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Author: Dave Riggert

St. Louis gives up five HRs in 12-1 loss to Reds

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joey Votto, Yasiel Puig and Eugenio Suarez homered, and the Cincinnati Reds snapped St. Louis’ five-game win streak with a 12-1 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night.

Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker also connected as the Reds matched a season high with five homers in their third win in four games. Anthony DeSclafani tossed six scoreless innings in his first win since Aug. 28.

St. Louis ace Miles Mikolas (2-2) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. He pitched eight effective innings in a 10-2 victory over the New York Mets in his previous start.

Matt Carpenter had two hits and walked twice for St. Louis, which finished with eight hits. Carpenter scored on Paul DeJong’s single in the eighth for the Cardinals’ only run.

DeSclafani (1-1) gave up four hits in a 91-pitch outing. He struck out six and walked three.

Suarez put Cincinnati in front with his sixth homer in the first. Winker hit his team-best seventh homer leading off the fourth, and Votto made it 4-0 with a solo shot in the fifth. Puig drove in Winker with a two-run drive in the eighth, and Peraza homered during the Reds’ six-run ninth.

Curt Casali finished with three hits and four RBI for the Reds, who are 3-0-1 in their last four series against the Cardinals.

St. Louis infielder Jedd Gyorko struck out pinch hitter Phillip Ervin on four pitches to end the ninth.

STREAKING

St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the second. Teammate Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the seventh.

ROSTER MOVE

St. Louis activated Tyler O’Neill from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow outfielder Lane Thomas to Triple-A Memphis. O’Neill had been sidelined by a right elbow injury.

O’Neill grounded into a double play as a pinch hitter in the seventh.

TRAINING ROOM

Reds: LHP Alex Wood (back spasms) threw a bullpen session Wednesday in Arizona and is scheduled to throw another Saturday.

Cardinals: RHP Luke Gregerson (right shoulder impingement) tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts for Double-A Springfield on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

St. Louis right-hander Dakota Hudson (1-1, 5.89 ERA) will start the second game of the three-game series on Saturday against right-hander Tyler Mahle (1-3, 3.52 ERA). Hudson pitched a career-high five innings to earn his first win as a starter on Sunday. Mahle is seeking to stop a two-game skid and is 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two career starts against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s McCarthy selected to complete at NCAA Golf Championships

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INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA announced the 80 teams and 32 student-athletes competing as individuals that will be headed to regional competition for the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf Championships. Missouri Western junior Patrick McCarthy was one of four individuals selected from the central region to compete alongside the 10 teams from the Central Region.

There will be four regional tournaments, with two regions paired at each location. The top 10 teams from each region automatically qualify for the tournaments, with each region receiving four student-athletes selected to compete as individuals. McCarthy was the first individual selected from the Central Region.

McCarthy earns his third-straight selection to the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf Regional after his junior season. His selection on Friday comes just two days after being named All-MIAA at the MIAA Men’s Golf Championship.

McCarthy enters the regional with four top-10 finishes, including a victory at the SBU Invitational with a score of 215 (-1). In total, he has placed in the top-20 in nine of Missouri Western’s 10 events this season.

Qualifiers for the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf National Championships will be determined based on the results from the four regionals. The Central/Midwest Regional will take place in Hot Springs, Arkansas on May 9-11.

— MWSU Sports —

K-State’s Risner selected by Denver in second round of NFL Draft

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner saw his NFL dream come to fruition with his hometown team on Friday night as the Wiggins, Colorado, native was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

Risner, the No. 41 pick overall, becomes the highest Wildcat offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft (Todd Weiner, Seattle, No. 47 in 1998) and the 11th highest overall. Risner, the first K-State offensive lineman selected since Cody Whitehair in 2016 (Chicago), is just the fourth ever Wildcat drafted by the Broncos and the first since linebacker Terry Pierce in 2003.

Additionally, Risner’s pick extended K-State’s Big 12-leading NFL Draft streak to 26 years, a mark that was tied for 12th in the nation entering the 2019 NFL Draft.

A two-time First Team All-American, Risner started 50 of the Wildcats’ 51 games over his four-year career, the first year being at center and the final three at right tackle. The 2018 co-Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, Risner was just the fourth offensive lineman in Big 12 history to earn first team all-conference honors in three-straight seasons.

As a senior in 2018, Risner started all 12 games at right tackle en route to First Team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus, ESPN, CBS Sports and Sporting News, while he also earned second-team honors from the Walter Camp Foundation, Phil Steele, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America.

Risner’s work in the community has also been well documented, including this week by NFL Network. He was honored for his outstanding work in the community this past season by being named a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, William V. Campbell Trophy, Wuerffel Trophy and Senior CLASS Award.

— K-State Sports —

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on cover of ‘Madden NFL 20’

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Photo courtesy of EA Sports

Electronic Arts announced Thursday that the Kansas City quarterback and reigning NFL MVP will grace the cover of “Madden NFL 20” when it is released Aug. 2. The announcement was made before the first round of the NFL draft.

“It is awesome and definitely a full circle moment for me,” Mahomes said during an interview with The Associated Press before the cover was revealed.

In his first season as the Chiefs’ starting QB, Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns during the regular season and led them to the AFC championship game for the first time since 1993. He began last season with an overall Madden rating of 77 but finished the season with a 94.

Mahomes said he was approached by Electronic Arts prior to the Pro Bowl in late January about appearing on the cover. He also has given a lot of input on the development of the Face of the Franchise: QB1 feature that will be in this year’s game.

The feature allows players to create their own quarterback to play through the College Football Playoff, NFL combine, draft and career with a team.

“It has been great to be able to discuss my experiences going through everything, especially the draft process, and to see how that will develop in the game,” Mahomes said.

Mahomes, who is an avid video game player, said games like Madden have become more realistic and that the same concept of reading a playbook applies to learning football.

Players have appeared on the Madden cover since 1999. Mahomes is the eighth quarterback to be featured on the Madden cover and the second in the past three years. New England’s Tom Brady was on the cover two years ago.

Appearing on the cover has also had a stigma attached at times. Most of the cover athletes during the first 10 years suffered significant injuries the year they appeared. Recently retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was the most recent player to be beset by injuries when he started only six games in 2016.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland during the offseason, was on the cover last year.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western’s Ong wins 2nd straight MIAA Championship; Griffons finish 4th

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MAYETTA, Kan. – For the second-consecutive season, Shi Qing Ong is the MIAA’s Women’s Golf individual champion. Ong claimed the title with a three-round total of 215 (-1), dominating the field with a six-stroke championship victory. Missouri Western placed fourth in the team standings, advancing one spot since entering Wednesday’s final round in fifth.

Ong’s victory at the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships on Wednesday gives her back-to-back MIAA individual championships. The 2019 MIAA Women’s Golf Championship title also adds to an already-historic senior spring season for Ong. With her fifth-straight victory of the spring, she has now won each tournament that she has competed in this spring. Her career win total stands at 14 in her 44 appearances at Missouri Western.

After shooting what was then a field-best 71 (-1) in the second round, Ong improved with a 70 (-2) in the final round on Wednesday. Entering the final round with a one-stroke lead, her third-round performance sealed a six-stroke victory. She finished the MIAA Championship with a tournament-best 12 birdies to go along with 33 pars.

As a team, Missouri Western had its best round of the championship on Wednesday. The Griffons shot a 296, with each of Missouri Western’s five golfers having their best round of the event in the final round. The Griffons came up just short of third place, finishing with a total of 922 behind Central Oklahoma’s 920. Northeastern State won the team championship, edging Central Missouri by just three strokes.

Anna Bech tied for 13th in her first MIAA Women’s Golf Championship, finishing with a 232. She advanced three spots on Wednesday with her 75 (+3) in the final round, her best single-round score at the event. Bech ended with the second-most birdies on the team with eight. She now has a total of five top-10 finishes in her freshman season.

Katie Irvin placed 27th with a three-round total of 239. She had the second-best round score on the team on Wednesday, finishing with a 73 (+1). Her one-over 73 also gives Irvin a new career-low single-round score.

Jenna Kosmatka and Chong Yong each had their best round of the tournament with a 78 in Wednesday’s final round. Kosmatka placed 29th overall with a score of 241 while Yong finished 30th with a 242.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffon baseball loses to Emporia State 8-3

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ST. JOSEPH – Free passes came back to bite the Missouri Western baseball team (18-18) again on Wednesday in an 8-3 home loss to Emporia State (25-16).

Griffon pitchers issued six walks and the defense committed four errors in the game. Missouri Western led 3-2 after sixth, but the first two Emporia State batters in the seventh were both walked and later scored the tying and what turned out to be the winning run.

NOTABLES

  • ESU added four runs on two hits and two Griffon errors in the ninth inning
  • Casey Danley cut a 2-1 Emporia State lead in half with an RBI single in the third
  • Kyle Snuttjer tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Brooks Day’s RBI single in the fifth gave MWSU a 3-2 lead
  • MWSU used nine different pitchers in the game
  • Levi Abrahamson got the start and went the first three innings, allowing two runs – one earned – on three hits
  • Kellan Richards (1-3) took the loss after walking the two batters he faced in the seventh
  • After hitting the first batter he faced in the seventh, Jacob Purl retired five-straight, the final four via strikeout
  • Danley and Dusty Stroup each had two hits

UP NEXT
The next-to-last conference series of the season comes this weekend when Missouri Western hosts Southwest Baptist in a three-game series that begins Friday at 7 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest splits baseball doubleheader with Rockhurst

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KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader at Rockhust University on Wednesday.

The Bearcats scored a 6-4, eight-inning win in the opener, only to see the Hawks rally in the nightcap for a 7-5 triumph.

GAME ONE
Northwest scored an extra-inning triumph over Rockhurst with a pair of runs in the eighth inning to take it, 6-4.

Connor Quick had a two-hit game to extend his hitting streak to 18 in a row, but it was Derek Hussey who came through with a one-out, two-run single to left field that provided the winning runs in the opener.

Alixon Herrera scored an unearned run in the second to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. Herrera doubled to lead off the second and moved to third on a passed ball. Matt Gastner hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Herrera.

After giving up a solo homer in the bottom half of the second, Northwest plated a pair of runs in the third. Jordan Peck posted a leadoff double and eventually scored on a Logan Rycraft single to right. Rycraft stole second and scored on an error during Quick’s at bat in the third.

The Bearcats extended the margin to three runs in the fourth. For the third consecutive inning Northwest had its leadoff batter double – this time it was Peter Carlson with the two-bagger. Hussey moved him over to third on a sacrifice bunt and Carlson scored on a sac fly from Rycraft.

Northwest had built a 4-1 lead through three and a half innings before Rockhurst notched a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to even it up at 4-4.

Trevor Dudar pitched the seventh and got the win, while Aaron Easley worked around a walk in the eighth to earns his second save of the season.

GAME TWO
Northwest looked to take both ends of the doubleheader as the Bearcats built a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. However, Rockhurst rallied with three in the fourth and four in the sixth to get the split, 7-5.

A leadoff double from Gastner in the second was followed by another double from Mondesi Gutierrez to put the Bearcats on the board, 1-0. Hussey laced a single to left that scored Gutierrez and gave the Bearcats a 2-0 cushion. Hussey stole second and claimed both third and home on wild pitches for a 3-0 Bearcat advantage. Northwest had a chance to blow the contest wide open, but left the bases loaded in the second.

The Bearcats added to the lead in the fourth. Hussey led off with a single to left. Rycraft reached on a bunt single to the pitcher and Calvin Rudolph loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Quick drew a bases loaded walk to score Hussey. Herrera then lifted a sac fly to center to make it 5-0 in favor of the Bearcats. However, Northwest failed to do any more damage as Rudolph was picked off and Gastner flied out to left.

The Hawks got to Bearcat starter Tristan Ledger in the fourth for three runs. Max Ross relieved him with two out in the fourth and got out of a bases loaded jam with the Bearcats holding a 5-3 lead.

Russell Simmons retired the side in order in the fifth, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Simmons got two outs in the sixth but left the bases loaded following a single and two walks. Jarret Cronin came on and induced a ground ball to Rycraft at shortstop, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score and the game was tied. The Hawks came through with a two-out two-RBI single to extend the Rockhurst lead to 7-5.

The Bearcats attempted a two-out rally in the seventh. Peter Carlson worked the count full and drew a walk. Gutierrez then reached on an error to put the tying runs on base. However, Jordan Peck struck out to end it.

Simmons suffered the loss and dropped to 0-3 on the year.

NOTES: Rycraft had a three-hit game in the second contest … Hussey went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in the nightcap … Quick’s 18-game hitting streak was snapped in the second game, but he drew a walk to extend his consecutive on-base games streak to 26 in a row.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU men finish 6th at MIAA Golf Championships

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MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team turned in a 291 on the final round of the MIAA Golf Championships to finish tied for sixth with a three-round total of 888. Patrick McCarthy was named All-MIAA for the third time in his career.

Lucas Horseman (2-under) and McCarthy (1-under) each turned in their lowest rounds of the tournament on Wednesday. Horseman finished tied for 15th with a three-round total of 220 while McCarthy tied for 19th with a 222. Also tied for 19th was Tom Buffington. Cole Roberts finished with a 234 and Jake Mikesch turned in a three-round score of 239.

The Griffons started the day on fire and were at 9-under at one point early in the final round, but finished the tournament 24-over par, 22 strokes behind fourth place finishers Washburn and Central Oklahoma. Lindenwood took the team title with an impressive 21-under, 843, claiming the MIAA Championship by 12 strokes.

Buffington finished the tournament even on par-3 holes, third best in the field, and had the second most pars in the field with 39. McCarthy’s 8-under on par-5 holes was tied for third best in the field. Roberts and McCarthy were among a handful of golfers with Eagles in the tournament.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals roll Rays 10-2 to salvage final game of series

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay ace Blake Snell lasted one out into the fourth inning in his return from a broken right fourth toe as the Rays were beaten 10-2 by the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, who hurt the toe attempting to move a decorative display in his bathroom on April 14, allowed three runs, five hits, two walks and struck out three during a 65-pitch outing.

The left-hander (2-2) had given up one run and nine hits over 19 innings in three starts prior to the injury.

Adalberto Mondesi hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs, Billy Hamilton had two hits and two RBI, and Jakob Junis (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in five innings for the Royals, who stopped a five-game losing streak.

Junis bruised his right hand on Yandy Diaz’s drive that resulted in an inning-ending double-play in the fifth.

Snell, signed to a $50 million, five year contract on March 21, said Tuesday that he still had some discomfort in the toe when he walks, but not when throwing on a mound.

The Rays decided that Snell was ready to return despite throwing just an 18-pitch bullpen session Saturday and eight pitches off a mound Monday.

Snell was replaced by Ryan Yarbrough with a runner on third and one out in the fourth.

Kansas City greeted Yarbrough with consecutive bunt singles, including Cam Gallagher’s that drove in a run, and Hamilton’s RBI double that made it 4-1.

Hamilton had a run-scoring triple and Mondesi hit his third homer off Yarbrough to put the Royals ahead 8-1 in the sixth.

Hamilton is 3 for 36 overall against the Rays.

Mondesi added an eighth-inning RBI single.

Tampa Bay went up 1-0 on Joey Wendle’s RBI double in the first before the Royals tied it during the second when third baseman Daniel Robertson was charged with an error for an errant throw on a slow roller by Hamilton.

Both Hamilton (first base) and Terrance Gore (third base) were both tagged out during rundowns on the same play to end the second with Whit Merrifield batting.

Merrifield homered leading off the third.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier (lower back) was out of the lineup for the second straight game but could start Friday.

Rays: RHP Hunter Wood was transferred from the paternity list to the family emergency list and may rejoin the team Friday. Manager Kevin Cash said Wood’s baby was born premature but is fine and being monitored. … Wendle was hit by a Jake Diekman pitch in the sixth and left with a fractured right wrist.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder) will make his first start of the season Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels.

Rays: RHP Charlie Morton (2-0) will start Friday night at the Boston. The Rays were swept in a three-game series by the Red Sox last weekend.

— Associated Press —

Western softball stays at No. 6 in Central Regional Rankings

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ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team held at No. 6 in the NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings this week.

With last week off, the Griffons held steady at No. 6 and stayed in position to return to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The top eight teams in the final rankings head on to NCAA postseason play. Missouri Western missed the regional last year for the first time since 2013. The new No. 1 team in the nation, Central Oklahoma held the top spot in the regional rankings followed by Winona State, Augustana (S.D.), Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas. Central Missouri was the other MIAA representative in the rankings, coming in at No. 8 this week.

The Griffons host Washburn and Emporia State to close out the regular season this weekend. The games come with MIAA Championships seeding implications and more. The Griffons are still mathematically in contention for the regular season MIAA title, but would need some help sitting three games back of Central Oklahoma. Washburn will enter St. Joseph tied for third in the MIAA standings with Central Missouri, two games behind the second-place Griffons. Emporia State begins the weekend tied for fifth in the standings, three games back of the two tied for third place.

Friday’s games with Washburn will be part of the Second Annual Teal Games. On Saturday, the team will recognize its seven seniors following the doubleheader against Emporia State.

— MWSU Athletics —

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