Pro baseball
RAILCATS' COGAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT: RailCats southpaw Tony Cogan -- who in separate years set the club's single-season saves and ERA records -- has announced his retirement from professional baseball, bringing to an end a nine-year career that included 39 games with the Kansas City Royals in 2001.
Cogan, 33, fought all the way back from arm injuries that cost him two full seasons in the middle of the decade to become one of the best pitchers in RailCats history. The Northern League saves leader with 25 for the league champion 2007 RailCats, Cogan was the team's Opening Day starter the next two seasons and finished 2008 with a record 2.08 ERA in 13 starts. The 2009 season saw Cogan twirl the only two shutouts of his pro career, embark on a remarkable 28 2/3-inning scoreless streak and earn a spot on the Northern League Post-Season All-Star Team as the circuit's best left-handed pitcher.
"Being a part of the RailCats organization was the perfect way to end my career," Cogan said in a news release.
Major League Baseball
SAMARDZIJA ROUGHED UP: Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homer to strengthen his case for making Milwaukee's opening-day roster and the Brewers beat a Cubs split-squad 12-3 on Friday.
Edmonds, who finished with two hits and scored twice, agreed to a minor league deal with the Brewers on Jan. 28.
Edmonds and Gregg Zaun hit consecutive homers in the first inning off Valparaiso's Jeff Samardzija, who gave up four runs in the first and was gone after the second.
"He's always had that swing for as long as I can remember," Samardzija said of Edmonds. "Certain things you can't lose, it's like riding a bike. I'm sure for him, going out there and hitting fastballs isn't too hard to pick back up."
College baseball
VU EDGES GARDNER-WEBB: Damon McCormick tossed eight innings in Valparaiso University's 7-5 win over host Gardner-Webb in Gastonia, N.C. McCormick (2-0) had three strikeouts for the Crusaders (4-11). Paul Heinkel and Ryan O'Gara each had three hits for VU.
Women's bowling
VU STARTS STRONG AT MUSIC CITY CLASSIC: Tenth-ranked Valparaiso University won four of six matches during the first day of competition at the Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tenn. The Crusaders defeated No. 8 New Jersey City (839-833), No. 12 Kutztown (793-723), No. 18 Florida A & M (960-937) and Hampton (906-810). The Crusaders lost to No. 13 Sacred Heart (927-912) and No. 15 Alabama A & M (939-869).
Krystyna Johnson posted the Crusaders' highest score of the day with a 231 against Hampton.
Prep basketball
IBN ALL-STAR GAMES APRIL 10: Purdue Calumet will host the inaugural Indiana Basketball News All-Star games, beginning at 4 p.m. April 10. Both the boys and girls games are presented by PUC athletics, the Spiece Gym Rats and Nike.
The girls game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. April 10, with the boys game set to follow at 6:30.
Local girls players include Merrillville's Bryonna Davis, Calumet's Juaneice Jackson, Lake Central's Andrea Kras, Brooke Polus and Kaley Marcinak, Valparaiso's Stefanie Lang, West Side's Venetria Martimore, Hanover Central's Kayla Higginbotham and Samantha Huffnagle and Washington Twp.'s Abbey Walters.
Local boys players include E.C. Central's Michael Harris, Bowman Academy's Chris Bond and Tyrae Robinson, Bishop Noll's Kendal Coleman, Boone Grove's Michael Eleftheri, South Central's Jake Kitchell, Wheeler's Andrew Rudakas, Hammond's Grant Brooks, Valparaiso's Brad Karp, Munster's Kyle Ritz, Andrean's Pete Niksic and Griffith's Brian Brilmyer and Kyle Terpstra.
Merrillville's Amy Govert will be one of the girls coaches, while Bowman Academy's Marvin Rea and Andrean's Carson Cunningham will coach the boys game.
Indoor track and field
THREE AREA THROWERS COMPETE AT NIKE MEET: Three local track and field competitors from Let it Fly Throwing, LLC competed in Friday's Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston. Kouts senior Megan Rust placed 21st overall in the weight throw (39 feet, 9 1/4 inches) in the high school division. South Central junior Sara Greer finished 23rd (38-9 3/4) and Hebron sophomore Hayley Lindemer was 40th (28-7 3/4).
The trio plus Munster junior Brittaney Bermingham will compete in weight throw at Sunday morning's National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York City.
Around the horn
The Indiana High School Athletic Association has signed a three-year contract with Indianapolis television station WTTV to broadcast state championship events. The IHSAA announced Friday that WTTV would be the flagship station for a statewide network of live broadcasts of all championship events in baseball, boys and girls basketball, football and volleyball. The network also will have live football and boys and girls basketball tournament pairings shows. ... Three local athletes were among the 100 former Big Ten stars selected to the Big Ten Icons Watch List. Former Thornridge and Indiana basketball star Quinn Buckner, former Roosevelt and Purdue basketball star Glenn Robinson and former Thornton and Indiana football star Antwaan Randle El were among those honored. ... Inclement weather canceled Valparaiso University's softball game Friday at the KU Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. The Crusaders finish play in the tournament today with games against Missouri State at 11 a.m. and the host Jayhawks at 1 p.m.
