PITTSBURG, Kansas – The Pittsburg State University Gorillas shut out the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team in game one of a three-game set Friday, 10-0.
The Gorillas put up a three-spot in the first off Bearcat starter Max Spitzmiller. The Gorillas tallied four hits, including a pair of run scoring doubles, in the three-run first.
The Gorillas added three more in the fourth in four more hits to increase the lead to 6-0. Northwest had a scoring opportunity in the fifth when Michael Gastner doubled and Calvin Rudolph followed with a walk. However, Derek Hussey grounded into a fielder’s choice, third to second, and Logan Rycraft grounded out to the pitcher to end the scoring threat.
Pitt State put two runners on with two outs in the fifth to chase Spitzmiller and Jarret Cronin induced a liner to left for the third out to escape any more damage.
Peter Carlson singled to lead off the sixth and Alixon Herrera singled with two out. But a Connor Quick ground out to second ended the inning with the Bearcats trailing, 6-0.
Pitt State added two runs in the second and two more in the eighth to close out 10-0 contest.
Pittsburg State improves to 11-9 overall and 6-4 in the MIAA, while Northwest drops to 9-11 overall and 5-5 in league action.
NOTES: Peter Carlson and Matt Gastner each tallied two hits in the game … Max Spitzmiller went 4 2/3 innings and gave up 10 hits and six runs while striking out three.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marial Shayok had watched shot after shot hit everything but net Friday night, and Iowa State’s leading scorer and veteran leader could very well have grown hesitant and frustrated.
Instead, he hit the two biggest shots of the game.
Shayok rattled in a tying 3-pointer down the stretch, swished another from right in front of his own bench, then added a couple of free throws in the closing seconds to help the fifth-seeded Cyclones beat No. 15 Kansas State 63-59 in the Big 12 semifinals.
“I had all the confidence in the world,” Shayok said, “despite missing a bunch of shots in the second half. I just kept my confidence. This team has my back and the coaches have my back.”
Shayok finished with 21 points, Nick Weiler-Babb added 12 and Iowa State (22-11) advanced to play No. 17 Kansas on Saturday night. The Cyclones are 4-0 when playing for the title.
“We had lots of chances,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “Shayok with the big 3 when we were all struggling making shots — he stepped up and made that big 3 that turned the game.”
Cartier Diarra had 15 points to lead five players in double figures for the Wildcats (25-8), who shared the regular-season title with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were bounced from the tournament by 10th-seeded West Virginia in the quarterfinals Friday night.
The Wildcats once again played without All-Big 12 forward Dean Wade, who sat on the bench with a walking boot on his right foot. It remains unclear whether he’ll be ready for the NCAA Tournament.
“We know that it’s win-or-go home. You have to play together at all times,” Diarra said. “I think that’s the biggest thing moving forward, just keeping that mindset, and focusing on who we’re going to be playing against and not looking ahead.”
Kansas State got off to a hot start, unlike its quarterfinal win over TCU, but the Cyclones and their massive contingent of fans slowly turned the tide late in the first half.
It began when Sneed missed a layup for the Wildcats and Tyrese Haliburton scored a third-chance basket at the other end for Iowa State. Kansas State went on to miss 12 straight field-goal attempts while the high-flying Cyclones went on a 21-4 charge to end the half.
Momentum promptly switched in the locker room.
The Wildcats, who had the Big 12’s best defense this season, buckled down to start the second half, and they put together an 11-0 run that made it 38-all with 15 minutes to go.
“Their teams are so tough. They’re resilient. They have championship DNA,” Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. “We talked at halftime how those guys were going to respond.”
They kept the run going, too, when Diarra was whacked on the way to the basket and needed to get treatment on the sideline after his free throws. Sneed finally knocked down a 3-pointer, Makol Mawien added a bucket in the paint, and Barry Brown’s fast-break layup forced Iowa State to call timeout.
The Cyclones still trailed 55-52 when Shayok’s first 3 bounced off the rim, then off the glass and dropped through. Then, after Diarra missed a 3 at the other end, Shayok hit his go-ahead 3.
Brown’s driving layup got Kansas State to 59-57 with 20.3 seconds left, but Weiler-Babb answered with a pair of free throws. Shayok answered two by Kansas State’s Xavier Sneed with two more of his own, and a team that struggled late in the season began celebrating a trip to the finals.
“We got back to competing in practice, just working hard and going at each other,” said the Cyclones’ Michael Jacobson. “I mean, to be honest, sometimes you have to hit rock-bottom and start building back up, and I think that’s what has happened to us.”
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State won despite committing 17 turnovers and struggling from the field for most of the second half. The Cyclones also won without much help from sharpshooter Talen Horton-Tucker, who had six points on 3-for-10 shooting.
Kansas State could use Wade if it expects to do damage in the NCAA Tournament. He’s the go-to guy when times get tough, and the 6-foot-10 forward probably couldn’t have helped stop the Cyclones’ big run at the end of the first half.
UP NEXT
Iowa State will play the third-seeded Jayhawks for the title.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Small College Basketball has narrowed down its Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2019 to 25 of the finest men’s basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.
Northwest Missouri State senior Joey Witthus (Chanhassan, Minnesota) and redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins (Manhattan, Kansas) have both made the list on the cut down to the top 25 players.
Witthus, the MIAA player of the year and most outstanding player at the MIAA tournament, is averaging a team-best 20.9 points per game and shooting 50.5 percent from the field. Witthus has buried an-MIAA high 100 three-pointers, and he is shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Witthus also leads Northwest in free throws made (133) and his shooting 84.2 percent from the free throw line.
Hudgins, the MIAA freshman of the year, is scoring 18.7 points per game and handing out 5.3 assists per game. Hudgins is shooting 53.7 percent from the field, including 48.0 percent from three-point range. Hudgins is making 81.8 percent of his free throws and tied the all-time MIAA record for consecutive free throws made at 36. Hudgins has scored 20 or more points 17 times this season. He has set the Northwest and MIAA freshman scoring record with 599 points.
This marks the fourth season of the Bevo Francis Award, as the award was previously given to Dominez Burnett of Davenport (Mich.) in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State in 2017 and Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial last season.
“On behalf of our National Awards Committee, the University of Rio Grande and Sheward Fulks Insurance, I congratulate the 25 players that have made the Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award.
“We have done a tremendous amount of research to create this very elite list. There are so many worthy candidates, and this is an extremely challenging process. This list consists of players that have been fantastic this season, have helped led their respective teams to a high level of success and fit the criteria for the Bevo Francis Award very well. Sincerely, we congratulate each and every one of them!”
Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gerald Holmes – Bloomfield (N.J.), Gary Stewart – Stevenson (Md.), Arlen Galloway – Wentworth (Mass.), Chris Briggs – Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Klint Pleasant – Rochester (Mich.), Ryan Kane – Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Hillsdale Baptist (Okla.), Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Alma (Mich.) and Ryan Looney – Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.).
The committee chose this elite group from over 1,100 colleges and universities and took into consideration individual statistics, previous awards, milestones and team success.
The list will next be narrowed down to the finalists that will be announced in a highlight video on April 6.
The 2019 Bevo Francis Award winner will be announced on April 8. The award will be presented to the winner on May 11 at the SCB National Awards Show in conjunction with the SCB Alumni Association’s Celebration of the Game event at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Small College Basketball is very grateful to the University of Rio Grande and Sheward-Fulks Insurance for their sponsorship and support of the Bevo Francis award.
CHICAGO (AP) — Nate Reuvers scored 14 points, D’Mitrik Trice hit a clutch 3-pointer with 58 seconds left and No. 19 Wisconsin beat pesky Nebraska 66-62 on Friday to advance to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
Khalil Iverson also scored 14 points as the Badgers (23-9) won for the sixth time in seven games despite a shaky performance by Ethan Happ. The 6-foot-10 forward, who was averaging 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds coming into the tourney, had a season-low four points and committed seven of the team’s 17 turnovers.
Reuvers, Iverson, Aleem Ford and Brad Davison stepped up to help make up for Happ’s tough day. Ford and Davison each had 11 points.
Next up for the Badgers is No. 6 Michigan State. The top-seeded Spartans advanced with a 77-70 victory over Ohio State.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma will serve as the host site for the 2019 MIAA Softball Championship. The eight team double-elimination tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 1 and runs through Saturday, May 4.
The games will be played at Broncho Softball Stadium, which is located on the north side of campus directly west of Hamilton Field House. The stadium, which received $2.7 million dollars in major renovations in 2017, features an artificial playing surface with intimate raised seating for nearly 300 spectators.
As part of the renovations, a new top-of-the-line clubhouse was added on the first base line as well as new batting and pitching cages, public restrooms and a press box that features a separate booth for broadcasting.
The tournament was originally scheduled to return to the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium complex for the fourth consecutive season, however, ongoing renovations necessitated the change in venue.
More information about the tournament including the bracket, parking and ticket prices will be announced in the near future.
BENTON COUNTY— Two people died and a driver was arrested after an accident just after 2:30p.m. Friday in Benton County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Ford F150 driven by Kurt B. Eisenger, 62, Warsaw, was westbound on Highway H just east of Heits Pointe Avenue.
The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected and the pickup traveled off the left side of the road, hit a rock cliff and overturned.
Passengers Barbara S. Adams, 66, and Johnnie R. Adams, 64, both of Warsaw were pronounced dead at the scene. Warsaw Fire and EMS transported 5-year-old passenger Rodney Pettis of Sedalia to Bothwell Regional for observation.
The MSHP arrested Kurt Eisenger and transported him to the Benton County jail on requested charges of involuntary manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child
Eisenger and the other occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.
SALLISAW, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say a knife-wielding Oklahoma man who was fatally shot by police had been reported as a possible Missouri jail escape.
Davis-photo Pettis Co.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Brook Arbeitman says 27-year-old Shawn Taylor Watie of Stilwell was shot by two officers in Sallisaw Thursday when he “came after” them with a knife. He died at a hospital.
Watie’s brother-in-law, Jerod Neal, told KFSM-TV that Watie was walking to work when he was shot. Neal said he doesn’t believe the police account because Watie was not combative.
Arbeitman says police found Watie while investigating reports of a man thought to be 30-year-old Travis Lee Davis, who escaped Sunday from a jail in Sedalia, Missouri. Davis was last seen Wednesday after authorities say he stole a police car while handcuffed in Heavener, Oklahoma, then disappeared after crashing the vehicle.
Gov. Mike Parson addresses a news conference after touring northwest Missouri flooding.
Gov. Mike Parson tours flood damage in northwest Missouri, then addresses a news conference at St. Joseph’s Rosecrans Airport to assure area residents the state stands ready to help as the Missouri River rises to near record heights.
Parson says he observed the flooding during a helicopter tour of the area.
“There’s no question we’re concerned about this,” Parson tells reporters. “The water is going to rise. We know that. There are some levee breaches out there now, which I don’t know if that’s so terribly uncommon under these circumstances. It’s always a concern.”
Parson says his tour raised concerns about residents who have had to flee homes as the Missouri River continues to rise.
“Anytime you’re seeing that kind of devastation out there and you see water levels rising and you see people’s homes out there that’s getting close to the water line or electric plants, things like that that you see out there, there’s concern for that,” Parson says.
Gov. Parson speaks with state Sen. Dan Hegeman and Atchison County Emergency Management Dir. Rhonda Wiley as 139th Airlift Wing Vice Commander, John Clark, looks on.
Recent heavy rains, snowmelt up north, and additional water releases upstream have driven the Missouri River to heights the area hasn’t seen since the 2011 flood. The National Weather Service says the Missouri River at St. Joseph rose to higher than 25 feet Friday evening, heading toward a projected crest of 30.1 feet by Monday. The record crest is 32.1 feet, set in 1993.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased water releases from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota to ease widespread flooding in Nebraska. The Corps had been releasing 50,000 cubic feet per second and had intended to increase flows to 60,000. But with the devastating flooding in Nebraska, the Corps increase releases to 90,000, increasing worries about flooding downstream.
The Missouri and its tributaries have exceeded their banks in Iowa, overflowing Interstate 29 near Omaha. That prompted the Missouri Department of Transportation to close I-29 at mile marker 110 near Rock Port. Those wishing to travel north on I-29 are advised to take I-35 to I-80 and across.
Despite growing fears about increased flooding, Parson says he believes local emergency management agencies have responded well.
“I think right now everything is in place where it needs to be,” according to Parson. “We’ve got boots on the ground here. You’ve got the local level that understands this better than we do and that’s kind of why I’m here today, is to get that input from everyone who lives up here and try to do whatever we can to give them the tools they need to be successful to try to make sure we handle this situation the best we can.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency declaration on Friday for Doniphan County affected by flooding this week.
The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria.
In a media release the Governor said, “We urge residents to be aware of their safety. Flood waters can be deceptive; it only takes 18 inches of water to float a car. Although people often think of tornadoes as the big destructive force of nature in Kansas, floods can be just as damaging, if not more so. While tornadoes are generally limited in scope, floods affect many, many square miles, destroying or damaging roads, bridges, power lines and other vital infrastructure. I am signing this declaration to help these county governments quickly restore infrastructure and get things back to normal for their citizens.”
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to a partial level and is working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service to provide support to Doniphan County. KDEM has sent three regional coordinators to assist Doniphan county emergency management officials.
Other state agencies that have reported to the SEOC are State Fire Marshal’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol and Department of Children and Families.
The Kansas State Animal Response Team has been requested to deploy to assist with sheltering of evacuated pets.
The state declaration may be amended to include any additional counties that may experience flooding.
For Kansas road information go online to www.KanDrive.org. The site displays information from KDOT’s traveler information technology, including highway cameras, dynamic message signs, traffic management centers and 511 phone, online and mobile (http://511mm.ksdot.org).
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., joined the HACC Chamber Chat Friday morning at FHSU.
By BECKY KISER
Sen. Jerry Moran was in Hays on Friday morning to get his hair cut and then swung by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Chat at Fort Hays State University.
The weekly event featured executive staff members of the FHSU Student Government Association, who explained the organization’s purpose and how it works.
Community Relations Director Jacki Dougherty, Wichita junior, talked about the outreach programs she coordinates, including partnerships.
Moran, one of the two Republican U.S. senators for Kansas and a former Hays resident, noted he had served in SGA when a student at FHSU.
“There’s nothing more important than what happens here at Fort Hays State University for the benefit and future of western Kansas. What takes place on this campus matters greatly,” Moran told the crowd. “It’s great to see the chamber of commerce, the business community of Hays, and the students come together.”
Moran visits with constituents at FHSU Friday morning, including Hays City Commissioner Ron Mellick.
After the Chamber Chat, Moran talked with many of the attendees and then sat down for a short interview with local media representatives.
Moran was asked about his vote Thursday for the Emergency Declaration Resolution of Disapproval to block President Donald Trump from using emergency powers to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Moran is one of just 12 Republicans who joined with Democrats in the 59-41 vote. The other Kansas senator, Pat Roberts, voted against the resolution.
The Democrat-controlled House approved the resolution last month, 245-182.
“I and many of my colleagues have been interested in more border security. … I’ve introduced legislation related to strengthening our borders, including money necessary for a wall to be built,” Moran said. “The question is, how do we get there since Congress rejected that?”
After the Senate vote, President Trump tweeted “VETO!”
Moran believes Trump has been “unfairly treated by Democratic leadership” that previously voted for funding for a wall and supported it.
“Perhaps because it’s now President Trump, they’re unwilling to do so,” he said.
The contention that building a wall across the southern border is immoral is “just wrong” in Moran’s view. “It is important to have border security and to know who’s coming across our borders.”
It’s also important, Moran says, that Congress abide by the U.S. Constitution.
Moran believes strongly the method of a president declaring an emergency and spending the money is a violation of the Constitution, which Moran has sworn to uphold.
“This can become a precedent for other presidents and emergency powers have certainly been used by previous presidents,” he said. “When (Democratic) President Obama was using executive orders to negotiate an agreement with Iran on its nuclear abilities, that should have been a treaty subject to Senate confirmation. I and many of my colleagues pushed back strenuously on his, in my view, excess use of executive power. The Democrats were in the majority and the votes weren’t there for success in the Senate.
“Other presidents have worked around Congress to do things that requires Congress to be engaged in. It was wrong then and it will be wrong in the future. Having taken that position with President Obama, I can’t pick and choose at which points in time I think the Constitution is important. I think it’s important always.”
The president is acting under an emergency powers act, a law that is unconstitutional, according to Moran, and needs to be repealed or amended.
“That’s where the focus was in advance of this vote and that’s where the focus is today after this vote, is to have a different set of criteria that guides a president’s ability to declare an emergency in what circumstances.”
Moran said he thinks there is sufficient Republican Congressional support to “rein in” the law that allows presidential emergency powers regardless of the circumstances. “I don’t know about Democratic support, but there ought to be to do so.”
Moran acknowledged the difficulty in amending the law.
“Probably no president will ever agree to sign a law that restricts their authorities,” he said with a wry smile. “It’s a really old law and being used in ways suggesting that it must be amended. It will take a president or a super majority of House and Senate members to alter the law.”
According to Moran, the president on Thursday “indicated that he would consider” signing an amended law “in the future.”
Mid-afternoon Friday, President Trump signed the first veto of his administration, overriding Congress to protect his emergency declaration for redirecting more than $6 billion in federal funds for the border wall.
Friday morning Moran predicted there would not be a vote in the Senate on the override and that a vote would fail in the House.
“But I intend to be consistent with my past votes,” he added.
Trump’s national emergency declaration still faces legal challenges. Sixteen states filed a lawsuit last month challenging the declaration as unconstitutional.
Below is the statement Moran issued yesterday regarding his vote on the Emergency Declaration.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Committee – Thursday announced he will support H. J. Res. 46, the Emergency Declaration Resolution of Disapproval.
“President Trump is correct, there is a need for better border security,” wrote Sen. Moran. “…I have introduced legislation and voted many times for greater funding for border security, including President Trump’s border wall.”
“Upon my election to public office, I take one oath – to uphold the Constitution of the United States,” continued Sen. Moran. “I believe the use of emergency powers in this circumstance violates the Constitution. Allowing the use of such power establishes a precedent for future presidents to further act against laws and appropriations approved by Congress. This continues our country down the path of all powerful executive – something those who wrote the Constitution were fearful of.”
Sen. Moran’s full written thoughts can be found here and below.
1. President Trump is correct, there is a need for better border security.
2. Our borders are a matter of national sovereignty and control over who enters our country is vital in our fight against terrorism and battle against drugs and human trafficking.
3. Many Americans and most Kansans agree with the President that this is an important issue and must be dealt with.
4. The President has not been fairly treated by Democrats in Congress – a wall is not immoral and democrats have previously supported funding border barriers.
5. I have introduced legislation and voted many times for greater funding for border security, including President Trump’s border wall.
6. The President can advance the building of a wall with the funding just approved by Congress and can increase the funds available by reprogramming other accounts.
7. Therefore, the declaration of an emergency is not necessary.
8. The declaration of an emergency under these circumstances is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The laws passed by Congress years ago allowing the president emergency powers is flawed and needs to be repealed or amended.
9. In high school government class we all learned about our Founding Fathers and the three separate, but equal branches of government. This concept is one of the most significant in protecting America as a republic and maintaining citizen freedoms & liberties. Both government structure and the Bill of Rights matter.
10. Upon my election to public office, I take one oath – to uphold the Constitution of the United States. I believe the use of emergency powers in this circumstance violates the Constitution.
11. Allowing the use of such power establishes a precedent for future presidents to further act against laws and appropriations approved by Congress. This continues our country down the path of all powerful executive – something those who wrote the Constitution were fearful of.
12. Kansans have criticized President Obama for abuse of executive orders, ignoring the laws and avoiding the requirements of negotiating a treaty when dealing with foreign powers. I agree and fought it.
13. I aggressively opposed the overreach of past presidents and believe that I can not pick and choose to now look the other way.
14. If the Constitution means one thing in the Obama administration and another in the Trump administration, the enduring value of the Constitution disappears and another generation of Americans will be less free.
15. The number one responsibility we have as American citizens is to pass to the next generation of Americans our constitutionally guaranteed liberties. There are days where it seems clear we are failing greatly.
16. How we do things – even good things – matters. We were raised that the ends don’t justify the means.
17. To find a loop hole on this issue and to vote another way might be an easier course. But my gut, my intellect, my understanding of history, tells me use of emergency powers is wrong. It can’t be an option to support something I believe wrong.
18. This country is filled with people who care, who are patriots, who served in our military. I try never to let anyone down. On my watch I always want to do right as I see it.
PITTSBURG, Kansas – The Pittsburg State University Gorillas shut out the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team in game one of a three-game set Friday, 10-0.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marial Shayok had watched shot after shot hit everything but net Friday night, and Iowa State’s leading scorer and veteran leader could very well have grown hesitant and frustrated.
CHICAGO (AP) — Nate Reuvers scored 14 points, D’Mitrik Trice hit a clutch 3-pointer with 58 seconds left and No. 19 Wisconsin beat pesky Nebraska 66-62 on Friday to advance to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma will serve as the host site for the 2019 MIAA Softball Championship. The eight team double-elimination tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 1 and runs through Saturday, May 4.
