 ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Lindenwood’s Blake Beckmann held Missouri Western to just two hits and three total base runners in a complete game shutout of the Griffons in the series finale between the two teams on Sunday.
After Anthony Castaneda threw a complete game shutout for the Griffons on Saturday, Beckmann answered to give Lindenwood (14-15, 8-7) a 2-1 series win over the Griffs (11-11, 9-6) with a 5-0 win on Sunday. NOTABLES
UP NEXT
— MWSU Athletics — |
Author: Dave Riggert
Missouri women lose at Iowa in second round of NCAA Tournament
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Megan Gustafson and the surging Hawkeyes are off to the Sweet 16.
Iowa might evolve into a true Final Four contender if Gustafson can get the kind of help that she got from her teammates on Sunday.
Gustafson scored 24 points with 19 rebounds, Makenzie Meyer added 18 points and second-seeded Iowa pounded Missouri 68-52 to advance to its second Sweet 16 in five years.
Kathleen Doyle scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes (28-6), who held the Tigers to 36 percent shooting and blew them away with a blistering 23-4 run in the second half. They’ll face either Kentucky or North Carolina State, who play each other on Monday, in the semifinals of the Greensboro Regional next week.
“We are just wanting to keep playing basketball,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We want to make it to the Sweet Sixteen because it’s a huge accomplishment. But it’s not about a legacy. It’s more about a sentiment; it’s more about being together.”
Gustafson was brilliant in the first two rounds, combining for 54 points and 35 rebounds. But the Hawkeyes showed how truly dangerous they can be when Gustafson’s teammates turn up the pressure on defense and take advantage of the attention their star center demands on the other end.
“We made them work really hard to get shots. And Megan was there to clean up the boards,” Bluder said. “They were just not getting any really good looks. When we were able to keep getting defensive stops, it gave us a mental edge.
Tania Davis hit her first 3 of the game to open the fourth quarter, putting Iowa up 50-41, and Meyer’s corner 3 pushed the lead to 13. Gustafson’s jumper over two defenders made it 60-43 with 4:21 to go, capping a spurt that helped Iowa clinch its highest win total in 31 years.
“We really can’t control a lot of things, but we’re able to control our effort on defense,” Gustafson said.
Amber Smith scored 21 points for Missouri (24-11). The Tigers bowed out in the second round for the third time in four years after scoring just 23 points in the second half.
Iowa held Mizzou star Sophie Cunningham to just eight points — 10 below her average — on 3 of 11 shooting.
“We didn’t feel like we could take away everything. Megan demands so much attention. The last thing we wanted to do was give up 3s and easy touches inside,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “It makes it hard when you’re having a hard time scoring.”
Iowa struggled mightily in beating 15th-seeded Mercer on Friday, and it got off to another sluggish start that was punctuated when Missouri’s Jordan Roundtree hit a half-court bank shot to beat the first-quarter buzzer.
Iowa finally woke up in the second quarter.
The Hawkeyes shored up their defense and started feeding Gustafson in the post, fueling a 15-2 run that put the Hawkeyes ahead 33-29 at the break. Missouri responded, tying the game at 39 on an Smith jumper, but Gustafson buried two more inside jumpers to push Iowa ahead 47-41 heading into the fourth.
THE BIG PICTURE
Iowa: Gustafson received a standing ovation when she was finally pulled from her final home game with 22.4 seconds to go. “It was a bittersweet moment (leaving the court the final time), but mostly sweet because we’re moving onto the Sweet 16,” Gustafson said.
Missouri: The Tigers’ senior class elevated the program to new heights even though they never led the team past the second round. Missouri will likely go through a rebuild next season with starters Cunningham, Cierra Porter and Lauren Aldridge set to graduate.
OOPS
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder grabbed a microphone and screamed “How `bout them Hawks!” before launching into a speech thanking the crowd for their support shortly after the game. But before Bluder could blurt out her first sentence, the Missouri band started playing its final song of the season. Bluder said “I’ll wait” and stopped talking, but the crowd drowned out Mizzou’s pep band with their trademark “Let’s Go Hawks!” chant.
— Associated Press —
Northwest baseball splits doubleheader at No. 10 Missouri Southern
JOPLIN, Missouri – Northwest Missouri State split a doubleheader against No. 10-ranked Missouri Southern on Sunday.
Northwest (11-14 overall, 7-8 MIAA) took the opener, 6-3, but the Lions bounced back with a 16-7 triumph in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
Northwest scored three runs in the second. Senior catcher Alixon Herrera led off the inning by drawing a walk. Junior first baseman Connor Quick singled down the third base line. Senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez reached on a fielder’s choice when his sacrifice bunt attempt turned into an out at third. Senior outfielder Derek Hussey reached on a fielding error and loaded the bases for the Bearcats. The first two runs came when junior infielder Matt Gastner doubled to left center, scoring Gutierrez and Quick. The third run came after senior infielder Logan Rycraft singled and scored Hussey. Northwest left the bases loaded.
Missouri Southern closed the Northwest lead to just one after recording two runs in the fifth.
The Bearcats added one in the sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh to increase their lead to 6-2 over the Lions. Small ball and successful base running assisted Northwest in controlling much of the game.
The Lions rallied to score one more in the top of the eight before being shut down by the Bearcats’ pitching staff in the the ninth.
Junior pitcher Quintin Van Ackeren got his team-leading third win of the season, going seven full innings while giving up three runs on six hits and adding four strikeouts.
Senior Trevor Dudar notched his fifth save on the season for the Bearcats.
GAME TWO
During the first inning, both squads got off to a hot start combining to score five runs. Heading into the second, Missouri Southern controlled a one-run lead over Northwest, 3-2.
After a three-up, three-down second inning, the Bearcats notched two more runs in the bottom of third after Quick tripled to right field, scoring junior infielder Calvin Rudolph and Herrera and took the lead over the Lions, 4-3.
Missouri Southern added two of its own in the top of the fourth after a two-run homer to left by senior outfielder Mike Million. The Lions retook the lead, 5-4.
Northwest bounced back in the home half of the fourth scoring one run and tying the game at 5-5.
The Lions would go on to plate three runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, four in the seventh and three in the eight to take a commanding lead over the Bearcats. Northwest would score two runs to counter in the seventh, but it just wasn’t enough to stop the Missouri Southern offense.
Northwest falls to 11-14 overall and 7-8 in MIAA play.
NOTES: Herrera extended his hitting streak to six games…junior first baseman Conner Quick and Herrera extend their team-leading on-base streaks to nine games apiece.
— Northwest Athletics —
Western tennis falls at home to No. 8 Washburn
ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western (8-8, 0-3 MIAA) took on No. 8 Washburn (13-1, 4-0 MIAA) on Sunday afternoon at Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph. The Ichabods proved why they are ranked in the top-10 in the nation, defeating the Griffons by a score of 6-1.
Washburn swept the three doubles matches on Sunday, but had trouble fending off Missouri Western’s Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman. The pair nearly escaped with a win, but fell 7-6 in the final doubles match. Ström and Abreu Roman have proved to be the Griffons’ most productive doubles team, totaling 13 wins this season compared to just four losses.
The Griffons fell in five of the six matches in singles. Giving Missouri Western the point on the number one courts was Ström. Ström improves to 11-2 this spring after her 6-2, 7-5 victory on Sunday.
Bojana Vuksan came close to securing another win for the Griffons, but fell in a three-set match on the number six courts. Vuksan won the first set by a convincing 6-0 margin, but fell in the final two sets.
Missouri Western will hit the road for its Oklahoma road trip next weekend, beginning with a match against Central Oklahoma (9-2, 3-0 MIAA). The Bronchos’ only two losses this spring have come against NCAA Div. I opponents.
MWSU VS. WU
SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Jacqueline Engelbrecht (WU) 6-2, 7-5
Alexis Czapinski (WU) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-0, 6-0
Logan Morrissey (WU) def. Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-4, 6-1
Maria Soler Valverde (WU) def. Federica Salmaso (MWSU) 6-1, 6-0
Svea Crohn (WU) def. Ciarra Gilmore (MWSU) 6-0, 6-0
Madison Lysaught (WU) def. Bojana Vuksan (MWSU) 0-6, 6-4, 10-2
DOUBLES
Czapinski/Morrissey (WU) def. Birosta/Gilmore (MWSU) 6-0
Crohn/Engelbrecht,Jacqueli (WU) def. Abreu Roman/Strom (MWSU) 7-6
Fields/Valverde (WU) def. Salmaso/Vuksan (MWSU) 6-2
— MWSU Athletics —
Castaneda strikes out 14 as Griffons even series at Lindenwood
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Lindenwood (13-15, 7-7) might have been the first team since Feb. 2 to score more than a run on Missouri Western baseball (11-10, 9-5) starter Anthony Castaneda, but the senior pitcher and his team still evened the series with the Lions in a 5-2 victory Saturday afternoon.
Castaneda tied the MWSU single-game strikeout record – for the second time this season – with a complete game 14-K performance.
NOTABLES
- Castaneda shut the Lions out for the first four innings before they scratched across two in the bottom of the fifth
- The senior recorded 14 strikeouts for the second time this season, matching his season opening performance at Oklahoma Baptist. He now has four games with 12 or more strikeouts in seven starts
- Andrew Curry led off the fourth with a single; stole second then got to third on a wild pitch before scoring when Zach Pych reached on an error
- Lindenwood was charged with eight errors in the game
- After Lindenwood took a 2-1 lead in the fifth, the Griffons regained the lead with three in the sixth
- Curry scored the first in the sixth on a wild pitch
- Nolan Monthei drove in the other two with a single up the middle
- The Griffons took advantage of another Lindenwood error that allowed Monthei to score an insurance run in the ninth
- Castaneda improved to 6-0 on the season, allowing just seven hits through nine innings. He struck out 14 and walked two
- Monthei was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored
UP NEXT
- The rubber match comes Sunday at a re-scheduled time of 11 a.m. in St. Charles.
— MWSU Athletics —
Trotter becomes all-time wins leader in MIAA history as MWSU defeats No. 22 Winona State
ST. JOSEPH – A run in the first inning and a breakout pitching performance by Lexi Kinnaird were a recipe for history as Griffon Softball head coach Jen Bagley Trotter became the MIAA’s all-time wins leader with her 615th victory, 1-0 over No. 22 Winona State.
Trotter moved past former Griffon head coach Rhesa Sumrell for the most wins ever by a softball coach while at an MIAA school. All 615 of her wins as a head coach have come in her 18-year career at Missouri Western. It came in a one-run win over a ranked opponent that featured plenty of drama.
Winona State put runners on base in every inning but the third, but Kinnaird was able to work around the runners. After retiring the first two in the top of the seventh, Kinnaird walked a batter and gave up a single to put two on. A fly out to center ended the game and gave Kinnaird a complete game shutout.
Kinnaird (3-3) struck out five batters and walked two for her first seven-inning complete game of the year.
Gabi Carter and Emma Hoffart provided the Griffs with two of their five hits in the game in the first inning. Hoffart’s two-out double to center scored Carter from first for the only run of the game. Winona State’s Liz Pautz did her best to match Kinnaird’s performance, striking out seven with one walk and five hits allowed through six innings. Carter had two of MWSU’s hits, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
UP NEXT
Missouri Western could potentially end up with games Sunday in the Hy-Vee Classic. If not. The Griffons will wait until next week to host Lindenwood (March 29) and Lincoln (March 30) in doubleheaders.
— MWSU Athletics —
Benedictine loses in double OT to Pikeville in NAIA Sweet 16
The Benedictine men’s basketball team had its season come to an end Friday night in the Sweet 16 of the NAIA National Tournament. The Ravens lost in double overtime to Pikeville (KY) 83-79 inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
BC struggled in the first half as they shot just 27.6 percent (8-29) and fell behind 33-22. Pikeville extended its lead to as many as 15 points early in the second half before Benedictine outscored the Bears 42-31 after halftime and they rallied to force overtime.
The Ravens jumped out to a six point lead with 2:34 left in the first overtime, but Pikeville came back to tie the game and they sent it to another OT.
BC took a 78-76 lead in the second overtime with 1:54 left, but the Bears went on a 6-0 run and the Ravens weren’t able to come back.
Colby Nickels led Benedictine with 20 points, while Thomas O’Connor and Eric Krus added 14.
The Ravens end their season 31-4, while Pikeville is 25-8 and they’ll play Carroll (MT) at 7:30 Saturday in the NAIA Quarterfinals.
Griffon baseball loses series opener at Lindenwood 9-3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Five runs in the eighth inning turned a tight, back-and-forth game into a 9-3 win for Lindenwood (13-14, 7-6) in the first of three games for the Missouri Western baseball team (10-10, 8-5) in St. Charles this weekend.
After the Griffons had tied the game three different times, Lindenwood took advantage of a couple walks and an error and did some work themselves in putting the game away with the five-run eighth.
NOTABLES
- It looked like it might be a home run derby early with Fahd Shakeel leading off the game with a solo homer to left on the first pitch of the game
- Lindenwood answered with a two-out solo shot in the bottom of the first
- The Lions took their first lead of the game on an RBI triple in the second
- Shakeel tied the game in the third with his second hit and RBI of the game, a single up the middle
- Jordan Jackson’s pinch-hit, RBI-single in the sixth tied the game at three before Lindenwood answered again in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead
- The first six Lions reached in the bottom of the eighth, giving Lindenwood an 8-3 lead
- A double play put the Griffs one out from ending the inning, but an error allowed the fifth run of the inning to score before Kyle Heckenbach – the fourth pitcher for MWSU in the inning – got his one batter to ground out
- Shakeel went 2-for-4 with a walk. He drove in two and scored one
- Casey Danley was also 2-for-4 with a run scored
- Jacob Purl took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks through six innings
UP NEXT
Game two of the series comes Saturday at 3 p.m.
— MWSU Athletics —
Bearcat baseball loses at No. 10 Missouri Southern 7-6
JOPLIN, Missouri – Northwest Missouri State held the No. 10-ranked Missouri Southern Lions to three hits but could not overcome 13 walks in a 7-6 loss on Friday night.
Missouri Southern broke a scoreless tie in the fifth, scoring three runs. The Lions drew five walks during the inning while not recording a hit.
Northwest got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, plating two. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson ignited the Bearcats’ bats, hitting a double to left field. Carlson scored when senior outfielder Derek Hussey slapped a single down the right field line and then advanced to second base on the throw. Hussey scored on an error during senior catcher Alixon Herrera’s at bat.
Missouri Southern answered in the top of the seventh, scoring four more and took a commanding 7-2 lead over the Bearcats.
Both teams came up scoreless in the eighth and the game entered the ninth inning favoring the Lions. Northwest pitching held Missouri Southern scoreless in the top of ninth and the Bearcats needed to make up five runs to extend the contest or six to win game one of the three-game series.
In the ninth, Northwest scored four runs on two hits and left two stranded in the game one loss to the Lions.
Six Northwest pitchers saw the mound during the game including sophomore Max Spitzmiller, freshman Gibson Brown, junior Ethan Griswold, freshman Max Ross, senior Jarret Cronin and sophomore Aaron Easley. Northwest pitching walked 13 Missouri Southern batters during the game, ultimately the deciding factor for the Lions.
Northwest falls to 10-13 overall and 6-7 in MIAA play.
The Bearcats will be back in action against Missouri Southern Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon. The original start time was moved up due to expected rain later in the day.
NOTES: Herrera extended his hitting streak to four games…junior first baseman Conner Quick and Herrera extend their team-leading on-base streaks to seven games apiece
— Northwest Athletics —
Mizzou women make late free throw, beat Drake 77-76 in OT
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Just moments after the worst foul of her career, Drake’s Becca Hittner got her chance for redemption.
Hittner’s wide-open jumper as time expired instead clanked off the back of the rim, a cruel reminder that for every March buzzer-beater there’s a potential game winner that ends in anguish.
Jordan Roundtree hit a free throw after being fouled with 1.1 seconds left in overtime and seventh-seeded Missouri held off Drake 77-76 on Friday to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 for the third time in four years.
“March is March,” Robin Pingeton said.
Sophie Cunningham scored 21 points and Cierra Porter had 18 for the Tigers (24-10), who can advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001 with a win over second-seeded and host Iowa on Sunday.
The Tigers found Amber Smith open underneath for a 76-74 lead on a jumper with 20.8 seconds left, but Maddy Dean pulled Drake even at the line
Hittner then hit Roundtree’s shooting hand while she was attempting a desperation 3 after Missouri got caught trying to drain the clock. Roundtree missed the first free throw, hit the second and missed the third.
Had Hittner not committed that foul, Missouri would’ve been forced to go to a second overtime without Cunningham or Porter — both of whom had fouled out.
“The refs called it,” Hittner said. “I still got a good look at the end.”
It was a great look, in fact.
Drake got the rebound after Roundtree’s last miss and after two timeouts, miraculously got Hittner — a 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc — a wide-open look at the top of the key.
It bounced off the back of the iron.
“It looked good,” Cunningham said of Hittner’s shot. “Thankfully she missed it.”
Drake and Missouri each hit their first two 3s to start overtime, but Hittner’s 3 with 1:38 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Cunningham’s free throws put Missouri back on top with 53 seconds to go, but Drake’s Sara Rhine tied it the next time down the floor.
Hittner had 19 and Rhine chipped in with 18 points for Drake (27-7), which bowed out of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row.
“This one is really painful,” Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “This is a tough one. It’s a really tough one.”
THE BIG PICTURE
MISSOURI: Cunningham, Porter and fellow senior starter Lauren Aldridge will get one more chance to advance in the NCAA Tournament against an Iowa team that played one of its worst games of the season on Friday. Missouri shouldn’t expect the Hawkeyes to repeat such a dreadful performance though. “I love these kids to death,” Cunningham said of her senior trio.
DRAKE: The Bulldogs were given an at-large bid after getting upset by Missouri State in the Valley final. They can argue about being under-seeded despite being ranked 21st before that defeat, but at some point Drake has to come through and win an NCAA Tournament game. The Bulldogs were within an inch of doing so at the overtime buzzer though.
THE NUMBERS
The game was tied 14 times and the lead changed hands 12 times. …The teams combined for 35 turnovers. …Drake was 12 of 26 on 3s. Hittner led the way, hitting 4 of 8 attempts beyond the arc. …Missouri made the most of its offensive rebounds, outscoring Drake by 10 on second-chance points.
SHE SAID IT
“Are you guys stressed out too?” Cunningham joked to open the post-game press conference.
— Associated Press —