Class 4 District 16 Tournament @ Phil Welch Stadium
Semifinals
Lafayette 5, Benton 3
Smithville 1, Savannah 0
Championship – Wednesday 5:00 PM
Lafayette vs. Smithville
Class 3 District 16 Tournament @ Missouri Western
Semifinals
Bishop LeBlond 19, University Academy 3
Maryville 6, Plattsburg 5
Championship – Wednesday 5:00 PM
Bishop LeBlond vs. Maryville
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alexei Ramirez homered and drove in four runs, Dayan Viciedo and Paul Konerko also went deep and the Chicago White Sox climbed out of a five-run hole before holding on for a wild 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
Zach Putnam (2-0) worked two shutout innings in relief of Scott Carroll, and Ronald Belisario also threw two scoreless innings before Scott Downs and Jake Petricka bailed out Matt Lindstrom.
Lindstrom, normally the White Sox closer, gave up a leadoff single to Nori Aoki in the ninth, then appeared to hurt his foot fielding a sacrifice bunt by Alcides Escobar that resulted in an error. Downs entered and struck out Eric Hosmer, then Petricka picked off pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson at second base before getting Billy Butler on a groundout to end the game.
Jason Vargas (4-2) squandered the rare five-run lead the Royals’ pop-gun offense gave him. He allowed all seven White Sox runs in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.
The White Sox got their production from the long ball even without Jose Abreu, the majors’ home run leader, who went on the disabled list Sunday with inflammation in his left ankle.
Carroll, who grew up just north of Kauffman Stadium in Liberty, certainly had a rude homecoming for the White Sox. He allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base, did not get an out on his first 30 pitchers and trailed 5-0 by the second inning.
Vargas, his Royals counterpart, made sure it didn’t matter.
The White Sox got three runs back in the third, when Ramirez hit a 2-2 pitch for his sixth homer, matching his total from last year. They got another back in the fourth, when Viciedo sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall to make it 5-4.
Kansas City scraped out a run in the bottom half on Hosmer’s RBI single, but the White Sox completed their comeback during a messy fifth inning that ended with Vargas on the bench.
It began with a single by Adam Eaton and another by Gordon Beckham, who was thrown out trying to reach second. Ramirez then made it 6-5 with a groundout, but apparently thought he was safe as he was tagged sliding past the bag. Replays showed he missed the base by about 2 feet.
It turned out to be a moot point. Adam Dunn walked moments later, and Konerko followed with Chicago’s third homer in three innings, a two-run shot that gave the White Sox the lead.
That was it for Vargas, who had been on a roll coming into the game. He won his previous two starts and held high-powered Colorado to two runs in a 3-2 victory his last time out.
— Associated Press —
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southeastern Conference on Monday announced a 12-year rotation of non-division opponents for SEC football schedules through 2025.
The athletic directors re-confirmed the rotation at their May meeting following the decision to continue playing an eight-game conference schedule, to include six games against division opponents and two games against non-division opponents. One of the non-division opponents will be a permanent annual opponent and the other non-division opponent will rotate each season.
Monday’s announcement pertains to the rotating non-division opponents. The rotation begins with the 2014 season and concludes with the 2025 season. Schools will play all permanent opponents on a home and away basis beginning in 2014.
Schools will not play their non-divisional rotating opponents in back-to-back seasons to allow for schools to play all conference members on a more frequent basis. Also, the rotation of teams in the first six years of the 12-year cycle is not identical to the rotation in the second six years in order to maintain four home games and four road games per season for each school.
