Two Olympic runners from Indianapolis could earn medals this weekend in Tokyo. Cathedral High School grad Cole Hocker finished second in the semifinals of the 1,500-meter and will compete in the final Saturday morning. The 20-year-old Hocker finished with a personal best time, and he’ll be the only American running in the final. Pike High School alum Lynna (LEEN-uh) Irby anchored Team USA to a win in the 4-by-400 meter relay semifinal. Even though Irby is not likely to be one of the four runners for Team USA in Saturday’s final, if the Americans finish on the podium, Irby would earn a medal.
A pair of Team USA women’s squads will go for the gold this weekend with the help of some Hoosiers. The women’s basketball national team easily defeated Serbia 79-59 in the semifinals. Notre Dame alums Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd came off the bench to help the United States. Team USA will take on either Japan and France in the gold medal game Saturday night. In volleyball, Elkhart native and Purdue grad Annie Drews led the U.S. to a straight set defeat of Serbia. Drews had a team-high in points with 17, and the U.S. will play either Brazil and the Republic of Korea early Sunday morning.
For the first time in over a month, IndyCar returns to the track this weekend. The inaugural Music City Grand Prix will take place on the streets of downtown Nashville Sunday evening. The street race is one of the most anticipated debut events in recent memory, and the 11-turn, 2.17 mile track features the finish line in front of Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. The entry list features 27 drivers, the largest field for a non-Indy 500 race since 2013. The green flag will fly Sunday evening at 5:45 p.m. Eastern.
At long last, a pair of Colts legends will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. Quarterback Peyton Manning and running back Edgerrin James will receive their gold jackets in Canton, Ohio, as both the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be enshrined. Colts owner Jim Irsay will introduce James for Saturday’s ceremony for the class of 2020, which had their induction postponed due to COVID-19. Manning’s father Archie will introduce Peyton Sunday. Both induction ceremonies are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern on their respective day.
The Cincinnati Reds homered three times and defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 at Great American Ball Park. Eugenio (ay-yoo-HAY-nee-oh) Suarez and Joey Votto each hit three-run home runs in the second inning and the Reds held on to win the opener of the four-game set. Trevor Story went deep two times, and the Rockies got past the Cubs 3-2. The Atlanta Braves scored six runs in the eighth inning and won 8-4 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Austin Riley hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 4 early in the frame, and the Braves went on to score four more runs on four straight bases loaded walks.
The Kansas City Royals held on for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox Thursday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Chicago got within a run on an Eloy Jimenez RBI double in the eighth, but could not plate the tying run in the ninth. The Sox will travel across town to begin a weekend series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Tigers beat the Red Sox 8-1 in Detroit. Victor Reyes had two triples and drove in three runs as the Tigers won two out of three against Boston. Cleveland recorded just three hits as the Indians fell 3-0 to the Blue Jays.
