Dave Riggert – Page 473 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Mizzou baseball gets swept by No. 1 Florida

Posted on March 20, 2016March 20, 2016

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball dropped its series finale at No. 1 Florida, 7-5, on Sunday afternoon (March 20) at McKethan Stadium. Mizzou rallied from down 6-1 to pull within one run at 6-5 but failed to plate the tying run despite having runners in scoring position with just one out in both the seventh and eighth innings. Florida then added an insurance run in the eighth to pull away for the win. Mizzou falls to 14-9 (0-3 SEC) while Florida goes to 21-1 (3-0 SEC).

Senior Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits over 3.0 innings. Florida’s Alex Faedo earned the win, despite Mizzou tagging him for a career-worst five earned runs in the win. He had allowed just four earned runs all year prior to Sunday.

Mizzou’s offense was led by RBI doubles from lefties Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) and Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) and a two-double performance from sophomore Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.). Freshmen Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) and Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) and sophomore Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) tallied RBIs in the loss.

Tribby ran into trouble in the first inning as leadoff hitter Dalton Guthrie worked a nine-pitch at-bat and singled through the left side. CF Buddy Reed then launched a two-run homer two pitches later to put Florida on top, 2-0. Tribby then walked the next two batters, but an infield fly and a 6-4-3 double play got him out of the jam.

After Faedo struck out the side in the top of the second, Tribby came back out and looked to settle down, needing just nine pitches for a 1-2-3 inning in the second. Mizzou then tallied its first run of the game as the bottom of the order got things going. Bond ripped a one-out double, his second of the year, and Ian Nelson (St. Louis, Mo.) moved him to third on a ground ball to the right side. Brumfield then singled to plate Bond, cutting the UF lead in half at 2-1.

As quick as Mizzou cut into the lead, Florida extended it in the next half inning, using a pair of RBI doubles to score three runs to extend the lead to 5-1. RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) relived Tribby in the fourth inning and surrendered a leadoff triple to Nelson Maldonado and a sacrifice fly to left to give Florida a 6-1 lead. LF Harris made a tremendous play on the sacrifice fly, diving to make the catch near the line.

Mizzou then exploded for four runs off of Faedo in the sixth inning, using RBI doubles by Ring and Lavy with an RBI single by Sharp and an RBI groundout by Harris to plate the four runs. An incredible play by Florida 2B Deacon Liput likely saved the tying run on Harris’ RBI groundout.

Ring made two tremendous catches in center in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff single, but then an infield single and a walk loaded the bases. RHP Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) came on and go J.J. Schwarz to fly out to center to end the inning.

Mizzou then threatened in the seventh inning after a leadoff double by Bond and a two-out walk by Brumfield. But Howard struck out looking off of UF reliever Dane Dunning to strand a pair. Mizzou then stranded the tying run in scoring position in the eighth inning as well. Florida then added insurance in the form of a J.J. Schwarz RBI double to right field for a 7-5 advantage.

Mizzou will be off this midweek as it prepares for a three-game home series over Easter weekend against No. 2 Vanderbilt at Taylor Stadium.

— Mizzou Athletics —

K-State women get blown out by No. 1 seed South Carolina in 2nd round

Posted on March 20, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tiffany Mitchell scored 16 of her 20 points in the first two quarters as top-seeded South Carolina opened a big lead and breezed into the Sweet 16 with 73-47 victory over Kansas State on Sunday night.

The Gamecocks (33-1) romped through their first two NCAA Tournament games, defeating Jacksonville by 36 points before routing the ninth-seeded Wildcats (19-13) on the way to their fourth round of 16 in the past five seasons. South Carolina, though, is looking for much more and showed the inside strength and defense that might help achieve their national championship goal.

Mitchell was the catalyst in the first 20 minutes, slicing through the Kansas State defense whenever she had the ball.

The Gamecocks will face Syracuse (27-7) on Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the next round.

Breanna Lewis had 21 points to lead the Wildcats, who had no answer once South Carolina got going.

Alaina Coates had 14 points and 10 rebounds, her second straight double-double in the NCAA Tournament and 19th of the season.

The Gamecocks led by 19 points at the break and eventually grew the lead to 32 points against their Big 12 Conference opponents.