Following are the rotating opponents for SEC schools from 2014-25 (“vs.” indicates a home game and “at” indicates an away game):
MISSOURI – 2014 at Texas A&M; 2015 vs. Mississippi State; 2016 at LSU; 2017 vs. Auburn; 2018 at Alabama; 2019 vs. Ole Miss; 2020 at Mississippi State; 2021 vs. Texas A&M; 2022 at Auburn; 2023 vs. LSU; 2024 at Ole Miss; 2025 vs. Alabama. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Arkansas; Away – Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
ALABAMA – 2014 vs. Florida; 2015 at Georgia; 2016 vs. Kentucky; 2017 at Vanderbilt; 2018 vs. Missouri; 2019 at South Carolina; 2020 vs. Georgia; 2021 at Florida; 2022 vs. Vanderbilt; 2023 at Kentucky; 2024 vs. South Carolina; 2025 at Missouri. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M; Away – Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
ARKANSAS – 2014 vs. Georgia; 2015 at Tennessee; 2016 vs. Florida; 2017 at South Carolina; 2018 vs. Vanderbilt; 2019 at Kentucky; 2020 vs. Tennessee; 2021 at Georgia; 2022 vs. South Carolina; 2023 at Florida; 2024 vs. Kentucky, 2025 at Vanderbilt. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss; Away – Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Missouri. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
AUBURN – 2014 vs. South Carolina; 2015 at Kentucky; 2016 vs. Vanderbilt; 2017 at Missouri; 2018 vs. Tennessee; 2019 at Florida; 2020 vs. Kentucky; 2021 at South Carolina; 2022 vs. Missouri; 2023 at Vanderbilt; 2024 vs. Florida; 2025 at Tennessee. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M; Away – Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
FLORIDA – 2014 at Alabama; 2015 vs. Ole Miss; 2016 at Arkansas; 2017 vs. Texas A&M; 2018 at Mississippi State; 2019 vs. Auburn; 2020 at Ole Miss; 2021 vs. Alabama; 2022 at Texas A&M; 2023 vs. Arkansas; 2024 at Auburn; 2025 vs. Mississippi State. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, LSU; Away – Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
GEORGIA – 2014 at Arkansas; 2015 vs. Alabama; 2016 at Ole Miss; 2017 vs. Mississippi State; 2018 at LSU; 2019 vs. Texas A&M; 2020 at Alabama; 2021 vs. Arkansas; 2022 at Mississippi State; 2023 vs. Ole Miss; 2024 at Texas A&M; 2025 vs. LSU. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn; Away – Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
KENTUCKY – 2014 at LSU; 2015 vs. Auburn; 2016 at Alabama; 2017 vs. Ole Miss; 2018 at Texas A&M; 2019 vs. Arkansas; 2020 at Auburn; 2021 vs. LSU; 2022 at Ole Miss; 2023 vs. Alabama; 2024 at Arkansas; 2025 vs. Texas A&M. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State; Away – Florida, Missouri, Tennessee. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
LSU – 2014 vs. Kentucky; 2015 at South Carolina; 2016 vs. Missouri; 2017 at Tennessee; 2018 vs. Georgia; 2019 at Vanderbilt; 2020 vs. South Carolina; 2021 at Kentucky; 2022 vs. Tennessee; 2023 at Missouri; 2024 vs. Vanderbilt; 2025 at Georgia. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State; Away – Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
OLE MISS – 2014 vs. Tennessee; 2015 at Florida; 2016 vs. Georgia; 2017 at Kentucky; 2018 vs. South Carolina; 2019 at Missouri; 2020 vs. Florida; 2021 at Tennessee; 2022 vs. Kentucky; 2023 at Georgia; 2024 vs. Missouri; 2025 at South Carolina. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State; Away – Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
MISSISSIPPI STATE – 2014 vs. Vanderbilt; 2015 at Missouri; 2016 vs. South Carolina; 2017 at Georgia; 2018 vs. Florida; 2019 at Tennessee; 2020 vs. Missouri; 2021 at Vanderbilt; 2022 vs. Georgia; 2023 at South Carolina; 2024 vs. Tennessee; 2025 at Florida. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M; Away – Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Kentucky. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
SOUTH CAROLINA – 2014 at Auburn; 2015 vs. LSU; 2016 at Mississippi State; 2017 vs. Arkansas; 2018 at Ole Miss; 2019 vs. Alabama; 2020 at LSU; 2021 vs. Auburn; 2022 at Arkansas; 2023 vs. Mississippi State; 2024 at Alabama; 2025 vs. Ole Miss. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M; Away – Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
TEXAS A&M – 2014 vs. Missouri; 2015 at Vanderbilt; 2016 vs. Tennessee; 2017 at Florida; 2018 vs. Kentucky; 2019 at Georgia; 2020 vs. Vanderbilt; 2021 at Missouri; 2022 vs. Florida; 2023 at Tennessee; 2024 vs. Georgia; 2025 at Kentucky. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss; Away – Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
TENNESSEE – 2014 at Ole Miss; 2015 vs. Arkansas; 2016 at Texas A&M; 2017 vs. LSU; 2018 at Auburn; 2019 vs. Mississippi State; 2020 at Arkansas; 2021 vs. Ole Miss; 2022 at LSU; 2023 vs. Texas A&M; 2024 at Mississippi State; 2025 vs. Auburn. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama; Away – Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
VANDERBILT – 2014 at Mississippi State; 2015 vs. Texas A&M; 2016 at Auburn; 2017 vs. Alabama; 2018 at Arkansas; 2019 vs. LSU; 2020 at Texas A&M; 2021 vs. Mississippi State; 2022 at Alabama; 2023 vs. Auburn; 2024 at LSU; 2025 vs. Arkansas. (Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss; Away – Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)
— MU Sports Information —
The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has signed free agent tackle J’Marcus Webb. Additionally, the team has added three rookie free agents. Below is a look at Monday’s additions.
Webb (6-7, 333) has played in 54 games (45 starts) in four NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2013) and Chicago Bears (2010-12). He has played both tackle positions along the offensive line during his tenure in the NFL and started two postseason contests (2011).
Webb originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice (218th overall) of the Chicago Bears in the 2010 NFL Draft. Prior to playing his final two collegiate seasons at West Texas A&M (2008-09), he spent one year at Navarro College (2007) and one season at the University of Texas (2006). He prepped at Mesquite North High School in Mesquite, Texas.
Kansas City also added three rookie free agents as they signed Idaho fullback James Baker, SMU center Ben Gottschalk and Tulane kicker Cairo Santos.
— Chiefs Media Relations —
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The 19th-ranked Nebraska softball team capped an unlikely run to the NCAA Columbia Regional title by beating 15th-seeded Missouri for a second straight game Sunday afternoon, 8-1.
Hailey Decker was right in the middle of it all.
The sophomore hit four two-run homers against the Tigers. The first two came in the opener, an 11-4 win that forced game two.
With the wins, Nebraska improved to 44-16 on the season, while posting their school-record 18th road win of the year. The Huskers advanced to the NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional, where they will face No. 2 Alabama next weekend.
Decker, the No. 2 batter in the lineup, launched a two-run homer after Alicia Armstrong led off the second game with a walk. That was the
Decker’s homer was Nebraska’s only hit until the fourth inning, when senior Taylor Edwards walked and junior Kylee Muir reached on a two-out error to extend the frame. Sophomore Kiki Stokes then produced the Huskers’ second hit, a three-run homer to right field that stretched Nebraska’s lead to 5-0.
Missouri cracked the scoreboard with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Tigers missed a chance to get even closer when Muir made a terrific reaching catch in right field to rob Missouri of a probable two-run double.
The Huskers then added three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Sophomore Dawna Tyson led off with a single and with two outs, Decker blasted another two-run homer, this one to right field. Tatum Edwards then walked before her twin sister Taylor gave the Huskers an 8-1 lead with an RBI double.
After losing to Kansas in Friday’s opener, Nebraska won four consecutive games in less than 23 hours, outscoring its opponents 30-6 during the four-game run to the title.
“We didn’t focus on four games. We focused on one game at a day because we didn’t want to go home,” Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle said. “I think what really helped us is that we weren’t even thinking about how many games it was. It really was one game at a time.
“I think this was the most complete softball we’ve played this year. It started with the decision that we are going to fight after Friday’s game (a loss to Kansas).”
Decker was big on Sunday for the Huskers, finishing the day 5-for-8 with four homers and eight RBIs. In game two, Decker was 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers and four RBIs.
“I think that we set the tone in the first inning with Alicia drawing a four-pitch walk and Hailey hitting another home run,” Revelle said. “That really swung momentum our way. I thought Emily Lockman gave us five very tough innings and Tatum (Edwards) came in and got a rush of adrenaline to close out the game.”
Lockman (20-4) earned the victory, allowing only one run on six hits in 5.0 innings. Tatum Edwards pitched the final two innings, and she did not allow a run while surrendering just one hit.
The Huskers captured a regional championship for the second straight season and for the eighth time in school history. Nebraska defeated Missouri by a combined score of 19-5 on Sunday, winning a road regional for only the second time in school history and for the first time since 2002.
— Associated Press —
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon had two firsts Sunday: six RBIs and a curtain call.
Gordon went 4 for 4 with a pair of three-run homers and a career-high six RBIs as the Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6.
Gordon drove a 1-1 pitch from Ubaldo Jimenez (2-5) out to right with two outs in the fifth with Nori Aoki and Billy Butler aboard. Gordon, who led the Royals with 20 home runs last year, had gone 134 at-bats without a home run.
Gordon homered in his next at-bat, a three-run shot off left-hander Troy Patton in the seventh after Eric Hosmer walked and Butler doubled for his third hit.
The Kauffman Stadium crowd then gave Gordon a lengthy standing ovation, calling him out of the dugout. Gordon said he had “never” had a curtain call.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Gordon said. “They told me just to go wave my helmet. They just started yelling at me. I was downstairs enjoying the moment. They told me to come up and give the crowd a wave. It was my first. Hopefully, it’s not the last. It was pretty cool. It’s something I want forget.
“It’s fun when we play like this and the crowd starts doing what they do. It makes it really exciting.”
It was Gordon’s third career multi-homer game. His six RBIs matched a Royals’ season high. His four hits matched a career high, the 10th time he has accomplished that.
“Even though I was making good pitches, they found a way to hit the ball hard. I felt really good and I made a lot of good pitches,” Jimenez said. “They had a good approach. I threw a lot of sinkers down and they found the hole every time. They had a really good game. There’s nothing I can do but move on.”
Gordon’s second homer turned out to be necessary. Adam Jones hit a three-run homer off Royals reliever Aaron Crow in the ninth. It was the first runs Crow allowed in 20 relief appearances and 17 innings.
Greg Holland got the final two outs for his 12th save in 13 appearances.
James Shields (6-3) picked up his fifth win in six starts, holding the Orioles to three runs and nine hits over seven innings. Shields won back-to-back starts at Kauffman Stadium for the first time.
Shields settled down after a three-run third when he gave up five hits, including four straight to open the inning.
“The difference (was) I was getting my ground balls and they found holes,” Shields said of the third inning. “I was making my pitches, trying to get a double play that inning and they were just finding some good holes.”
Jimenez, who was 2-0 with a 0.46 ERA in his first three May starts, was pulled after five innings. He permitted five runs on eight hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
“The pitch to Gordon was uncharacteristic,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He had, really, just the one (bad) pitch to Gordon. He tried to go down and away, and it came back in and came into a sweet spot. He hadn’t walked anybody to that point, either. Except for one pitch I thought he was good. After the first inning he was pretty crisp.”
Nick Markakis singled home J.J. Hardy, who had three hits, and David Lough in the Orioles’ third. Manny Machado, who had three hits, had a sacrifice fly in the third to score Jonathan Schoop for the other run off Shields.
Butler singled home Aoki with two outs in the first for the first Kansas City run. Lorenzo Cain’s single in the fourth scored Gordon with the other Royals’ run.
— Associated Press —
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Atlanta Braves used a two-run rally in the ninth to end their road trip with a win.
Ryan Doumit scored on a wild pitch and the Braves got two runs in the ninth inning to rally past the St. Louis Cardinals for a 6-5 win.
The Braves have been held to two runs or fewer 19 times, but they managed to score twice off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal (0-2) to take the game Sunday.
“We got a happy flight,” said Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, who reached base four times. “We grinded all day and so did the offensive hitters. We never caved today and we gut one out in the ninth.”
Freeman started a ninth-inning rally with a leadoff single off St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal (0-2).
With two outs, Freeman went to third on pinch hitter Ryan Doumit’s double to right. Rosenthal intentionally walked pinch hitter Evan Gattis to load the bases and then walked Jordan Schafer to force in the tying run.
Carlos Martinez relieved Rosenthal and had a wild pitch while facing Ramiro Pena that scored Doumit to make it 6-5.
“A battle royal there at the end,” Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We just kept getting good at-bats and it’s nice to win this one. Maybe it will get us going in the right direction.”
St. Louis dropped a game it was close to winning.
“It would have been a big win, no question,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “They’re all tough, but to have a lead in the ninth, even a slim one, that a tough one to lose.”
Dan Carpenter (3-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances. The save was the 150th of Kimbrel’s career.
Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia pitched seven innings in his first outing in more than a year.
Garcia, who underwent surgery in May 2013 to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder, allowed four runs and five hits with five strikeouts. The outing was Garcia’s 100th appearance in the major leagues, but first since May 17, 2013.
“I made some good pitches, I made some mistakes,” Garcia said. “I had some butterflies going on in the first inning, but nothing different.”
Kolten Wong drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the second inning.
Freeman went 3-for-3, including a solo home run in the first and a two-run single in the sixth.
Justin Upton homered leading off the fourth for the Braves. The homer was the 10th for Upton, who also doubled and scored two runs.
“It’s big,” Freeman said. “I don’t know if you can say a must win, but it’s definitely nice to get one.”
The Braves failed twice to close out innings due to defensive miscues with two outs. That allowed the Cardinals to score four runs.
With two outs in the seventh and Yadier Molina on first, Jhonny Peralta hit a high fly ball to center field. Schaefer lost the ball in the sun and it fell just to his right side. Peralta was credited with a double and Molina scored to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.
In the second inning, Braves starter Gavin Floyd appeared headed for an easy second inning when he struck out Peter Bourjos for what would have been the third out.
But the ball got away from catcher Gerald Laird for a passed ball, allowing Bourjos to reach first. A hit by Garcia and a walk to Matt Carpenter loaded the bases and Wong cleared them with a double down the line in left to make it 3-1.
Atlanta rallied to tie the game 4-4 on Freeman’s two-run single with one out in the sixth.
— Associated Press —
Class 4 District 16 Tournament @ Phil Welch Stadium
Saturday’s Results
Benton 3, Cameron 2
Savannah 2, Cameron 1
Monday’s Semifinals
Lafayette vs. Benton – 5:00 PM
Smithville vs. Savannah – 7:00 PM
Class 5 District 16 Tournament @ Kansas City
Saturday’s Results
Park Hill 7, Central 2
Oak Park 5, Platte County 3
Missouri Western junior outfielder Ryan Degner has been named to the First Team All-Central Region by Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association which was released on Saturday morning.
Each member of the First Team will be eligible for NCAA DIVISION II All-American consideration, which will be selected on Sunday, May 25, 2014 in Cary, NC in conjunction with the Division II National Championship Tournament. The “Player of the Year” and the “Pitcher of the Year” in the Central region is guaranteed a spot on one of the three “All-American Teams” selected in Cary.
Degner led the Griffons in almost all offensive categories hitting a team high .383 and finishing the season the season getting a hit in 11 of his last 12 games. He led the team in hits (74), runs scored (46), doubles (16), total bases (124), slugging percentage (.642), on base percentage (.448), stolen bases (19) and RBI (49).
Degner was second on the team with 10 home runs and had a hit in 41 of the Griffons 52 games this season which includes getting four hits in a game three times. He had a season best six RBI against the Northeastern State RiverHawks. He was also named to the second team All-MIAA.
The Griffons finished the season 32-20 overall and 24-14 in the MIAA. They made it to the MIAA Tournament Championship game for the second straight season.
— MWSU Sports Information —
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — No. 15 Missouri used a pair of two-run home runs Saturday to claim a 6-3 win against Kansas in the third game of the Columbia Regional of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship.
The Tigers (43-16) now advance to today’s regional championship game at noon.
“Obviously we’re very pleased to being in the winner’s bracket, it’s a difference maker especially when you’re running on two arms,” Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine said. “I’m proud of our girls and I’m looking forward to playing for another regional championship (today).”
Kirsten Mack and Angela Randazzo both connected with two-run blasts in the contest. Randazzo was 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Mackenzie Sykes, Corrin Genoves, Sami Fagan and Emily Crane all had two hits apiece to help lead Missouri at the plate.
“I think we all knew that we all needed to step up as a team,” Randazzo said. “One person can’t carry the whole team. We needed to step up today and we did.”
Mack’s two-run homer gave Missouri a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, and the Tigers didn’t look back from there.
“I personally thought that that was the backbreaker,” Earleywine said. “That was the at-bat that personified the entire game. It gave us two quick runs and I felt the steam come out of them after that happened. We just added on to that.”
Casey Stangel improved to 15-9 on the year, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out one in seven innings.
“I felt like Casey had better command today than she did yesterday,” Earleywine said. “Her velocity looked a little better, too. I had more confidence late in the game today than I did yesterday. The beauty of it is Casey has a very outward personality, she’s very charismatic and outgoing.”
Missouri outhit the Jayhawks (34-22) 13-7, but the Tigers committed three errors, which led to two unearned runs.
“Obviously I’m disappointed with the outcome,” Kansas coach Megan Smith said. “I thought our team fought to the end, which was nice to see. A lot of credit goes to Missouri, a lot of respect to their program and their talent. They played a really good game.”
— Associated Press —
