Royals edge Bull Dogs in season opener

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March 30, 2026

Columbus North christened its new-look baseball field Monday night, but Hamilton Southeastern spoiled the celebration.

The Royals rallied from an early five-run deficit to hand the Bull Dogs a 9-8 defeat in the first game with a new turf infield and shorter outfield fences at Southside Elementary.

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After Hamilton Southeastern got a two-run homer from Clark Bucher off North starter Franco Ortega in the top of the first, the Bull Dogs reached Royals starter AJ Eikenberry for three runs in the bottom of the first and four more in the second. Cole Stevens had an RBI-single in his first varsity plate appearance, and Jesse Clark followed with an RBI-single in the first, when the third run scored on an error.

In the second, Daiju Iwala led off with a hit in his first varsity at bat. Ike Genth and Clark had RBI-singles, and Dillon Long smacked a two-run double for a 7-2 lead.

Hamilton Southeastern scored a run in the third to cut the lead to 7-3. Long came on to pitch in the fourth and looked to be out of the inning with the bases loaded and two out and two strikes on Alex Shepherd. Long and some of the Bull Dogs were headed off the field on what they thought would be a called third strike, but after a ball was called, Shepherd lined a full-count bases-clearing double to cut it to 7-6. Trey McNanama then lifted a popup behind second base that fell between three defenders and scored Shepherd with the tying run.

The Royals then took advantage of a pair of walks off Jayden Adorno to start the fifth to score two runs and take a 9-7 lead.

Meanwhile, Hamilton Southeastern reliever Spencer Mohr allowed only one North baserunner in the third-through-sixth innings. Jack Whaley led off the seventh with a home run just to the left of the 375-foot marker in center, but Mohr was able to retire the next three batters to seal the win.

“We had four guys get the first varsity experience of their careers,” North coach Mike Bodart said. “Two of them (Stevens and Iwala) had base hits, and one of them (Cade Finke) had a putout in the outfield. We’re still young, and Hamilton Southeastern is a heck of a team and a good program. We had a lot of positives, so that was a good thing.”

The Royals outhit the Bull Dogs 10-9. Clark, who pitched a scoreless seventh, went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Whaley went 2 for 4 to lead North at the plate.

“We hit the ball well,” Bodart said. “We know our pitchers are going to have to get it figured out, and our defense is going to be there for them, and we’re going to pick them up. We’re going to bounce back. You’re going to see it from us all year long. We’re going to play a top-10 schedule and get guys ready to go for tournament time.”

Bull Dogs sweep Shelbyville

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Staff Reports

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March 30, 2026

136244657_web1_16-Ramu-Alagappan — Ramu Alagappan

SHELBYVILLE — Columbus North had little trouble Monday in rolling to its third boys volleyball win of the season, a 25-9, 25-12, 25-8 victory at Shelbyville.

Justin Lopez pounded 13 kills, Ramu Alagappin recorded 21 assists, Emanuel Vasquez had four blocks and two digs, Ethan Santos notched two digs and Leo Iorio served 10 aces to lead the Bull Dogs (3-8).

Also for North, Iorio and Vasquez each tallied three kills. Alagappan served seven aces, Santos had six aces and Lopez added four aces.

Women’s Final Four a repeat of last season, headlined by undefeated reigning national champion UConn

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The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

The women’s Final Four is on repeat.

No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina are in the Final Four for the second straight season, just the second time the same teams have reached the sport’s final weekend in consecutive years.

Only the matchups and location will be different this time.

Reigning national champion UConn will face South Carolina on Friday in Phoenix after playing UCLA last season. The Bruins will take on the Longhorns.

“I don’t think people understand how hard it is to do it,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “I think it bodes well for all of us, but there’s four or five more teams right there nipping at your heels.”

Just not this season — or last.

The only other time the same four teams reached consecutive Final Fours was when UConn, Tennessee, Stanford and Georgia did it from 1995-96.

Everyone will be trying to stop the Huskies in this one.

UConn has been the standard in women’s college basketball under coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies have won 12 national championships, played in 25 Final Fours — a record 14 straight from 2008-22 — and have won 1,288 games in 41 seasons under Auriemma.

UConn had to work to win last year’s national title as a No. 2 seed.

The Huskies (38-0) have dominated this season in their bid to finish the program’s seventh undefeated season.

Deep and talented, UConn has won 54 straight games over two seasons, winning by an average of 37.8 points this year. The Huskies are led by first-team All-Americans Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, but have eight players averaging at least 6.8 points per game.

“I feel like no other team has a bench like us,” said Strong, who leads the team at 18. points per game. “We can have kind of anyone off the bench step up and change the whole pace of the game.”

They’ll face a South Carolina team very familiar with Final Four pressure in a rematch of last year’s title game.

The Gamecocks have reached the Final Four seven of the past nine seasons — six straight — under coach Dawn Staley, winning three national championships.

South Carolina (35-3) has five players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by second-team All-American Joyce Edwards’ 19.6 points per game, and plays the kind of defense that leaves opponents flailing. The Gamecocks hold teams to an average of 57.6 points per game and had 17 steals in a 101-61 win over Southern California in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

South Carolina faced its first deficit of the NCAA Tournament against TCU in the Elite Eight, but pulled away in the second half for a 78-52 win that completed the Final Four repeat. It also sets up a chance for payback after the Gamecocks lost to UConn in last year’s title game.

“I think you’ve just got to go pound for pound with them, just be unafraid of running against an undefeated team,” Staley said. “The pressures of playing undefeated, if you keep it close, you might — might — get them on a bad night and that’s what we’re hoping for on Friday.”

UCLA has played in the NCAA Tournament nine times in coach Cori Close’s 15 seasons, including the program’s first Final Four a year ago.

The Bruins have yet to win a national championship, yet have a huge advantage inside in Lauren Betts.

The 6-foot-7, two-time All-American has dominated during her senior season, averaging 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 60.1% from the field. Betts led the Bruins back from a rare halftime deficit against Duke in the Elite Eight, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in the 70-58 win on Sunday.

“Her size and her skill make her difficult to defend one-on-one,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “And then the framework of their team with the shooting around her makes it really hard to bring an extra defender, is kind of how they’ve built and matched the skill sets.”

Betts and the Bruins (35-1) head to the desert to face the only team that beat them this season.

It came at the Players Era Championship Nov. 26, when the Longhorns led by 20 at halftime and held off a late charge by UCLA to win 76-65 in Las Vegas.

Led by fifth-year guard Rori Harmon and All-American forward Madison Booker, Texas (36-3) steamrolled its first four NCAA Tournament opponents by an average of 35.5 points per game.

The Longhorns blew out Michigan 77-41 in the Elite Eight on Monday night, earning consecutive Final Four trips for the second time in program history. The 1996 team finished undefeated on the way to the school’s only national championship, a year after losing in the national semifinals.

“Well this group is awfully special. They’re tough. We call it Texas tough in Austin, but I told them they’re good enough,” Schaefer said. “I’ve been on this trip before, but I want them to really be focused. Enjoy today. Don’t take this for granted.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Rescuers try to find 27 people believed to be on raft drifting in Indonesian waters

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The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — Rescue teams raced early Tuesday to find 27 people believed to be drifting on a raft in Indonesian waters a day after their boat sank in rough seas.

The passenger boat departed Taliabu port in North Maluku province just after dusk Sunday. It was bound for Kema in North Sulawesi province before sinking in the northern waters of Taliabu Island, said Muhammad Rizal, who heads the search and rescue office in Palu city.

The owner of the Nazila 05 told authorities the boat’s captain had reported the vessel sank after its bow was broken by high waves during rough weather.

“All 27 people aboard managed to evacuate using a longboat before the ship went down,” Rizal said, “However, their current location remains unknown.”

Relatives reported the victims had tied themselves to a raft, and the National Search and Rescue Agency said a rescue vessel was heading toward the estimated location where the raft was believed to be drifting in choppy waters.

The search team also had an inflatable boat and were being assisted by local fishermen, Rizal said.

The Nazila 05 was frequently used to transport tourists and was also known locally as a fishing or small passenger vessel, Rizal said.

Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, where boats are a common form of transportation. With lax safety standards and problems with overcrowding, accidents occur frequently.

China factory activity rebounds in March as Iran war looms over growth

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The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s factory activity expanded in March, ending two months of contraction, the government said Tuesday, but analysts say prolonged impacts of the Iran war could weigh on growth.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 50.4 from 49 in February, the National Bureau of Statistics reported, beating economists’ expectations and notching the strongest reading in a year. PMI is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 and a reading above 50 indicates expansion.

While the latest official data covered a period after the Iran war began on Feb. 28, analysts say the impacts of surging energy costs have not yet been fully seen. “So far supply disruptions have not occurred in a material way,” said Jacqueline Rong, Chief China Economist, BNP Paribas, a French bank.

A years-long property sector slump in China has also weighed on economic growth and weakened domestic consumption and investment demand in China, the world’s second-largest economy after the U.S. To help drive its economy, China has been reliant on growing exports, especially to regions such as Southeast Asia and Europe, which propelled its trade surplus last year to a record $1.2 trillion despite higher U.S. tariffs.

China’s export engine could hit headwinds as the Iran war drive up energy costs and disrupts supply chains, with most maritime traffic blocked from passing the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.

The extent of the impact will depend on how long the energy flows from the Middle East are cut off, said BNP Paribas’ Rong. “If it is months, rather than weeks, then the supply disruptions, not just from oil, but also from the shortage of many chemical products — such as rare gases — would manifest itself in disrupting industrial production and services,” she said.

China’s exports could also suffer if overall global growth takes a serious hit from the energy crisis, Rong said. Analysts say, for example, higher global inflation could weaken consumption demand for Chinese goods.

Chinese leaders in early March unveiled an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for this year, a slightly lower goal than the “around 5%” last year and the lowest growth target since 1991.

For now, China’s economy “appears to have weathered” the energy shock from the Iran war well, wrote Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, in a recent research note, although she also cautioned it is “likely that the fallout from the Iran war will grow over the coming months.”

With China’s exports to the U.S., its largest trading partner, in decline over the past months, economists are closely watching for positive signs in trade relations between Washington and Beijing as U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

Some analysts say lower U.S. tariffs following a recent Supreme Court ruling against Trump’s wide-reaching global tariffs could give China a small boost to exports and factory activity.

Edwards, Makeer power South Carolina past TCU 78-52 to reach the Final Four

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The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Joyce Edwards scored 24 points and Agot Makeer added 18 to help South Carolina beat TCU 78-52 on Monday night to advance to the Final Four in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The top-seeded Gamecocks will face UConn in the Final Four in Phoenix on Friday night in a rematch of last season’s national championship game.

South Carolina (34-3) has now reached the Final Four in seven of the past nine seasons and won three national championships during that stretch. Coach Dawn Staley has been at the helm for all of them, including the undefeated 2023-24 season.

This was the first time that the Gamecocks really had been challenged in the NCAA Tournament. They came into the game averaging nearly 100 points a game in their first three contests and were winning by an average of 45 points.

The Gamecocks have so many offensive weapons making them tough to guard. The Horned Frogs (32-6) did a good job on the South Carolina guards, but had no answer for Edwards and Makeer. Edwards also had 12 rebounds and three blocks.

The pair scored the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to blow an eight-point game wide open. South Carolina outscored TCU 29-11 in the fourth.

South Carolina trailed 22-18 early in the second quarter before going on a 17-5 run to close the half. Edwards had the first six points of the spurt and hit a jumper with 3 seconds left to close the quarter and make it 35-27. She had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the opening 20 minutes.

The Horned Frogs hung around in the third quarter and cut their deficit to 47-39 on Olivia Miles’ layup with 1:26 left. She immediately went down and grabbed her left calf. The senior All-American guard was on the ground under the basket for a minute before getting up and going over to the area behind the bench where trainers worked on the calf.

Miles missed the rest of the quarter, but was back for the start of the fourth. She came into the game averaging a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament, but finished with 18 points, three rebounds and six assists.

TCU was trying to reach its first Final Four and has now been eliminated in the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons. Coach Mark Campbell welcomed 10 new players this season once again taking advantage of the transfer portal.

Miles and Marta Suarez were two of the key additions this season. In the Sweet 16 win over Virginia the pair combined to either score or assist on all 79 of TCU’s points. Suarez had a rough game against South Carolina after scoring 33 points in the win over the Cavaliers. She finished with just nine points on 4-for-17 shooting.

Up next

South Carolina will face UConn for the first time this season. The two teams had played each other for the past 11 years, but took this season off. They’ll meet again the next two years.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Lawyers for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk ask to delay preliminary hearing

By

The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk have asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, saying they need time to review an enormous amount of material and a bullet analysis that could contribute to his defense.

Tyler Robinson’s defense team said in recent court filings that an analysis from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency, could not conclusively connect a bullet fragment recovered during an autopsy to the rifle found near the scene. The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.

The agency’s report has been kept private, but attorneys have cited snippets in other public filings that say the results were inconclusive.

The success of a forensic ballistics analysis largely depends on the size and condition of the bullet fragments. Experts are looking for unique, microscopic markings that are left on a bullet as it passes through the gun’s barrel. The scratches are like fingerprints in that no two firearms make identical markings.

The defense said in its motion that it may try to use the analysis to clear Robinson of blame during the preliminary hearing, while prosecutors aim to show they have enough evidence against him to proceed with a trial.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges. Defense attorneys note that forensic reports indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some items, which they say requires a more complex analysis.

Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.

Robinson is due back in court April 17 for a hearing on a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom.

Airport cleared to be renamed for Trump as he unveils design for skyscraper library

By

The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida airport was cleared to be renamed after President Donald Trump on Monday, hours before the president separately revealed plans for a Miami skyscraper planned to house his presidential library.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing Palm Beach International Airport to be renamed the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The change is set to take place in July, formally rebranding the airport near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Later Monday, Trump posted a video to social media that appears to show digital renderings for his presidential library. Set to dramatic music, the video unveils a piercing tower along the Miami skyline emblazoned with the signature “Trump” lettering seen on his other towers.

The video includes panning shots of the tower’s exterior and interior, with a presidential jet parked in the lobby alongside a gold escalator like the one Trump rode while launching his presidential campaign in 2015. Other shots show a giant ballroom like the one he’s planning for the White House, a replica Oval Office, rooftop gardens and a large, gold statue of Trump.

A credit says the design comes from Bermello Ajamil, a Miami-based firm. Trump posted the video with no explanation beyond a link to a new website for the library. The website says, “coming soon,” with a link to donate money.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the plans.

Miami Dade College gave up a nearly 3-acre plot of downtown real estate as a gift for the future library. A judge in December dismissed a complaint challenging the gift on grounds that the college’s board didn’t give sufficient public notice. The site is valued at more than $67 million.

Trump’s son Eric previously said the library will be “one of the most beautiful buildings ever built” and “an Icon on the Miami skyline.”

Since he returned to the White House, Trump has pressed to get his name on all manner of American institutions, from the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center performing arts venue to U.S. currency.

In Palm Beach, a stretch of road from the airport to Trump’s estate was recently renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard.

Eyes of Texas on women’s Final Four again after Longhorns beat Michigan in regional final

By

The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Madison Booker had 19 points and seven rebounds, fifth-year senior guard Rori Harmon has 13 assists and Texas is going to the women’s Final Four for the second year in a row after a 77-41 rout over Michigan in the Fort Worth Regional 3 championship game Monday night.

The Longhorns missed only one shot in the first quarter, quickly building a double-digit lead and maintaining control even through extended periods of poor shooting by both teams after that in the only regional final matching the top two seeds.

Justice Carlton added 15 points while Kyla Oldacre added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Texas (35-3), which built as much as a 40-point lead.

Top-seeded Texas is going to its fifth Final Four overall, and the only other time the Longhorns had made back-to-back appearances was their undefeated 34-0 national championship in 1986 and semifinal loss the following season. Before last year’s loss to South Carolina, they hadn’t made it to the final weekend of March Madness since 2003.

Next for Texas is Friday in Phoenix against UCLA (35-1), another top seed and a rematch against the only team to beat the Big Ten champion this season. The Bruins have won 29 in a row since a 76-65 loss to the Horns in the Players Era Championship on Nov. 26.

Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway each had 11 points for Michigan (28-7), which tied the single-season school record for wins, was in the Elite Eight for only the second time and hasn’t made it past that. The Wolverines finished 22.8% (13 of 57) from the field, included several missed layups.

Booker, an AP All-American forward, had bookend baskets in an early 10-0 Texas run that made it 12-2. In the middle of that, she made a nifty pass to Harmon, who made an equally impressive quick flip pass to 6-foot-4 Breya Cunningham inside for an easy basket. Cunningham had 11 points.

The Longhorns, who finished shooting 46.9% (30 of 64), made 11 of 12 shots in the first quarter for a 22-9 lead. They then missed 12 of their first 14 shots in the second quarter, including their top 3-pointer shooter Jordan Lee missing five from beyond the arc before Booker had consecutive baskets late for a 34-21 halftime lead.

Even when missing their first seven shots out of the break, they were up 37-23 when Harmon’s 3-pointer snapped the skid, and were off and running to Phoenix.

Texas built as much as a 69-29 lead with just under 6 minutes left, right before Harmon left the game and went to the bench to join Booker, who didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter.

The largest margin of victory in an Elite Eight game was UConn’s 90-50 win over Florida State in 2010.

Up Next

Texas and UCLA will play in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time, having split their first four postseason meetings. The Longhorns won a second-round game in 2021 and a Sweet 16 matchup in 2016. The Bruins won a Sweet 16 matchup in 2018, and a second-round game in 1992.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Scuffling 2025 AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh comes off the bench to help Mariners beat Yankees

By

The Associated Press

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March 30, 2026

SEATTLE (AP) — While slugger Aaron Judge took batting practice at T-Mobile Park, an advertisement featuring him and Cal Raleigh flashed on the videoboard with a link to buy tickets to the series between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners.

The reigning AL MVP was in the No. 2 hole for the Yankees on Monday night, but Raleigh, runner-up for that award last year after hitting 60 homers — the most in a season by a catcher — was not in the Mariners’ starting lineup for the opener.

That didn’t stop Raleigh, who started the season 2 for 15 with 10 strikeouts, from playing the hero. He came off the bench in the seventh inning and hit a walk-off single just inside first base in the ninth that gave Seattle a 2-1 victory.

“I was just looking for something hard over the heart of the plate,” Raleigh said. “It cut in on my hands a little bit, but I was able to keep it fair.”

Before the game, manager Dan Wilson said he sat Raleigh, who appeared in three World Baseball Classic games for the United States, to get him some rest four games into the season.

“Coming out of spring training, he had sort of a shorter spring training in a lot of ways,” Wilson said. “And, didn’t want to spike his workload too much.”

Last season, Raleigh appeared in a career-high 159 games for the Mariners and racked up 705 plate appearances, as well as an American League-best 125 RBIs. Ahead of arriving in Seattle, Judge told The Associated Press he was particularly impressed by Raleigh’s work ethic while they were teammates at the WBC.

“Greatness leaves a trail,” Judge said. “Just how he controls himself, how he controls that pitching staff, he’s going to have another great year, that’s for sure.”

As much as Raleigh excelled last season, it took a bit for the 29-year-old to hit his stride last year, too. It wasn’t until his 10th game of the season in 2025 that Raleigh’s average climbed above .200, and it took until mid-April for the powerful catcher to start hitting home runs at a prodigious clip.

It’s in part why the even-keeled Raleigh isn’t particularly worried about his own performance, or that of similarly struggling teammates like Josh Naylor (0 for 19) or Julio Rodríguez (1 for 19).

“It’ll be OK. I know a lot of people in that locker room, a lot of guys across the league are fighting the same thing,” Raleigh said. “They’re trying to find timing. And, it’s under a microscope more so now than it is in the middle of a season just because it’s the start of the season, everybody’s excited.”

While Raleigh drew ample headlines for his hitting prowess in 2025, what separates him according to Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is that he’s a multi-dimensional talent, not just a hitter.

Vogt, who was a major league catcher for 10 years, said he thinks Raleigh is clearly the best two-way catcher in the game, but expectations should be tempered a bit in light of what he accomplished last year.

“For him to hit 60 homers again is unrealistic,” Vogt said. “I think if anybody’s expectation is 50-plus homers for anyone, it’s just not realistic. But, I think Cal’s still a great offensive player, and I think he’s going to have another great year.”

It may be unrealistic for Raleigh to again match Hall of Famer Babe Ruth, who also hit 60 home runs in 1927, a single-season record that stood for 34 years. But, Raleigh has hit at least 30 home runs each of the last three seasons, and the Mariners hope to receive that kind of production from the All-Star catcher again in 2026.

Wilson said last season, the Mariners consistently monitored Raleigh’s workload to see if his production would ever dip. But it never did, and it wasn’t until the 35th game of the season that Raleigh did not start either at catcher or designated hitter.

This season, Wilson evidently took a more proactive approach — and reaped the rewards quite quickly.

“We’re trying to assess this as we go and make sure that we don’t put him in a tough spot,” Wilson said. “I think he’s a hard guy to get out of the lineup because he wants to be in there so badly. But, I think it just felt like today was a good day to get him some rest.”

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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb