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Author: Dave Riggert

Griffons open MIAA schedule with DH sweep of Northeastern State

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MWSUThe Missouri Western baseball team scored 20 runs and pounded out 21 hits on their way to two victories over Northeastern State. The Griffons won game one 6-4 behind a complete game from Tyler Sanders while Ryan Degner led the Griffons to a 14-6 victory in game two going 4-for-4 with six RBI. The Griffons improve to 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in MIAA play.

Game 1
Missouri Western 6
Northeastern State 4

The Griffons got a solid outing from junior Sanders as he went the complete game giving up just one earned while strikingout five. He improves 1-1 on the season making his first caeer start. The Griffons also got a solid performance from Trevor LaHonta as he went 3-fo-4 with three runs scored and one RBI. LaHonta had a triple, homerun and single in the game.

The Griffons opened the game scoring four runs on four hits in the first. LaHonta led the game off with a triple and then scored on a double by Jeremy Monty. Monty advanced to third on a ground out by David Chew and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning a Cody Childs double to left field scored Andrew Ramirez and Hunter Weiss giving the Griffons the 4-0 lead. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the second when LaHonta reached on an error by the shortstop and scored on a double steal making the score 5-0 after two.

In the top of the third the Griffons defense had some troubles allowing three unearned runs on two hits. The Griffons made errors at second and third base in the inning.

Missouri Western remained calm and in the bottom of the fourth LaHonta hit his first career home run giving the Griffons a 6-3 lead. In the seventh the RiverHawks made things interesting scoring one but left two runners on as Cody Begovich ended the game on a flyout.

The Griffons had seven hits in the contest while Northeastern State had five. Tyler Wilkins led NSU with two hits while Kyle Shambaaugh got the loss going 4.1 innings giving up six hits and five earned runs. He falls to 1-1 on the season.

Game 2
Missouri Western 14
Northeastern State 6

In game two the Griffons scored 10 first inning runs on their way to a 14-6 victory. Degner went 4-for-4 in game two with six RBI which included two doubles. Freshman Tyler Tuepker picked up his first victory going four innings striking out five.

After LaHonta reached on an error by the left fielder the Griffons strung together four straight hits including a David Chew RBI single and a Degner 2 RBI double. The Griffons scored 10 runs on seven hits, capitalizing on two errors.

After scoring one in the first inning the RiverHawks scored two on three hits in the second cutting the Griffon lead to 10-3 after two.

The score stayed that way until 6th when the Griffons tacked on another run on a Degner single to center field. The RiverHawks continued to battle scoring three more in the 7th cutting the lead to 11-6 after six and a half.

The rest of the game belonged to the Griffon scoring three more in the next two innings picking up the eight run victory. The Griffons had 14 hits with five players getting at least two hits. LaHonta finished the game with two hits and three runs scored.

The RiverHawks fall to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in MIAA play. Zach Poehl got the loss going just 2/3 of an inning giving up 10 earned runs on seven hits. NSU had 11 hits with four players getting two hits. Cody Robinson went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The two teams will wrap up their series with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Griffon Baseball Field on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest’s Loe hits milestone as Bearcats defeat UNK, 13-6

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Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State baseball team opened MIAA play with a 13-6 win over Nebraska-Kearney in Coffeyville, Kan., on Friday.

The game was moved there due to weather concerns in Kearney, Neb. For head coach Darin Loe, it was his 370th victory with the Bearcats, becoming the program’s all-time leader in wins.
Northwest moves to 4-3 on the year and 1-0 in MIAA play. UNK falls to 6-2 and 0-1 in league action.

Brandon Huske and Austin Wulf each had four hit games with each scoring three runs. Pomatto drove in three runs including a second inning solo shot.

Northwest scored in the first inning as Wulf singled in Huske. After UNK tied it, Northwest added a pair in the second and broke it open in with a four-run fourth. Northwest would add two in the seventh on hits by Zac Ferreira and Huske.

The Lopers responded with a four-run seventh inning to pull within four at 10-6. But Steve Garber had an RBI double in the top of the eighth, followed by a Pomatto two-RBI double, to stretch the lead to seven.

Ryker Fox picked up the win for Northwest, going 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. He only allowed one walk. Tanner Smith and Daulton Perry combined to work scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Both games will be seven-inning contests.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Missouri Western softball blanks Concordia-St. Paul, 3-0

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western softball team opened play in the Kelly Laas Invitational with a 3-0 victory over Concordia-St. Paul in the Husky Dome. It was the third shutout of the season for Jackie Bishop as she improves to 5-1 overall while the Griffons improve to 8-3 overall.

In a pitchers dual neither team could get anything going offensively. The Golden Bears got a lead off hit by Tessa Ewert in the third inning but a pop up to first base and two strikeouts ended any threat the Golden Bears may have had.

In the first four innings the Griffons would strand a Bre Fleschner lead off walk and then in the fourth Fleschner led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. She would be stranded at second after Michelle Stevenson bunted her over to second.

The Griffons finally got something going in the fifth when Brooke Schaben led off with a single through the left side. The hit was the Griffons first of the game. Taylor Anding followed that up with a walk and then pinch runner Shelby Elliott and Anding advanced to second and third on a while pitch. Two batters later Morgan Rathmann singled in Elliott giving the Griffons the 1-0 lead. Fleschner reached on an error by CSP shortstop which scored two Griffon runs giving the them the 3-0 lead after five innings of play.

In the sixth and seventh the Golden Bears led off the inning with singles with both being stranded on base. Michelle Stevenson made a great diving play at second ending the game and dropping the Golden Bears to 0-1.

Bishop went all seven innings giving up just three hits while striking out eight. For Concordia-St. Paul Stephanie Kappes went 6.0 innings giving up two hits and one earned run while striking out four. Jamie Fleischacker, Ewert and Cassie Bertelsen each had hits in the game.

The Griffons will return to play Saturday at noon when they take on the Wayne State College Wildcats.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Western tennis drops season opener to Maryville

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western tennis team battled falling in their first match of the 2014 season by a score of 9-0 against Maryville University. The Saints improve to 4-0 on the season while the Griffons fall to 0-1. This also marked the first match for first year head coach Tom Smith.

The Griffons played well in doubles but were unable to come away with any points. Denise Chiao and Lindsay Beger fell at No. 2 doubles 9-7 against Renske Linders and Anne Lutz. At No. 3 doubles Alyssa Dougan and Kayla Dysart fell 8-6 against Marina Marti and Nicole Kitsuse of Maryville. No. 1 doubles of Meara Smtih and Ceara Boldridge fell 8-3 against Adriana Armendariz and Philine Schlorf.

In singles the best competition came at No. 4 where Boldridge fell 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) against Lutz. Smith played well at No. 2 singles falling 6-4, 6-2 against Marti while Chiao fell 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3 singles against Armendariz.

The Griffons return to action on Tuesday, February 25 with a match against the Rockhurst Hawks. Match time is set for 1:00 pm in Kansas City, Mo.

Singles competition

1. Schlorf, Philine (MU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Marti, Marina (MU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Armendariz, Adriana (MU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Lutz, Anne (MU) def. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Linders, Renske (MU) def. Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Kitsuse, Nicole (MU) def. Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. Armendariz, Adriana/Schlorf, Philine (MU) def. Smith,Meara/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-3
2. Linders, Renske/Lutz, Anne (MU) def. Chiao,Denise/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 9-7
3. Marti, Marina/Kitsuse, Nicole (MU) def. Dougan,Alyssa/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 8-6

— MWSU Sports Information —

No. 11 Ravens rally past Graceland for fourth straight win

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BCTrailing by 11 points with six minutes and 35 seconds left in the game, the No. 11-ranked Benedictine men’s basketball team used a 15-5 run to erase their deficit and earn a comeback win over Graceland University on Thursday night.

Benedictine (19-6, 12-3 HAAC) used their highest 3-point total since Jan. 11 to earn a 70-66 win over Graceland (14-12, 6-9 HAAC) and move into a two-game lead over the field in the HAAC standings.

The Ravens led by as much as 12 points in the first half before Graceland briefly took a lead in the final 90 seconds of the half.

Leading 30-29 at the half, Benedictine pushed ahead early in the second half by as much as seven points before Graceland battled back to tie the game at 40 points with 14 minutes and 45 seconds left in the game.

The Yellowjackets took over the lead, outscoring the Ravens 16-5 over the next seven minutes before Benedictine started to come back to life.

Brett Fisher connected on one of his team-high six 3-pointers with two mintues and 47 seconds left in the game to push the Ravens up, 60-59 and capped off Benedictine’s 15-5 run that pushed them to the win.

Benedictine never looked back as two points would be all the closer that Graceland would get as Jonathan Anaekwe converted a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Ravens.

The Ravens finished the game knocking down 50-percent from beyond the arc as they converted 10 of 20. It was the seventh time this season, the Ravens had converted at least 10 3-pointers in a single game.

Defensively, they limited Graceland to just 4 of 16 from beyond the arc. Thursday marked the 12th time in 25 games the Raven defense held their opponent to five 3-pointers or fewer.

Fisher finished with a team high 18 points for the Ravens as he finished 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. Charlie Wallrapp added 17 points, narrowly missing his third straight double-double with 9 rebounds. Steven O’Brien and John Harris Jr. chipped in with 9 points each to round out the Ravens top scorers.

The Ravens hit the road Sunday for a 4 p.m. game in Marshall, Mo., against Missouri Valley College. The game was moved to Sunday due to a schedule conflict at Missouri Valley. The Vikings are hosting one of the NAIA regional wrestling tournaments on Saturday, forcing the game to Sunday.

— BC Sports Information —

Benedictine women hang to defeat Graceland, 83-79

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BCThe Benedictine women’s basketball team outscored Graceland University 22-7 on Thursday night in second-chance points.

It was their final second-chance effort of the night from Katie Barr with two seconds remaining in the game that allowed Benedictine (17-10, 9-6 HAAC) to seal a 83-79 win over Graceland (11-11, 7-8 HAAC).

After leading by as much as 13-points in the second half, the Ravens went cold offensively over the final nine minutes of the game which allowed Graceland to pull within a basket inside the final minute of the game.

Graceland’s Sydney Vaughn converted a pair of free throws with two mintues and 21 seconds left in the game to cut Benedictine’s lead to 78-77.

After a free throw from Rosie Youngstrom pushed the Ravens back up by two points, the teams traded baskets setting up Barr’s game-clincher in the final seconds.

Benedictine used a 15-2 run to turn a 2-2 game into a 13-point lead inside the first six minutes of the game.

After pulling ahead by as much as 15 points, Benedictine’s offense cooled off while Graceland’s took fire.

Fueled by a 66.7 percent 3-point shooting effort in the first half, Graceland not only erased their 15-point deficit, they pull ahead of Benedictine, 32-29, with just over six minutes left in the first half.

By halftime, Benedictine trailed 46-44 but it didn’t take the Ravens long in the second half to take back over the lead.

Just 13 seconds ticked off the second half clock with Rosie Youngstrom nailed a 3-pointer to push the Ravens back in front.

Benedictine used a 20-8 run to push ahead by 13 before Graceland mounted their comeback effort.

Chayla Rutledge scored a new season high for the Ravens, finishing with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Benedictine controlled the paint, outscoring Graceland 38-16 in the paint.

Justice Payne added 16 points while Jackie Ziesel scored 12 points off the Benedictine bench. Erin Murphy added 10 points to bring her career point total to 989 points with three games remaining. Barr missed a double-double by two points, finishing with 8 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Ravens hit the road for a rare Sunday afternoon conference match up as they travel to Marshall, Mo., for a 2 p.m. game against Missouri Valley College. The game was pushed to Sunday due to a scheduling conflict at Missouri Valley as they play host to one of the NAIA regional wrestling tournaments on Saturday.

— BC Sports Information —

Kansas hires Eric Kiesau to coach Jayhawk wide receiver

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KUKansas football head coach Charlie Weis added an accomplished, veteran coach to his staff Thursday, as he announced the hiring of Eric Kiesau to mentor the Jayhawk wide receivers.

Kiesau, who has more than 14 years of experience coaching offense—primarily the wide receiver position—at the Division I level, arrives at Kansas after spending the previous two seasons as the offensive coordinator at the University of Washington.

“When Coach (John) Reagan came to me with Eric’s name I was intrigued,” said Weis. “We’re very pleased to be able to add him to our staff. It is our good fortune that Washington experienced a staff transition at the same time we were looking for a receivers coach. Eric has experienced a great deal of success in exactly the position that we were looking for.”

Kiesau was an integral part of Washington’s success the past two seasons as the Huskies went 9-4 in 2013, marking their highest wins total since they went 11-1 in 2000. During the 2013 season, his first as the UW receivers coach, Kiesau developed a pair of true freshmen who ended up as key players in Demore’ea Stringfellow and John Ross. Ross was named the Huskies’ Freshman of the Year, while Stringfellow started the final three games of the season.

Also under Kiesau’s guidance, in 2013 UW’s leading receiver, Jaydon Mickens, more than tripled his production over the previous seasons, finishing with 65 receptions for 688 yards, easily eclipsing his 2012 totals of 20 catches for 190 yards.

Prior to his time at UW, Kiesau served as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at California for the 2011 campaign. He’d returned to Cal, where he’d previously worked from 2002-05, after having spent the 2006-10 seasons at Colorado.

During the 2011 season at Cal, Kiesau coached Bears wideout Keenan Allen, the No. 2 receiver in the Pac-12 in terms of receptions per game. Additionally, both Allen and teammate Marvin Jones finished in the top 10 in the conference in receiving yards.

In his prior stint with the Golden Bears, Kiesau served as wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator. During those four seasons, Cal posted a 33-17 record, including four winning seasons and three bowl game victories. In 2003, Kiesau’s second with the Bears, Cal broke a school record with 278 receptions and posted the fourth-best passing yards average in school history with 264.6 yards per game.

Under his guidance, Cal receiver Geoff McArthur earned second-team All-America and first-team All-pac-10 in 2003, when he was second in the nation with 115.7 receiving yards per game. McArthur set school records for receiving yards (1,504) and notched the second-best season in school history in terms of receptions (85). He finished his career in 2004 as Cal’s all-time leader in career receptions and receiving yards.

In 2005, Kiesau mentored Cal receiver DeSean Jackson in his freshman season when the future NFL All-Pro set Cal freshman records for receptions and receiving yards.

Prior to returning to Berkeley for the 2011 season, Kiesau was the passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Colorado from 2006-08, before being named offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

At Colorado, Kiesau developed walk-on receiver Scotty McKnight, who finished his career in 2010 as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (219), yards (2,588) and receiving touchdowns (22).

Kiesau’s first Division I job came in 2000 at Utah State, where he was initially running backs coach before moving to wide receivers. He coached All-America running back Emmitt White, who led the nation in all-purpose yards in 2000, while at USU. In 2001, he coached receiver Kevin Curtis, the NCAA’s leading receiver with 100 catches, to All-America honors.

Kiesau began his coaching career at Glendale (Calif.) Community College in 1998 after earning his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1996 from Portland State. During his time at PSU, Kiesau played quarterback for the Vikings, starting in 1995.

He began his college playing career at Glendale CC, where he earned All-America honors in 1992. A native of Pasadena, Calif., he and his wife Wendy have a daughter, Tayler, and a son, Blake.

— KU Sports Information —

Griffons snap four-game skid with road win at Lincoln

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riggertMissouriWesternThe Missouri Western men’s basketball team picked up a much needed victory on Wednesday evening defeating the Lincoln Blue Tigers 82-65. The victory marked the first road victory for the Griffons this season as they were led by Kalvin Balque’s first career double double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Griffons improve to 10-14 on the season and 5-11 in MIAA play.

Things started good for the Griffons as back-to-back 3’s by Hans Thun gave the Griffons a 6-2 lead in the first minute of the game. The Blue Tigers bounced back claiming a 15-12 lead with 10:12 to play after a tip-in by James Edmond with 10:12 to play in the first frame.

The Griffons continued to play hard and with 5:19 to play two free throws by Cortrez Colbert gave the Griffons their largest lead of the half at 25-17 with 5:19 to play. Lincoln did not let things get away hitting a layup with 28 second to play in the half cutting the Griffon lead to 31-26 at the half.

The Griffons shot just 37.9-percent (11-29) from the field with Thun leading the charge with 9 points connecting on all three of his long range shots. The Blue Tigers did not shoot much better making 39.1-percent (9-23) of their shots and 8-of-10 free throws. James Edmond led the way with eight points and seven rebounds.

The Griffons came out of the locker room on fire scoring seven of the first nine points claiming a 38-28 lead after two Charlie Marquardt free throws with 17:19 to play in the game. The Blue Tigers cut the Griffon lead to five in the next four minutes but a 19-5 run by the Griffons opened up a 19 point lead for the Griffons at 57-38 after two Balque free throws with 9:46 to play.

A mini run by the Tigers cut the lead to 59-48 but once again the Griffons used a big run taking their biggest lead of the game at 76-55 after a layup by Colbert with 3:24 to play. The Griffons cruised the rest of the game snapping a four game losing streak.

Missouri Western finished the game making 47.4-percent (27-57) of their field goals which included 57.1-percent (16-28) in the second half. Colbert scored 19 points for the Griffons while Devers had 17. Both Colbert and Devers dished out five assists.

The Blue Tigers fall to 3-22 overall and 1-16 in MIAA play. Edmond finished with a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Mike Smith dumped in 17. Joshua Buie had 10 points. The Blue Tigers made just 1-of-15 long range shots but made 22-of-26 free throws.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 22 with a home contest against rival Northwest Missouri State on Military Appreciation Day. Tip time is set for 3:30 pm in the MIAA Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats pull away from Lindenwood to earn 19th win

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NWMSUNorthwest Missouri State men’s basketball team took a double-digit lead into halftime and maintained it most of the second half.

But Northwest’s 70-59 victory over Lindenwood Wednesday evening at Bearcat Arena wasn’t as easy as the sizeable lead made it look.

For a team that entered the late-season road game with a losing record, Lindenwood played hard throughout and made Northwest work for its 19th victory.

The win helped Northwest stay in first place in the MIAA. With three regular-season games left, Northwest heads into Saturday’s contest at Missouri Western with a 19-6 overall record and 14-2 in the MIAA.

“We have a tough road game on Saturday,” said senior Dillon Starzl, who finished with 13 points. “We just have to come out and attack each game with the mentality that we are going to be more aggressive and fight in each possession against every team.”

The Lions gave themselves a brief bit of upset hope when they started the second half with a three-pointer, closing to 31-24.

Northwest scored the next five points and held a double-digit lead until 1 minute remained in the game.

It was a workmanlike effort that was impressive in its efficiency by the Bearcats. Northwest played great defense and fundamental, inside-outside offense.

For example, midway through the second half, Matt Wallace passed the ball inside to Starzl, who powered through for a layup, giving Northwest a 45-31 lead.

“At halftime, he (Northwest coach Ben McCollum) said I wasn’t being aggressive enough,” Starzl said. “He said I needed to act like the player I am and stop being passive and go to the hole and score.

“It worked a little better in the second half. I should get that mindset at the start of the game.”

Several possessions later, Bryston Williams dumped the ball inside to Starzl, who again went up strong for a field goal in the paint, making it 59-35.

Those inside buckets opened the outside for sophomore Conner Crooker, who knocked down three-pointers. One of them gave Northwest a 54-40 lead.

Crooker made four of five from three-point range, in part because Starzl and Grant Cozad combined to go 9 for 13 from the field, most of which came in the paint.

“We were getting more post touches for Dillon and they were doubling up and I was able to relocate and Dillon would find me,” Crooker said. “I was getting open shots.”

The Bearcats lead bloomed to 63-47, but Lindenwood kept playing hard and with a minute left, the Lions trailed 68-59.

After a somewhat sluggish start that saw Northwest give up the first six points in the game, the Bearcats finished the first half strong.

Freshman Zach Schneider drained back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute of the half, sending the Bearcats into halftime with a 31-21 lead.

“That was key for us because we were struggling in the first half,” Starzl said. “Zach hit two big threes at the end of the first half and that really got us going into halftime.

“We knew coach Mac was mad at us already so it helped us a little bit, but we got to come out more aggressive.”

Lindenwood put a smidgen of a scare into the Bearcats when it led 8-3 early on. Northwest immediately went on an 11-0 run to quickly bring order to the game.

But Lions refused to let Northwest to roll on by them. They stayed close, facing small deficits of 19-17 and 21-19.

Bearcat defense is what tamed the Lions. Northwest allowed only seven Lindenwood field goals in the first half.

Northwest will head to Missouri Western for a 1:30 p.m. game on Saturday against the Griffons. The first 100 Northwest students who show their Bearcat card at the Missouri Western ticket office will receive FREE admission to the game. Students arriving after the 100 tickets are given out can purchase tickets for $5 each.

— Northwest Sports Information —

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