Dave Riggert – Page 546 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Griffons drop second in-a-row as they lose at No. 19 Emporia State

Posted on October 24, 2015

EMPORIA, Kan. – An outstanding effort by the Missouri Western defense went unrewarded as the Griffons narrowly avoided being shut out for the first time in five years in a 17-3 loss at No. 19 Emporia State Saturday inside Welch Stadium.

Western’s defense forced four Emporia State turnovers and held the Hornets 70 yards under their season average for total yards and 21 points under their season average. Ten of Emporia State’s points came off of Missouri Western’s two second half turnovers. Trailing 7-0 late in the third quarter, Raphael Spencer fumbled at the Missouri Western 36 yard line, setting up a 29-yard touchdown pass from Brent Wilson to Mitchell Foote with 14:52 left in the game. Nate Wilson’s only interception of the game set up a 27-yard field goal by Austin Morton with 12:51 left in the game.

Emporia State came into the game averaging 38 points per game and had seven at the end of the third quarter. The Griffons picked off the MIAA’s top-passer, Brent Wilson three times and forced a Wilson fumble in the third quarter on Missouri Western’s third sack of the game. The Missouri Western offense couldn’t find a way to back up the defensive effort, totaling 255 yards on 69 plays. Nate Wilson finished 13-33 passing for 55 yards and one interception in his first career start.

The Griffons rushed 36 times for 113 yards. Raphael Spencer finished with 40 yards on 12 carries after sitting out the first half for a violation of team rules. Josh Caldwell led the Griffons with 12 carries for 50 yards and Kendall Short rushed seven times for 23 yards. Tanner Pettet missed three field goals but did keep the Griffons from being shut out with a 19-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the game.

Yomi Alli continued an impressive stretch. The senior linebacker had 14 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. In the last three games, Alli has totaled 46 tackles in the last there games. Tyrell Robison finished with 10 tackles in the game and Cody Lindsay had two sacks. Jonathan Owens had two interceptions and Arbanas Elliott had his second career interception.

The loss dropped Missouri Western to 4-4 this season. They return home next Saturday as they host No.3 Northwest Missouri State at 1:00 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri’s offensive struggles continue with 10-3 loss at Vandy

Posted on October 24, 2015

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A low-scoring game felt just right for Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason as he earned his first Southeastern Conference win in 12 tries.

Vanderbilt held Missouri to 188 total yards and 10 first downs in route to a 10-3 win Saturday. It was the fewest yards allowed by Vanderbilt against an SEC opponent since a 2006 loss to Mississippi.

“Love it — I’ll sleep well tonight,” said Mason, who doubles as the Commodores’ defensive coordinator. “Some people may want to see higher scores and what it looks like, but let me tell you, two weeks from now it’ll still be 10-3 and it’ll still be in the win column. So let’s go.”

One stat in particular stood out for Mason — Missouri’s 0 for 14 mark on third down conversions.

“0 for 14 on third downs — who would have thunk it? Really,” said Mason, who was given the game ball by Vanderbilt athletics director David Williams. “Just an unbelievable effort by those guys (on defense).”

The Tigers’ struggling offense fell to 3 for 41 on third down conversions during the last three games.

Drew Lock’s 18-yard pass to Russell Hansbrough gave Missouri a first down on the game’s first play from scrimmage, but the Tigers didn’t get their next one until late in the third quarter — a span of nearly 41 minutes.

“I think we’ve been playing pretty well this year, but that might be our best,” linebacker Darreon Herring said of Vanderbilt’s defensive showing. “That’s not the best we can be. We’ve still got five more games and everybody is going to see our defense roll back with this.”

Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb rushed for 99 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown.

Vanderbilt improved to 3-4 overall and 1/3 in the SEC. Missouri (4-4, 1-4) suffered its third straight loss.

“Disappointment, frustration, high anxiety — certainly we had a shot at the end,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “We get one throw in the end zone, a catch, and we would have gone into overtime. It’s a lot of frustration. We’ve lost some close games; really the last three have been reasonably close except for the Florida game with an interception and the touchdown. But the bottom line is you gotta do it and we’re not getting it done.”

Missouri drove to the Vanderbilt 13-yard line late in the game before turning the ball over on downs with five seconds left.

Vanderbilt (38:24) nearly doubled Missouri’s (21:36) time of possession.

Vanderbilt freshman Kyle Shurmur made his first career start in place of redshirt-sophomore Johnny McCrary, who has thrown 10 interceptions, the most in the SEC. He completed 10 of 20 for 89 yards before being relieved by McCrary.

