Dave Riggert – Page 467 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Western softball splits doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State

Posted on March 29, 2016

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Western softball team nearly pulled off an incredible comeback for a doubleheader sweep at No. 16 Northwest Missouri, but ultimately came up short in game two to earn a split on the day.

Game 1: MWSU 4, #16 Northwest Missouri 0

Janie Smith picked up her sixth complete game shutout of the season as Missouri Western broke a scoreless tie with three in the fifth and added another run in the sixth.

Smith held Northwest to just three hits while striking out eight and walking three. Sydney Washington went 3-3 in game one with a run scored. Morgan Rathmann drove in two with her one hit. Shelbie Atwell was 2-4 with an RBI.

Game 2: #16 Northwest Missouri 10, MWSU 9 (8 innings)

Missouri Western got three-straight, two-out home runs to erase a 9-4 deficit in the top of the seventh and eventually force extra innings.

With two runners on and down to the team’s last out, Taylor Hamilton blasted her second home run of the game over the left field fence to pull the Griffons within two. Kailey Green followed with a solo home run to left center then Katie Klosterman drilled a solo home run to left to tie the game at nine.

In the bottom of the eighth, Northwest got runners at first and second on a single and a hit batter, then a single to left ended it when Sydney Washington let the ball bounce by her, allowing the runner on third to score.

The Griffons were in an early 6-0 hole after one inning. Hamilton hit a line drive, solo home run to right center in the fourth to make it 6-1. Northwest added another run on Shyanne Saladino in the fifth for another six-run lead. Green and Klosterman picked up RBI singles in the sixth to make it 7-4, but Northwest added two on a double in the sixth to put the Griffons down five heading to the seventh.

Janie Smith was tagged with the loss after entering for Saladino in the seventh. She pitched an inning and a third, allowing two hits and the game-winning run. After giving up four hits and six runs in the first, Saladino retired the Bearcats in order in the second, third and fourth innings before surrendering a double and a single in the fifth.

Hamilton went 3-4 in the game with four RBIs and two runs scored. Green was 3-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Klosterman was 2-4 with three RBIs and a run scored in game one.

The split left Missouri Western with a 26-10 overall record, 11-3 in the MIAA. The Griffons host Fort Hays State, Saturday in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon. They follow that up with a twin-bill against Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday at noon.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou defeats Saint Louis at Kauffman Stadium

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball (15-12, 0-6 SEC) defeated Saint Louis 5-3, on a windy Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium. The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a RBI from freshman Brian Sharp [Liberty, Mo.] and an RBI double from Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.). The defense played a crucial role in Mizzou’s victory, turning a season-high five double plays, the most in a game since April, 26, 2014 against Florida.

Mizzou’s double play in the seventh inning halted a Billiken’s rally as freshman Ian Nelson [Lake St. Louis, Mo.] stopped a one-hop ground ball up the middle to start the double play. Benes snagged a liner at the hot corner and caught a runner off first base to cap the game in the ninth for Mizzou’s fifth and final double play.

Ryan Lee [Grandview, Mo.] got the start for the Tigers, allowing four hits to earn the Billikens two runs in the top of the first. Zach Lavy [Auxvasse, Mo.] returned the favor with a RBI to score Ryan Howard [St. Charles, Mo.] at the bottom of the first.

In the fifth, the Mizzou bats woke up. Benes hit his second double of the game to drive in Lavy. Sharp continued the streak, scoring on a wild pitch.

SLU returned the favor in the sixth inning with a RBI to score its third run. To little avail, Mizzou scored again in the bottom of the eighth with Lavy singling to left side to score in run number five – it was Lavy’s team-leading sixth multi-RBI game this season.

Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) earned his first career save, tossing a pair of shutout innings with just one hit and a walk.

Mizzou will be back in action on the road to face Arkansas in a three game series over the weekend, the first being Friday evening at 6:35 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Moustakas homers, drives in five; Royals top Giants 16-10

Posted on March 29, 2016March 30, 2016

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Moustakas homered, doubled and drove in five runs to help the Kansas City Royals outslug the San Francisco Giants 16-10 Tuesday night.

Moustakas hit a three-run homer during an eight-run third inning in which 11 Royals batted. Omar Infante added a two-run double in the inning, and then Kendrys Morales homered in the fourth.

“It’s definitely more of a hitter’s night,” Moustakas said. “Both sides were putting good swings on the ball and making solid contact. It’s definitely one of those days, probably not a good day to be a pitcher on either side.”

Moustakas is hitting .360 with three homers and 13 RBI in 50 at-bats.

“These stats don’t matter, but I’m feeling good at the plate, feeling comfortable in the box and seeing the ball is what’s important,” Moustakas said. “I’ve been able to do a good job with that and stay with my approach, which has been pretty successful up to this point.”

Royals starter Yordano Ventura was ambushed by a group of mostly minor leaguers, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits in four innings. Ventura threw seven scoreless innings against the Giants in Game 6 of the 2014 World Series.

“I got my work in which is the most important thing, but my location was bad,” Ventura said. “The good thing that came out of this is I felt healthy.”

Minor leaguers Ricky Oropesa, Austin Slater and Christian Arroyo homered off Ventura and combined to drive in nine runs in the first four innings.

Giants right-hander Clayton Blackburn gave up six runs on five hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings.

STARTING TIME

Giants: Blackburn, who led the Pacific Coast League with a 2.85 ERA last year, has an 8.62 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. He retired only eight of the 17 Royals he faced.

Royals: Ventura will pitch again on three-days rest Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

“I’m looking forward to my next start, because I want to finish spring training on a positive note,” Ventura said.

BUMGARNER THROWS

LHP Madison Bumgarner, who will start the Giants opener Monday at Milwaukee, threw 93 pitches over six controlled innings in a minor league game. Two innings were cut short when Bumgarner reached his pitch limit. He allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out eight, including the side in the second and sixth innings. Bumgarner said his spring training “wasn’t very good.” He had an 11.12 ERA in four big league starts, yielding 21 hits, including four home runs, in 11 1/3 innings.

“Whether I am or not, I better be ready for the season,” Bumgarner said. “But I feel I’m right where I need to be. It seems like there have been all sorts of spring trainings for me, good, bad and in-between, and it seems like it never necessarily reflects on how the season goes.”

INFANTE LIKELY

Although manager Ned Yost has yet to announce his starting second baseman, it appears Infante will get the nod to begin the season. Infante went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .357, while Christian Colon, his competition, has a .125 average.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was ill and a late scratch, replaced by Chris Shaw.

Royals: They will begin the season with four on the disabled list: OF Jarrod Dyson (oblique strain), LHP Tim Collins (second Tommy John surgery to be scheduled), LHP Jason Vargas (rehabbing from July 2015 Tommy John surgery) and LHP Mike Minor (rehabbing from May 2015 shoulder surgery).

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto will start at Sacramento, the Giants’ AAA affiliate. Cueto had a 9.58 ERA with opponents batting .347 off him over 10 1/3 innings in three Cactus League starts.

Royals: RHP Chris Young will pitch Friday against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Royals are off Thursday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas’ Selden declares for 2016 NBA Draft

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball guard Wayne Selden Jr. has declared for the 2016 NBA Draft and will be leaving KU, Selden and head coach Bill Self announced Tuesday.

“The last three years have been a true blessing to experience as a Jayhawk, an opportunity I am so thankful for,” Selden said. “That being said, I’d like to announce that I will be declaring for the 2016 NBA draft. It has always been our plan that my college experience would be three years. I plan to hire representation in the coming weeks.

“I want to thank the Kansas fans for their support as a Jayhawk over the years. The support is unmatched and has been the driving force in games,” Selden added. “I would like to thank each of my brothers. Together we battled through the tough and celebrated the good. Giving our all for one another. I’d also like to thank Coach Self and the entire Kansas basketball staff. I’ve received three years of meaningful experiences and guidance both on and off the court.”

A three-year starter for Kansas, Selden averaged 13.8 points per game and made a team-high 74 3-pointers in 2015-16. The 6-foot-5 Roxbury, Massachusetts native’s 13.8 points rank seventh in the Big 12 and he also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (10th at 47.4), 3-point field goals made (sixth at 1.9) and 3-point field goal percentage (ninth at 39.2).

“We are all so happy and proud of Wayne for not only how he’s played but for how he’s represented our school over the last three years,” Self said. “After his freshman year and seeing Andrew (Wiggins) and Joel (Embiid) declare after one year, Wayne, his family and our staff spoke that it would probably be after his junior year that the time would be right for him to declare and it has played out to be that way.”

