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Author: Dave Riggert

Mustangs continue hot streak with win at Ozark

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The St. Joseph Mustangs opened a four-game road trip Sunday with a convincing 15-3 win at Ozark.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team won it’s fifth consecutive game as they improve to 19-3 and 15-3 in the MINK League.

The Mustangs offense stayed hot as they’ve scored at least 14 runs in four of their last five games.

St. Joseph scored three runs in the first inning to grab an early lead before Ozark rallied back to within 4-2 after three innings.  The Mustangs then scored five runs over the next three innings and put the game away with a six-run seventh.

Brent Seifert led the way again as he had three hits, including a home run and two RBI.  Benton graduate Jake Kretzer and Jordan Guida both had two hits, a home run and three RBI, while Brock Chaffin and T.J. Dailey added three hits each.

Northwest Missouri State graduate Jayson Huett (2-0) earned the win as he allowed five hits and three runs in seven innings pitched.  He struck out seven and walked one.

The Mustangs continue their road trip Monday as they play at Joplin.  The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m.

Royals lose finale to Cardinals on Schumaker walk-off HR

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Associated Press

Albert Pujols sprained his left wrist trying to make a tag at first base, but the St. Louis Cardinals recovered to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 Sunday on Skip Schumaker’s ninth-inning homer.

Pujols was injured in the sixth and the three-time NL MVP left the game. He will be evaluated further on Monday, an off day for St. Louis.

Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle off Cardinals starter Jamie Garcia. Second baseman Pete Kozma backhanded the ball and made a jump-throw to first, pulling Pujols off the bag. As the slugger tried for a tag, Betemit ran into his glove hand and Pujols went down to the ground in pain.

Pujols, hitting .279 this year, was 3 for 3 with his 17th home run. The fifth-inning shot gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead.

Lance Berkman, who had been given a rest Sunday, replaced Pujols at first.

Leading off the ninth, Alcides Escobar hit his first home run on a 3-2 pitch from St. Louis reliever Fernando Salas, who threw 10 pitches in the at-bat. It was Escobar’s first homer in 325 at-bats and it tied the game at 4. It marked just the second blown save in 15 attempts for Salas (4-1).

After leadoff hitter Dan Descalso got thrown out trying to stretch a single, Schumaker connected off Tim Collins (3-4), the fifth Royals pitcher.

It was Schumaker’s second game-ending homer, the first coming in 2008, and his first home run since April 13.

Schumaker got his first RBI as a pinch-hitter this year, driving in Andrew Brown in the sixth to put St. Louis ahead 4-3.

Cardinals reliever Miguel Batista pitched out of a jam in the seventh with two on and no outs. After getting a flyout, Batista got Jeff Francoeur to sharply line out to Schumaker at second and Melky Cabrera was doubled off first.

Royals rookie left-hander Danny Duffy left in the fourth inning with cramps in his left calf. He struck out nine in 3 2/3 innings. He threw 90 pitches. Duffy allowed six hits and a walk.

Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Billy Butler, who was making his first start after pinch-hitting in the first two games of the series. Butler is the Royals’ designated hitter.

The Cardinals struck for two in the first when Brown, making his second major league start, hit a bases-loaded single.

The Royals tied it in the second on Alex Gordon’s two-out RBI single.

Kansas City tied it at 3 in the sixth when Escobar’s squeeze bunt scored Betemit.

St. Joseph shuts out Ozark to sweep doubleheader

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The St. Joseph Mustangs scored double figure runs for the third time in four games Saturday night in the second game of a doubleheader sweep against Ozark inside Phil Welch Stadium.  The Mustangs shutout the Generals 14-0 as they finish their five-game home stand 4-1.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team improves to 18-3 and 14-3 in the MINK League.

Just like game one, the Mustangs galloped out to a big lead earlier by scoring five runs in the first inning, three in the second and four runs in the third inning.

Brent Seifert had two hits as he hit his third home run of the season and drove in four runs.  Jeff Roy also had two hits and four RBI.

St. Joseph was helped out Saturday by five Ozark errors and eight walks which accounted for five unearned runs.

Adam Maddox (2-0) went six scoreless innings to get the win as he allowed just four hits.  He struck out six and walked one.

The Mustangs are back on the road Sunday as they play at Ozark in another doubleheader that begins at 5:00 p.m.

Holliday’s home run lifts St. Louis past Kansas City

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Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Matt Holliday was determined to try anything to lift the St. Louis Cardinals out of their recent funk.

The home run worked best.

The outfielder, with high socks and a new pair of pants, hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning that helped the Cardinals snap a season-high seven-game skid with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

Holliday and three others starters — Ryan Theriot, Skip Schumaker and Yadier Molina — wore their socks up near the knees in an effort to shake the bad luck. Holliday even changed uniform pants, wearing a tighter pair belonging to special assistant Red Schoendienst, a Hall Of Famer.

Now, Holliday is ready to move forward with the new look. “You can’t change after a win,” he said.

Holliday drilled an 0-1 pitch from reliever Greg Holland to erase a 4-3 deficit. Holliday is 5 for 9 with two homers and four RBIs since coming back from a quadriceps injury June 16.

“I thought timing might be an issue,” he said. “But I saw the ball pretty well.”

Holliday homered in his first at-bat in his return to the lineup Thursday. The home run Saturday, his eighth of the season, went 422 feet to dead center.

“It was huge,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “As big a hit as we’ve had all year.”

Kansas City, which won the first game of the series, has lost three of four.

Jason Motte (3-1) earned the win in relief. Closer Fernando Salas converted his 12th save in 13 chances.

Holland (1-1) gave up his first home run of the season.

“He was lights out except for one pitch,” said Kansas City manager Ned Yost. “He threw it right down the middle.”

The Cardinals were outscored 47-20 during the losing streak.

“You just keep battling and realize that it’s a long season and every team goes through something like this,” Holliday said.

Alex Gordon gave Kansas City a 4-3 lead with a solo homer in the seventh off St. Louis starter Jake Westbook, who gave up four runs in seven innings.

“I still felt strong,” Westbrook said. “Matty picked us up with a big homer.”

St. Louis took a 3-2 lead in the third on a run-scoring double by Albert Pujols, who has 52 RBIs against Kansas City.

Matt Treanor then tied the game 3-all with a solo homer in the fourth, his third of the season.

Kansas City starter Vin Mazzaro allowed seven hits and three runs over six innings.

Melky Cabrera robbed Lance Berkman of a home run with a leaping catch over the wall in the sixth inning.

The Cardinals improved to 5-23 when trailing after seven innings.

“We let one slip away,” said Yost.

Alcides Escobar had two hits for the Royals. He has 16 hits in his last 29 at bats.

Mustangs win opener against Ozark Saturday

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The St. Joseph Mustangs won their third consecutive game Saturday, 7-5, in the first game of a doubleheader against Ozark at Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team has now won seven of its last eight games as they improve to 17-3 and 13-3 in the MINK League.

The Mustangs jumped on the Generals early with three runs in the first inning and then they broke open a 3-2 game with three more runs in the fourth.

Ozark pulled to within one run again in the fifth inning, but St. Joseph scored one in the bottom half of the fifth and the Mustangs bullpen threw 4.1 scoreless innings.  Ryan Price picked up the win in relief and Doug Shields earned the save.

Ben Baker started for St. Joe but allowed five runs and five hits in 4.2 innings.

Cameron Bentley and Spiker Helms led the Mustangs offense as they each had two hits and drove in two runs.  Kris Koerper added two hits and he had one RBI.

Jayhawks add junior college transfer Kevin Young

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KU Sports Information

Kansas coach Bill Self announced Friday that forward Kevin Young has joined the KU men’s basketball team. Young, who is eligible immediately, will be a junior at Kansas for the 2011-12 season.

