Dave Riggert – Page 803 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Missouri Western softball wins final two games in Arkansas

Posted on February 16, 2014February 16, 2014

The Missouri Western softball team had its offense come alive on the final day of the 8-State Classic scoring 19 runs and getting 24 hits in two victories. The Griffons defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 9-4 and Illinois-Springfield 10-5 improving to 7-3 on the season and going 5-1 in the classic.

Game 1
MWSU 9, Minnesota State 4

In the first game of the day the Griffons got 11 hits in the contest which led to a 9-4 victory over the Mavericks. Tiffany Gillaspy and Michelle Stevenson both hit homers in the victory.

Things looked good early for the Griffons scoring the first four runs of the game. The Griffons got on the board in the second when Brooke Schaben led off with a single and later scored on a Kat Steponovich single to right field giving the Griffons the 1-0 lead. The Griffons tacked on another in the 3rd when Gillaspy homered to left center giving Missouri Western the 2-0 lead.

Once again in the 4th the Griffons put runs on the board. With one out Morgan Rathmann got hit by a pitch then stole second and scored on a two run homer by Stevenson giving the Griffons the 4-0 lead after four.

The score stayed that way until the 6th when the Mavericks finally got to Jackie Bishop. The Mavericks got a two RBI double by Anna Cole and an RBI single by Kelly Wood cutting the Griffons lead to 4-3.

The Griffons stayed calm and in the sixth they exploded for five runs in four hits. Singles by Fleschner and Stevenson scored the first two runs of the inning. A passed ball scored Fleschner before Kailey Green got two RBI on a single giving the Griffons the 9-3 lead after six.

The Mavericks got one more run in the sixth but would not get any closer as Bishop improves to 4-1 on the season. Bishop went all seven innings giving up seven hits while striking out 11. She did not give up a run as they were all unearned. The single she gave up in the fifth was the first hit by her opponents 12 innings and the runs in the 6th were the first runs scored on her in 23 innings. She has not given up an earned run in 25 innings.

Four Griffons got two hits in the game as Stevenson knocked in three and scored two runs. Rathmann went 2-for-2 with two runs scored while Fleshner and Schaben were the other Griffons with two hits.

Coley Ries got the loss for MSU going 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits and eight earned runs with four strikeouts. MSU had seven hits with Samantha Holien and Kelly Wood each getting two. The Mavericks fall to 2-6 with the loss.

Game 2
MWSU 10, Illinois-Springfield 5

In game two the Griffons offense stayed hot getting 13 more hits. Green led the charge with three hits and four RBI. Stevenson and Gillaspy each had two hits while pitcher Janie Smith helped herself out with two hits and two RBI.

The Griffons jumped all over the PrairieStars scoring five runs on six hits in the first inning. After a walk leading off the game by Fleschner the Griffons got four straight singles scoring their first three runs. Smith and Rathmann got the Griffons final two hits which both scored runs for the Griffons. After a half inning the Griffons led 5-0.

Illinois-Springfield did not get rattled as they took advantage of a walk and a Griffon error scoring four runs on two hits. Chelsea Minor’s single to right center scored two of the four runs.

In the 2nd the Griffons extended their lead by one when Gillaspy hit her second homer of the day giving MWSU the 6-4 lead after two. The Griffons scored another run in the 4th on two hits. Green singled in Stevenson giving Missouri Western the 7-4 lead after four innings.

In the 5th the bats continued to stay hot as Smith hit her first career homer to center field and then Rathmann scored on a double by Fleschner opening up a 9-4 lead after four and a half innings of play. Once again USI responded when Minor scored on a single by Molly Manietta which cut the lead to 9-5 after five.

The Griffons tacked on more on in the 7th and Smith shut UIS down in the 7th giving MWSU the five run victory.

Smith improves to 3-2 on the season going all seven inning giving up eight hits while striking out two.

UIS falls to 3-2 on the season while Alex Smith falls to 1-2 going all seven inning giving up 13 hits and nine earned runs with four strike outs. Minor led the way with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI for UIS.

The Griffons return to action next weekend when they take part in the St. Cloud State Dome Tournament. The Griffons open up the weekend on Friday, February 21 with a game against Concordia-St. Paul at 1:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Griffons fall at home to Missouri Southern, 78-60

Posted on February 15, 2014

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team got outscored by nine points in each half falling 78-60 against the Missouri Southern Lions. The Griffons were led by Ryan Devers with 16 points while Charlie Marquardt dumped in 11 and led the Griffons with nine rebounds. The Griffons fall to 9-14 overall and 4-11 in MIAA play.

The Griffons played extremely hard in the first half but a late run by the Lions gave MSSU the 43-34 lead heading into the break. The Griffons never led in the half and were never tied. The Lions jumped out a 5-0 lead but the Griffons responded cutting the lead to two with 14:37 to play on a Ryan Devers jumper.

The score remained with in five until the 5:23 mark of the half. The Lions closed the final five minutes outscoring the Griffons 5-0 claiming the nine point lead at the half.

The Griffons shot 43.8-percent (14-32) from the floor with Kalvin Balque leading the charge with nine points. Marquardt dumped in seven points and snared five rebounds. The Lions shot 48.4-percent (15-31) from the floor with Marquis Addison leading the way with 12 points. Jordan Talbert and Slim Magee each had eight points for Missouri Southern.

The Griffons battled for half the second half cutting the Lions lead to 56-50 with 9:47 to play after a Devers long range shots. From there it was all Lions opening up a 23 point lead at 75-52 going on a 21-2 run which was capped by a Greg Renfroe free throw with 3:21 to play.

The Griffons outscored the Lions by five the rest of the way but it was to late for Missouri Western.

The Griffons shot just 35.4-percent (23-65) for the game with Colbert and Balque both scoring 11.

The Lions improve to 17-5 overall and 11-4 in the MIAA as Addison and Slim MaGeen both dumping in 14 points. MaGee also had six blocks and 12 rebounds.

Missouri Western returns to action on Wednesday, February 19 with a contest against Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. Opening tip is set for 7:30 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri edges Tennessee for second straight win

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown scored 24 points and made a last-minute play to help Missouri hold off Tennessee 75-70 on Saturday.

With 7.7 seconds remaining and a 73-70 lead, Brown stole Jeronne Maymon’s inbounds pass before Johnathan Williams III grabbed the ball and finished off the game’s scoring with two free throws on the other end.

The Tigers (18-7, 6-6 SEC) needed all 60 minutes for the second consecutive contest to secure the win, following an 86-85 decision against Arkansas on Thursday. Missouri held a 13-point advantage with 11:05 remaining in the first half, but Tennessee quickly responded and pulled to within 41-37 at the break.

Jordan McRae finished with 31 points for the Volunteers (15-10, 6-6), but his 3-pointer with 10 seconds left missed. Tennessee ended up with another chance that set up Brown’s steal, though, as officials determined the rebound went out of bounds off a Missouri player.

Missouri looked as if it might squander a 71-65 lead with 47 seconds remaining as Tennessee’s Josh Richardson hit five consecutive free throws sandwiched around a botched inbounds pass from Wes Clark to Jordan Clarkson.

Brown then hit two free throws before McRae missed from long range. Brown also displayed late-game heroics against the Razorbacks, driving the lane and hitting the game-winning jumper with 12.2 seconds left.

Richardson scored 16 for the Volunteers, including 9 of 11 from the foul line. Jarnell Stokes added 13 points.

Earnest Ross scored 15 for Missouri and Williams had 10.

Both teams found themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble entering the day, and will meet again in their regular-season finales March 8 in Knoxville. Tennessee entered the matchup having lost two of three, including a 67-58 home loss to No. 3 Florida on Tuesday, and fell to 7-2 following a loss this season.

Williams, who hadn’t scored in his previous two outings, hit a jump shot early in the game to spark an 11-0 Missouri run that gave the Tigers an early 15-5 lead. The team converted six of its first seven shots, but Tennessee soon answered with a 13-4 run to close the deficit before halftime.

— Associated Press —

Western women let second half lead slip away against Southern

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team came up short against Missouri Southern Saturday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse, losing to the Lions 68-61. It was their first home conference loss since Jan. 4.

The Griffons fell behind early in the first half and stayed behind for the majority of the frame. The Griffons were down 6-4 with 16:31 left and trailed until Sharniece Lewis knocked down a 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go in the half. The trey put Missouri Western up 36-34, and the Griffons led the rest of the half.

After Lewis’ 3, Lions’ guard Nicole Hartzog made two free throws. Then Alex Saxen knocked down a free throw before Tanner Tripp grabbed a steal with two seconds left and was fouled on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer. The freshman made all three of her free throws as the Griffons went into halftime ahead 40-36.

Neither team scored until the 17:35 mark in the second half when Missouri Southern’s Shonte Clay put in a layup. JaQuitta Dever’s free throws followed by Tiffanie Abrams’ layup put the Griffons ahead 44-38, their largest lead of the game, with 16:33 remaining.

But Missouri Southern crept back into the game. And after the Griffons led for the following seven minutes, the Lions took the lead back with Hartzog’s three free throws with 9:30 left on the clock.

The Lions kept the lead the rest of the way, Hartzog secured the game with solid free-throw shooting. She went 13 of 16 from the charity stripe. Hartzog led the Lions with 16 points.

Missouri Western was led by Lewis, who was 7 of 8 with 21 points and 3-for-3 on triples. Alexis Gray scored 14 points and collected eight rebounds with four blocks, both games highs. Gray’s 14 points, four blocks and eight boards were also a career high.

The Griffons are now 9-13 and 4-11 in the MIAA. Missouri Southern sits at 16-9 and 10-5 in the conference. The Griffons return to the court Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in Jefferson City against Lincoln.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Ellis leads No. 7 Kansas in rout of TCU

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas sophomore Perry Ellis is a man of very few words.

Chances are the roughly 16,000 fans chanting his name Saturday could help him out.

Ellis scored a career-high 32 points to lead the seventh-ranked Jayhawks to a 95-65 victory over TCU, and then answered every question posed to him in his typically understated fashion.

Did you feel in a rhythm? “Definitely felt in a rhythm,” he replied.

What did you think of the chants? “It felt good, just great fan support,” he said.

Leave it to his teammates to describe the best game of his career.

“He takes good shots in a rhythm, and he always looks for his teammates,” said Andrew Wiggins, who added 17 points. “He was aggressive all game, attacking the hoop, making 3s. He did everything.”

Ellis also had eight rebounds and five assists while shooting 13-of-15 from the field.

“Fantastic game,” said Wayne Selden Jr., who scored 15 for the Jayhawks.

Playing without injured center Joel Embiid and suspended forward Brannen Greene, Kansas (19-6, 10-2 Big 12) got off to a slow start but still managed to take a 47-40 lead into the break. The Jayhawks then used a 13-1 charge out of the locker room to put away the Horned Frogs.

TCU (9-15, 0-12) still has not won since knocking off Texas Southern on Dec. 29.

Kyan Anderson did all he could, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half. Amric Fields added 12 points, but otherwise a team that’s been depleted by injuries much of the season wasn’t able to hang with the impressive depth of the Jayhawks.

“You know what? I thought we competed as well as we have for a while,” TCU coach Trent Johnson said. “Kyan did a really, really good job of keeping us in the game in the first half, but they’re really good. They’re really good.”

Embiid, who has emerged as one of the nation’s top NBA prospects, has been dealing with ankle and back injuries that have limited his floor time the last several weeks. He didn’t practice in the run-up to TCU and wound up watching from the bench, though he routinely leaped out of his seat to celebrate the myriad of alley-oop dunks that highlighted the Jayhawks’ second half.

Self said he should be available Tuesday at Texas Tech.

Greene, a freshman swingman, also is expected back after sitting out for what Self called “a slippage from a responsibility standpoint.”

Reserve forward Jamari Traylor got back on the court for Kansas and finished with a career-high 10 points and eight rebounds. The sophomore was held out of Monday night’s overtime loss to Kansas State for what Self also had described as irresponsible behavior. The two of them spoke Thursday and Self decided to let Traylor play.

Self turned to Traylor when Tarik Black, who started in Embiid’s place, picked up two fouls in the opening 2 minutes. It was part of a miserable early stretch for Kansas that included a 1-for-7 performance from the foul line and very little defense.

Of course, the Horned Frogs had a hand in that performance.

Anderson was 7-of-8 from the field and 5-for-5 from the foul line in the first half, and TCU — which came in shooting a Big 12-worst 40.9 percent — was hitting at a 56.5-percent clip.

“It’s all rhythm,” Anderson said. “We put pretty good pressure on them in the first half.”

Then the second half started, and the Jayhawks began playing above the rim.

Black, Wiggins and Selden each were on the finishing end of alley-oop passes during what turned into a 23-5 run, giving Kansas a 70-45 lead midway through the second half.

Johnson burned through a series of timeouts, but none seemed to quiet a star-studded crowd that included several NBA stars and Barbara Eden of “I Dream of Jeannie” fame.

The Jayhawks started to empty the bench with about five minutes left, shortly after Ellis knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner and the crowd started chanting his name.

“He was great,” Self said. “He made shots, stretched it, then made mid-range shots, took the ball strong to the hole. I think one of his two misses he got back. He was without question our best player today. Other guys played well offensively, but certainly nobody played like Perry.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western baseball loses to SW Minnesota on walk-off HR

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

The Missouri Western baseball team gave up 14 hits including the walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th falling 7-6 against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. The Griffons gave up 6 unanswered runs falling to 1-2 with the loss.

The Mustangs got on the board in the second inning getting three hits which included a Ben Korger RBI two out double scoring Mason Schnaible from first base. The score stayed that way until the 4th when the Griffons exploded for six runs on six hits.

Jeremy Monty and David Chew opened the 4th with back-to-back doubles tying the score at one. The Griffons took the lead when Schnaible booted a ball which allowed Chew to score from second. Ryan Degner gave the Griffons a 4-1 lead hitting his second homer of the season. Later in the inning Zach Kroymann singled and score on a single by Hunter Weiss. Weiss then scored on a Trevor LaHonta ground out giving the Griffons the 6-1 lead after four.

Griffon pitcher Jerad Hawkins cruised through four innings but in the fifth the Mustangs scored three runs on five hits cutting the Griffon lead to 6-4 after five. The Mustangs tied the score in the 6th off Jake Jones getting three hits and two runs. Both the runs scored with two outs after an error by Cody Childs at shortstop which would have ended the inning.

Neither team got anything going the rest of the way but in the bottom of the 9th inning pinch hitter Patrick Rients blasted a two out walk-off homer off Tyler Sanders giving the Mustangs the 7-6 victory. Southwest Minnesota State improves to 1-1 on the season with the victory.

The Griffons had 10 hits in the game with Monty, Chew and Degner all getting two. Hawkins went 5.0 innings giving up 10 hits and four earned runs. Jones went 0.2 innings giving up three hits and two earned runs while Josh Lansangan when 2.1 innings with a strikeout. Sanders went 0.2 innings with one hit and one earned run. He falls to 0-1 with the loss.

The Mustangs were led by Jon Ellis with three hits while Sam Haas, Schnaible and Ben Korger all had two hits. Haas had two RBI while Korger and Haas both scored two runs. Steven Wehr went 7.0 innings giving up 9 hits and six earned runs while Brandan Alfson went 2.0 innings giving up one hits. He improves to 1-0 with the victory.

The Griffons return to action on Sunday, February 16 with two games. They will play Southwest Minnesota State at 1:30 pm and Emporia State at 4:00 pm. The games will be played in Emporia, Kan. on Glenen Field at Trusler Sports Complex.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest baseball splits another doubleheader at Cameron

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team picked up a Saturday split on the final day of the series with Cameron University at McCord Field in Lawton, Okla. Northwest dropped the first game 9-6 but rebounded to win the night cap, 5-4. Both teams are now .500 for the season as the Bearcats move to 3-3 while Cameron is 5-5.

Game one

Northwest fell behind early as Cameron scored once in the bottom of the first. Austin Wulf hit the first of his two solo home runs in the top of the second, tying the score, 1-1. Northwest would take the lead in the third as BrandonHuske hit an RBI double, scoring Jon Pomatto. In the bottom of the third, Cameron scored three times, taking a 4-2 lead.

Wulf homered for a second time in the fourth, bringing the Bearcats to within one, 4-3. In the fifth, Paul Johnson got in on the act, homering to begin the inning and tying the score, 4-4. But Cameron took advantage of two Bearcat errors and scored five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for good, 9-4. Northwest would score a run in the sixth as Johnson doubled to score Pomatto and again in the seventh as Blake Hardegree singled to score Ryan Abernathy.

Ryker Fox took the loss after pitching 4.1 innings, striking out four.

Game two

Northwest rallied from a late deficit to beat the Aggies in the second game of the day. Zac Ferreira doubled to start the third and scored on a Huske sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Huske singled to lead off and Johnson doubled to left. Eric McGlauflin singled to drive both of them in. Cameron would score in the sixth, giving the Aggies a 4-3 lead.

In the seventh, Hardegree scored on an Alex Singleton two-out single to tie the game, 4-4. In the top of the ninth, Northwest loaded the bases and Abernathy drew a one-out walk to score Singleton and gave the Bearcats the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Cameron would put runners on second and third but with two outs, Pomatto struck out the final hitter, giving Northwest the 5-4 win.

Austin Warren started and went 5.1 innings, giving up four runs and nine hits. Brian Schmiedt picked up the win after pitching the eighth inning. Pomatto moved from right field and pitched the final inning for his first save of the year.

Northwest will open the MIAA season on Thursday with road games against Nebraska-Kearney starting at noon. The teams will play a pair of seven-inning contests.

— Northwest Sports Information —

K-State falls in double overtime at Baylor

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

WACO, Texas (AP) — Kenny Chery had a triple-double, Brady Heslip hit a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation and Baylor rallied to beat Kansas State 87-73 in two overtimes Saturday night, snapping a four-game home losing streak.

The Bears (16-9, 4-8 Big 12) trailed by 10 with 9 minutes left before rallying to end their longest home skid in nine years.

Baylor’s Taurean Prince banked in a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the second overtime, and had a three-point play on a dunk to put Baylor up by 11 with a minute remaining.

Nino Williams had a career-high 20 points for the Wildcats (17-8, 7-5), who lost their fifth straight on the road.

Chery had the sixth triple-double in school history with 20 points and career highs of 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Marcus Foster, the hot Kansas State freshman playing 200 miles from his Texas home, had 18 points and 10 assists but missed a free throw late in regulation before Heslip’s tying shot.

Heslip’s swish from well beyond the arc came after a wild sequence of three missed shots before Isaiah Austin came up with a loose ball and passed to Heslip, who let the ball go with the clock inside 2 seconds.

Heslip was 0 of 6 and the Bears were two of 20 from 3-point range before his tying shot.

Cory Jefferson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor before fouling out on a play that led to the tying free throw from Foster in the first overtime.

The Bears held for the last shot after Foster’s free throw made it 68-all, but Chery missed a jumper.

Prince put Baylor ahead for good early in the second overtime when his 3-pointer from the right wing with the shot clock about to expire banked in. After Williams lost the ball near midcourt, Heslip drove for a layup and a five-point lead.

Will Spradling later hit a 3-pointer to get Kansas State within four, but the Bears ran off eight straight points to put the game away. Prince had five of those points, and Chery the other three.

The Wildcats were coming off consecutive wins over ranked opponents, including an upset of No. 7 Kansas, and led by 10 in both halves before Baylor rallied.

Isaiah Austin had 18 points and a career-high nine blocks, including two to start the second half that sparked an 8-0 run to get Baylor within a point after the Bears scored a season-low 21 in the first half and trailed by nine.

The Bears were down 10 again before Chery finished a 10-0 run with consecutive layups for a 51-all tie.

— Associated Press —

Bishop throws no-hitter as MWSU softball blanks Ouachita Baptist

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

Missouri Western senior pitcher Jackie Bishop pitched her second career no hitter in a 8-0 victory over the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in game three of the 8-State Classic. Bishop got plenty of offensive help as senior catcher Kat Steponovich had a career day going 2-for-3 with 5 RBI. Three of her RBI came on her third career homer in the 4th inning. The Griffons improve to 5-2 on the season and will play William Jewell College at 3:30 pm.

Neither team could get anything going in the first three innings as both the Griffons and the Tigers got just one base runner.

In the four the Griffon offense got rolling when Michelle Stevenson opened the inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Brooke Schaben. Later in the inning Steponovich blasted the three run homer scoring Taylor Anding and Kailey Green giving MWSU the 4-0 lead after four.

The Griffons added three more in the top of the 6th getting five his. Tiffany Gillaspy opened the inning with a single and later scored on a Anding single. Anding and Schaben who also singled scored on a Steponovich single giving the Griffons a 7-0 lead after six. In the 7th the Griffons got one more as Stevenson led the inning off with a triple and scored on a Green single making the final score 8-0.

Bishop allowed just two runners on two walks while striking out nine. She improves to 3-1 on the season. Her only other no hitter came her freshman season on April 4, 2011 when she won a 2-0 game against Southwest Baptist. She struck out 11 in the contest.

Seven Griffons got hits in the game with Stevenson getting three and Steponovich two. The Griffons had 11 hits in the contest.

The Tigers fall to 2-4 on the season while Abbi Frakes falls to 2-2. She went 5-1 innings giving up eight hits and seven earned runs while striking out five.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcat softball defeats Harding & Illinois-Springfield

Posted on February 15, 2014February 15, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State softball team came out swinging in day two of the Arkansas-Monticello 8-State Classic, defeating Harding University, 13-5, in game one and Illinois-Springfield in game two, 4-1.

Chantel Adams had a coming out party with the bat in game one, driving in her first collegiate home run over the fence in the first inning to put her team up 3-0. Adams wasn’t done as she stepped to the plate in the third inning. The freshman promptly deposited her second home run of the game over the left field fence. Adams finished the game 3 for 3 with one walk and four RBIs.

Taszia Roseberry got in on the long ball action with her first home run of the season coming in the top of the sixth inning. Roseberry finished with two RBI’s.

Kristin Uthe added three RBI’s of her own , while Torri Blythe and Steph Mark accounted for the final two runs batted in in the 13-5 victory.

Pitcher Stephanie Baldwin earned her first win of the season going the distance for the complete game while giving up only five hits and striking out five.

Game two was a tightly fought contest from the start as Illinois-Springfield jumped out to a one run lead in the first inning.

Uthe singled in Jordan Ereth in the third inning to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the same inning, Torrie Blythe scored off a sacrifice fly by Mark to give her team the 2-1 lead.

Maddie Jones crossed the plate in the fourth inning when Torrie Blythe singled up the middle to give the Bearcats an insurance run to put them up, 3-1.

Northwest was able to get across one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Uthe knocked in her second RBI of the game.

Abbie Vitosh was stellar from the circle as she allowed one run over seven innings while striking out six on her way to the 4-1 victory.

The Bearcats move to 2-2 on the season and will play their final two games of the Classic on Sunday. Northwest will take on Quincy University in game onewith first pitch slated for 1:30 pm. Game two is scheduled to start at 3:30 pm against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

— Northwest Sports Information —