In 2015-16, Selden was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection and one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Selden was also named co-MVP of the 2015 Maui Jim Maui Invitational along with teammate Frank Mason III. In leading KU to the Maui title, Selden averaged 19.3 points and made 12 3-pointers in three contests. He would later be named co-Big 12 Player of the Week for his efforts in Hawaii.

Selden posted seven games of 20 or more points this past season, including a career-high 33 points in KU’s win against then-No. 20 Kentucky in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 30 in Allen Fieldhouse.

Selden was a key player in Team USA’s gold medal run at the World University Games in Gwanju, Korea, in July 2015. The team, consisting of 10 Kansas players and coached by the KU staff, posted an 8-0 record in winning gold. Selden ranked second in the 24-team field in scoring at 19.3 points per game and was named to the five-member World University Games (WUG) First Team. He led the USA team in scoring four times, including a team-high 22 points, along with nine rebounds, in the gold medal double-overtime win against Germany.

“Wayne had a great year for us starting in South Korea by being the best player in the World University Games,” Self said. “And then, of course, being our second-leading scorer and helping lead us throughout a wonderful season here at Kansas. He has shown that he can play at the highest and most elite level as evidenced by some of the performances throughout the year. We wish him nothing but the best and are excited for whatever the future has for him.”

Selden was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention his freshman and sophomore years averaging 9.7 points in 2013-14 and 9.4 in 2014-15. He was also selected to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team his sophomore season in leading KU to the title game.

While at Kansas, Selden won three Big 12 regular-season titles, one Big 12 Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2015-16. Additionally, Selden was part of two undefeated seasons in games played in Allen Fieldhouse going 45-1 in the venue. Selden ranks 37th on the KU career scoring list with 1,202 points. His 162 3-pointers made are 10th all-time in the KU books and his 443 3-pointers attempted are eighth.

— KU Athletics —

MWSU tennis loses at Nebraska-Kearney 7-2

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Missouri Western tennis team fell to Nebraska-Kearney 7-2 on Tuesday afternoon. Due to high winds, the dual match was moved inside to the Racquet Center of Grand Island.

The Griffons couldn’t claim a double match, falling in close matches in the No.1 and No. 2 doubles matches 8-5 and 8-6, respectively. In the final doubles match, they fell 8-2 to the Lopers.

Missouri Western was able to claim two wins in singles matches. In the No. 1 spot Yasmine El Ghazi earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory and the No. 2 singles match ended 6-3 and 6-5 for Sarah Giraldo. UNK won the other matches in straight sets.

The Griffons will be back at home this Thursday against Emporia State, starting at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Wainwright’s final spring start rained out as Cards/Nats game called in 4th

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Rain cut short Adam Wainwright’s and Stephen Strasburg’s final spring starts, canceling the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals in the top of the fourth inning Tuesday.

Wainwright allowed the lone run moments before lightning halted play. The Cardinals’ opening day starter wasn’t as crisp as he would have liked to be in his final spring start.

“I could have pitched seven or eight innings today and I would have thrown 115 pitches — it would have been kind of sloppy,” Wainwright said. “I want to tighten that up. I’m not worried about anything that’s going on, but I’m not overly excited about my start today. It could have been a lot better.”

Nationals manager Dusty Baker liked what he saw from Strasburg, who struck out five in three innings, including the side in the third.

Tuesday marked the second straight rainout for the Nationals, and the forecast for Wednesday’s Grapefruit League finale against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie isn’t promising. Nor is the extended forecast for Friday’s and Saturday’s exhibition games against Minnesota in Washington.

Baker pushed Monday’s scheduled pitchers to Tuesday following that rainout. While Strasburg threw enough on Tuesday, there is now a backlog of relievers who need work in the coming days before the regular season begins.

“We’ll get our work done inside I guess,” Baker said. “We’ll adjust.”

EXTRA HELP

The Cardinals plan to break camp on Wednesday more than the 25-player maximum roster permitted for opening day. St. Louis plays the New York Yankees in Tampa on Thursday. Afterward, the major league-bound players will head to Pittsburgh, where the Cardinals open the season. The handful of players destined for the minor leagues will bus back from Tampa to the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter to join their new teams.

NOT TURNER’S TIME

Washington wants to see top prospect Trea Turner work on his footwork, arm strength and leadership skills while in the minors this season. “A shortstop’s got to have energy,” Baker said. “It gives everybody else energy.” The Nationals optioned Turner to Triple-A on Monday but had the Palm Beach County native hit lead-off as a minor league call-up on Tuesday. Turner entered Tuesday’s game hitting .250 with a home run and four RBI this spring.

STARTING TIME

Nationals: Strasburg helped himself with the bat on Tuesday, singling in the third inning off Wainwright.

Cardinals: St. Louis manager Mike Matheny announced that Michael Wacha will start the second game of the season and Mike Leake the third in Pittsburgh. The number of off days built into the Cardinals’ end of spring and early season schedule will lead St. Louis to leave a couple pitchers from the starting rotation behind when it breaks camp. Jaime Garcia will throw in a minor league spring training game on Friday and Carlos Martinez will do the same on Saturday before joining the club in Pittsburgh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was a late addition to the lineup on Tuesday. St. Louis scratched Molina from Monday’s game because of a bruised toe incurred in the weight room. … RHP Jordan Walden (sore shoulder) didn’t experience any ill effects following Monday’s scoreless inning. Walden hadn’t pitched since March 21. He is expected to pitch again on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Max Scherzer will start against Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie on Wednesday in Washington’s final Grapefruit League game.

Cardinals: St. Louis plays its final Grapefruit League game in Roger Dean Stadium on Wednesday. The Cardinals will be the visiting team when Wacha takes the mound against Miami’s David Phelps.

— Associated Press —

Jayhawks’ Ellis named 2nd Team AP All-American

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas men’s basketball senior Perry Ellis has been selected to the Associated Press (AP) All-America Second Team, the organization announced Tuesday.

Selected by the AP Top 25 panel of media voters, Ellis is appearing on the AP All-America Team for the second-straight season having earned honorable mention honors in 2014-15.

A two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection, Ellis scored 20 or more points in three of his final four games and seven of his last nine contests. The Wichita forward led Kansas in scoring at 16.9 ppg and was second in rebounding at 5.9 rpg. Ellis posted 16 games or 20 or more points this season and averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds during Big 12 play. His 16.9 points per game rank third in the Big 12 and Ellis also is among the league leaders in field goal percentage (fourth at 53.1), free throw percentage (eighth at 73.5) and rebounds (11th).

Ellis ended his career No. 8 on the Kansas career scoring list with 1,798 points and No. 12 on the KU career rebounding list at 834. His 16 career double-doubles tied for 13th all-time in Kansas history. Ellis is only the fifth player in KU history to rank in the top 12 in both scoring and rebounding, joining Danny Manning (2,951 points/1,187 rebounds), Nick Collison (2,097 / 1,143), Raef LaFrentz (2,066 / 1,186) and Clyde Lovellette (1,979 / 839).

Kansas ended its season with a 33-5 record. The victories marked the ninth time in school history the Jayhawks have won 33 or more games, including five seasons under head coach Bill Self. KU won the Big 12 regular-season title posting a 15-3 league record. Included in Kansas’ successes this season were the Maui Invitational title, its 12th-straight, 16th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 59th overall conference regular-season championship, the Big 12 Postseason Championship title and its 21st NCAA Championship Elite Eight appearance. Additionally, last summer KU represented the United States and won the gold medal at the 2015 World University Games in Korea posting an 8-0 record.

2016 ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
First Team
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia

Second Team
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Ben Simmons, LSU
PERRY ELLIS, KANSAS
Kris Dunn, Providence
Georges Niang, Iowa State

Third Team
Grayson Allen, Duke
Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, Indiana
Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa
Kay Felder, Oakland
Jamal Murray, Kentucky

Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)
Ryan Anderson, Arizona; Anthony “Cat” Barber, N.C. State; DeAndre’ Bembry, Saint Joseph’s; Ben Bentil, Providence; Trevon Bluiett, Xavier; Joel Bolomboy, Weber State; Evan Bradds, Belmont; Dillon Brooks, Oregon; Cane Broome, Sacred Heart; John Brown, High Point; Antonio Campbell, Ohio; Kyle Collinsworth, BYU; Stephen Croone, Furman; James Daniel III, Howard; Juan’ya Green, Hofstra; Derrick Griffin, Texas Southern; Alex Hamilton, Louisiana Tech; A.J. Hammons, Purdue; Marvelle Harris, Fresno State; Josh Hart, Villanova; Danuel House, Texas A&M; Brandon Ingram, Duke; Stefan Jankovic, Hawaii; Tim Kempton, Lehigh; Max Landis, IPFW; Shawn Long, Louisiana-Lafayette; Dallas Moore, North Florida; Nic Moore, SMU; Gary Payton II, Oregon State; Alec Peters, Valparaiso; Justin Robinson, Monmouth (N.J.); Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga; Justin Sears, Yale; Pascal Siakam, New Mexico State; Melo Trimble, Maryland; Fred VanVleet, Wichita State; Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin; Jameel Warney, Stony Brook; Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall; Greg Wiltjer, Gonzaga.

— KU Athletics —

Bearcats’ Pitts named an All-American by DII Bulletin

Posted on March 28, 2016

FRISCO, Texas – Northwest Missouri State University sophomore Justin Pitts has been named to the Division II Bulletin’s All-America third team on Monday in a press release from the organization.

Pitts was one of three MIAA players to be recognized along with Conner Beranek of Nebraska-Kearney and Taevaunn Prince of Missouri Southern. Beranek was a fourth team member and Prince earned honorable mention accolades. Javion Blake of Washburn earned all-freshman team honors.

Now a two-time first-team All-MIAA performer, Pitts scored in double figures in all 32 games played this season and eclipsed 20 points 21 times, including a career-high 38 points against Minnesota State in the Central Region semifinals, third-most in school history (3/13/16).

He reached 1,000 career points in just 53 games. The sophomore was named Central Region tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring 88 points on 35-of-51 shooting across three games. Through two seasons at Northwest, Pitts is the all-time leader in three point field goal percentage, drilling 49.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc (131-for-265).

The Blue Springs, Mo. native led the Bearcats in scoring (21.7), three point percentage (49.4), assists (5.0) and steals (1.5), helping Northwest to an MIAA-record 19 conference victories, an outright MIAA regular season title, an MIAA tournament title and a third-straight trip to the Central Region Championship game.

— Northwest Athletics —

KU’s Perry Ellis earns Wooden Award All-America honor

Posted on March 28, 2016March 28, 2016

LOS ANGELES – Kansas men’s basketball senior Perry Ellis was named to the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s® All-America Team for 2015-16, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on ESPNU Monday evening.

Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, Ellis is one of 10 student-athletes named Wooden Award All-America, which took into consideration a player’s entire season of play, as well as opening rounds of the NCAA Championship. Those student-athletes have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, Ellis will graduate from Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in sport management and business minor this spring.

Ellis scored 20 or more points in three of his final four games and seven of his last nine contests. The Wichita forward led Kansas in scoring at 16.9 ppg and was second in rebounding at 5.9 rpg. Ellis posted 16 games or 20 or more points this season and averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds during Big 12 play. His 16.9 points per game rank third in the Big 12 and Ellis also is among the league leaders in field goal percentage (fourth at 53.1), free throw percentage (eighth at 73.5) and rebounds (11th).

Earlier Monday, Ellis was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America Second Team as he has been named to six All-America teams this season.

2016 WOODEN AWARD ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Name, School (Conference; Ht.; Yr.; Pos.)
Grayson Allen, Duke (ACC; 6-5; Soph.; G)
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia (ACC; 6-5; Sr.; G)
Kris Dunn, Providence (Big East; 6-4; Jr.; G)
PERRY ELLIS, Kansas (Big 12; 6-8; Sr.; F)
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana (Big Ten; 6-0; Sr.; G)
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (Big 12; 6-4; Sr.; G)
Brice Johnson, North Carolina (ACC; 6-10; Sr.; F)
Georges Niang, Iowa State (Big 12; 6-8; Sr.; F)
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky (SEC; 5-9; Soph.; G)
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (Big Ten; 6-5; Sr.; G)

— KU Athletics —

Kansas City releases Duensing, Moylan and Barmes

Posted on March 28, 2016

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have released veteran pitchers Brian Duensing and Peter Moylan and infielder Clint Barmes from minor league contracts.

The team announced the cuts on Monday.

Duensing, a 33-year-old left-hander who had a 41-37 record with a 3.61 ERA over seven seasons with Minnesota, had a 2.61 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings in 10 spring games.

Moylan, 37, a right-handed sidearmer, has a 22-9 record with a 2.83 ERA in 331 relief appearances in the majors.

Barmes, 37, has a .245 career batting average in 1,186 big league games with Colorado, Pittsburgh, Houston and San Diego, where he started 51 games at shortstop last season.

— Associated Press —