Drew Lock threw for 108 yards and Andrew Baggett kicked a 35-yard field goal for Missouri.

“I mean, we had a lot of open guys tonight and I just didn’t hit them,” Lock said. “There were more disappointing plays on my part as far as my production on the field. The hits didn’t affect me as much; I can’t even remember when I got hit. I just couldn’t produce tonight.”

Webb’s 1-yard run on third-and-goal gave the Commodores a 7-0 lead with 4:44 left in the first half. His touchdown capped a 72-yard, 11-play drive.

Charles Harris’ backside sack of Shurmur and Sam Bailey’s fumble recovery at the Vanderbilt 21-yard line with 2:06 left in the first half set up Missouri’s first score.

Four plays later, Baggett’s 35-yard field goal cut the Commodores’ lead to 7-3 with 49 seconds remaining in the half.

Missouri missed a chance to narrow the gap to one when Baggett’s 47-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

McCrary returned at quarterback late in the third quarter and Vanderbilt extended its lead to 10-3 on Tommy Openshaw’s 40-yard field goal with 9:12 left.

Vanderbilt missed a chance to increase its lead to 13 when Openshaw’s 32-yard field goal attempt bounced off the top of the right upright with 1:58 left.

The game started with a controversial play on the opening kickoff when Missouri’s John Gibson fumbled after a hard hit by Vanderbilt’s Khari Blasingame and the ball was recovered by the Commodores’ Josh Smith at the Tigers 9-yard line.

A replay appeared to show Gibson’s knee wasn’t down, but the officials ruled there was no fumble after a review, drawing boos from the crowd. Mason declined to comment on the call, but Vanderbilt linebacker Stephen Weatherly said the players were told Gibson’s forward progress was stopped before the ball came loose.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western volleyball team dominates SBU in three sets

Posted on October 24, 2015

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Western volleyball team picked up its second straight sweep of the weekend, dispatching Southwest Baptist in three sets Saturday.

Missouri Western won sets one and two 25-16 then held on for a 25-22 win in the third set to improve to 17-5 on the season and 9-2 in MIAA play. The Griffons hit .347 as a team and didn’t allow SBU a service ace or block in the match.

Jessie Thorup led the Griffons individually with 14 kills. Blair Russell had nine kills and hit .474 for the match. Lindsey Partridge had eight kills and a .571 hitting percentage and Rachel Friedrichs also had eight kills with a .333 hitting percentage. Partridge and Thorup each added three blocks and Jordan Chohon had two blocks to go with her 37 assists. Kayla Ruff led the team with 18 digs. Chohon had 11 digs and Amanda Dalbey had 15.

Missouri Western plays the last match of five-straight on the road Tuesday when they step out of MIAA play and travel to Truman State.

— MWSU Athletics —

K-State falls at Texas for fourth consecutive loss

Posted on October 24, 2015

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Backup quarterback Tyrone Swoopes scored three touchdowns and the Texas Longhorns defeated Kansas State 23-9 Saturday in game played in a heavy rain storm.

Swoopes, a 244-pound junior who started last season, is now used primarily in short yardage situations. His first two touchdowns were on short runs, but his last one, which secured victory, covered 10 yards with 1:47 remaining. Swoopes ran for 13 and 29 yards on the previous two plays.

Texas (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) rushed for 274 yards, maintaining a strength the Longhorns created with 313 yards on the ground — its most since 2013 — during a victory against Oklahoma on Oct. 10.

Charles Jones, Kansas State’s junior running back, rushed for a career-best 122 yards. Jones gained 87 in the second half.

Kansas State has lost four consecutive games for the first time since 2005.

The Longhorns made their intentions known right away, running the ball on nearly every play while building a 16-6 halftime lead.

Texas gained 188 yards on the ground in the half, including 89 by Gray and 73 from quarterback Jerrod Heard. Gray set up one touchdown with a 46-yard burst along the right side in the second quarter.

Swoopes scored both touchdowns in the half, from 1 yard and 2.

Heard attempted just four passes in the half, three of them short, underhand flips to wide receiver Daje Johnson on sweeps that were more like handoffs.

The only conventional pass that Heard threw in the half was incomplete.

Texas dominated the half until Kansas State responded with a 78-yard touchdown drive that the Wildcats finished with 32 seconds remaining. Dominique Heath scored on a 7-yard pass from Joe Hubener.

The touchdown snapped a streak in which Kansas State was outscored 78-0 by TCU, Oklahoma and Texas.

Texas then let Kansas State off the hook midway through the third period. Hubener’s errant pass was dropped by safety Dylan Haines, who had open space ahead for a long return. Instead, Kansas State kicked a field goal.

Haines later made an interception that set up Swoopes’ final touchdown.

— Associated Press —

KU remains winless as they get blown out by No. 14 Oklahoma State

Posted on October 24, 2015

STILLWATER, Okla. — Outside the stadium, first responders were taking away the dead, and emergency crews were cleaning up an intersection where a car had ripped into a black-and-orange-clad crowd watching Oklahoma State’s homecoming parade.

Inside the stadium, the players prayed.

The school’s annual fall ceremonies came to a horrific halt hours before kickoff when a woman suspected of driving under the influence veered into the parade. Four were killed and dozens injured. The school considered postponing the game against Kansas, but ultimately decided to play and honor the victims.

The Cowboys bowed their heads in prayer before the coin flip. Flags flew at half-staff. The normally raucous crowd fell silent. And a seasonal Saturday ritual went on looking nothing like the celebration it was supposed to be.

Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more, and No. 14 Oklahoma State defeated Kansas 58-10.

“We knew we still had our jobs to do, and we touched on it in our prayer before the game, that God was giving us this opportunity to shed a little light in some darkness,” Walsh said. “We were able to do that, and to maybe lighten the mood, just kind of take everybody away from it for a couple of hours.”

Not entirely.

Fans walked past the intersection going into Boone Pickens Stadium and leaving it. Some lingered to look at the wreckage: water bottles, blankets, lawn chairs and other items strewn all over the intersection. A gray car with a smashed side and shattered windshield remained at the scene, as did a crumpled motorcycle.

National Guard troops kept watch as officials with the Red Cross and state medical examiner’s office continued their work.

The school president consulted with the Board of Regents, and the school contacted the Big 12 conference to discuss whether to hold the game. It would have been difficult to delay the start because it was televised, so officials decided to go forward and honor the victims, said university spokesman Gary Shutt.

“The decision was made that we’re going to play, and we’re going to remember the victims at the game,” OSU President Burns Hargis said at a news conference after the crash. “We’re going to move forward, but we will remember what happened today.”

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy acknowledged the tragedy wasn’t far from anyone’s mind.

“We were in football meetings when we found out about it and the first thing you do is you call and find out where your family is,” Gundy said. “Football all of a sudden isn’t as important.”

Coaches told the players right away. Defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said he didn’t know how the players would handle the news.

“To be honest with you, it wouldn’t have upset me if we hadn’t played today, but we did and the kids went out and played a game,” he said.

Against the somber backdrop, the Cowboys dominated early. They quickly forced Kansas into a 3-and-out on the contest’s opening possession. Then they marched 70 yards on eight plays, taking a 7-0 lead on Walsh’s 3-yard TD run with 2:50 gone in the first quarter.

Walsh made it 14-0 with 2:47 remaining in the first on a 1-yard run, holding the ball out over the pylon as he dove down the sideline on a third-and-goal situation.

Mason Rudolph completed 20 of 26 passes for 305 yards and had a touchdown for Oklahoma State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12). Kansas (0-7, 0-4) lost its 10th straight game overall and 36th on the road.

“This is just a football game,” KU coach David Beaty said. “As upset as I am right now [about the loss], it pales in comparison to what these families are going through. I can’t imagine.”

Sympathy came from all over college football on social media, where coaches, players and alums offered tweets of support. In Norman, the University of Oklahoma held a moment of silence for its rival before kicking off against Texas Tech.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, an OSU grad who was in attendance at the game, agreed with the decision to play.

“I think it is important for Oklahomans to be able to support each other, especially when our hearts are broken and we’re hurting,” Fallin said. “This is one of the ways we can be together and support each other during that time.”

Some fans left early, and others changed plans and decided to stay home once news of the crash began to spread. Sophomore Sam Trautman was in the crowd with friends, and noted the silence as the victims were remembered before kickoff.

“Normally, you can’t hear and if you want to talk you have to yell,” he said. “You could hear the people outside ordering their food from the concession stand.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball takes down Missouri Southern in five

Posted on October 24, 2015

The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team won a five-set match against Missouri Southern on Saturday evening in Joplin, Mo.

The Bearcats improved to 14-7 overall and 7-4 in MIAA play. The Lions fall to 2-20 overall and 1-10 in conference action.

Northwest hit .213 as a team and recorded 12 total blocks.

Miranda Foster had 11 kills with 11 digs and three block assists, while Setter Sarah Dannettell had a team-high 42 assists with 10 kills. She also had five digs, two blocks and a service ace.

Northwest Missouri State will return home for the team’s final two home games of the season. The Bearcats will host Washburn on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m., followed by a home finale on Saturday against Emporia State at 3 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Huskers’ rally comes up short against Northwestern

Posted on October 24, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — This time Northwestern prevailed in yet another close game with Nebraska.

Clayton Thorson’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Dan Vitale and Jack Mitchell’s third field goal gave the Wildcats an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and they hung on to win 30-28 on Saturday.

Nebraska won on a Hail Mary the last time Northwestern visited Memorial Stadium. In the teams’ five meetings since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten, four have been decided by three points or less.

The Wildcats (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) bounced back from consecutive losses of 38-0 to Michigan and 40-10 to Iowa and became bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.

“It’s tough being shut out and then losing by 30. It weighs on you,” Thorson said. “We came together on Monday morning and said we’re not letting this happen, we’re not letting down.”

Thorson passed for 177 yards and ran for a career-high 126. The Wildcats didn’t do a lot offensively early but led 17-12 at half. Thorson broke runs of 68 and 49 yards to set up scores, and Nick VanHoose returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown.

“We stuck together and found a way to make some plays in the first half and make it a game,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Great team win, huge team win to get us over the hump.”

For Nebraska, the loss spoiled an afternoon when Tom Osborne and the 1995 national championship team were honored in a pregame ceremony. The ’95 team, considered one of the greatest in college football history, walked out of the tunnel ahead of the current Huskers and formed a corridor for them to run through.

Nebraska (3-5, 1-3) must win three of its last four to play in a bowl. Its five losses — the most since Bill Callahan’s 2007 team went 5-7 — are by a combined 13 points.

“We’ve got to make sure we keep grinding,” Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. said. “We can either give up or we can keep riding this season out and keep working together.”

Mitchell’s 27-yard field goal put Northwestern up 30-22, but the Huskers drove 75 yards in eight plays to pull within two points. Armstrong’s two-point pass to Stanley Morgan Jr. fell incomplete, and Northwestern was able to run out the final 4:18.

The Huskers led 22-20 on Drew Brown’s 48-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter. Northwestern went ahead with a long drive that saw Thorson convert a couple of third-down passes before he hit Vitale with a pass along the sideline for 37 yards. Vitale dived into the end zone, with the play withstanding a video review.

After Nebraska went three-and-out, Mitchell kicked the field goal that put the Wildcats up by eight points.

Armstrong hit Brandon Reilly for 37 yards on a fourth-and-6 before he ran in from 3 yards to make it a two-point game, but he couldn’t convert on the try for two points.

Anthony Walker made 13 tackles and Dean Lowery had 10 stops, including a school-record six for losses and two sacks for the Wildcats.

“Losing to Iowa was a tough loss,” Lowery said. “We responded well in terms of work ethic and attitude. Fitz at halftime called us out and said we just have to be us out there.”

Northwestern gets a week off before hosting Penn State on Nov. 7.

“We’ve got a big month ahead of us. Postseason eligibility is huge for us,” Fitzgerald said.

Nebraska won at Minnesota on the road in its previous game, and first-year coach Mike Riley said he thought the Huskers had overcome the inconsistency they showed on offense earlier in the season.

That wasn’t the case. The Huskers were limited to a season-low 82 yards rushing, and Armstrong threw 48 passes, completing 24 for 291 yards.

“I told them we’re going to coach football and practice football on Monday and we’re going to continue to work to get better,” Riley said. “Everyone who wants to do that will be there. I think this group will be.”

— Associated Press —

Area District High School Football Scores – Friday, October 23

Posted on October 24, 2015

CLASS 5 DISTRICT 8
1 Staley (8-1) BYE

5 Liberty 14 (3-7, 2-3 SUB Red)
@ 4 St. Joseph Central 49 (4-6, 2-3 SUB Red)

7 Oak Park 7 (1-9)
@ 2 Park Hill 41 (9-1)

6 Park Hill South 16 (2-8, 2-3 SUB Red)
@ 3 Liberty North 28 (8-2)

CLASS 4 DISTRICT 8
8 Excelsior Springs 14 (2-8)
@ 1 Kearney 59 (9-1)

5 Van Horn 26 (4-6)
@ 4 Savannah 56 (5-5, 3-4 MEC)

7 Lafayette 14 (3-7, 3-4 MEC)
@ 2 Smithville 21 (8-2, 6-1 MEC)

6 Benton 34 (4-6, 3-4 MEC)
@ 3 Platte County 42 (7-3)

CLASS 3 DISTRICT 8
8 Northeast KC 6 (1-9)
@ 1 Maryville 49 (10-0, 7-0 MEC)

5 Lincoln Prep 43 (5-5)
@ 4 Kansas City East 14 (5-5)

7 Cameron 0 (1-9, 0-7 MEC)
@ 2 Chillicothe 42 (7-3, 4-3 MEC)

6 St. Pius X 7 (2-8)
@ 3 Richmond 35 (6-4)

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 8
8 Carrollton 14 (2-8)
@ 1 East Buchanan 40 (10-0, 7-0 KCI)

5 Trenton 12 (7-3)
@ 4 Bishop LeBlond 15 (5-5, 2-5 MEC)

7 Lathrop 20 (4-6, 4-3 KCI)
@ 2 Brookfield 31 (9-1)

6 Lawson 27 (6-4, 6-1 KCI)
@ 3 Lexington 41 (9-1)

CLASS 1 DISTRICT 7
8 Orrick 0 (0-10)
@ 1 Wellington-Napoleon 60 (9-1)

5 Plattsburg 16 (2-8, 1-6 KCI)
@ 4 North Platte 24 (4-6, 1-6 KCI)

7 Concordia 21 (2-8)
@ 2 West Platte 68 (4-6, 2-5 KCI)

6 Lone Jack 12 (3-7)
@ 3 Mid-Buchanan 49 (5-5, 2-5 KCI)

CLASS 1 DISTRICT 8
8 Princeton 6 (1-9, 0-6 GRC)
@ 1 Polo 48 (8-2, 5-1 GRC)

5 Maysville 46 (5-5, 3-3 GRC)
@ 4 King City 18 (6-3, 5-1 GRC)

7 Braymer 0 (4-6, 1-5 GRC)
@ 2 South Harrison 50 (7-3, 5-1 GRC)

6 Gallatin 8 (2-7, 2-4 GRC)
@ 3 Hamilton 42 (7-3, 5-2 KCI)

8-MAN DISTRICT 1
1 Worth County (7-2, 6-1 275) BYE
2 Greenfield (4-3) BYE
3 Rock Port (4-5, 3-4 275) BYE

5 East Atchison 22 (1-7, 1-6 275)
@ 4 North West Nodaway 73 (3-6, 2-5 275)

8-MAN DISTRICT 2
1 Stanberry (9-0, 7-0 275) BYE
2 Albany (6-3, 4-3 275) BYE
3 Mound City (3-6, 1-6 275) BYE

5 McAuley Catholic 6 (1-3)
@ 4 South Nodaway 50 (2-8, 0-5 PVC)

8-MAN DISTRICT 3
1 North Andrew (9-0, 5-0 PVC) BYE
2 St. Joseph Christian (6-3) BYE

5 Stewartsville 14 (3-7, 2-3 PVC)
@ 4 South Holt/Nodaway-Holt 64 (6-4, 4-3 275)

6 Pattonsburg 28 (0-9, 0-4 PVC)
@ 3 DeKalb 82 (7-3, 3-2 PVC)

8-MAN DISTRICT 4
1 Southwest Livingston (7-2, 4-1 PVC) BYE
2 Norborne/Hardin Central (8-1, 2-0 CRC) BYE
3 Chilhowee (2-6) BYE

5 Sacred Heart 74 (3-4)
@ 4 Northwest Hughesville 32 (0-9, 0-2 CRC)

Royals edge Blue Jays to win second straight AL Championship

Posted on October 24, 2015October 24, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals earned another champagne shower at Kauffman Stadium.

Lorenzo Cain sprinted home from first base on Eric Hosmer’s single in the eighth inning, Wade Davis weathered a 45-minute rain delay and a white-knuckle ninth, and Kansas City beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Friday night to earn its second straight trip to the World Series.

Davis retired Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson on a grounder with runners on second and third to end Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.

The Royals open the World Series on Tuesday night at home against the New York Mets. A year ago, they lost in Game 7 to San Francisco.

“We came in with one goal and that was to get back to the World Series. It can’t be any better than this,” Cain said.

Jose Bautista’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth, lifted Toronto into a 3-3 tie.

But any momentum Toronto might have had was washed away when a line of rain swept through town, sending players and fans scurrying for cover.

After the delay, Cain promptly worked a leadoff walk from closer Roberto Osuna, and Hosmer followed with a clean single that Bautista fielded down the right-field line.

Rather than hit the cutoff man, though, Bautista threw to second to keep Hosmer to a single. That gave the speedy Cain, running full speed the entire way and being waved home by third base coach Mike Jirschele, enough time to beat the relay throw from second base with a textbook slide that ignited a sellout crowd.

“I was hustling all the way,” Cain said. “I don’t know what happened I just kept going.”

Then it was up to Davis, who got the Royals out of a jam in the eighth, to finish it off.

Davis gave up a single to Russell Martin and walked Kevin Pillar before striking out pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro. After stolen bases put runners on second and third, Davis struck out Ben Revere, then got Donaldson on a bouncer to third.

Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar was voted the ALCS MVP after going 11 for 23 (.478). And for the fifth time in two years, the Royals clinched a postseason series at home.

“The made a run at it,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “I really couldn’t be more proud of our guys. They laid it out every day, they’re great competitors and a fun bunch, fun to be around every day.”

Ben Zobrist and Mike Moustakas homered, and Alex Rios also drove in a run for Kansas City, which ended an embarrassing 29-year postseason drought just last season.

The Royals eventually swept their way to the World Series, where they succumbed to the Giants in Game 7 with the tying run standing 90 feet away.

Kansas City will try to do one win better against the Mets. The Royals last won the crown in 1985.

For the Blue Jays, it was a frustrating ending to a late-season surge that ended their own postseason drought dating to 1993. They had rallied from a 2-0 series deficit against Texas in the divisional round, then staved off elimination against the Royals in Game 5 in Toronto.

They simply couldn’t win their sixth straight elimination game.

The Royals wasted no time taking the lead off David Price, the Blue Jays ace who has been so good during the regular season but remains winless in eight career postseason starts.

Zobrist pounced on the tall left-hander in the first inning, pulling a 1-1 pitch from his old Tampa Bay teammate down the left-field line. Zobrist’s second homer of the series gave Kansas City the lead and sent a capacity crowd of 40,494 into a towel-waving frenzy.

They hardly stopped by the time Moustakas came to bat in the second.

After scrawling the initials of his late mother, Connie, into the dirt with the end of his bat, Moustakas sent a 1-2 pitch from Price screaming over the fence in right. The ball was caught by a fan, 19-year-old Caleb Humphreys of nearby Blue Springs, Missouri, and the umpires briefly reviewed whether fan interference should be called on the play.

The review lasted 1 minute, 47 seconds, before crew chief John Hirschbeck announced that the replays were inconclusive. The home run stood and Kansas City had a 2-0 lead.

Rios added an RBI single in the seventh, but only after two marvelous plays by Toronto limited the damage. Revere made a leaping grab at the fence to rob Salvador Perez of a two-run shot to left, and second baseman Ryan Goins made a sliding grab to rob Alex Gordon of a single.

The defensive plays proved critical when Ryan Madson came on to pitch the eighth.

Madson allowed a leadoff single to Revere, and then struck out Donaldson, before peering in at Bautista in the box. The home run hitter who irked Kansas City fans all series followed his solo shot in the first inning with a tying, two-run homer to left that silenced the crowd — other than the smattering of boos directed at Madson on the mound.

The home run squandered a strong start by Yordano Ventura, who allowed only Bautista’s first homer of the series and three other harmless hits in 5 1/3 innings. But it didn’t seem to dent the confidence of the Royals, who have grown accustomed to tense postseason games.

There’s a reason they were defending American League champions, after all.

— Associated Press —

Western volleyball sweeps Missouri Soutern in Joplin

Posted on October 24, 2015October 24, 2015

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western volleyball team took advantage of 26 Missouri Southern attack errors to claim its 16th win of the season, 3-0.

The Griffons had little trouble dispatching Missouri Southern in the first set, winning 25-16 and getting four kills in the set from Jessie Thorup. The senior outside hitter didn’t add much more to her total from there. Thorup and Jordan Chohon led the Griffons with seven kills each. The Griffons didn’t need a lot from Thorup or her colleagues as Missouri Southern was held to a .082 hitting percentage on the night.

Kayla Ruff led the Griffons with 10 kills. Shellby Taylor had a team-high four blocks and Chohon added 27 assists. The win improved Missouri Western to 16-5 on the season and 8-2 in the MIAA. Missouri Southern dropped to 2-19 overall and 1-9 in the MIAA. The Griffons continue their road trip with a trip to Boliavar to take on Southwest Baptist Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —