus, Ohio
Iowa/Michigan State/Minnesota/Nebraska/Penn State/Wisconsin at Hawkeye-TaylorMade Invitational - Iowa City, Iowa
Wisconsin at IllinoisGame 1: Saturday, 5 p.m., BTN Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m., BTN Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m.
Indiana at Penn State Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Nebraska at Iowa Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 4 p.m., BTN
Michigan at Michigan State Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 2: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, 3 p.m., BTN.com
Minnesota at Northwestern Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m.
Ohio State at Purdue Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN
All times are ET and subject to change
ILLINOIS at #18 PURDUEIllinois Notes - Purdue NotesFriday, April 134 p.m. ET RHP Kevin Johnson (5-2, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Haase (5-0, 3.59 ERA) Saturday, April 142 p.m. ET RHP John Kravetz (5-2, 4.62 ERA) vs. RHP Lance Breedlove (5-2, 2.55 ERA) Sunday, April 151 p.m. ET TBA vs. RHP Connor Podkul (1-0, 2.57 ERA) MICHIGAN STATE at INDIANAMichigan State Notes - Indiana NotesFriday, April 133:05 p.m. ET RHP Tony Bucciferro (3-2, 3.15 ERA) vs. LHP Joey DeNato (5-1, 2.54 ERA) Saturday, April 141:05 p.m. ET RHP Andrew Waszak (3-2, 2.06 ERA) vs. LHP Kyle Hart (1-3, 3.53 ERA) Sunday, April 151:05 p.m. ET, BTN.com TBA vs. TBA IOWA vs. South Dakota State / CreightonIowa NotesSaturday, April 14Iowa vs. South Dakota State (TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Neb.) 10 a.m. ET Iowa at Creighton 3 p.m. ET MICHIGAN at PENN STATEMichigan Notes - Penn State NotesFriday, April 135:05 p.m. ET, BTN RHP Brandon Sinnery (2-3, 4.30 ERA) vs. RHP John Walter (1-5, 4.76 ERA) Saturday, April 142:05 p.m. ET LHP Trent Szkutnik (2-1, 4.32 ERA) vs. LHP Joe Kurrasch (1-2, 2.49 ERA) Sunday, April 151:05 p.m. ET, BTN.com TBA vs. RHP Steven Hill (2-3, 4.36 ERA) NORTHWESTERN at MINNESOTANorthwestern Notes - Minnesota NotesFriday, April 136:35 p.m. CT RHP Francis Brooke (1-3, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP TJ Oakes (5-2, 1.46 ERA) Saturday, April 142:05 p.m. CT RHP Brandon Magallones (5-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP DJ Snelten (3-2, 2.36 ERA) Sunday, April 151:05 p.m. CT RHP Zach Morton (1-6, 3.35 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Lubinsky (1-3, 3.83 ERA) NEBRASKA at OHIO STATENebraska Notes - Ohio State NotesFriday, April 136:35 p.m. ET LHP Tyler King vs. RHP Jaron Long (2-1, 2.36 ERA) Saturday, April 143:05 p.m. ET RHP Brandon Pierce vs. LHP Brian King (3-3, 4.81 ERA) Sunday, April 151:05 p.m. ET LHP Zach Hirsch vs. RHP John Kuchno (5-1, 4.46 ERA)
April 13 Purdue at Wisconsin - 2:30 p.m. CT Michigan at Nebraska - 3 p.m. CT Indiana at Minnesota - 3:30 p.m. CT Ohio State at Illinois - 4 p.m. CT Michigan State at Iowa - 5 p.m. CT
April 14 Penn State at Northwestern - 11 a.m. CT
April 15 Ohio State at Northwestern - 11 a.m. CT Penn State at Illinois - 11 a.m. CT Michigan at Iowa - 11 a.m. CT Indiana at Wisconsin - 11 a.m. CT Michigan State at Nebraska - Noon CT Purdue at Minnesota - Noon CT
April 13 Northwestern at Penn State - 3:30 p.m. ET Illinois at Ohio State - 6 p.m. ET
April 14 Minnesota at Indiana - 11 a.m. CT Wisconsin at Purdue - Noon ET Nebraska at Michigan - Noon ET Iowa at Michigan State - Noon ET
April 15 Illinois at Penn State - 11 a.m. ET Northwestern at Ohio State - 11 a.m. ET Wisconsin at Indiana - Noon ET Iowa at Michigan - Noon ET Nebraska at Michigan State - Noon ET Minnesota at Purdue - Noon CT DePauw at Indiana - 6 p.m. ET
Illinois 4, Eastern Illinois 1 Ball State 9, Purdue 7 Purdue 8, Ball State 6
Iowa utility player Phil Keppler and Purdue pitcher Joe Haase have been named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame's National All-Star Lineup. COMPLETE RELEASE
Five Big Ten rowing teams are ranked in this week's CRCA/USRowing Coaches Poll, while another is receiving votes outside the top 20. The complete poll can be seen below or by clicking HERE. 1. Virginia (20 first-place votes) 2. Washington (1) 3. Michigan (3)4. UCLA 5. Princeton 6. Ohio State (1)7. USC 8. California 9. Stanford 10. Brown 11. Wisconsin12. Harvard 13. Washington State 14. Cornell 15. Michigan State16. Columbia 17. Yale 18. Clemson 19. Minnesota20. Dartmouth Also receiving votes: Notre Dame 53, Tennessee 45, Texas 33, Indiana 10, Oklahoma 7, University 6, Northeastern 1, Boston University 1, Oregon State 1, San Diego 1.
When the latest NCAA RPI report was released on Monday, 11 Big Ten teams appeared in the top 100, tied with the SEC for the most top-100 squads of any conference in the nation. Michigan leads the conference contingent at No. 21 in the rankings, followed by Northwestern at No. 44 and Nebraska at No. 49. Purdue checks in at No. 51, with Wisconsin at No. 58, Ohio State at No. 70 and Minnesota at No. 72.
To view where all the Big Ten teams rank in the latest RPI, click here.
The Big Ten leads all conferences with six teams ranked in an early preseason top 25 poll by ESPN.com's Andy Katz, including Indiana as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Big Ten is also the only conference with two top-five teams, as the Hoosiers are joined by No. 5 Michigan, and four top-10 teams (No. 8 Ohio State and No. 10 Michigan State). Also in the rankings are No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 24 Minnesota. Click HERE for the full story.
Illinois at Eastern Illinois, 6 p.m. Purdue at Ball State (DH), 3 p.m.
Missouri def. ILLINOIS, 5-4
INDIANA def. Indiana State, 8-7
Toledo def. MICHIGAN, 6-2
Eastern Michigan def. MICHIGAN STATE, 13-5
South Dakota State def. MINNESOTA, 3-1
OHIO STATE def. Akron, 7-2
Pittsburgh def. PENN STATE, 5-3
PURDUE def. Ball State, 15-2
Indiana 3, Indiana State 0 Western Michigan 1, Michigan 0 Minnesota 7, Green Bay 0 Green Bay 5, Minnesota 2 Eastern Michigan 6, Michigan State 3 Nebraska 3, Creighton 0 Ohio State 3, Dayton 2
Big Ten football head coaches and student-athletes took part in the annual spring football teleconferences on Tuesday, April 10, and Wednesday, April 11, and audio for all 24 participants is now available by clicking on the below link:
Big Ten Spring Football Teleconference Audio
Coaches and student-athletes from the Legends Division took part in the first call on April 10, a group that included Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and quarterback James Vandenberg, Michigan's Brady Hoke and safety Jordan Kovacs, Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and quarterback Andrew Maxwell, Minnesota's Jerry Kill and quarterback MarQueis Gray, Nebraska's Bo Pelini and running back Rex Burkhead and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald and quarterback Kain Colter.
Coaches and student-athletes from the Leaders Division took part in the second call on April 11, a group that included Illinois' Tim Beckman and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, Indiana's Kevin Wilson and defensive tackle Larry Black, Jr., Ohio State's Urban Meyer and fullback Zach Boren, Penn State's Bill O'Brien and defensive tackle Jordan Hill, Purdue's Danny Hope and defensive tackle Kawann Short and Wisconsin's Bret Bielema and running back Montee Ball.
Nine Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 11 Northwestern. Michgan checks in at No. 14, followed by No. 17 Nebraska and No. 23 Illinois. Minnesota sits at No. 31, followed by No. 34 Purdue. Indiana is No. 47, while Penn State and Ohio State appear at Nos. 52 and 61, respectively.
Individually, 12 Big Ten women's tennis players and eight doubles pairs have been
ranked nationally in the latest ITA rankings. The complete list of
ranked singles and doubles players can be found below.
Singles 11. Emina Bektas, MICH 13. Kate Turvy, NU 43. Mary Weatherholt, NEB 62. Brittany Wowchuk, NU 65. Leslie Hureau, IND 74. Petra Januskova, PSU 75. Brooke Bolender, MICH 94. Janine Weinreich, NEB 103. Sonja Molnar, IOWA 114. Mimi Nguyen, MICH 116. Patricia Veresova, NEB 119. Allison Falkin, ILL
Doubles 6. Brooke Bolender/Emina Bektas, MICH 19. Linda Abu Mushrefova/Nida Hamilton, NU 44. Madeleine Geibert/Stefanie Weinstein, NEB 45. Natallia Pintusava/Magdalena Wiecha, MINN 55. Rachael White/Allison Falkin, ILL 57. Marisa Lambropoulos/Melissa Kopinski, ILL 76. Melissa Kopinski/Rachael White, ILL 84. Petra Januskova/Chelsea Utting, PSU
Nine Big Ten squads appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are followed by No. 22 Michigan, No. 23 Illinois and No. 31 Indiana. Minnesota checks in at No. 40, while Northwestern is No. 46. Nebraska appears at No. 68, Michigan State is No. 69 and Purdue is No. 74.
Individually, 13 Big Ten men's tennis players and 14 doubles pairs have been
ranked nationally in the latest ITA rankings. The complete list of
ranked singles and doubles players can be found below.
Singles 5. Dennis Nevolo, ILL 7. Blaz Rola, OSU 8. Evan King, MICH 13. Chase Buchanan, OSU 38. Roy Kalmanovich, ILL 58. Peter Kobelt, OSU 70. Christopher Aumueller, NEB 78. Leandro Toledo, MINN 79. Devin McCarthy, OSU 87. Benedikt Lindheim, NEB 107. Spencer Wolf, NU 118. Connor Smith, OSU 125. Nelson Vick, OSU
Doubles 1. Chase Buchanan/Blaz Rola, OSU 13. Evan King/Shaun Bernstein, MICH 21. Rok Bonin/Julian Dehn, MINN 23. Devin McCarthy/Ille Van Engelen, OSU 25. Roy Kalmanovich/Dennis Nevolo, ILL 27. Jason Lee/Russell Bader, PSU 29. Billy Bertha/Fredrik Ask, WIS 31. Christopher Aumueller/Benedikt Lindheim, NEB 40. Chase Buchanan/Peter Kobelt, OSU 56. Isade Juneau/Jeremy Langer, IND 75. Denis Nevolo/Farris Gosea, ILL 76. Marc Bruche/Will Vasos, IOWA 83. Blaz Rola/Connor Smith, OSU 85. Aaron Pfister/Drew Lied, MSU
Nebraska represents the Big Ten in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings.The Huskers appear at No. 20 in the latest rankings. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten squads appear in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings, led by No. 9 Indiana. Nebraska appears at No. 15, followed by No. 17 Iowa and No. 24 WisconsinFor the complete rankings, click here.
Illinois will wear orange and blue camouflage jerseys during its series finale against Michigan State on May 6 and will auction them off after the game with the proceeds benefitting the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club. Indiana's Tracy Smith talks about recent happenings in the program in the latest edition of " Skip's Scoop." Senior utility player Phil Keppler is leading Iowa's offensive surge. Former Michigan pitcher Jim Abbott talks about overcoming obstacles to do what he loved and tells more in his book "Imperfect." Minnesota head coach John Anderson has signed a contract extension to be the program's coach through the 2016 season. Purdue's Cameron Perkins is this week's Baseball America Golden Spikes Spotlight player. Purdue's Calvin Gunter and David Miller give their team a midterm grade in their latest blog post for collegebaseballinsider.com.
In the latest NCAA statistical report released Monday, several Big Ten players appear among the top 50 nationally in many of the major categories.
Batting Average 26. Marisa Bast, NU, .429 26. Alicia Herron, OSU, .429
Runs Batted In Per Game 12. Alicia Herron, OSU, 1.2 25. Marisa Bast, NU, 1.11 35. Evelyn Carrillo, OSU, 1.0 35. Brooke Thomason, NEB, 1.0 42. Kaitlyn Richardson, MINN, 0.97
Slugging Percentage 11. Alicia Herron, OSU, .898 24. Marisa Bast, NU, .810 28. Kaitlyn Richardson, MINN, .782
On Base Percentage 7. Alicia Herron, OSU, .576 23. Marisa Bast, NU, .531 24. Megan Blank, IOWA, .525
Walks Per Game 8. Adrienne Monka, NU, 0.92 20. Kari Dorle, MINN, 0.82 32. Alicia Herron, OSU, 0.77 45. Alex Davis, MINN, 0.71
Stolen Bases Per Game 14. Molly Garst, PUR, 0.67 21. Emily Allard, NU, 0.48 42. Lindsey Rains, PUR, 0.50
Earned Run Average 23. Sara Moulton, MINN, 1.25 41. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 1.58
Strikeouts 8. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 210 9. Sara Moulton, MINN, 209
Strikeouts Per Seven 13. Sara Moulton, MINN, 9.3 35. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 8.3
Wins 10. Haylie Wagner, MICH, 19 27. Ashley Hagemann, NEB, 16 27. Lexy Moore, PUR, 16 39. Sara Moulton, MINN, 15
Shutouts 24. Cassandra Darrah, WIS, 6
Saves 12. Carly Nielson, MSU, 3 49. Five (Pepper Gay, ILL; Sara Driesenga, MICH; Kelsey Kimminau, MINN; Sammy Albanese, NU; Mikayla Endicott, OSU) tied with 2
Indiana at Indiana State, 4 p.m. Western Michigan at Michigan, 6 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Michigan State, 4 p.m. Green Bay at Minnesota (DH), 3 p.m. Creighton at Nebraska, 7 p.m., BTN.comDayton at Ohio State, 6 p.m., BTN.comTemple at Penn State (DH), 3 p.m., BTN.com
ILLINOIS def. Eastern Illinois, 10-3
IOWA def. Western Illinois, 8-7
Bowling Green def. MICHIGAN, 2-1
MICHIGAN STATE def. Notre Dame, 8-2
NEBRASKA def. Creighton, 5-3
St. Xavier def. NORTHWESTERN, 9-3
OHIO STATE def. Ohio, 6-5
Wisconsin 12, Western Illinois 11
Wisconsin 7, Western Illinois 1
Look below to see where Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest polls. Click the links to view each complete set of rankings. NCAA RPI (top 80)No. 12 Purdue No. 37 Ohio State No. 57 Michigan State No. 74 Illinois No. 77 Nebraska Collegiate Baseball NewspaperNo. 22 Purdue Baseball AmericaNo. 19 Purdue NCBWANo. 18 Purdue USA Today/ESPN CoachesNo. 18 Purdue RV Nebraska
Big Ten teams and players rank among the NCAA's best in several statistical categories. Look below to see conference representatives among the nation's top 25, and click HERE for a full list. TEAM STAT LEADERSBatting Average5. Purdue (.325) 9. Nebraksa (.320) Runs per Game5. Nebraska (7.8) 15. Purdue (7.3) Hits2. Nebraska (381) 18. Purdue (343) Triples8. Illinois (15) 21. Purdue (13) Home Runs18. Nebraska (18) Slugging Percentage10. Nebraska (.462) ERA17. Michigan State (2.84) Hits Allowed (per 9.0 IP)25. Michigan State (7.87) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)11. Purdue (2.41) Double Plays 3. Illinois (37) 16. Purdue (33) 19. Nebraska (32) On-Base Percentage19. Nebraska (.400) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio18. Purdue (2.88) INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERSRuns per Game17. Cameron Perkins, PUR (1.14) Runs Scored15. Chad Christensen, NEB (36) Doubles8. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (14) Triples7. Stephen Talbott, PUR (5) T17. Will Drake, MICH (4) T17. Kyle Schwarber, IND (4) Stolen Bases19. Patrick Biondi, MICH (19) At-Bats per Strikeout (toughest to strike out)17. Kevin Plawecki, PUR (22.0) Walks Allowed (per 9.0 IP)23. Jaron Long, OSU (1.01) 24. Lance Breedlove, PUR (1.02) Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio15. Lance Breedlove, PUR (7.67)
Northwestern 12, Iowa 6 EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern capitalized on five Iowa errors Sunday in their Big Ten series finale at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, plating five runs in the first inning and keeping the pressure on en route to a 12-6 victory. Northwestern wins its second-consecutive Big Ten series with the victory, moving to 16-20 overall on the year and 4-5 in the conference. Iowa now is 15-20 overall on the year, 5-4 in the conference. Northwestern starter Amy Letourneau (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), who earned the win in Saturday's second game and at one point had 8.0 consecutive innings of no-hit ball between yesterday's two contests, came out in game three and set the tone early with a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 top of the first. The Wildcats mounted a big rally quickly in the bottom of the first, loading the bases without the benefit of a base hit and taking advantage of three Hawkeyes' errors for a five-run frame. RECAP
Purdue 11, Indiana 2 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Boilermaker bats were hot on Sunday as Purdue down Indiana softball 11-2 in the final game of the series. Purdue posted 17 hits in the game, including multi-hit efforts by six players. Senior Molly Garst, sophomore Lindsey Rains and sophomore Tori Chiodo tallied three hits apiece, while juniors Ashley Courtney and Maia Monchek and freshman Ashley Burkhardt each chipped in two hits. Freshman Lexy Moore (16-4) struck out three Hoosiers and allowed just two runs on six hits. Lora Olson was saddled with the loss for Indiana after giving up four runs in three innings of work. Meaghan Murphy threw four innings of relief to close the game. RECAP
Penn State 7, Michigan State 5 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sophomore Kasie Hatfield (Tampa, Fla.) smashed a ninth-inning home run as Penn State walked off with a 7-5 victory over Michigan State to complete a three-game sweep Sunday at Beard Field. The Nittany Lions have won four straight for the second time this season. "We had a lot of fight and a lot of character," "Their lineup is tough, Michigan State is known for their hitting, so it was good for Lisa [Akamine] to keep us in the game and pitch well. When Kasie is confident in herself, she hits the ball well and hits it hard." Hatfield led the Penn State (11-22, 3-6 Big Ten) offense with a 2-for-4 outing to cap a 7-for-11 weekend with three runs scored, two doubles, a homer and five RBI. She came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.) on base after a lead-off single. Hatfield crushed the first pitch from Carly Nielsen over the left-centerfield wall for her first homer of the year as the Lions improved to 4-1 at home. RECAP
ILLINOIS def. INDIANA, 11-6Matt Milroy struck out a career-high 10 hitters over five scoreless innings of relief and Justin Parr blasted a two-out grand slam in the sixth inning to lift the Illini to an 11-6 win and a series victory over Indiana in front of 939 fans on Sunday. Milroy struck out the side twice and fanned five consecutive Hoosiers at one point to earn his first victory on the season and help Illinois improve to 17-12 overall, 3-3 in the Big Ten. RECAP & BOX SCORENEBRASKA def. IOWA, 9-8A game-tying two-RBI triple from Pat Kelly followed by a walk-off single from Kale Kiser completed a dramatic ninth-inning comeback by the Nebraska baseball team (22-12, 5-4 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field, as the Huskers rallied for a 9-8 win to take the three-game series over the Iowa Hawkeyes, 2-1. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN STATE def. MICHIGAN, 10-6 (13)The University of Michigan baseball team fell short in its attempt for the three-game sweep over Michigan State on Sunday (April 8), falling, 10-8, in 13 innings at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. Michigan came back to take the lead in the sixth, then broke a tie in the eighth but gave up a run in the ninth and two in the 13th to snap a three-game winning streak. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. MINNESOTA, 4-1The Ohio State baseball team swept Minnesota for the first time since 2001 with a 4-1 victory Sunday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. With the win, the Buckeyes move to 18-12 on the year, 5-4 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota falls to 17-16, 3-3 in conference play. RECAP & BOX SCORE#19 PURDUE def. NORTHWESTERN, 8-4Purdue went in front for good with a four-run fourth inning as the 19th-ranked Boilermakers took the series finale with Northwestern 8-4 Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. Canisius, 4-3After senior Sean Deegan (Readington, N.J.) played hero on Saturday afternoon, it was sophomore Zach Ell's (Plains, Pa.) turn on Easter Sunday. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied at three, Ell doubled in freshman Aaron Novak (Ambler, Pa.) to give the Nittany Lions their sixth-straight win. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Indiana 3, Purdue 2 (Game 1); Indiana 9, Purdue 5 (Game 2) Game 1: BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers (18-17, 3-4 Big Ten) handed the Purdue Boilermakers (23-11, 6-1 Big Ten) their first conference loss of the season, 3-2, on Brianna Meyer's walk-off double in the bottom of the 7th in the first game of a doubleheader at the IU Softball Field on Saturday. The win gives the Hoosiers their third straight victory over Purdue, the longest since winning four in a row between 1996-1997. This is the fourth walk-off victory for the Hoosiers on the season. RECAPGame 2: Indiana junior third baseman Amanda Wagner's second career two home run game helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers (19-17, 4-4 Big Ten) to a 9-5 win and a doubleheader sweep of the Purdue Boilermakers at the IU Softball Field. It is the fourth straight victory over the Purdue (23-12, 6-2 Big Ten), the longest winning streak against Purdue since the 1996 and 1997 seasons. RECAP
Iowa 5, Northwestern 2 (Game 1); Northwestern 7, Iowa 6 (Game 2) Game 1: The Hawkeyes used a five-run second inning to post a 5-2 victory in the opening game before dropping a 7-6 slugfest in game two. Iowa used a five-run second inning to propel itself to game one victory. Senior Liz Watkins led off the inning being hit by a Meghan Lamberth pitch before being pinch run for by freshman Sydney Reynolds. Following a sacrifice bunt by freshman Tor Hawley to move Reynolds into scoring position, freshman Melanie Gladden delivered an RBI single up the middle to put Iowa up 1-0. RECAP Game 2: Freshman Olivia Duehr (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) unleashed the fifth home run in Northwestern history to land on the roof of adjacent Welsh-Ryan Arena during the second game of a doubleheader Saturday against Iowa, highlighting a three home run attack for the Wildcats in a 7-6 win over the Hawkeyes. RECAP
Michigan 11, Ohio State 4 (Game 2); Michigan 6, Ohio State 5 (Game 3) The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team totaled a season-high 16 hits in an 11-3 win over Ohio State in the day's first game before taking a 6-4 decision in the second contest of a doubleheader on Saturday at Buckeye Field. The two wins sealed Michigan's weekend sweep of OSU. In the first game, freshman RHP Sara Driesenga settled down after giving up three runs in the first inning to get the win, pitching 7.0 innings and giving up four runs on five hits. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner picked up the win in the day's second contest, pitching all 7.0 innings and giving up five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Knapp went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Evans was 2-for-3 with an RBI as Michigan totaled six hits in the contest. RECAP
Nebraska 4, Illinois 1 (Game 3) Behind another impresive performance from Ashley Hagemann, the Nebraska softball team completed a three-game sweep of Illinois with a 4-1 victory on Saturday at Bowlin Stadium. With the win, Nebraska improved to 24-14 on the season, moving 10 games above .500 for the first time this season. The Huskers also improved to 7-2 in Big Ten Conference play by posting their second sweep through the first three conference series. The win was Nebraska's 10th home win of the season, as the Huskers are 10-0 at Bowlin Stadium. The start is the second-best in the 11-year history of the stadium. NU has also won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last season, tying the longest winning streak in Bowlin Stadium history. RECAP
Penn State 4, MIchigan State 3 (Game 1); Penn State 11, Michigan State 5 (Game 2) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State softball team slugged its way past Michigan State in a doubleheader sweep at Beard Field on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions tallied 22 hits including three home runs to down the Spartans. Penn State won the opener 4-3 before winning the nightcap 11-5. Kasie Hatfield led the charge with five base hits including a perfect 4-for-4 game two, while junior Lauren Yao celebrated her birthday with a massive three-run bomb that capped a three-hit nightcap. Hatfield's four-hit output in the second game is a new career-high and the first four-hit showing since Ashley Griffith pulled off the feat vs. Maryland. Alyssa Sovereign hit a two-run homer and Cassidy Bell added a three-run shot as PSU hit .373, slugged .593 and got on base at .431 in the two games. "I thought we hit the ball well and that we showed a lot of fight and character," Head coach Robin Petrini said." We came from behind in both games and I thought in all phases of game that we did a pretty nice job today." RECAP
Wisconsin 5, Minnesota 1 (Game 2); Wisconsin 11, Minnesota 10 (Game 3) MADISON, Wis. -- With the biggest comeback in school history, Wisconsin earned the sweep against Minnesota on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Diamond, marking a six-game winning streak. Wisconsin won the day's first game, 5-1, before rallying back to win, 11-10, in the second game of the doubleheader. The eight-run rally gave the Badgers their 20th win of the season (20-12 overall, 6-3 Big Ten), while Minnesota suffered its 13th loss, falling to 21-13 (3-6). RECAP
ILLINOIS def. INDIANA, 7-3Indiana started the game with a home run and scored twice in the top of the first, but Illinois posted four in the third inning and held on for a 7-3 victory to even the Big Ten series in front of a season-high 1,386 fans at Illinois Field on Saturday. Starting pitcher John Kravetz overcame the early trouble to hold the Hoosiers to only three runs in 7 1/3 innings and Ronnie Muck recorded the final five outs for Illinois' first save of the season. RECAP & BOX SCORENEBRASKA def. IOWA, 9-4The Nebraska baseball team got a strong outing from Brandon Pierce in his first career conference start and Richard Stock went 3-for-3 at the plate to help the Huskers post a 9-4 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field to even the three-game series at 1-1. Rich Sanguinetti and Chad Christensen also had multi-hit days with a pair of hits each, as the Huskers out-hit the Hawkeyes 10-7 and improved to 14-1 on the season when notching more hits than the opposition. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN def. MICHIGAN STATE, 4-3Before a McLane Baseball Stadium record crowd of 2,734, Michigan State lost 4-3 to Michigan Saturday afternoon. The Spartans collected 13 hits, but left 10 runners on base in the loss. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. MINNESOTA, 5-3The Ohio State baseball team topped Minnesota, 5-3, Saturday afternoon at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. With the win, the Buckeyes move to 17-12 on the season, 4-4 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota drops to 17-15 overall, 3-2 in conference play. RECAP & BOX SCORE#19 PURDUE def. NORTHWESTERN, 3-1Northwestern put the tying runs on base in the seventh and ninth innings and the go-ahead runs on base in the eighth, but its rally came up short in falling to 19th-ranked Purdue 3-1 Saturday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. Canisius, 4-3Penn State baseball gave 1,204 Medlar Field fans something to cheer about for a fifth straight game, as senior Sean Deegan drilled a walk-off single off the right field wall to give the Lions a 4-3 win over the Canisius Golden Griffins on Saturday afternoon. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Nebraska 11, Illinois 0 (Game 1); Nebraska 5, Ohio State 2 (Game 2) Lincoln - The Nebraska softball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Illinois with a 5-1 win in game two on Friday in front of 711 fans at Bowlin Stadium. With the win, Nebraska improved to 23-14 on the season and moved to 6-2 in Big Ten Conference play. The Huskers also improved to 9-0 at home this season, and Nebraska has now won 12 consecutive home games dating back to last season. The Husker offense slugged two more home runs in game two after homering three times in game one. Freshman Mattie Fowler and junior Courtney Breault each belted solo homers in game two. The duo had two of Nebraska's four hits, while Breault scored twice. Game 1 Recap; Game 2 Recap
Michigan 10, Ohio State 2 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After falling behind 2-0, the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team scored 10 unanswered runs to defeat Ohio State, 10-2, on Friday night at Buckeye Field. Michigan tied a season-high with four home runs. The Wolverine offense totaled 10 hits on the contest, with freshman designated player Sara Driesenga going 2-for-4 with two home runs and junior second baseman Ashley Lane turning in a 2-for-3 showing with four runs batted in. Freshman catcher Lauren Sweet accounted for three runs with a three-run home run. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner went the distance in the circle for her 18th win, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out 10. RECAP
Wisconsin 3, Minnesota 0 MADISON, Wis. -- Great pitching and tough defense lead Wisconsin to a 3-0 win over Minnesota Friday afternoon at Goodman Diamond. The Badgers capitalized on eight hits and two errors by Minnesota to improve to 4-3 in the Big Ten (18-12 overall). "Minnesota is a great team and they've been playing really hot all season, especially coming off winning the Nebraska series," said head coach Yvette Healy. "We're really proud of our team." RECAP
INDIANA def. ILLINOIS, 12-3Junior left fielder Justin Parr went 3-for-4 with an RBI double but Indiana scored seven runs in the third inning and held on for a 12-3 win over Illinois in front of 1,128 fans at Illinois Field on Friday. The loss snapped starting pitcher Kevin Johnson's string of five consecutive victories and dropped the Illini to 15-12 overall, 1-3 in the Big Ten. RECAP & BOX SCOREIOWA def. NEBRASKA, 4-3A four-run fifth inning propelled the Iowa Hawkeyes to a 4-3 series-opening win over the Nebraska baseball team on Friday night at Hawks Field. The Huskers took a 2-0 lead into the fifth and cut Iowa's lead to one with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but were unable to plate a run over the final four innings to tie the game. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN def. MICHIGAN STATE, 4-0Senior Brandon Sinnery threw 8.1 shutout innings and freshman Dylan Delaney and junior Patrick Biondi each hit solo home runs as the University of Michigan baseball team opened its three-game series against Michigan State with a 4-0 win over the Spartans Friday afternoon in front of 2,002 fans at the Wilpon Complex, home of Ray Fisher Stadium. RECAP & BOX SCORE #19 PURDUE def. NORTHWESTERN, 7-0No. 19 Purdue raced out to an early three-run advantage and Northwestern was unable to get its offense going as the Wildcats dropped the series-opener 7-0 Friday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. MINNESOTA, 2-1Tim Wetzel laid down a perfectly-executed bunt to score Greg Solomon in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Ohio State baseball team a 2-1 win over Minnesota Friday night at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes improve to 16-12 on the season, 3-4 in Big Ten play, while the Golden Gophers fall to 17-14, 3-1 in the conference. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. Canisius, 15-5Penn State Baseball (11-18, 2-4) picked up its fourth-straight victory on Friday night with a 15-5 victory over the Canisius Golden Griffins at Medlar Field. Seniors Sean Deegan and Jordan Steranka each recorded five RBI in the victory. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Illinois at Battle on the Bayou - Baton Rouge, La. Indiana at Florida Relays - Gainesville, Fla. Indiana at Stanford Invitational - Palo Alto, Calif. Iowa at SF Distance Carnival - San Francisco, Calif. Iowa at Stanford Invitational Iowa at LSU Invitational Michigan at Stanford Invitational Michigan State at Spartan Invitational Minnesota at Hamline Invite - St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota at Stanford Invitational Nebraska at Sun Angel Classic - Tempe, Ariz. Penn State a LSU Invitational Penn State at Stanford Invitational Purdue at Sun Angel Classic Wisconsin at Stanford Invitational
Illinois at Battle on the Bayou - Baton Rouge, La. Indiana at Florida Relays - Gainesville, Fla. Indiana at Stanford Invitational - Palo Alto, Calif. Iowa at SF Distance Carnival - San Francisco, Calif. Iowa at Stanford Invitational Iowa at LSU Invitational Michigan at William & Mary Colonial Relays - Williamsburg, Va. Michigan State at Spartan Invitational Minnesota at Hamline Invite - St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota at Stanford Invitational Minnesota at Sun Angel Classic/Mesa Classic - Tempe, Ariz. Nebraska at Sun Angel Classic Penn State a LSU Invitational Penn State at Stanford Invitational Purdue at Sun Angel Classic Wisconsin at Stanford Invitational
April 7-8 Indiana/Northwestern at NYX Hoosier Invitational - Bloomington, Ind. Penn State at Rutherford Intercollegiate - University Park, Pa.
April 6-8 Michigan State/Northwestern/Ohio State at Bryan National Collegiate - Browns Summit, N.C. Minnesota at Rebel Intercollegiate - Oxford, Miss.
April 6 Wisconsin at Ohio State - 3 p.m. ET Minnesota at Penn State - 5 p.m. ET
April 7 Iowa at Indiana - 11 a.m. ET Illinois at Michigan - Noon ET Nebraska at Purdue - Noon ET Northwestern at Michigan State - Noon ET
April 8 Nebraska at Indiana - 11 a.m. ET Wisconsin at Penn State - 11 a.m. ET Minnesota at Ohio State - 11 a.m. ET Illinois at Michigan State - 11 a.m. ET Northwestern at Michigan - Noon ET Iowa at Purdue - Noon ET
April 6 Northwestern at Michigan State - 1:30 p.m. ET Indiana at Iowa - 2 p.m. CT Ohio State at Wisconsin - 3 p.m. ET Michigan at Illinois - 3 p.m. CT Penn State at Minnesota - 3 p.m. CT Purdue at Nebraska - 3 p.m. CT
April 7 Michigan State at Illinois - 7 p.m. ET
April 8 Penn State at Wisconsin - Noon ET Indiana at Nebraska - Noon CT Michigan at Northwestern - Noon CT Ohio State at Minnesota - Noon CT Purdue at Iowa - 1 p.m. ET
Illinois at NebraskaGame 1: Friday, 4 p.m. Game 2: Friday, 2 p.m. Game 3: Saturday, Noon
Minnesota at Wisconsin Game 1: Friday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 3: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Michigan at Ohio State Game 1: Friday, 5:30 p.m., BTN Game 2: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 3: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Purdue at Indiana Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN.com Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN.com Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com
Iowa at Northwestern Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m., BTN Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m., BTN Game 3: Sunday, 2 p.m., BTN.com
Michigan State at Penn State Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m. Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m., BTN.com
All times are ET
This week's schedule features five conference series and one non-conference set. Look below for the weekend's full schedule, including TV information, links to notes and probable starters. INDIANA at ILLINOISIndiana Notes - Illinois NotesFriday, April 66 p.m. CT LHP Joey DeNato (4-1, 2.51 ERA) vs. RHP Kevin Johnson (5-1, 2.86 ERA) Saturday, April 73 p.m. CT LHP Kyle Hart (1-2, 2.87 ERA) vs. RHP John Kravetz (4-2, 4.78 ERA) Sunday, April 81 p.m. CT, BTN.com TBA vs. RHP Josh Ferry (2-1, 6.04 ERA) IOWA at NEBRASKAIowa Notes - Nebraska NotesFriday, April 66:35 p.m. CT, BTN.com LHP Jarred Hippen (2-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. RHP Tom Lemke (3-2, 4.13 ERA) Saturday, April 72:05 p.m. CT LHP Matt Dermody (1-3, 4.33 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Pierce (3-1, 1.93 ERA) Sunday, April 81:05 p.m. CT LHP Sasha Kuebel (2-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. LHP Zach Hirsch (3-2, 4.65 ERA) MICHIGAN vs. MICHIGAN STATEMichigan Notes - Michigan State Notes Friday, April 65:35 p.m. ET (in Ann Arbor) RHP Brandon Sinnery (1-3, 5.11 ERA) vs. RHP Tony Bucciferro (3-1, 2.89 ERA) Saturday, April 71:05 p.m. ET (in East Lansing) LHP Trent Szkutnik (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Waszak (3-1, 1.54 ERA) Sunday, April 83 p.m. ET, BTN (in Ann Arbor) RHP Ben Ballantine (1-0, 2.88 ERA) vs. RHP Mike Theodore (2-1, 2.43 ERA) MINNESOTA at OHIO STATEMinnesota Notes - Ohio State NotesFriday, April 66:35 p.m. ET RHP TJ Oakes (5-1, 1.33 ERA) vs. RHP Jaron Long (1-1, 2.58 ERA) Saturday, April 72:05 p.m. ET LHP DJ Snelten (3-1, 2.01 ERA) vs. LHP Brian King (2-3, 5.01 ERA) Sunday, April 8Noon ET, BTN RHP Austin Lubinsky (1-2, 3.93 ERA) vs. TBA Canisius at PENN STATEPenn State NotesFriday, April 66:05 p.m. ET TBA vs. John Walter (0-5, 4.81 ERA) Saturday, April 72:05 p.m. ET TBA vs. Joe Kurrasch (1-2, 2.95 ERA) Sunday, April 81:05 p.m. ET TBA vs. Steven Hill (1-3, 4.63 ERA) #19 PURDUE at NORTHWESTERNPurdue Notes - Northwestern NotesFriday, April 63 p.m. CT RHP Joe Haase (4-0, 4.42 ERA) vs. RHP Francis Brooke (1-2, 2.59 ERA) Saturday, April 71 p.m. CT RHP Lance Breedlove (4-2, 2.74 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Magallones (5-0, 3.79 ERA) Sunday, April 81 p.m. CT RHP Connor Pudkul (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Morton (1-5, 2.93 ERA)
Notre Dame at Purdue, 4 p.m. ET
INDIANA def. Ball State, 6-5 (15)
IOWA def. South Dakota State, 11-4
MICHIGAN def. Central Michigan, 6-1
MICHIGAN STATE def. Eastern Michigan, 6-1
OHIO STATE def. Miami (Ohio), 9-2
PENN STATE def. Binghamton, 8-2
PURDUE def. Anderson, 6-1
Illinois State 1, Illinois 0
Drake 1, Iowa 0
Michigan State 6, Central Michigan 1
Notre Dame 9, Northwestern 1
Ohio State 5, Buffalo 0
Ohio State 8, Buffalo 5
Wisconsin 3, Loyola (Chicago) 1
Wisconsin 8, Loyola (Chicago) 4
Illinois State at Illinois, 7 p.m. Drake at Iowa, 7 p.m., BTN.com Michigan State at Central Michigan, 4 p.m. Northwestern at Notre Dame, 5 p.m. Buffalo at Ohio State (DH), 3/5 p.m. Wisconsin at Loyola (Chicago) (DH), 4/6 p.m.
Bradley def. ILLINOIS, 6-3
IOWA def. South Dakota State, 6-2
MINNESOTA def. Augsburg, 7-1
NEBRASKA def. Kansas State, 6-0
PENN STATE def. Kent State, 9-7
Pittsburgh 7, Penn State 2
Penn State 4, Pittsburgh 0
Purdue 9, IUPUI 1
Wisconsin 5, UIC 0
Nine Big Ten women's tennis teams appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 14 Northwestern. Michigan checks in at No. 15, followed by No. 17 Nebraska and No. 19 Illinois. Minnesota sits at No. 33, followed by No. 34 Purdue and No. 45 Indiana. Penn State checks in at No. 47, while Iowa is No. 72. For the complete poll, click here.
Nine Big Ten squads appear in the Campbells/ITA National Rankings, led by No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are followed by No. 18 Illinois, No. 28 Michigan and No. 33 Indiana. Minnesota checks in at No. 47, while Northwestern is No. 48. Michigan State appears at No. 57, Nebraska is No. 68 and Purdue is No. 72. For the complete poll, click here.
Nebraska represents the Big Ten in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings, as announced today. The Huskers appear at No. 23 in the latest rankings. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten squads appear in the 2012 USTFCCCA National Rankings, led by No. 11 Indiana. Nebraska appears at No. 15, followed by No. 20 Iowa and No. 24 Wisconsin For the complete poll, click here.
Pittsburgh at Penn State (DH), 3/5 p.m., BTN.com
IUPUI at Purdue, 4 p.m.
Wisconsin at UIC, 5:30 p.m.
Michigan State senior Draymond Green and head coach Tom Izzo earned national honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Sunday, as Green was named Player of the Year and Izzo was named Coach of the Year. COMPLETE RELEASE
Four Big Ten women's golf teams rank in the top 50 nationally in the
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, led by 22nd-ranked Michigan State. Ohio State
sits at No. 26, followed by No. 32 Purdue and No.
42 Northwestern. Individually, three golfers rank among the top 50, led
by No. 19 Caroline Powers of Michigan State. Purdue's Laura Gonzales and Paula Reto appear at Nos. 20 and 34, respectively. For the complete rankings, click here.
Four Big Ten men's golf squads rank in the top 50 nationally in the
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, led by No. 27 Iowa. Indiana checks in at No.
32, followed by No. 36 Illinois and No. 46 Purdue. Individually, four
Big Ten golfers also boast top-50 rankings, with Illinois' Luke Guthrie
leading the way at No. 18. Iowa's Barrett Kelpin ranks 33rd, followed by 37th-ranked Chase Wright of Indiana and 47th-ranked Eric Chun of Northwestern. For the complete rankings, click here.
ILLINOIS def. Mississippi Valley State, 7-1Freshman starting pitcher John Kravetz allowed only one unearned run and faced just three hitters over the minimum in a seven-inning outing as Illinois finished the weekend sweep of Mississippi Valley State with a 7-1 win in front of a season-high 1,147 fans at Illinois Field Sunday. Jordan Parr and Brandon Hohl both homered and eight of the nine Illini starters had at least one hit as Illinois improves to 15-10 on the season. RECAP & BOX SCOREINDIANA def. IOWA, 10-5Indiana Baseball rattled off 10 unanswered runs against Iowa (10-14, 3-3 Big Ten) to eliminate an early five-run deficit and win its second Big Ten series in as many weekends. The Hoosiers (12-16, 4-2) are now tied with rival Purdue for second place in the conference standings a quarter of the way into the B1G slate. RECAP & BOX SCOREMINNESOTA def. MICHIGAN, 4-3 (10)Matt Halloran hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to help the University of Minnesota baseball team to a 4-3 win and a series sweep over Michigan, today at the H.H.H. Metrodome. On a 1-0 count, Halloran lifted the ball over the right-field wall for his first career home run and the win. With the extra-inning heroics, the Gophers improve to 16-13 the season (3-0 in the Big Ten) and have won seven-straight games. RECAP & BOX SCOREMICHIGAN STATE def. OHIO STATE, 2-1In the second straight pitchers' duel between Michigan State and Ohio State, the Spartans came through in game two of the series Sunday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium with a 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes. RECAP & BOX SCORENORTHWESTERN def. NEBRASKA, 6-1Right-hander Zach Morton silenced Nebraska's potent offense, tossing a complete-game six-hitter as Northwestern earned a series victory by virtue of its 6-1 win Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCOREPENN STATE def. #19 PURDUE, 16-6Penn State scored multiple runs in each of the first three innings on the way to posting a season-high run total, thumping No. 19 Purdue baseball, 16-6, Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game weekend series at Lambert Field. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Michigan 7, Indiana 2 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Junior second baseman Ashley Lane (Escondido, Calif./Escondido) batted in the first four runs of the contest on a single and a three-run home run as the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team took the final contest of a three-game series, 7-2, over Indiana on Sunday afternoon at the IU Softball Field. The Maize and Blue totaled 11 hits on the afternoon, using a 3-for-4 performance and a run batted in for sophomore outfielder Lyndsay Doyle and a four-RBI showing from Lane, who went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run. Senior first baseman Amanda Chidester also hit a home run in the contest, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner won her 17th game of the season, throwing all 7.0 innings and giving up two unearned runs on six hits. RECAP
Iowa 1, Illinois 0 (10) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- It took three hours and 12 minutes and there were 375 pitches thrown before the University of Iowa softball team got a bases loaded walk from freshman Melanie Gladden to give the Hawkeyes the 1-0 victory and series sweep over Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Pearl Field. "I was proud of our team for sticking in there and battling," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "Offensively, we didn't take advantage of some opportunities early and defensively, Chelsea did a nice job on the mound and our defense played phenomenal behind her. You just hang in there until you get a run across the plate." RECAP
Nebraska 5, Minnesota 4 (8) Minneapolis - Freshman Mattie Fowler delivered a two-out, RBI single in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Nebraska softball team to a 5-4 extra-inning win at Minnesota in the series finale on Sunday. Fowler's game-winning hit helped Nebraska salvage one win in the three-game series, after Minnesota won both games of Saturday's doubleheader. In a back-and-forth affair on Sunday, Nebraska had two separate leads in the first five innings, while Minnesota held a 3-2 lead after four innings. After scoring twice in the top of the fifth, the Huskers were just four outs away from a victory before Tyler Walker hit a game-tying solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. That sent the game to extra innings and set the stage for Fowler's dramatics. RECAP
Ohio State 6, Michigan State 4 EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Ohio State softball team claimed its first series sweep of the season Sunday after defeating Michigan State, 6-4, at Secchia Stadium. The Buckeyes (21-11, 5-1 Big Ten) posted two runs in the first and added four runs in the fifth en route to the victory. Offensively, Ohio State was led by sophomore Evelyn Carrillo, who went 4-for-4. Carrillo completes an impressive series against the Spartans, going 11-for-12 with eight RBI, three runs scored and a 1.250 slugging percentage. Senior captain Alicia Herron posted a home run and two RBI, while freshman Taylor Watkins was 2-for-4 with two RBI. In the circle, senior pitcher Mikayla Endicott improved to 13-7 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, throwing four innings, allowing three runs with three strikeouts. RECAP
Purdue 5, Penn State 0 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker softball team closed out a three-game sweep of Penn State with a 5-0 win on Sunday, propelling Purdue its seventh straight win and the top spot in the Big Ten at 6-0 after two weekends of conference play. The Boilermakers put up five runs on eight hits and two errors, while allowing Penn State just two hits in the contest. Freshman Lexy Moore (15-2) sat down the last 14 Nittany Lions in order to close out her 15th victory of the season. Lisa Akamine (5-14) was saddled with the loss for PSU despite striking out seven Purdue batters. Purdue scored two runs in the first inning, two in the fifth and one in the sixth en route to the shutout victory. Seven Boilermakers posted hits in the contest, led by sophomore Andie Varsho's pair of hits, which included a triple. RECAP
Northwestern 8, Wisconsin 3 MADISON, Wis. -- Northwestern unleashed a six-run fifth inning Sunday at Wisconsin, riding the scoring outburst to an 8-3 win and a 2-1 victory in the Big Ten series. Northwestern moves to 14-18 overall on the season with its win, 2-4 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin now is 14-12 on the year with its loss, 3-3 in the conference. Junior Emily Allard (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) led off the game with a single through the left side of the infield, extending her current hitting streak to 17 games. Lamberth (7-8) made the five-run cushion hold up to complete the victory (helped by a game-ending line drive double play that Bast gloved before unleashing a laser beam to first to double off the runner). Lamberth allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks with no strikeouts. RECAP
All six Big Ten weekend series will conclude Sunday, with Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and Purdue looking to complete their respecitve three-game sweeps.
Illinois at Iowa, 3 p.m., BTN.com Michigan at Indiana, 1 p.m., BTN.com Ohio State at Michigan State, 1 p.m. Nebraska at Minnesota, 1 p.m., BTN Northwestern at Wisconsin, 3 p.m., BTN Penn State at Purdue, 1 p.m., BTN.com - on-demand only
All times are ET and subject to change.
ILLINOIS def. Mississippi Valley State, 12-4After scoring 15 runs on Friday, the Fighting Illini kept the bats rolling on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State, scoring 10 runs in the first three innings - including a six-run second - to beat the Delta Devils 12-4 and win the weekend series in front of 887 fans. Shortstop Thomas Lindauer went 2-for-2 with three walks and the first five hitters in the Illini order combined to go 11-for-20 with nine RBIs and eight runs. RECAP & BOX SCOREIOWA def. INDIANA, 4-0Friday night's 10-7 series opener seemingly used up all the offense as just four runs were scored in game two on Saturday, three of which were unearned. All four tallies came from the Iowa Hawkeyes (10-13, 3-2 Big Ten) as they evened the weekend series one game apiece, forcing a rubber game with Indiana (11-16, 3-2) on Sunday at 1:05 pm. RECAP & BOX SCOREMINNESOTA def. MICHIGAN, 9-4The University of Minnesota baseball team used eight runs in the first two innings of play to earn a 9-4 win over Michigan, today at the H.H.H. Metrodome. The Golden Gophers had nine players add a hit, while four had multiple hit games. With the win, Minnesota is guaranteed the series win after a 6-3 win on Friday. Minnesota and Michigan will also play tomorrow at 1:05 for the series finale. RECAP & BOX SCOREOHIO STATE def. MICHIGAN STATE, 1-0The Michigan State baseball team had its eight-game winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon in its Big Ten opener as Ohio State edged the Spartans in a pitcher's duel, 1-0, at McLane Baseball Stadium. RECAP & BOX SCORENORTHWESTERN def. NEBRASKA, 8-4Freshman right-hander Brandon Magallones struck out a career-high 10 batters and improved to 5-0 on the season as Northwestern took advantage of six Nebraska errors in posting an 8-4 victory Saturday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. RECAP & BOX SCORENo. 19 PURDUE def. PENN STATE, 2-0Both starting pitchers took no-hitters into the seventh inning, but it was No. 19 Purdue baseball that broke through and scored twice in the frame to defeat Penn State, 2-0, earning head coach Doug Schreiber his 400th career victory. RECAP & BOX SCORE
Michigan vs. Indiana
Game 1: Michigan 3, Indiana 2 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan softball team split a Big Ten doubleheader at Indiana, knocking off the Hoosiers, 3-2, in the first contest before falling, 7-2, in the second game on Saturday afternoon (March 31) at the IU Softball Field. The Michigan offense totaled nine hits in the first contest, led by a 3-for-4 performance by senior first baseman Amanda Chidester and a 2-for-3 showing from junior shortstop Amy Knapp. Senior third baseman Stephanie Kirkpatrick and junior second baseman Ashley Lane each hit solo home runs to account for two-thirds of Michigan's scoring. Freshman LHP Haylie Wagner earned the win in the circle, throwing 5.1 innings while giving up two runs on seven hits, with freshman RHP Sara Driesenga earning her second save of the season after pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless and hitless relief. RECAPGame 2: Indiana 7, Michigan 2 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - After seeing its 15-game home win streak snapped earlier in the day, the Indiana Hoosiers (17-16, 2-3 Big Ten) rebounded with an impressive 7-2 win over No. 20 Michigan (23-10, 4-1 Big Ten). The win is the first for the Hoosiers against Michigan in Bloomington since April 20, 1996. Meaghan Murphy (8-6) was phenomenal in the circle for Indiana despite allowing seven hits, as she held the powerful Michigan lineup to two runs on those seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Amanda Wagner completed her perfect day at the plate with two more hits - including her sixth home run of the year - and three RBI while Shannon Cawley continued her stellar freshman season with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Another freshman, Brianna Meyer, also got into the power surge with her first career home run in the sixth inning. RECAP
Iowa vs. Illinois Game 1: Iowa 5, Illionis 1 Game 2: Iowa 9, Illinois 1 IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa softball team posted a doubleheader sweep over Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes won 5-1 in the opener before downing the Fighting Illini, 9-1, in six innings in game two. "I am proud of the kids for how they came out, took this week of practice and really implemented it in the ball game," said UI head coach Marla Looper. "They took advantage of one of the better pitchers in the conference that first game and were able to knock her out of the game and get to their bullpen. Then they stuck with it through game two to get the sweep." RECAP
Minnesota vs. Nebraska Game 1: Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7 Game 2: Minnesota 8, Nebraska 5 In front of the sixth-largest crowd in Jane Sage Cowles Stadium history, the University of Minnesota softball team garnered two wins over Nebraska in their home opening series. The Golden Gophers (21-9, 3-2 Big Ten) showcased their bats in the two contests by tallying 22 hits on the day to outlast the Huskers (20-14, 3-2 Big Ten). RECAP
Ohio State vs. Michigan State Game 1: Ohio State 9, Michigan State 4 Game 2: Ohio State 14, Michigan State 1 COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio State softball team swept a doubleheader at Michigan State Saturday at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. The Buckeye bats erupted at the plate for a combined 23 runs on 31 hits against the Spartans, claiming a 9-4 victory in game one before winning, 14-1, in five innings in game two. "I thought the kids played with an enormous amount of energy and passion today," head coach Linda Kalafatissaid. "You don't plan on a day like this, but we found holes at the plate and hit the ball solid when we needed to against them. Our pitchers executed well today and that's as well as I've seen Nichols throw since her surgery." RECAP
Purdue vs. Penn State Game 1: Purdue 2, Penn State 1 Game 2: Purdue 7, Penn State 0 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker softball team swept its Saturday doubleheader with Penn State 2-1 and 7-0 to move to 5-0 in Big Ten play for the first time in school history. Sophomore Danielle Fletcher set a school record for walks in a game with four in Game 2 of the twin bill, surpassing the mark of three tied 20 times in program lore. Freshman Lexy Moore (14-2) struck out three in a Game 1 victory, while senior Katie Hackney (4-2) picked up the victory with 5 Ks in a relief effort in Game 2. Junior Ashley Courtney led the Purdue bats with a 4-for-5 effort and five RBI in the series, including two multi-hit efforts. Sophomores Andie Varsho and Lindsey Rains posted multi-hit efforts in Game 1 and 2 respectively. RECAP
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern Game 1: Wisconsin 12, Northwestern 4 MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin won its home-opener on Saturday afternoon against Northwestern in strong offensive fashion, winning 12-4 in six innings. Amanda Najdek improved to 3-0 with the win, only allowing four runs on nine hits. In the second game of the day, Wisconsin fell 10-6 in extra innings against the Wildcats following a grand slam from Marisa Bast in the top of the eighth. With the split, Wisconsin moves to 14-11 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten. Northwestern is 13-18 overall, 1-4 in the Big Ten. The two teams will decide the series on Sunday at 2 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. RECAP Game 2: Northwestern 10, Wisconsin 6 (8) MADISON, Wis. -- In a back-and-forth contest that saw Northwestern erase an early three-run deficit and Wisconsin plate two in the seventh to send the game to extras, sophomore Marisa Bast (Orange, Calif./Villa Park) uncorked a two-out, full-count grand slam in the eighth inning to give the Wildcats a 10-6 (8) victory over the Badgers. Northwestern improves to 13-18 overall on the season with its win, 1-4 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin now is 14-11 on the year, 3-2 in the conference with its loss. The contest was reminiscent of Northwestern's lone other extra-inning game this season, when an eighth-inning three-run homer gave the Wildcats a 6-3 (8) victory over then-No. 17 Texas A&M. RECAP
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