Dave Riggert – Page 650 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Western softball gets swept at No. 20 Central Oklahoma

Posted on March 8, 2015

The Missouri Western softball team finished a two-day, four-game trip to Oklahoma by dropping a pair at No. 20 Central Oklahoma. Missouri Western returns to St. Joseph with a 9-9 record and a 2-2 mark in MIAA play.

Game 1: #20 UCO 6, MWSU 3

Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 6-1 lead after just two innings and the Griffons scored two in the third to pull within three but pitching took over for the next four innings in Missouri Western’s eighth loss of the season.

UCO scored three in the first but MWSU answered with one in the second. The Bronchos added three more in their half of the second on a two-RBI double and a sacrifice fly. In the third it was the Griffons’ turn to score with Paige Shifflett driving in one on a single and Kailey Green picking up an RBI when she reached on a fielder’s choice to make the score 6-3. Janie Smith slammed the door on the Bronchos the rest of the game but Nicole Brady did the same to the Griffons.

Smith picked up the loss, her fifth of the season, through six innings of work. She allowed six earned runs on six hits, struck out three and walked four. Shifflett went 2-4 and Katie Klosterman was 2-3 in the game.

Game 2: #20 UCO 8, MWSU 4

The Griffons had the tying run at first when the final out was recorded of an 8-4 loss at Central Oklahoma.

Trailing 8-4 in the seventh, Morgan Rathmann grounded out to second to lead off the inning but Tiffany Gillaspy followed with a single to second. Sydney Washington then drew a walk to put two on with one out. Shifflett struck out to record the second out before Green was hit by a pitch to put the tying run on with Klosterman at the plate but a ground out to the pitcher ended the Griffons’ attempt at a rally.

Missouri Western jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Rathmann’s lead-off homer. The Bronchos scored the next eight runs with three in the first and six in the second. Green pulled the Griffons within five in the fourth with a two-run home run and Washington’s RBI single in the fifth made the score 8-4.

Shyanne Saladino was charged with the loss to move her to 5-4 on the season. Saladino allowed 11 hits and eight runs. The Griffon defense recorded four errors behind her. Washington finished 3-4 with one driven in and a run scored. Rathmann and Gillaspy each went 2-4 in game two.

Missouri Western will host Southwest Baptist on March 14 in their home opening series. The Griffons and Bearcats will play a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Royals stay unbeaten this spring with win over Angels

Posted on March 8, 2015March 8, 2015

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — A swarm of bees chased players from the field and fans from their seats before the Angels’ Mike Trout hit his first spring homer and the Royals’ Eric Hosmer connected for his second, and Kansas City beat Los Angeles 6-4 Sunday.

Trout, the reigning AL MVP, hit a towering shot in the fifth inning off Miguel Almonte that nearly cleared the berm beyond the wall in left-center field 410 feet from home plate. Trout had career highs of 36 homers and 111 RBIs in 2014.

Hosmer had a two-run shot off Matt Shoemaker in the first, a drive to right-center.

“It was just an off-speed pitch,” Shoemaker said. “Just up in the zone. Not a well-located pitch.”

Shoemaker, a surprise 16-game winner in 2014, made his first Cactus League appearance this year — after a swarm of bees delayed the start of the game for 10 minutes.

The bees flew in from left field and gathered on a microphone attached to the netting behind home plate, toward the to the Angels dugout on the first base side. Fans behind home moved back to the concourse behind the field section of seats.

Shoemaker said he was warned about the swarm by Angels shortstop Erick Aybar as the bees buzzed overhead while throwing his pregame warmup pitches. Shoemaker said left fielder Collin Cowgill told everyone on the field about the bees. The umpires waved all players off the field and about five rows of fans were asked to move until the exterminators arrived.

A person in full protective gear shook the netting and sprayed the bees in the fourth inning during another delay of about 10 minutes.

Shoemaker allowed four hits and two runs and struck out one. He allowed all four hits in the first but settled down over the final two innings, allowing only a hit batsman.

Edinson Volqeuz made his Royals debut and allowed three hits, three runs — one earned — in two innings. He signed a three-year deal with the Royals after going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA with Pittsburgh in 2014.

Trout, Albert Pujols and David Freese singled consecutively off Volquez in a three-run first. C.J. Cron added a sacrifice fly.

BEE CAREFUL

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he’d seen bees at ballparks before but nothing quite like the gathering Sunday.

“We never had them migrating,” Scioscia said. “Fortunately they stayed up there until we could get rid of them. If those bees would have stayed on the field, it would have been impossible to play.”

STARTING TIME

Royals: Volquez was happy with his first appearance. “There was a lot of confidence in my pitches,” he said. “I was a little up in the strike zone.”

Angels: Shoemaker has a secured spot in the rotation after a stellar rookie year. He told reporters that nothing has changed for him this spring. “My whole goal in spring training is just to get ready for the season and at the same time compete for a job no matter who you are or where you’re at,” Shoemaker said.

He said he was not bothered by the bees at the start.

“(You just) roll with it,” Shoemaker said. “Get your warm-up’s in. Wait and go warm up again.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Left-handed reliever Tim Collins underwent an MRI on his throwing elbow on Thursday and the diagnosis came back with damage to the ligament. He will have a second opinion on the injury over the next seven to 10 days. … Second baseman Omar Infante is currently getting treatment on a bone spur in his right elbow.

UP NEXT

Angels: Highly-touted left-hander Andrew Heaney, named the team’s top prospect by Baseball America, will make his debut as an Angel vs. Cincinnati at Goodyear. The Angels acquired Heaney from the Dodgers for Howie Kendrick a few hours after the Dodgers acquired Heaney from Miami He’s expected to compete for the final starting rotation spot with Hector Santiago and Nick Tropeano .

Royals: Jason Vargas will make his first spring start vs. Milwaukee in Maryvale. Vargas went 11-0 with a 3.71 ERA in his first season with the Royals in 2014.

— Associated Press —

Northwest softball earns two victories at Northeastern State

Posted on March 8, 2015

The Northwest Missouri State softball team swept Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon in Tahlequah, Okla.

The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and used a five-run sixth to seal the 9-3 victory in game one. Then Northwest scored two runs in the sixth and seventh inning to take game two, 7-6.

The Bearcats improved to 4-6 and 2-2 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks are now 8-12 and 0-4 in the conference.

In game one, Sarah Baldwin got the start for the Bearcats and pitched 4 2/3 solid innings, giving up two runs on four hits. The junior struck out four and walked three batters to take the win.

Chantel Adams hit her first home run of the year in the sixth, finishing 3-for-3 with five RBI, while Stephanie Mark continued her strong weekend, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored.

In game two, Freshman Jessica Rawie was a triple short of the cycle, finishing 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Rebecca Maher reached base twice, scoring two runs and crushing the game-winning home run in the seventh, and Senior Stephanie Mark added two RBI and two runs, hitting her fourth home run of the weekend in the first inning.

Abbie Vitosh started in the circle for the Bearcats, throwing 3 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. Kendle Schieber earned the win after throwing three innings and striking out four, while Sarah Baldwin recorded the final two outs to earn her first save at Northwest.

The Bearcats will return to Maryville for their home opener on Wednesday against Upper Iowa. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Nebraska ends regular season with eighth consecutive loss

Posted on March 8, 2015March 8, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Maryland coach Mark Turgeon told his players early in the week that they would impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they could win their last two road games.

On Saturday he told them that if they beat Nebraska on Sunday night, they would set the school record for wins in a regular season.

The coach’s motivational talks must have helped, because the 10th-ranked Terrapins were pushed to the limit before getting out of Lincoln with a 64-61 win.

Dez Wells made a contested 18-foot jumper with 8.8 seconds left after Nebraska had made it a one-point game, and Shavon Shields missed what would have been a tying 3-pointer in the last second.

Maryland (26-5, 14-4), runner-up to Wisconsin in its first Big Ten season after being picked 10th in the preseason, heads into this week’s conference tournament in Chicago on a seven-game win streak.

“Twenty-six wins. We found out yesterday that we had a chance to set a record, most wins in a regular season, and we really dialed in,” Turgeon said. “I think because that number was sitting out there, we stayed focused and kept trying to get it done.”

Freshman guard Melo Trimble scored 21 points, Wells had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Jake Layman added 11 points for the Terps.

“This team, I’ve always thought we could do anything. Twenty-six wins, I knew we’d get it as long as we played our game,” Trimble said. “Coach Turgeon told us we were on the way to breaking the school record. Once he told us that, we really wanted it.”

Regular season-ending road wins at Rutgers and Nebraska gave Maryland a 5-4 Big Ten road record, and the Terps also had a December win at Oklahoma State.

“They say we’re a 3, 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament,” Turgeon said. “The committee likes road wins. We had two chances to get road wins this week, and our guys took advantage of it.”

Shields had 26 points and Terran Petteway added 19 for the Cornhuskers (13-17, 5-13), who lost their eighth straight.

Shields’ three-point play with 43 seconds left pulled the Huskers to 62-61. The Terps called a timeout with 11 seconds left and 4 on the shot clock. Wells took the inbounds pass and hit his shot from the wing.

Nebraska outscored Maryland 23-21 at the free-throw line, but made only 12 of 22 in the second half.

Maryland went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good after Nebraska had gone up 48-43.

Nebraska coach Tim Miles said he had a “devastated locker room” after the game. The Huskers are the No. 12 seed in the conference tournament and play Penn State on Wednesday.

“Just play your butts off and let destiny lay where it is,” Miles said he told his team. “If we ended up losing whatever in a row out, big deal. Just play your butts off. That’s what we did today. We gave ourselves a chance.”

—

LOCKER ROOM BAN ENDS

Miles on Saturday ended the locker room lockout he imposed after the Huskers lost by 28 points to Iowa on Feb. 22. Miles had said his players’ effort didn’t merit them having access to one of the most posh locker rooms and lounges in college basketball.

LOTS OF FOULS

Officials called a combined 51 fouls in a grinding game. Turgeon was surprised one didn’t get called when he ordered that Petteway be fouled on Nebraska’s last possession. “We were trying to foul,” he said, laughing. “We weren’t trying to foul for those other 27 fouls, but we were trying to foul then.”

TIP-INS

Maryland: The Terps’ 26 wins mark a nine-game improvement from last season. … The 26 wins match the most in a season in Turgeon’s 17 years as a head coach. His 2005-06 Wichita State team, which went to the Sweet 16, also won 26. … The 7-foot-1 freshman Michal Cekovsky was back after missing two games with a left knee injury.

Nebraska: The eight-game losing streak is the program’s longest since a nine-game skid in 2002-03. … F Walter Pitchford returned after missing a game with a hip flexor injury.

UP NEXT

Maryland plays in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal Friday.

Nebraska plays Penn State on Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament.

— Associated Press —

Lynn leaves game with hip injury as Cardinals beat Marlins

Posted on March 8, 2015March 8, 2015

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Right-hander Lance Lynn left the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training game in the second inning Sunday with a left hip flexor strain, and six relievers combined to allow only one run in a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Lynn said the injury wasn’t serious, but he’ll undergo further tests Monday.

Making his first start of spring training, Lynn retired the side in order in the first inning. In the second he gave up back-to-back walks, and then departed after the next batter reached on an error.

“Second inning, coming back out, I just couldn’t get loose,” Lynn said. “There was some tightness. … It just stayed that way and wouldn’t get any better.”

Lynn, a 15-game winner last year, said he expects to throw his next bullpen session Tuesday as scheduled. Manager Mike Matheny smiled when told of Lynn’s remark.

“I think our guys need to slow down on some of their comments and make sure they’re going through the proper channels,” Matheny said. “But I’m glad to hear he’s excited about getting back out there. It’s good to hear he’s not that concerned.”

The Cardinals’ Tommy Pham homered on his 27th birthday, and teammate Randal Grichuk hit his second home run in as many days.

Miami’s Jarred Cosart, making his first start of spring training, struck out two in two hitless innings. Marlins newcomer Michael Morse hit his first home run.

Marlins right fielder Ichiro Suzuki had an RBI groundout and threw out a runner trying to go from first to third. Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 2 and is batting .167.

Cardinals right fielder Jason Heyward sprawled across the bullpen mound to make a diving catch of a foul ball. Matheny was relieved Heyward avoided injury.

“He’s got one gear, and it’s full out,” Matheny said. “It’s a pleasure to watch him do that. But I see that diving into the mound, and I’m not breathing for a couple of seconds.”

The game drew a sellout crowd of 7,438.

EASING INTO IT

Marlins right-hander Mat Latos was scratched from his scheduled start Monday and instead will pitch a simulated game. The Marlins want to monitor him carefully after he endured an injury-plagued 2014 season with the Reds.

“We want to make sure he eases into it,” manager Mike Redmond said. “It’s just precautionary. We’re hoping everything feels good, and then the next step will be a regular game.”

A year ago Latos underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee during spring training. He later developed more knee problems and elbow issues, limiting him to 16 starts.

Latos has thrown his bullpen sessions as scheduled in spring training.

STARTING TIME

Cardinals right-hander John Lackey, who has yet to make his spring training debut, threw against minor leaguers on a back field and is scheduled to pitch in a game in the coming week.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, recovering from a strained abdominal muscle, threw to hitters on a back field and he hopes to receive clearance soon to make his first spring training start.

Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria sat out his third game in a row because of a sore throwing shoulder. Redmond said the injury isn’t serious, and Hechavarria is expected to rejoin the lineup Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Right-hander David Phelps will start Monday at the Mets in place of Latos. Phelps, acquired from the Yankees in an offseason trade, threw two scoreless innings in his first spring training outing and will likely begin the season in the bullpen.

Cardinals: Expect another standing room-only crowd Monday when they play host to the Boston Red Sox.

— Associated Press —

Griffons score 27 runs in doubleheader sweep of Lincoln

Posted on March 7, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball scored 27 runs and swept a doubleheader from Lincoln Saturday. The wins moved the Griffons to 9-5 on the year and 6-1 in MIAA play.

Game 1: Lincoln 0, MWSU 15
Griffon Baseball’s offense picked up where they left off in a 15-0 win over Lincoln in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a six-run fifth inning from Missouri Western that included a grand slam by Ryan Degner.

The Griffons scored in each inning of the game and got hits from all but one starter. Through the first 14 innings of the four-game series with Lincoln, MWSU has outscored the Blue Tigers 32-2 and head into game two of the doubleheader with a 5-1 record in MIAA play.

Degner finished game 2-5 with four RBIs. Mitch Thorman went 2-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. David Glaude was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Josh Lansangan picked up the win, going four innings and allowing two hits, while striking out three. Lansangan moved to 1-2 on the year.

Game 2: Lincoln 3, MWSU 12
Missouri Western broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth with seven runs to add on to an impressive weekend at the plate. The Griffons added two more in the sixth to win 12-3 and end the day with 27 runs scored and 44 runs through the first three games of the series.

Cody Childs broke the tie in the fifth with an RBI single. MWSU went up 5-3 when Trevor LaHonta reached on fielder’s choice and an error by the shortstop allowed Childs to score. Degner followed with an RBI double to right that put the Griffons up 6-3. Mitch Thorman made it 9-3 with a three-run home run, his second of the day, and Dave Glaude’s RBI single capped off the seven-run inning that saw MWSU score six with two outs.

Degner went 4-5 in game with three RBIs and two runs scored. Thorman was 2-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Degner went 6-10 on the day with seven driven in and four runs scored.Thorman finished day-two, 4-7 at the plate with seven RBIs and four runs scored. Richard Peoples picked up his third win of the season in game two, going an inning and two thirds.

The Griffons are now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play headed into the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats lose in MIAA Semifinals to Pittsburg State

Posted on March 7, 2015

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A little over 2 minutes left and the game tied, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball saw its goal of winning the MIAA Tournament slowly disappear on a three-point bomb by Pittsburg State junior Trey Starks.

“With the shot clock running down, that was a dagger,” Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff said.

A minute later, Trevor Gregory grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, giving the Gorillas a five-point lead.

“That was a tough one,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said.

Those two plays gave Pittsburg State a five-point lead with 1:23 left. The Bearcats never recovered and lost for the first time in 11 games, falling 65-58 to Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon in the MIAA semifinals at Municipal Auditorium.

“Obviously, a shot like that is going to affect us, but I told the guys to keep believing and keep fighting no matter what happens,” said Northwest senior Grant Cozad. “It was a hard fought game. I wish we could have had it.”

Despite the disappointment of the loss, Northwest, 23-6, has plenty to play for next weekend. The Bearcats will likely receive a bid into the NCAA Division II tournament and play in the Central regional.

“We will start focusing on it as soon as possible,” said junior Conner Crooker, who finished with 15. “We fought hard. We just have to move on.”

For the Gorillas, 19-11, they probably have to win the MIAA Tournament to reach regional. They definitely played with that type of urgency against Northwest.

“Our team persevered in a roller coaster type of game,” Muff said. “Our players responded well, probably against the best coached team in the conference as far as executing what they do.”

Even with the five-point lead and 83 seconds left, Pittsburg needed to hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win. The Gorillas did, going 8-for-8.

The game was so closely contested that two plays made all the difference. There were seven lead changes and eight times the game was tied.

“We had a good game plan and got the looks we wanted,” McCollum said.

The last tie came with 4:21 on a three-pointer by Crooker. Northwest, though, struggled from beyond the arc, going 5 for 18.

Over the next few minutes, defense ruled until Starks hit the trey with 2:30 left that spurred Pittsburg to victory.

“It is not what we designed,” Muff said. “Sometimes you have to go and make a play.”

Freshman Justin Pitts led Northwest with 23 points.

Northwest went into halftime with a slim 28-26 lead. The first half had the intensity of the final 20 minutes of a national championship game. Nearly every basket was contested, but the Gorillas still shot 50 percent from the field and Northwest 45 percent.

The Gorillas took the early lead at 10-6. Over the next 7 minutes, Northwest clawed to an 18-13 lead. The Bearcats maintained a narrow lead the rest of the first half

— MIAA Press Release —

Western softball wins two at Northeastern State

Posted on March 7, 2015

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western softball team opened its 2015 MIAA season with a doubleheader sweep at Northeastern State. Missouri Western jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game one before winning 7-1 and used a 10-run fifth inning to win a shortened game two, 12-3.

Game 1: MWSU 7, Northeastern State 1
The Griffons pounded out 14 hits and didn’t commit an error in the field while holding the RiverHawks scoreless through the first six innings.

MWSU got the scoring going in the third when Tiffany Gillaspy drove in Megan Korgie with a single to the pitcher. The Griffons added three more in the inning on a 2-RBI double by Paige Shifflett and a single from Katie Klostermann. Sydney Washington put MWSU up 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run home run and Morgan Rathmann made it 7-0 in the seventh with an RBI double to right center.

Janie Smith allowed her only run of the game on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh. Smith moved to 4-4 on the year, holding Northeastern State to five hits, while striking out seven and walking two. Rathmann went 3-5 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. Green, Shelbie Atwell and Smith all finished with two hits apiece.

Game 2: MWSU 12, Northeastern State 3
The two teams entered the third tied at 0 but the Griffons scored 10 to take control of the game and the series. What turned out to be an offensive explosion started slowly enough when Shifflett was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Kailey Green followed that run with a grand slam to put MWSU up 5-0. Rebekah Mueller drove in two more with a double to center and Megan Korgie made it 8-0 when she scored on a wild pitch. Tiffany Gillaspy drove in the last two runs of the third with two-run home run.

Green added a solo homer in the fourth and finished the game 2-3 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Rathmann had another three hit game, going 3-4 and scoring three runs. Gillaspy finished game two with two hits in four at bats with two RBIs and two runs scored. Mueller was 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Shyanne Saladino went all five innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out four.

With the wins, Missouri Western improved to 9-7 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. They will play another doubleheader Sunday at Central Oklahoma.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Benton knocks off Lafayette to win second straight district championship

Posted on March 6, 2015

The Benton girls’ basketball team won its second consecutive district championship Friday night with a 46-30 victory over Lafayette in the Class 4 District 16 title game at Savannah.

The Cardinals fell behind 4-0 Friday night to their cross-town rivals, but they ended the first quarter on a 9-0 run and never trailed again.

Benton extended its lead to 24-17 at halftime and 32-22 at the end of the third quarter. The Fighting Irish could only get as close at eight points in the fourth quarter before losing by 16.

Kylee Williams led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Mallory McAndrews added 17.

BHS improves to 25-2 this season and they’re won 17 consecutive games, while Lafayette ends its season 18-8.

Benton will play a Class 4 Sectional at Staley High School Tuesday against the winner of District 15 at 7:45 PM. Lincoln Prep will battle Notre Dame de Sion in the District 15 championship game Saturday at 5:00 PM.

Tuesday’s sectional game will be broadcast on 680 KFEQ and here on StJosephPost.com.

Missouri Western women lose to Emporia State in MIAA Quarterfinals

Posted on March 6, 2015

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women’s Basketball season ended with a 77-60 loss to No. 10 Emporia State in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Championships Friday night.

Emporia State shot better than 56 percent from the field and held Missouri Western to just 31 percent from the field. Missouri Western went to halftime down just three, but the Lady Hornets opened the second half on a 17-2 run to open up an-18 point lead. MWSU pulled within nine with 6:07 left but Emporia State stretched the lead again.

LaQuinta Jefferson led the Griffons with 14 points on five of 21 shooting from the field. Sarafina Handy finished with 12 points on two three-pointers and one field goal.

Missouri Western ends the season 15-12. It was the sixth-straight time the Griffons have lost a game in Kansas City as part of the MIAA Tournament.

— MWSU Sports Information —