“I thought we definitely needed a playmaker and we were able, at a late date, to fall into Kevin and we couldn’t be happier,” Self said. “He’s 6-8, thin and can play multiple positions. He reminds me a lot of Julian Wright – very bouncy, very athletic. He will most definitely be an impact player for us next season.”

Young, 6-8, 215, was a two-year letterwinner at Loyola Marymount University in 2008-09 and 2009-10 starting 62 of 65 games played for the Lions. The Perris, Calif., native averaged 9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for LMU his freshman season and broke the school’s freshman records with 224 rebounds, 51 steals and 34 blocked shots. Included was a LMU freshman single-game record with 19 rebounds against New Mexico State.

Young averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds his sophomore year at LMU. He recorded six double-doubles in his two seasons as a Lion. Young sat out as a player last year focusing completely on academics and completed his associate’s degree at San Bernardino Community College. Also during that time he was a volunteer assistant coach at Barstow Community College.

“Kevin played two years at Loyola Marymount, then transferred to a junior college last year to get his academics in order,” Self said. “He graduated from junior college and has two years left to play. We’re really happy. I know he wants to be here. It’s amazing how recruiting works. You work so hard for some guys and don’t get them and sometimes great opportunities just happen to come your way and this is certainly a great opportunity for us.”

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to playing at Kansas,” Young said. “They take a lot of pride in basketball and academics here and I’m ready for that challenge. I’m looking forward to working with my teammates and coaches and becoming a Jayhawk.”

“Last year my focus was on academics and working on my individual game,” Young continued. “I feel I have a lot to contribute to the university and the Kansas basketball program.”

In July 2009, Young, whose mother is Puerto Rican, played for Puerto Rico in the U19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. Young averaged 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in the event as Puerto Rico went 5-4. Kansas senior guard Tyshawn Taylor led the USA Men’s U19 Team to the gold medal at the 2009 U19 World Championship, including an 82-61 win against Young’s Puerto Rico squad during the competition.

Young was a prep standout at Perris High School in Perris, Calif. He averaged 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shot per game his senior season and recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 17 rebounds and 12 blocked shots against Cajon.

Missouri State to play basketball exhibition at Missouri Southern

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MSU Sports Information

Missouri State University Director of Athletics Kyle Moats announced Friday (June 17) the University has received a waiver from the NCAA to play a men’s basketball exhibition game at Missouri Southern State University on Saturday, Nov. 5.

NCAA regulations prohibit Division I programs from playing on the road for preseason exhibitions. However, the game on the campus of Missouri Southern in Joplin will be held in conjunction with ongoing area-wide relief efforts to aid victims of the May 22 tornado that tore through the southwest Missouri community about 70 miles west of Springfield.

All proceeds from the game will go directly to the Missouri Southern Foundation’s Tornado Emergency Relief Fund to help aid the relief effort for the tornado that has killed 153.

“To see what the people there have gone through is really tough, particularly since it’s a place I’ve lived and coached,” said first-year MSU head basketball coach Paul Lusk who coached at Missouri Southern for current head coach Robert Corn from 1999-2002. “It just hits close to home with me, and I am really grateful we’ll get an opportunity to help.”

The NCAA waiver will also allow the Bears to retain their two home exhibition games, which are still being finalized. The complete non-conference schedule is expected to be released during the next couple of weeks.

“We are grateful that the NCAA has given us a chance to help our friends in Joplin with this game,” said Moats. “We have been waiting a couple of weeks to find out if (the waiver) would be granted or not, and we were elated that the game is now a reality.

“The real winners are the people of Joplin,” Moats continued. “We want them to know their neighbors at Missouri State are here for them for the long haul, and our commitment to providing assistance will continue long after the final horn sounds for this basketball game.”

Details on the game time and ticket information will be released at a later date.

Missouri Southern State University is an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), of which the Bears were a charter member. MSU competed in the MIAA from 1912 to 1981 and has played the Lions just twice in men’s basketball, most recently in 1978, in addition to an exhibition game at Hammons Student Center in 2005.

The Bears completed the 2010-11 season with a 26-9 overall record and finished 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference en route to the program’s first MVC regular-season title. The Lions were 26-5 this past season and advanced to the NCAA Division II round of 32

Mustangs offense keeps rolling in big win over Nevada

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One night after scoring a franchise record 21 runs, the St. Joseph Mustangs put 15 more on the board and rolled past Nevada Friday night at Phil Welch Stadium, 15-6.

St. Joe’s summer college baseball team pounded out 20 hits and now have 43 hits in their last two games as they improve to 16-3 this season and 12-3 in the MINK League.

The Mustangs took a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Jordan Guida hit a two-out two-run home run to cap off the inning.

St. Joseph eventually led 12-0 before Nevada finally broke through in the seventh inning with five runs.

Cameron Bentley led the way offensively as he finished the night 5-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBI.  Jake Kretzer added three hits and three runs scored, Guida had two hits and three RBI, and Brent Siefert and Will Mulligan each drove in two runs.

Kyle Jackson (2-1) earned the win on the mound as he went 6.2 innings and allowed five runs on five hits.  He struck out five and walked two.

The Mustangs are back at home Saturday for a doubleheader against Ozark.  The first pitch of game one is set for 5:00 p.m. at Phil Welch Stadium.

Royals defeat Cardinals in series opener

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Associated Press

First baseman Albert Pujols’ fielding error with two outs in the eighth allowed the tiebreaking run to score from second base and the Kansas City Royals handed the St. Louis Cardinals their seventh straight loss, 5-4 on Friday night.

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter appeared to have pitched around a walk to Mike Moustakas leading off the eighth inning when he induced Alcides Escobar to hit a grounder to Pujols. But the ball went under Pujols glove and into right field. Moustakas, who had advanced to second on a sacrifice by Matt Treanor, scored to break a 4-all tie and spoil manager Tony La Russa’s 2,500th game with the Cardinals.

Blake Wood (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Kansas City. Joakim Soria worked the ninth for his 11th save in 16 chances.

Escobar went 2 for 4 with a run scored. He is 14-for-24 (.583) over his last seven games with eight runs.

Carpenter (1-7) allowed 10 hits and four runs over eight innings. He struck out seven and walked one. Lance Berkman drove in three runs for the Cardinals with a bases-loaded double in the third.

Berkman’s double gave St. Louis a 4-3 lead. Kansas City tied it in the fourth when Royals starter Felipe Paulino laid down a sacrifice with one out and runners on first and third. Chris Getz scored when Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz tried to retire Escobar at second and Paulino was credited with an RBI.

The Royals had built a 3-0 advantage on a first-inning RBI single by Jeff Francoeur and a two-run single by Alex Gordon with two outs in the second.

Ted Silva named Nebraska pitching coach

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NU Sports Information

Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad announced the second addition to his coaching staff on Friday, as Ted Silva has been hired as the Huskers’ pitching coach. Silva comes to Lincoln from the West Coast, where he has spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at UC Irvine and Loyola Marymount.

Silva, a native of Redondo Beach, Calif., and a 1995 All-America pitcher at Cal State Fullerton, helped lead UC Irvine to national prominence from 2008-10 when the Anteaters qualified for three straight NCAA Regionals and won the 2009 Big West Conference title. He moved on to Loyola Marymount under longtime friend and former Titan teammate Jason Gill for the 2011 season.

“I know the University of Nebraska sets the bar with its great tradition, fan support and facilities” said Silva, who was an assistant coach for UC Irvine at the 2008 Lincoln Regional. “Now having the opportunity to come back and work with Coach Erstad is extremely humbling and exciting. I have been fortunate to be a part of some great teams the past few years, and I cannot wait to help this prestigious university. It is an exciting time for the Nebraska baseball program.”

In Silva’s first season as pitching coach, UC Irvine won the 2008 Lincoln Regional, including a 3-2 win over host Nebraska. The Anteaters nearly advanced to the College World Series, but fell one inning short of sweeping No. 2 LSU before the Tigers came back to win the Super Regional. While at UCI, Silva’s pitching unit produced a 3.89 ERA and helped the program to its first Big West Conference championship. The Anteaters qualified for the NCAA Tournament all three years and were eliminated in 2010 by eventual national runner-up UCLA.

“Coach Silva is one of the best in the country,” Erstad said. “He has been a part of many successful teams, and his track record speaks for itself. I wanted to keep an open mind through the search and in the end I knew who I had to go after. I look forward to working with Coach Silva and am extremely excited he is coming to Nebraska.”

Silva took an assistant coaching position at Loyola Marymount under Gill for the 2011 season. The two were teammates on the 1994 Cal State Fullerton squad that finished 47-16 and reached the College World Series. In his only season with the Lions, Silva’s pitchers posted a 3.25 ERA to rank 30th nationally, cutting the team’s ERA nearly in half from 2010 (7.21). A trio of LMU pitchers were selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, including a pair of top-15 round selections in Jason Wheeler (8th round) and Alex Gillingham (11th round). During his first two seasons, Wheeler was 1-4 with a 7.80 ERA before improving to 6-4 with a 3.84 ERA in his junior year under Silva. Gillingham, who earned 2011 first-team All-West Coast Conference honors, saw similar improvement, as he was 6-8 with a 5.51 ERA before producing an 8-4 campaign in 2011 with a 2.49 ERA.

Silva and Gill were on staff at their alma mater in 2005 and 2006 when Silva served as a volunteer assistant coach. The Titans won the Big West Conference championship both years and reached the College World Series in 2006 when CSF produced an NCAA-best 2.73 ERA. Silva helped coach All-Americans and future first-round selections Ricky Romero (2005) and Wes Roemer (2006) to Big West Pitcher of the Year honors. After a year at Fresno State, Silva accepted the UC Irvine pitching coach position and led four Anteater hurlers to a combined 19 All-America awards. Scott Gorgen (2008) and Daniel Bibona (2009-10) collected Big West Pitcher-of-the-Year accolades in his three years at UCI to give Silva a hand in five Big West Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year awards.

During his three seasons at UCI, the Anteaters posted some of the best marks in school history, including the nation’s third-best ERA in 2008 at 3.27, the program’s best since 1974. The same season, UCI struck out a school record 503 hitters. The following year, UCI tied the school record with 20 saves, while the 2010 season saw the Anteaters achieve the league’s second-best totals in ERA (3.98) and strikeouts (483).

Silva spent the 2007 season at Fresno State and helped the Bulldogs to an NCAA Regional appearance. As a team, Fresno State finished with the second-best ERA in the WAC at 4.54, while three Bulldog hurlers ranked in the top 10 individually.

Prior to his coaching days, Silva was a standout pitcher at Cal State Fullerton from 1993-95. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Silva was 26-7 over his career with a 2.92 ERA and 26 saves, the fourth-most in school history. Silva, who earned 1995 first-team All-America honors, played a key role in the Titans’ run to the national title, including earning the win in the championship game against USC. The 1995 Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, Silva finished the season as the national leader in victories with a single-season school-record 18 wins (18-1) to go along with six saves. He produced a 2.83 ERA with 142 strikeouts.

As a sophomore, Silva was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball after he went 4-4 with a 2.29 ERA and 13 saves, the third-most in Titan history. He earned a spot on Team USA following the season.

Silva was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 21st round of the 1995 MLB Draft, the same year Erstad was the No. 1 overall pick by the California Angels. He spent five seasons in the Rangers organization, including one year pitching overseas in Taiwan, while also playing in the independent Atlantic League.

Silva, who also served as an assistant coach at Villa Park High School in 2004, attended Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, Calif., and graduated in 1992.

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