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Author: Dave Riggert

Cardinals crush Milwaukee Monday 13-5

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dexter Fowler had his first four-hit game in six years, hitting his first home run this season and driving in four runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers 13-5 on Monday night.

Paul Goldschmidt hit his ninth home run and had three hits and three RBI for the Cardinals. St. Louis outhit Milwaukee 18-5, set a season high for runs and won its third straight.

Fowler had the fifth four-hit game of his career, his first since June 9, 2013, against San Diego.

Ryan Braun, Hernan Perez, Yasmani Grandal and Travis Shaw homered for Milwaukee, which has lost five of six.

Jack Flaherty (2-1) allowed four runs and three hits — all homers — in six innings. He struck out 10, reaching double digits for the fourth time in his big league career.

Adrian Houser (0-1) lost in his season debut and first big league start. He gave up five runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.

Kolten Wong hit an RBI single in the second, and Fowler made it 3-0 in the third with his first home run since July 24, a two-run drive.

Braun’s solo homer and Perez’s two-run home run tied the score in the fifth, but Goldschmidt put the Cardinals ahead to stay with a two-run homer in the bottom half that chased Houser.

Grandal homered in the sixth, but St. Louis blew open the game with a seven-run seventh off Jacob Barnes and Aaron Wilkerson that included a two-run, pinch-hit single by rookie Lane Thomas.

LONG BALL

Milwaukee has 47 home runs this season while St. Louis has 35. The Brewers have hit 21 and the Cardinals 17 in their eight games against each other.

ROSTER MOVES

Brewers: LHP Donnie Hart was optioned Triple-A San Antonio, Hauser and RHP Jake Petricka were recalled from San Antonio. … Brewers: RHP Junior Guerra was placed on the bereavement list. He went home to Venezuela to be with his ill father and the Brewers expect he will rejoin the team for a weekend series at the New York Mets.

Cardinals: INF/OF Drew Robinson was recalled from Triple-A Memphis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha was placed on 10-day IL with patellar tendinitis in his left knee.

UP NEXT

RHP Zach Davies (2-0) enters his start for Milwaukee on Tuesday with a 2-2 record against the Cardinals, including 0-2 with a 9.28 ERA in two starts last season. RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon will start in place of Wacha after going 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Memphis. He had one appearance in 2018 against Milwaukee, pitching one of scoreless relief.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong named MIAA Golfer of the Year

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA released the 2018-19 All-MIAA Women’s Golf Awards on Sunday afternoon, naming Shi Qing Ong the MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year. Ong and Chong Yong were also tabbed to the All-MIAA teams.

Ong receives her second-consecutive MIAA Golfer of the Year Award after a remarkable senior season. Her spring season included a historic stretch of four-consecutive event wins, claiming the top spot at the Warrior Invitational, Holiday Inn Express Classic, Jennies Golf Invitational, and HSU Spring Invite. Competitors were unable to keep up with Ong during the streak, as she won three of those events by a convincing five or more strokes.

Ong’s final season at Missouri Western also included three-straight MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Week awards. She even took second place in two of the four tournaments in which she did not win. With an average round score of 74, Ong’s single-round scores were as low as 67 (career-low), 69, and 70. She wraps up her historic four-year career with 13 wins in 43 appearances and was named First Team All-MIAA in each of her seasons at Missouri Western.

Chong Yong received Second Team All-MIAA honors after her junior season. Yong notched three top-10 finishes, including tying for fourth place at the Warrior Invitational in Las Vegas to open up the spring season. Yong still placed inside the top-25 in three of her other eight tournament appearances.

She finished the regular season with an average round score of below 79. Her season-low round came at the Griffons’ last event when she scored a 73 at the Central Region Preview on her way to finish in a tie for ninth place.

Yong has now been named All-MIAA in each of her three seasons at Missouri Western.

Missouri Western takes part in the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships April 23-25 at Firekeeper Golf Course in Mayetta, Kansas.

2018-19 All-MIAA Women’s Golf Awards and Teams 
Player of the Year: Shi Qing Ong – Missouri Western
Freshman of the Year: Rosie Klauser – Central Missouri
Coach of the Year: Chris Port – Central Missouri

First-Team All-MIAA
Olivia Sobaski – Central Missouri
Sydney Roberts – Central Oklahoma
Hannah Perkins – Fort Hays State
Shi Qing Ong – Missouri Western
Ebba Moberg – Northeastern State
Aitana Hernandez – Northeastern State
Reflects Tie In Voting

Second-Team All-MIAA
Rosie Klausner – Central Missouri
Madison O’Dell – Central Oklahoma
Josefina Haupt – Lindenwood
Chong Yong – Missouri Western
Nia Station – Nebraska Kearney
Lexi Armon – Northeastern State
Reflects Tie In Voting

All-MIAA Honorable Mention
Central Oklahoma – Makena Mucciaccio, Faith Stewart
Lindenwood – Natalie Long, Dakota Limkemann
Nebraska Kearney – Danielle Dickerson
Northeastern State – Kelsey Lumpkin
Northwest Missouri – Morgan Thiele

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals lose to Yankees in 10 innings 7-6

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NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine and Clint Frazier, backups carrying the burden while most of the Bronx Bombers are out for repair, kept the Yankees from a devastating loss and boosted the injury-decimated team back to a winning record.

On a day that began when Aaron Judge became the 13th New York player on the injured list, New York cruised to a five-run lead over Kansas City behind six more scoreless innings from James Paxton and Frazier’s sixth homer.

After the Royals surged ahead in a six-run eighth inning , Romine tied the score in the bottom half and followed with his third RBI single in the 10th for a 7-6 victory Sunday that got the Yankees back over .500 for the first time in two weeks.

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” manager Aaron Boone. “A lot of good things happened for us to snatch that game back.”

Aroldis Chapman, flashing 100 mph heat for only the second time this season, escaped a ninth-inning jam, and Zack Britton got out of trouble in the 10th. New York improved to 11-10, its first time over .500 since it was 5-4.

“There’s a couple guys that are irreplaceable here, but we’ve got to find a way to do it,” Romine said. “We’re still winning games. We’ve got guys stepping up left and right.”

DJ LeMahieu scored on a first-inning passed ball, and Romine hit an RBI single in the second after Mike Ford doubled for his first big league hit . Frazier, a big league cleanup batter for the first time, hit a three-run homer in the fifth, a 429-foot drive off Jorge Lopez that went over the left-field bullpen and gave him a team-high 17 RBI.

Coming off eight shutout innings of two-hit ball over Boston, Paxton allowed three hits and induced 18 swings and misses plus a pair of foul tips for strike three. He fanned 12 and walked one for the second straight game, becoming New York’s second pitcher with 12 or more strikeouts in back-to-back starts after David Cone in June 1998.

He left after allowing Alex Gordon’s double leading of the seventh and walking Hunter Dozier, but Tommy Kahnle got three straight outs. Kansas City loaded the bases against Chad Green, and Adam Ottavino — the first No. 0 in Yankees history — came in and laid some Easter eggs: Adalberto Mondesi hit a two-run double , Gordon drove a cutter to right for three-run homer and Dozier sent the next pitch, another cutter, off the back of the right-field bullpen .

“There’s no quit in us,” Dozier said.

And little relief pitching on a team that wasted leads in 12 of 15 losses.

Mike Tauchman doubled off Wily Peralta leading off the bottom half and tied the score at 6 on Romine’s two-out single.

Chapman allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Billy Hamilton, who stole second and third but was stranded when Mondesi struck out and Gordon flied out .

Britton (1-0) gave up a leadoff single to Dozier in the 10th and picked off speedy pinch runner Terrance Gore.

“It’s just me messing up basically,” Gore said.

Britton turned his right ankle as he applied the tag at first to end the rundown. Britton’s mind flashed back to his Achilles tendon surgery in December 2017.

“Any time something’s down there, it brings back some memories,” Britton said.

He took a practice pitch and handed the ball to plate umpire Ron Kulpa.

“Maybe I’m not as athletic as I was pre-surgery,” Britton told him, smiling

Britton then threw called third strikes past Jorge Soler and Chris Owings, giving Kansas City 20 strikeouts, two more than the previous team record. The Royals whiffed 53 times in the series, nine more than their previous mark.

“We’re definitely swinging at pitches that aren’t strikes,” manager Ned Yost said. “Big strike zone here in New York for some reason.”

Jake Diekman (0-1) walked Tauchman and Gio Urshela leading off the bottom of the 10th, and 23-year-old Thairo Estrada made his big league debut as a pinch hitter and sacrificed against Ian Kennedy. Estrada, his career slowed when shot in the right thigh in his native Venezuela in January 2018, laid down a perfect soft bunt to first off the end of his bat with the infield in.

Romine took a ball and lofted a knuckle-curve over Hamilton, a no-doubt fly that landed on the center-field warning track, 361 feet from the plate, for his first career walk-off hit.

“We’re fighting through,” said Frazier, who had snapped his bat over a knee in frustration when he struck out in the ninth. “Hopefully it rubs off on everybody.”

STREAKING

Tauchman was first player whose first six hits with the Yankees all were for extra bases since Dave Kingman in 1977. The streak ended in the third when he hit a grounder that nicked first base, changed direction and went off the right foot of Lucas Duda for a single.

SHORT-STAFFED

Kansas City went with 24 players, optioning right-hander Glenn Sparkman to Triple-A Omaha after he allowed three runs and six hits in three innings Saturday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder impingement) allowed an unearned run and four hits over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks for Northwest Arkansas against Springfield on Saturday night. He could be activated for next weekend’s home series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Yankees: C Gary Sanchez, out since April 10 with a strained left calf, is scheduled to play a rehabilitation game Monday with Class A Charleston and could be activated Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-1) starts Monday at Tampa Bay, his first appearance since hitting Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch after Anderson homered. Keller appealed his five-game suspension.

Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ (0-2) starts at the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a trip, facing RHP Matt Harvey (0-2).

— Associated Press —

Cardinals defeat Syndergaard, Mets 6-4 in series finale

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Noah Syndergaard has found his health, and even a little bit of luck at the plate, but he’s still off to a vexing start to the season.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in two runs and Syndergaard hit a home run with Dexter Fowler’s help, but he struggled on the mound as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Sunday.

“My frustration’s pretty high right now,” Syndergaard said. “It would have been a great win today, but I let the team down.”

Syndergaard (1-2) allowed six runs, four earned, on eight hits in five innings, but his most memorable play came while batting in the fourth. He hit a deep flyball to center that Fowler leaped for on the warning track even though it was well below the fence. The ball deflected off Fowler’s glove and over the wall for Syndergaard’s fifth career homer and first since Aug. 16, 2016, at Arizona.

It was one of four homers on the day for the Mets, but that wasn’t enough for Syndergaard, who has allowed at least five runs in his last two starts after not having given up five in a game since April 30, 2017, at Washington.

“He got mad at me when I took him out, which is great. It’s not like he’s shying away,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “He wants to go out there and compete and guys have bad stretches. This is probably the worst stretch he’s had in his major league career when he’s been healthy, so he’ll bounce back from it.”

Dakota Hudson (1-1) allowed three runs on five hits in five innings, striking out five, for his first career victory as a starter. He went 4-1 in 26 appearances, all in relief, as a rookie last season.

“It’s big, getting my confidence going a little bit, getting everything kind of together,” Hudson said. “But now I can say, hey, I’m a starter, I’ve gotten a win as a starter and kind of gotten my feet under me a little bit.”

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in six chances. His last fastball measured 104.2 mph, the hardest in baseball this season. Hicks reached 105.1 mph last year, tied with Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman for the fastest pitch ever.

Robinson Cano homered for the Mets but left in the seventh after he was hit in the right hand by a pitch from Andrew Miller. Third base umpire Paul Emmel ruled that Cano swung before the ball hit his hand and called the pitch a strike.

“He started his swing,” Emmel told a pool reporter. “Pitch hit his hands, followed through with his swing, the ball actually went into fair territory. Bruce (Dreckman), the home-plate umpire, didn’t see the end of the swing so he called a hit batsman and was giving him first base. During the injury, then Bruce and I communicated which we’re supposed to do. So appeal on the check swing, so he went through with his swing.”

Callaway was ejected for arguing the call. The ejection was the third of his career. X-rays on Cano’s hand were negative.

“I was shocked, to be honest,” Callaway said about the call. “I was trying to figure out what we’re going to do the rest of the game, who’s going to pinch run for Robby, and they mosey on down and say that he swung.”

Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto also homered for New York, which lost two of three at St. Louis.

Kolten Wong’s RBI single in the second tied the game at 1-1, and he advanced to second after Brandon Nimmo’s throw to the plate wasn’t cut off. Hudson reached on an error to load the bases, and Goldschmidt singled two batters later to make it 3-1.

The Cardinals went ahead 5-1 on Molina’s RBI groundout and Fowler’s run-scoring double in the fourth.

“It’s a good offense,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Syndergaard made some really tough pitches first inning, and we didn’t get sideways about it, kept the approach, had a great approach. Guys were really locked in and stayed to the middle of the field with a couple big two-out hits.”

SYRACUSE SHUTTLE

The Mets recalled LHP Daniel Zamora and optioned Saturday’s starter, RHP Chris Flexen, to Triple-A Syracuse. Zamora went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 16 appearances last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: INF Todd Frazier (left oblique strain) went 0 for 2 in a rehabilitation appearance at Syracuse and may be activated before Monday’s game against Philadelphia.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) will probably throw a side session Monday before heading to extended spring training, Shildt said.

UP NEXT

Mets: LHP Steven Matz (1-1, 4.96 ERA) starts against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday as New York begins a 10-game homestand. Matz allowed eight runs without recording an out in his previous start, at Philadelphia on April 16.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (1-1, 5.00) starts against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. Flaherty is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA in seven career starts against Milwaukee.

— Associated Press —

Griffons lose game two at Pittsburg State 7-6

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – Free passes led directly or indirectly to six Pittsburg State (22-18, 14-12) runs in a 7-6 loss for the Missouri Western baseball team (18-16, 15-11) on Friday.

Four of the Gorillas’ seven runs were earned and the home team’s first two runs both walked to get on base. The loss snapped a string of four-straight wins for Missouri Western.

NOTABLES

  • Andrew Curry put the Griffs up 2-0 with a two-run home run in the first inning
  • Two walks and a single that scored both runners tied the game for Pitt State in the home half of the first
  • The Griffs went up 4-2 in the third on a two-RBI single from Wyatt Meyer
  • A sacrifice fly in the fifth gave Pitt State its third run, but would have been the third out were it not for an error earlier in the inning
  • Another error and a passed ball aided a four-run eighth inning for Pittsburg State that gave the Gorillas their first lead and enough cushion to snap MWSU’s win streak
  • Missouri Western was charged with four errors in the game
  • Meyer had three hits and two RBIs
  • Curry had a pair of hits and two RBIs

UP NEXT

  • The rubber match in the series comes at noon on Saturday in Pittsburg.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State get beat on a walk-off HR at Central Missouri

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WARRENSBURG, Missouri – It was not a good Friday for the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team as the Central Missouri Mules hit a walk-off solo homer to lead off the ninth and post a 9-8 triumph over the Bearcats.

Northwest held a 3-2 lead in the third and pushed the advantage to 7-3 with a four-run fourth. UCM rallied for a four-spot in the seventh only to see Northwest retake the lead at 8-7 in the eighth.

However, UCM tied it up in the eighth and then Cole Taylor led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to right field for the 9-8 Mule victory.

Northwest’s Connor Quick recorded a season-high six RBI, including a grand slam in the fourth. Quick extended his hitting streak to 16 games in a row and he has reached base in 23 straight games. He has a team-best 21 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests. Quick is batting .391 on the season, and has knocked in a team-high 35 runs.

UCM scored single runs in the first and second to take a 2-0 lead through two innings.

The Bearcats took their first lead of the contest with three runs in the third. A walk and two errors on bunt plays allowed Northwest to score its first run. Quick knocked in his first run of the game with an RBI single to left that scored Logan Rycraft. Alixon Herrera ground out to third but Calvin Rudolph scored on the play to give Northwest a 3-2 advantage.

UCM evened the matchup at 3-3 in the third on a leadoff homer from Erik Webb.

Quick’s two-out grand slam in the fourth gave Northwest a 7-3 advantage. UCM managed a single in the fifth and two base hits in the sixth but could not claw closer in those two stanzas. However, Northwest was unable to build on the four-run lead as the Bearcats had only one hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings – a two-out double from Mondesi Gutierrez in the seventh.

Northwest starter Quintin Van Ackeren went six strong innings and gave up eight hits and three runs. But the Bearcat bullpen and defense could not hold off the Mules.

Bearcat reliever Alex Slocum retired only one batter, while UCM loaded the bases as the result of an error in centerfield and two hit batters. Gibson Brown inherited the bases loaded situation with one out. Brown induced a sacrifice fly but could not escape the jam as he allowed a two-RBI single and an RBI double that equaled the score at 7-7.

Northwest would regain the lead again in the eighth on when Quick reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. A Matt Gastner single, a Derek Hussey single and a Rycraft walk loaded the bases. Quick hit a ground ball to shortstop but the Mules could not turn the double play and Gastner hustled home to give Northwest an 8-7 lead with six outs to play.

UCM Erik Webb led off the bottom half of the eight with a triple and scored on the ensuing at-bat – a single to center that again evened the matchup at 8-8. Northwest’s Ethan Griswold came in to relieve Brown and was able to wriggle free with a pickoff and a strikeout.

Northwest went down in order in the ninth, setting the stage for the Mules Taylor to hit the walk-off game winner.

UCM is 27-12 overall and 18-8 in MIAA play, while Northwest is 18-21 overall and 14-12 in league action.

The teams will meet in the rubber match of the three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Warrensburg.

— Northwest Athletics —

Royals lose Friday at New York 6-2

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NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia played stopper again for the Yankees in earning his first win of the season and Brett Gardner hit a two-run homer to help New York beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Friday night.

Mike Tauchman also went deep and the Yankees got four solid innings from their bullpen to bounce back from a listless performance against the last-place Royals in the series opener. Held without an extra-base hit Thursday for the first time since Aug. 5, New York quickly rebounded and improved to 4-3 on its nine-game homestand.

Sabathia (1-0) did not allow an earned run over five innings, moving to 15-1 in the regular season following a Yankees loss since 2017. He gave up three hits, overcame four walks and finished with five strikeouts to leave him six shy of 3,000 for his career.

The 38-year-old lefty, who has 247 major league wins, was pulled after 86 pitches in his second start of the year following offseason operations on his heart and right knee.

Luis Cessa permitted a run on back-to-back doubles by Hunter Dozier and Alex Gordon to begin the sixth, but pinned a runner at third base with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning. Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and Zack Britton closed with hitless relief in an intermittent rain.

Gardner gave New York a 2-1 lead in the third with his drive off Jakob Junis (1-2), making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since July 26, when his fastball broke Aaron Judge’s wrist. The right-hander dropped to 0-3 in the Bronx.

Right fielder Clint Frazier threw out a runner at the plate to aid Sabathia, and Tauchman launched his second big league homer leading off the fifth.

Judge doubled to start the sixth and scored when center fielder Billy Hamilton made a diving catch of DJ LeMahieu’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Luke Voit, who has reached base safely in 30 straight games dating to last season, scored on a passed ball.

Kyle Higashioka hit a leadoff double in the seventh and scored when Dozier made a throwing error from third base on Tyler Wade’s bunt single.

Adalberto Mondesi had an RBI single in the third when the Royals took advantage of two Yankees errors — one by Sabathia. He retired Alex Gordon on a tapper in front of home plate with the bases loaded to end the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (shoulder impingement syndrome) is scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday night for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Duffy has been on the 10-day injured list all season.

Yankees: For the first time since his injury, 3B Miguel Andujar (labrum tear in right shoulder) made throws from third to first base at about 50% effort before the game and said he felt good. Andujar and the Yankees remain optimistic he’ll be able to avoid season-ending surgery. … C Gary Sanchez (strained left calf) caught J.A. Happ’s bullpen and was hoping to be cleared by the doctor to begin a rehab assignment. Sanchez is likely to need a game or two in the minors and could rejoin the Yankees on their West Coast swing, which begins Monday. He is eligible to come off the injured list Sunday. … OF-DH Giancarlo Stanton (left biceps strain) also might be able to return at some point on the nine-game road trip, manager Aaron Boone said.

UP NEXT

Royals right-hander Heath Fillmyer (0-0, 9.00 ERA) makes his third start of the season Saturday afternoon against RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-1, 3.22). Fillmyer, who grew up in nearby New Jersey, took a no-decision at Yankee Stadium last July. Tanaka conceded only one earned run in each of his first three starts this year before giving up five runs and seven hits over four-plus innings Sunday in a 5-2 loss to the White Sox.

— Associated Press —

Missouri’s Jontay Porter declares for NBA Draft

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou forward Jontay Porter announced on Friday that he will officially enter his name in the 2019 NBA Draft pool.

“I’ll be declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft,” Porter said. “I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me get to this point in my journey, especially my family, coaches and teammates. I’m excited for this next step.”

Porter could become Mizzou’s 46th player selected in the NBA Draft in program history and the second in as many years, joining his brother Michael Porter, Jr., who was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 14th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. Heading in to the 2019 NBA Draft, Martin has had eight players selected in the last five seasons, including three at Tennessee, four at California-Berkeley and Porter Jr. at Mizzou.

During his freshman campaign with the Tigers, Jontay Porter earned 2017-18 Co-SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors while also being named to the 2017-18 SEC All-Freshman Team. Porter became just the third Tiger in program history receive a conference Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Porter averaged 9.9 points per game while leading the Tigers in both rebounding (6.8 boards per game) and blocked shots (55). The freshman big man steered Mizzou’s attack on the inside, collecting three double-doubles and propelling the team to a 15-2 record on the 17 occasions when he scored in double-digits.

Porter’s best stretch of the season was highlighted by a career-high 24 points at Vanderbilt (Feb. 27) and a 19-point performance against Arkansas (March 3). The impressive two-game stretch earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors. His career night at Vanderbilt was aided by a 9-for-10 performance from the field while he also snagged seven rebounds and dished out six assists. He became the first Tiger to register a 20-5-5 game since the 1998-99 season.

The 2019 NBA Draft is set for June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Griffons defeat Pitt State for fourth straight win

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – Situational hitting in the late innings and a shutdown performance on the mound helped the Missouri Western baseball team (18-15, 15-10) to its fourth-straight win, 7-3 over Pittsburg State (21-18, 13-12) Thursday night.

The Griffons scored five runs over the final three frames to help get Thomas Ruwe a win in his second career start. Ruwe improved on his impressive first start last week against Northwest Missouri, holding Pittsburg State to one hit over eight innings with eight strikeouts and just two walks.

During the team’s four-game win streak, the Griffons have scored 24 runs in the sixth inning or later.

NOTABLES

  • The Gorillas took a 2-0 lead on a home run off Ruwe in the second. The only allowed one more base runner over his next six innings.
  • A 2-2 game through six innings, the Griffons scored five over the final three frames with a Brooks Day home run in the seventh, two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth
  • Chas Verduzco got a two-out rally started in the ninth with a two-out single up the middle
  • The Griffons sent four more to the plate in the ninth, getting RBI singles from Casey Danley and Dusty Stroup
  • Andrew Curry shot a ball to right with one out in the eight to get Fahd Shakeel home from third
  • Brooks Day laid down a bunt one batter later to get Stroup home
  • Levi Abrahamson gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth, but struck out the other three batters he faced to preserve the win for Ruwe
  • Missouri Western out-hit Pitt State 11-3 and didn’t commit an error
  • The Griffons stole three bases in the game

UP NEXT
Game two of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m., Friday in Pittsburg.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats take down Central Missouri in 10 innings

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WARRENSBURG, Missouri – While it took 10 innings to do so, the Northwest Missouri State baseball team snapped its 5-game losing skid with an 11-10 victory over MIAA-rival Central Missouri.

Alixon Herrera went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and Derek Hussey drove in four runs as the Bearcats. It is Herrera’s first four-hit game of his collegiate career at Northwest.

It’s Northwest’s first win in Warrensburg since March 8, 2015. Northwest’s last extra-inning victory came against UCM in Maryville when the Bearcats posted a 5-4 triumph on April 5, 2018.

During a quiet first two innings for the Bearcats (18-20, 14-11 MIAA), the Mules’ offense wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, crossing one run in the first and another in the second to take the early 2-0 lead.

Northwest answered in the top of the third inning by scoring one of its own, coming on a solo home run by sophomore infielder Matt Gastner and bringing the score to 2-1.

After retiring Central Missouri in the home half of the third, the Bearcats added three more runs to the scoreboard in the fourth, taking the lead away from the Mules, 4-2. Northwest recorded three hits during the inning and used successful small ball to move its runners around the base path. Senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez stole home to record the final run of the inning.

Following stalemate innings in the fifth and sixth, both squad’s offenses heated back up in the seventh. For Northwest, senior outfielder Derek Hussey smacked a two-out, solo shot over the right field wall. Central Missouri answered with a run of its own after a one-out, two-bagger was hit by infielder Cole Taylor.

In the eighth, the Bearcats scored five runs on four hits to increase their lead to 10-3 over the Mules. Peter Carlson doubled to right center, recording the first RBI of the inning, scoring Quick. With the bases juiced, Hussey hit the second double of the inning and cleared the bases, scoring Jay Hrdlicka, Gutierrez and Carlson. A bases-loaded walk scored the final run of the top of the inning and gave Northwest a 10-3 lead.

Central Missouri scored four runs in the home-half of the eight to claw back at the Bearcat lead, 10-7.

After a three-up, three-down was recorded by Northwest in the top of the ninth, senior pitcher Trevor Dudar was brought in to attempt to complete the save for the Bearcats. Dudar gave up three runs (three earned) in his outing that allowed the Mules to send the contest into extra innings.

Senior catcher Alixon Herrera led off the 10th for Northwest, slapping a triple to right field. Herrera scored when Gutierrez grounded out to second. The Bearcats took back the lead, 11-10.

In the bottom of the 10th, sophomore Aaron Easley walked onto the bump to close out the ball game. He did just that, forcing Central Missouri into a one, two, three inning and giving Northwest the first win of the three-game series. Easley was credited with his first career save and Dudarr was awarded the win.

Sophomore Max Spitzmiller got the start on the mound for Northwest, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out two. Spitzmiller went six and 1/3 innings on the hill.

Northwest and Central Missouri will play game two of the series Friday at 4 p.m. in Warrensburg.

Notes: Quick extended his team-high, 15-game hitting streak and his team-leading 22-game on-base streak … Alixon Herrera went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and notched his first four-hit game of his career … Derek Hussey batted in four RBIs.

— Northwest Athletics —

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