We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Author: Dave Riggert

Cardinals beat Brewers 5-2 to complete three-game sweep

Posted on

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright was warm enough on a cool day, allowing one run in six innings for his 150th career victory, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.

Last year’s MVP, Christian Yelich, had most of the day off but still had a chance to rescue the Brewers. He came up as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, but Jordan Hicks struck him out to pick up his seventh save in eight chances.

Wainwright (2-2) matched his season low in runs allowed, and it was his first quality start in a game with a starting temperature of 60 degrees or cooler since May 27, 2017.

Marcell Ozuna and Yadier Molina homered for the Cardinals as part of a four-run fourth. Ozuna’s three-run homer extended his on-base streak to 14 games, and it was his 17th career homer against the Brewers, the most he’s had against any opponent.

Molina’s blast extended his 12-game hitting streak, tying him with Paul DeJong for the longest by a Cardinal this season. Paul Goldschmidt got the rally started with a single, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

St. Louis’ three-game sweep of Milwaukee was its first against its NL Central rival since July 1-3, 2016. The teams have already played 10 times this season, and Wednesday’s result evened the season series at 5-5. They combined for 45 home runs in the 10 games.

Jhoulys Chacin (2-3) lasted four innings, allowing four runs on five hits. Zach Davies on April 13 was the last Brewers pitcher to turn in a quality start.

Brewers starters have gone 8-7 with a 5.84 ERA this season, and they are the only team in the NL whose starters average less than five innings per game. Help is coming soon, however, in the form of left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who has agreed to a one-year contract with Milwaukee, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement had not been announced.

Eric Thames homered in the first for Milwaukee. The team’s last 23 runs have come via the home run.

BADER’S BACK

Before the game, the Cardinals activated OF Harrison Bader (right hamstring strain) from the 10-day injured list and optioned RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon to Triple-A Memphis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: Yelich (rest) wasn’t in the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill (right elbow ulnar nerve sublaxion) went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his first rehab game at Double-A Springfield on Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson (2-0, 3.00 ERA) will get the start as Milwaukee continues its trip against the Mets on Friday. Anderson is 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in six career starts against the Mets.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.97) kicks off a three-game set against the visiting Reds and RHP Anthony DeSclafani (0-1, 5.59) on Friday. Mikolas gave up a pair of runs in eight innings on Saturday, becoming the first St. Louis starter this season to record an out beyond the sixth inning.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Ong leads MIAA Championships after round two; Griffons in fifth

Posted on

MAYETTA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Golf has now played through the second of three rounds at the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships. Shi Qing Ong has climbed into first place with her tournament-best score of 71 (-1) in the second round. The Griffons slid to fifth in the team standings, but remain just three strokes back of third place.

Missouri Western posted the exact same team score as it did in the first round, finishing at 313 for a two-round total of 626. Nebraska Kearney and Central Oklahoma each managed to jump the Griffons in the team standings, as both squads improved off of their first-round marks by over 10 strokes. The Griffons are still within reach of a top-three finish, trailing Nebraska Kearney by just three strokes for third place.

Shi Qing Ong entered Tuesday in a tie for fourth place after her 74 (+2) in the opening round. After her score of 71 (-1) in the second, Ong now sits atop the individual leaderboard with a combined score of 145 (+1). Her second-round score is the best of any completed round at the event. She has also scored the most birdies of anyone in the field, and has been thriving on the lower-par holes. She leads the field in par-three scoring, going two-under on those holes. Ong appears to be in the midst of a three-player competition for the title, as she will aim to outlast Rosie Klausner (146) and Olivia Sobaski (147), both from Central Missouri.

Anna Bech remains tied for 16th with her 77 (+5) on Tuesday. Bech improved three strokes from yesterday’s first round and currently has a total score of 157 heading into Wednesday. She has the second-most birdies at the tournament with eight.

Jenna Kosmatka shot an 82 (+10) to bring her score to 163 and sit tied for 26th. One stroke behind Kosmatka is Chong Yong. Yong scored an 83 (+11) on Tuesday after her 81 (+9) in the first round.

Katie Irvin finished Tuesday’s second round with an 88 (+16) after her 78 (+6) in the opening round.

The Griffons will begin the third and final round of the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcat softball gets swept by Central Missouri

Posted on

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The University of Central Missouri Jennies took two games from the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Tuesday in a doubleheader.

The Jennies battled back in game one, winning 10-9 over the Bearcats. The Jennies took game two, 10-4.

Game One
The Bearcats were the first to score in the bottom of the second inning scoring four runs. Jaclyn Weydert got things going with a homer to left field. Olivia Daugherty hit a three-run blast to left center, bringing in Jacee Winn and Grace Ruehle to score and go up 4-0 over the Jennies.

Karli Allen scored in the bottom of the third inning from a wild pitch, pushing the Bearcat lead to 5-0.

The Jennies scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to cut the Bearcat lead to 5-3.

Kiana Baderdeen got an RBI in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Jaedra Moses to score and push the lead to 6-3.

Central Missouri scored one run in the top of the fifth from an RBI to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Jennies rallied in the top of the sixth inning scoring three runs and taking the lead 7-6 over the Bearcats.
The Bearcats answered in the bottom of the sixth, also scoring three runs. Sydne Brashear singled to left field, bringing in Moses to score. Weydert also had a single allowing Ady Watts to score. Grace Ruehle got an RBI, bringing in Baderdeen to to the plate and taking back the lead 9-7.

The Jennies fought back in the top of the seventh inning scoring three more runs and taking game one over the Bearcats, 10-9.

Game Two
Ashlyn Cook started the second game strong for the Jennies with a homer to center field in the first inning and to grab an early 1-0 lead over the Bearcats. The Jennies put another run on the board in the top of the second and pushed their lead to 2-0.

Jaedra Moses had a two-RBI hit allowing Ady Watts and Sydne Brashear to score and tie the game at 2-2.

Central Missouri scored a run in the top of the fifth off an RBI, advancing the lead to 3-2 over the Bearcats.

The Jennies’ offense took off in the top of the sixth inning, scoring seven runs and going up 10-2 over the Bearcats.
Moses reached base on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth that allowed Weydert to score and cut the lead to 10-3.
Brashear homered in the bottom of the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough to catch back up to the Jennies. Central Missouri took game two, 10-4.

The Bearcats are now 11-24 overall and 6-16 in conference play.

Up next for the squad is home doubleheaders Friday and Saturday against Emporia State and Washburn. Friday’s doubleheader against Emporia State begins at 2 p.m. and Saturday’s doubleheader against Washburn will begin at 12 p.m.

NOTES: Northwest tallied 14 hits in the opening game, including a three-hit performance from Jaedra Moses … Moses added a hit and an RBI in the second game … Karli Allen went 3-for-4 in the second contest … Northwest posted 24 total hits in the two games … UCM posted 26 hits.

— Northwest Athletics —

Royals lose fifth straight as they fall at Tampa 5-2

Posted on

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Beeks took over from opener Ryne Stanek in the second and struck out seven in 4 2/3 shutout innings, Mike Zunino homered for the second straight game and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Kansas City 5-2 Tuesday night, sending the Royals to their fifth straight loss.

Homer Bailey (2-2) failed in his attempt to win three straight starts for the first time in five years, getting taken out after Tampa Bay’s first four batters reached in the second inning.

Zunino had three of Tampa Bay’s seven hits and drove in two runs.

AL East-leading Tampa Bay clinched its seventh series win in eight series and extended its winning streak against the Royals to 10 games. Kansas City is an AL-worst 7-17.

Beeks (1-0) allowed two hits and two walks, retiring eight straight in one stretch.

Emilio Pagan struck out two in a perfect ninth for his second save in two nights, the first two saves of his major league career, completing a six-hitter.

Bailey (2-2) gave up four runs, three hits and four walks in one inning-plus, his ERA rising to 5.63. Bailey, who went 1-14 last year, was coming off his first consecutive winning starts since July 2017.

Joey Wendle hit a two-run single in the first, ending an 0-for-16 start.

Zunino hit an RBI single in the second, when Jake Newberry entered with the bases loaded and allowed Brandon Lowe’s run-scoring single and Yandy Diaz’s sacrifice fly that boosted the Rays’ lead to 4-0. Zunino homered off Tim Hill in the sixth.

Martin Maldonado hit his first homer for the Royals, a seventh-inning drive off Austin Pruitt, who threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier did not play, a day after leaving a game due to back spasms. … LHP Brian Flynn (sprained left elbow) is to start an injury rehabilitation assignment Wednesday at Triple-A Omaha.

Rays: 1B Ji-Man Choi was placed on the restricted list because of a personal matter.

UP NEXT

LHP Blake Snell (2-1) will make his first start in 10 days for the Rays in the finale of a nine-game homestand. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner missed a start after fracturing his right fourth toe attempting to move a decorative display in a bathroom on April 14. RHP Jakob Junis (1-2) starts the finale of the Royals’ 10-game trip.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western men in 7th after day one of MIAA Golf Championships

Posted on

MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – After the first two rounds of the MIAA Men’s Golf Championships at Shangri-La Country Club, the Missouri Western men’s golf squad is in seventh place with a score of 597. Leading the Griffons on Tuesday was Tom Buffington, who sits tied for 15th entering the third and final round.

After scoring a 303 in the first round, the Griffons improved by nine strokes for a second-round score of 294. Directly ahead of Missouri Western and in sixth place is Missouri Southern with at 586. Lindenwood is the current leader of the tournament, and will look to continue to fend off Northeastern State and Washburn for the top spot.

Tom Buffington ended the first two rounds as the top score for Missouri Western with a 147. Buffington opened the tournament with a 76 (+4) in the first, but improved in the second round with a score of 71 (-1). Buffington’s second round was the best single-round score of any Missouri Western golfer on Tuesday. His 28 pars are also the second-most in the field at the championship.

Lucas Horseman is tied for 27th after a two-round total of 150. His best round came in the first when he shot just one-over with a 73.

Patrick McCarthy’s score of 151 on Tuesday lands him in a tie for 29th. After a 78 (+6) in the first round, McCarthy bounced back with a 73 (+1) in the second. He also led the team with seven birdies.

Jake Mikesch finished with a score of 156 while Cole Roberts wrapped up Monday with a 159.

Missouri Western will tee off the final round of the MIAA Men’s Golf Championships on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs trade draft picks to Seattle for DE Frank Clark

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs acquired pass rusher Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks for a package of picks Tuesday, then quickly agreed with him on a $105 million, five-year contract, as they continue to overhaul their much-maligned defense.

The Chiefs sent the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft and a second-round pick in 2020 to Seattle, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke about the trade terms and contract details on condition of anonymity because they were pending a physical.

Clark planned to head to Kansas City to complete that in the next 48 hours.

The trade, first reported by the NFL Network, also includes a swap of third-round picks in this year’s draft. That means the Chiefs will move up eight spots on Friday night.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said last week that he was aggressively trying to upgrade the defense, and he acknowledge the window for winning a Super Bowl title began last season. That’s when Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback and had an MVP season as a first-time starter, leading Kansas City to a third straight AFC West title and the conference championship game.

“We want to take the next step,” Veach said. “Certainly, it goes without saying our offense was pretty efficient last year and I think we are always looking to improve and get better.”

Seattle already had the 21st pick overall pick Thursday night, and now general manager John Schneider has an additional first-day selection as he begins rebuilding his own defense.

Clark was chosen by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2015 draft, though most agreed he was a first-round talent docked by off-the-field concerns. But he quickly became a dependable edge rusher, piling up 36 sacks over his first four seasons with a team-best 14 this past season.

The Seahawks placed the franchise tag on him after the season, but Clark had yet to sign the $17.128 million deal as rumors of a trade swirled. Several other teams also inquired about landing him ahead of the draft as Seattle tried to accumulate additional picks.

“This time, and the trade deadline, there’s some speculation about a lot of players,” Schneider said on Monday. “We’re involved in a lot of deals. We take a lot of pride in that. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we weren’t listening to everybody.”

Kansas City ultimately won the bidding for him.

Veach has spent most of the offseason rebuilding one of the league’s worst defenses, one that played a key role in their AFC title game collapse. They lost in overtime to New England when the Patriots won the coin toss, marched downfield and scored the winning touchdown in a 37-31 victory — never giving Mahomes and one of the NFL’s most potent offenses a chance with the ball.

In a matter of days, the Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, hired new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and began sifting through their personnel as they switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 system.

They got rid of longtime safety Eric Berry and high-priced linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford, sending the latter to San Francisco for a second-round pick next year, and carved out enough cap space to find replacements. They signed safety Tyrann Mathieu, cornerback Bashaud Breeland, linebacker Damien Wilson and defensive end Alex Okafor in free agency, then traded safety Eric Murray to former GM John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns for defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah.

All told, the Chiefs have signed or traded for five new defensive starters.

“We didn’t win the Super Bowl,” Veach said, “so we can get better. I think all across the board, there is talent that we can acquire, and we can get more depth on both sides of the football. I think that’s what makes it fun and exciting. There’s certainly some specific areas that may be more apparent. But I think the things you do in free agency protect yourself in the draft, so you don’t have to take a player that you feel is a second- or third-round value in the first round.”

The Seahawks have also been busy retooling their defense this offseason, adding defensive ends Cassius Marsh and Nate Orchard as they shopped Clark. They are expected to continue to target help in the pass rush and the defensive backfield in the first couple of rounds of the draft.

The additional first-round pick Thursday night also gives Seattle some flexibility.

Schneider has a tendency to move around in drafts, and it’s possible the Seahawks could trade down and acquire additional picks. They still only have five selections overall, and in nine previous drafts in charge, Schneider has never made fewer than eight selections.

— Associated Press —

Griffon baseball adds non-conference game against Emporia State Wednesday

Posted on

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Baseball has added a non-conference game against Emporia State to its home schedule this week.

Missouri Western will host the Hornets in a single non-conference game, Wednesday, April 24 at 4 p.m.

Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the Griffons’ early season schedule, particularly at the Spring Sports Complex. So far, MWSU has played just nine of its 35 games at the Spring Sports Complex and the Griffons played as the guest in one third of those.

To help compensate for the cancellation of seven home games and a change in venue of six other home games, Missouri Western has now added three non-conference games to the final two weeks of the regular season. In addition to Wednesday’s game with Emporia State, the Griffons will host Illinois-Springfield in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 30.

Missouri Western is 18-17 overall and 15-12 in MIAA play. Emporia State (24-16, 17-10) took two out of three from MWSU in the teams’ MIAA series in Emporia, Kansas earlier this month. With two conference series remaining, the Griffons are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAA standings with Pittsburg State and Lindenwood.

The Griffons are set to host Southwest Baptist in a three-game MIAA series beginning on Friday. MWSU is now scheduled to play its final nine regular season games at home.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest’s Schultz earns weekly MIAA track & field honor

Posted on

Northwest Missouri State senior track athlete Kevin Schultz was named the MIAA field athlete of the week.

Schultz jumped 7.25″ to automatically qualify for the NCAA Division II outdoor championship meet. Schultz’s jump is the second-highest in school history. It is the highest mark in the nation this year and the highest since 2016 in Division II. It is the highest in the MIAA since 2011 when the MIAA started using TFRRS.

Schultz won the MIAA Indoor Championship in the high jump earlier this year.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU in third after day one of MIAA Women’s Golf Championships; Ong tied for 4th

Posted on

MAYETTA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Golf sits in third place after the opening round of the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships at Firekeeper Golf Course Monday. Both Shi Qing Ong and Katie Irvin are positioned inside the top-10 to lead the Griffons after the first round.

The MIAA Women’s Golf Championships features three rounds spread across three-consecutive days. Missouri Western put together a solid team performance to open the tournament, finishing with a combined score of 313. The Griffons trail Central Missouri by nine strokes for second place. Northeastern State is the current leader after scoring a 300 on Monday.

Near the top of the individual leaderboard was Shi Qing Ong in a tie for fourth. The 2018-19 MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year finished the first 18 holes of the tournament with a 74 (+2). Ong led the field of 49 golfers with five birdies in the round. She is currently three strokes back of Central Missouri’s Rosie Klausner for the top spot heading into the second round.

Katie Irvin played one of the best single rounds of her season, finishing Monday with a score of 78 (+6) to land inside the top-10 in a tie for ninth. Her consistent first round included two birdies and 10 pars. She also had one of the top scores on par-four scoring, going two-over on those holes.

Anna Bech is currently in a tie for 16th after her 80 (+8) in the first round. Bech was second on the team with three birdies.

Chong Yong and Jenna Kosmatka are both tied for 20th after first-round scores of 81 (+9). Kosmatka led the team with 11 pars on Monday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals drop series opener at Tampa Bay 6-3

Posted on

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mike Zunino’s first home run for the Tampa Bay Rays was one to remember.

The veteran catcher was reinstated from the paternity list, three days after the birth of his first child, and hit a two-run shot that helped the AL East leaders stop a season-high four-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

“Man, I didn’t promise that, but I’ll definitely take it,” Zunino said. “You know, that was a very special moment in life and my baseball career. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Daniel Robertson also drove in runs for the Rays, who scored three times in the seventh to come from behind against Brad Keller (2-2).

It’s the ninth time this season the Royals, who have the AL’s worst record, have lost after holding a lead in the sixth inning or later.

“That’s a pesky offensive outfit over there. They give you good at-bats,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “But going into the seventh, we had the lead. We just couldn’t hold it.”

Pitching while appealing a five-game suspension for his role in a benches-clearing fracas with the Chicago White Sox last week, Keller held the Rays in check until giving up Robertson’s tying RBI grounder and Zunino’s homer to straight away center in the seventh.

Zunino, obtained from Seattle in an offseason trade, missed three games while on the paternity list for the birth of his son, Rhett Michael, last Friday.

“That’s got to be pretty special. I’m a big fan of Rhett Zunino right now. That’s something he’s going to be able to talk about for a long time. Awesome,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The way it came, and how big a hit it was at the time is even more impactful.”

The Rays, coming off being swept by the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox over the weekend, are 4-5 over their last nine games following an 11-3 start.

“We had a tough weekend and things were not looking good up until the sixth,” Cash said. “The guys really did a good job of just grinding out at-bats. We smoked some balls early on but had absolutely nothing to show for it, and that can be pretty demoralizing. … But they kept at it and keep putting pressure on, and finally something broke.”

Keller allowed five runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in his first outing since hitting Chicago’s Tim Anderson with a pitch two innings after the AL’s leading hitter emphatically spiked his bat to celebrate a homer, sparking last Wednesday’s melee that led to his suspension.

“I felt really good for the first six and I felt good going out for the seventh,” Keller said, adding that ultimately he left too many pitches over the middle of the plate.

Alex Gordon, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler hit solo homers for the Royals, who have lost four straight.

Gordon and Dozier went deep for the second straight game, with Gordon connecting off Rays starter Yonny Chirinos in the first inning and Dozier giving the Royals a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Soler’s solo shot snapped a fifth-inning tie.

Wilmer Font (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced to get the win. Emilio Pagan pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Dozier, who started at designated hitter, was removed from the game in the eighth inning because of right lower back spasms and soreness and is day to day. … LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder impingement syndrome) is expected to rejoin the rotation Friday night. “He’s been one of our better starters over the last couple years, and when he’s healthy we know what type of pitcher he is,” Yost said.

Rays: RF Austin Meadows, who’s on the injured list with a sprained right thumb, will be shut down for 10 days and hopes he will be ready to return in three to four weeks. “Let the swelling go down and after that see where we’re at,” Meadows said.

ON THE MEND

Rays LHP Blake Snell (fractured right fourth toe) had a light mound session totaling eight pitches in advance of an upcoming full bullpen. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner did not take part in defensive drills with the other pitchers. Snell was hurt moving a decorative stand in the bathroom of his home on April 14.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Homer Bailey (2-1, 4.30 ERA) will start the middle date of a three-game series. Opener Ryne Stanek (0-0, 1.46) will take the mound first for the Rays.

— Associated Press —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File