Kansas State had hoped to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002 and thought its 6-foot-5 junior Lewis could limit the effectiveness of South Carolina’s inside power duo of 6-5 A’ja Wilson and 6-4 Coates.

That job looked easier when Wilson was called for two fouls less than two minutes into the game.

But it was Mitchell, a two-time SEC player of the year, who powered the Gamecocks past the Wildcats early on. Her steal and easy basket after Wilson went to bench way early got a nervous crowd to exhale and steadied South Carolina’s attack.

Mitchell sliced through Kansas State’s defense on the way to a three-point play after the Wildcats had tied things for a final time at 7-all.

She killed off any hopes of a Kansas State comeback in the final minute before halftime with a 3-pointer before banking home a basket as the buzzer sounded to put the Gamecocks up 45-26 and cruising to their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years.

Mitchell got big hugs from her teammates — and a rousing ovation from the fans — when she left the court at Colonial Life Arena for a final time. The senior helped the Gamecocks go 47-1 at home the past three seasons, the lone defeat to NCAA Tournament favorite UConn 66-54 last month.

TIP INS

Kansas State: The Wildcats’ Breanna Lewis had six blocks against George Washington on Friday night, setting the school record for most games in a career with five-or-more blocks at 14. Lewis has 177 blocks the past two seasons, also a Kansas State record. She finished with two blocks against the Gamecocks.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks have turned up their stingy defense even more in the past month. They’ve held their past nine opponents to an average of 49 points a game. One team has broken the 60-point barrier in that stretch — and that was Kentucky in a 93-63 loss in the SEC tournament semifinals earlier this month.

UP NEXT

Kansas State’s season is over.

South Carolina will play No. 4 Syracuse in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

— Associated Press —

Northwest softball splits two one-run games Sunday in St. Joseph

Posted on March 20, 2016March 20, 2016

The Northwest Missouri State softball team came up on either side of a pair of one-run contests Sunday in St. Joseph, Mo.

The games were played at the Heritage Park Softball Complex as a part of the MWSU Apple Market Classic. 16 teams are participating in the midseason crossover, eight apiece from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

The Bearcats were on the losing end of a pitcher’s duel to open the day, falling to Augustana 1-0.

Northwest used a three-run fifth inning to sneak past Minnesota State in the nightcap, 4-3.

Northwest Missouri State will return to conference play when they hit the road to take on Lincoln on Friday, March 25. First pitch in the twin bill is set for 1 p.m. in Jefferson City, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU tennis bounces back with 8-1 win over Ottawa

Posted on March 20, 2016March 20, 2016

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team rebounded after their first loss of the season with a dominating performance against Ottawa, winning 8-1.

Missouri Western was able to record a sweep in singles competition as Yasmine El Ghazi and Sofia Aguilera earned victories in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots. Denise Chiao was able to earn a victory in the No. 6 singles spot by a score of 6-3 and 6-2.

The Griffons were able to take two of three doubles matches. El Ghazi and Aguilera won 9-8 in their match and Joanna Abreu Roman and Sarah Giraldo earned a convincing 8-0 victory in the No.2 doubles match.

Singles competition
1. El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Corfield,Allison (OU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Aguilera, Sofia (MWSU) def. Luedyke,Jennifer (OU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Bellew,Madeline (OU) 6-3, 7-6
4. Abreu Roman, Joanna (MWSU) def. Laures,Taylor (OU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Smith, Meara (MWSU) def. Hibbs,Lexis (OU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Chiao, Denise (MWSU) def. Rodriguez,Stephanie (OU) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Aguilera, Sofia/El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Corfield,Allison/Luedyke,Jennifer (OU) 9-8
2. Abreu Roman, Joanna/Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Good,Danika/Peterson,Kimisha (OU) 8-0
3. Bellew,Madeline/Laures,Taylor (OU) def. Beger, Lindsay/Chiao, Denise (MWSU) 8-4

Missouri Western will hit the road as they take on Fort Hays State on Friday afternoon starting at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Benton defeats MICDS in 2 OTs to win Class 4 State Championship

Posted on March 20, 2016March 20, 2016

Click here to listen to Benton head coach Brett Goodwin talk about the win

The Benton girls’ basketball team won its second state championship in school history Saturday night in Columbia as they defeated MICDS in the Class 4 title game 41-34 in double overtime inside Mizzou Arena.

The Cardinals finish the season with a perfect 31-0 record, which is also the most wins in school history, surpassing their 2007 state title team that went 30-0.

Benton had to deal with a lot of adversity Saturday night as they were without freshman guard Jayde Williams, who was injured in the semifinal game Friday. Then freshman starting guard Bailey Russell injured her leg in the second quarter and wasn’t able to return.

The game was back-and-forth all night as neither team led by more than five points the entire game until Benton took a nine-point lead in the second overtime.

BHS was down 19-14 at halftime, but they used a 6-0 run to start the second half and the game was tied 23-23 after three quarters.

Both teams struggled to score all night but MICDS used a 5-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a 28-24 lead with about two minutes remaining. The Cardinals then got a three-pointer from Kylee Williams and one free throw from Daejah Bernard to tie game and send it to overtime.

Each team scored just two points in the first extra period, but then in the second overtime Bernard took over the game.

MICDS scored the first two points of the second OT, but then Bernard made a layup to tie the game and she forced three consecutive turnovers from the Rams’ point guard Rachel Thompson and Benton went on an 8-0 run to pull away and outlast MICDS. Bernard ended the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six steals.

Kylee Williams made five threes in the game as she also scored 17 points and they two seniors combined for 34 of the Cards 41 points.

Benton’s defense was the story all season and Saturday night it was fantastic again as they held MICDS to a season-low 34 points. The Rams were averaging 64 points per game and had been held under 40 just one time all year, and they needed 40 minutes to reach 34.

The Cardinals held MICDS to 31.6 percent (12-38) shooting and the Rams committed 19 turnovers.

Fighting Irish fall to Vashon in Class 4 state title game

Posted on March 20, 2016March 20, 2016

Click to listen to Lafayette head coach Chris Neff on postgame

The Lafayette boys’ basketball team came up short in their bid for a state championship Saturday in Columbia as they lost the Class 4 title game to Vashon 69-58 inside Mizzou Arena.

The Fighting Irish finish as the state runner-up for the second time in three years as they end the season 28-4.

Lafayette got out to a great start Saturday as they went ahead 17-9 late in the first quarter, but Vashon scored the final four points of the first and then outscored the Irish 21-8 in the second quarter to take a 34-25 lead to the locker room at halftime.

LHS pulled to within six points several times in the third quarter, but could never get any closer as Lafayette struggled all night at the free throw line.

The Fighting Irish finished the game 21-of-42 from the foul line and because of that they were never able to make a serious run at the Wolverines in the fourth quarter.

Vashon wins its 12th state title in school history as Lafayette is still in search of its first since 1976.

Diego Bernard led LHS with 25 points, while Caleb Bennett scored 16.

Lafayette lost just four games all season, and all four teams they lost to when on to play for a state championship in their respective state and class. Two of the teams won state titles and two teams finished as the runner-up. It was the fifth all-time appearance in the Final Four for the Fighting Irish and third in the last six seasons.

Lafayette rolls past Helias in the Class 4 semifinals; will play Vashon for state title

Posted on March 19, 2016March 19, 2016

View highlights from Lafayette’s victory over Helias.

The Lafayette boys’ basketball team will play in a state championship game for the second time in three seasons as they were able to defeat Helias Catholic 68-51 in the Class 4 semifinals Friday inside Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

The Fighting Irish will play Vashon (25-4) in the state title game Saturday at 8:10 p.m. as the Wolverines were able to take down Sikeston in overtime in the other Class 4 semifinal 69-66.

Lafayette trailed 15-13 after the first quarter to Helias Friday night, but they used an 8-0 run midway through the second quarter and they never trailed after that.

LHS took a 27-23 lead to the half and they took command of the game in the third quarter with a 10-2 run and they led by double figures the rest of the game. Lafayette made 18-of-20 free throws in the fourth quarter to cap off the win.

Sterling Hick led the Fighting Irish with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Caleb Bennett added 15 and Diego Bernard scored 14 points.

Lafayette is now 28-3 as they’ll try and win the schools second state championship and first since 1976. The Irish lost in the title game in 2014 to Republic 45-42.

The game will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ or you can click here to listen.

Benton defeats Owensville 37-25 to advance to Class 4 state championship

Posted on March 18, 2016March 19, 2016

View highlights from Benton’s victory over Owensville.

The Benton girls’ basketball team will play for its second state championship in school history as they were able to defeat Owensville 37-25 in their Class 4 semifinal Friday inside Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

The Cardinals improve to 30-0 on the season and they’ll play MICDS (25-4) in the state title game at 6:20 p.m. Saturday at the University of Missouri.

Benton trailed 7-5 midway through the first quarter, but Deajah Bernard scored nine of her team-high 13 points in the first as they Cards led 11-8 after one and they never trailed again.

BHS couldn’t put the Dutchgirls away until the fourth quarter as Benton led 16-14 at halftime and 25-20 after three quarters. They used a 10-2 run to start the fourth and Owensville never made a serious run at the Cardinals.

Benton allowed only two second half field goals and they forced Owensville into 22 turnovers in the game.

Bernard led the Cardinals with 13, while Kylee Williams added 11.

Benton has only played for one state championship as they defeated Farmington in 2007 for their only title in school history. Saturday’s game with MICDS will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ or you can click here to listen.

Missouri Western softball opens Apple Market Classic with two wins

Posted on March 18, 2016March 19, 2016

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Softball earned two non-conference victories on Friday afternoon, beating University of Mary 8-1 and Northern State University 11-1.

Game 1

The Griffons were able to score all eight of their runs in the first four innings of the game. Morgan Rathmann was the first to cross the plate as she scored on an error by the catcher as Paige Shifflett was stealing second base. The Griffons added a second run when Katie Klostermann singled to left field to score Shifflett.

Missouri Western continued to add to its lead as Shelbie Atwell tripled, bringing home two more runs. The Griffons added two more runs in the inning, giving the Griffons a 6-0 lead after the second inning.

Kailey Green added a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for the final run, giving the Griffons an 8-1 victory. She finished the game two for three, scoring two runs and recording two RBIs. Rathmann finished the game with three runs scored.

Shyanne Saladino finished the game, pitching all seven innings. She struck out seven batters while allowing just four hits and one earned run.

Game 2

Missouri Western continued its dominance, scoring 11 runs in the second game of the doubleheader and limiting Northern State to just one run.

MWSU put together an eight run fifth inning. Rebekah Mueller eventually ended the game with her grand slam to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Griffons were able to get RBIs from Taylor Hamilton and Sydney Washington in the inning.

Paige Shifflett and Sydney Washington also tallied home runs in the game. Shifflett finished the game with two runs and one hit as well. Washington contributed three RBIs to go along with her two hits and two runs.

Janie Smith was solid in the circle as she recorded three strikeouts and allowed just one run on two hits.

The Griffons will continue the Apple Market Classic on Saturday, taking on Winona State at Noon and University of Sioux Falls at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons’ eight-game win streak snapped by Missouri Southern Friday

Posted on March 18, 2016March 19, 2016

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team’s eight-game winning streak came to a halt on Friday as the team narrowly avoided being no-hit in a 14-2, seven inning loss to Missouri Southern.

Missouri Southern starter Cody Hutchinson was perfect through four innings, but surrendered his first base runner with one out in the fifth when he hit Nick Gawley with a pitch. Missouri Western didn’t see another base runner until the sixth when Alex Heuring drew a one-out walk. With two down in the bottom of the sixth, Landon Mason singled, then David Glaude followed with a two-RBI double to right.

Hutchinson picked up the win, going six innings and allowing two hits, two runs, walking one and striking out nine. Mason, Glaude and Jeremy Alvarado were the only Griffons to pick up a hit in the game. Conner Schwienebart got the start and lasted two and two-thirds. He allowed five runs on four hits.

The loss dropped Missouri Western to 14-7 overall and 6-4 in the MIAA. The two teams play game two of the series, Saturday, at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —