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Royals blow late lead and lose to Red Sox at emotional Fenway

RoyalsDavid Ortiz has been in the middle of some of Fenway Park’s greatest moments. None of them seemed more important to ”Big Papi” than his role in one Saturday afternoon.

Ortiz helped the Red Sox honor the victims and the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings then played in his first game since last summer, a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals capped by Daniel Nava’s three-run homer in the eighth inning.

”I try to take the positive side of things and ride with it,” Ortiz said, sitting at a table in an interview room. ”But I wanted to win this game badly.”

The Red Sox wore white home jerseys with ”Boston” on the front instead of the customary ”Red Sox.” The shirts will be auctioned off for a fund to support victims of the bombings.

Kansas City players and staff wore a ”B Strong” patch on the front of their jerseys. Neil Diamond sang Red Sox favorite ”Sweet Caroline” before the bottom of the eighth.

”I think today was different because we haven’t been through what we’ve been through this past week,” Ortiz said. ”Driving around and looking around at people’s faces, it was a very emotional day here just looking at those guys that were injured by those bombs going off and watching the news nearly every day, it was painful, very painful. Today I could see people opening their chest and letting it go.”

The 37-year-old Ortiz injured his right Achilles tendon running the bases on July 17 and appeared just once in Boston’s final 72 games, against the Royals on Aug. 24.

Ortiz was bothered by inflammation in both heels during spring training and didn’t play in any exhibition games. He was 2 for 4 in his return, tying the score 1-all with a sixth-inning RBI single off James Shields.

Following the emotional pregame ceremony, the Red Sox won their sixth straight game – four since Monday’s bombings at the marathon finish line.

”Knowing everything that went into the day for the city, for us to get the win, it came in a special way, special fashion,” Nava said. ”It made it all that more important.”

Clay Buchholz (4-0) allowed eight hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked one. Andrew Bailey allowed Lorenzo Cain’s leadoff homer over the Green Monster in the ninth, his fourth hit of the game, then got his third save when Alex Gordon hit a game-ending groundout with two on.

Cain went 4 for 4 with the solo homer, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the hot Red Sox.

”Just a fantastic finish to an otherwise great day,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

Cain even was moved by the pregame.

”It was electric, man,” Cain said of the ceremony. ”To go through that and see everybody getting into it and what this city went through, just to be a part of it was amazing.”

Shields gave up one run and four hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Buchholz extended his scoreless streak to 22 innings before Cain doubled in the fifth and scored on Jeff Francoeur’s single.

Cain doubled leading off the seventh and scored on Salvador Perez’s two-out RBI triple for a 2-1 lead. But Jonny Gomes doubled against Tim Collins starting the eighth and Dustin Pedroia walked. After Ortiz grounded into a double play, Kelvin Herrera (1-2) walked Mike Napoli on four pitches and Nava homered to right.

Herrera said it was a poorly thrown change up.

”I left in the middle,” he said. ”I paid the price.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest men’s tennis defeats UNK to move into MIAA title match

NWMSUThe Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team needed a late surge to earn a 6-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney and advance to Sunday’s MIAA Championship match at Cooper Tennis Complex.

The Bearcats picked up early wins at No. 2 doubles from Alvaro Riveros and Guilherme Narducci. After the Lopers stole a point at No. 1 doubles the Bearcats rebounded to dominate singles action.

Sergio De Vilchez cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles while Rafael Bugiga earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at the No. 2 position.

Riveros and Jason Harris finished off the Lopers with wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles to propel the Bearcats into Sunday’s championship match.

Northwest will meet up with Southwest Baptist in the MIAA Championship match for the third consecutive season. Northwest took the regular season meeting from SBU 5-3 as the two teams will meet at 9 a.m. for the 2013 MAIA Championship.

— Northwest Media Relations —

Lynn, St. Louis shutout Philadelphia, 5-0

CardsLance Lynn threw one-hit ball for seven innings and Carlos Beltran homered for the third straight game to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night.

Lynn (3-0) did not allow a hit until John Mayberry Jr., led off the fifth with a double. Lynn struck out eight and walked three in his longest outing of the season.

Trevor Rosenthal and Mitchell Boggs each tossed a scoreless inning to combine for St. Louis’ fourth shutout of the season.

Beltran’s solo shot off Cliff Lee (2-1) in the fifth inning gave him homers in the first three games of the four-game series. Allen Craig had a two-run single in a four-run third for the Cards.

Lee easily had his worst start of the year. After walking one batter all season, he walked the bases loaded in the third that led to St. Louis’ big inning.

— Associated Press —

Bearcat women fall to Southwest Baptist in MIAA semifinals

Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State women’s tennis team fell to top seed Southwest Baptist, 6-0 Saturday in the MIAA Semifinals at the Cooper Tennis Complex.

Northwest dropped its second match of the season to SBU to fall to 13-10 overall.

SBU took all three doubles match winning at No.1 doubles 8-3 to drop Alexis Bartek and Camila Quesada. The duo saw their record fall to 15-6 on the season.

The purple and white Bearcats continued to roll in singles play winning at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 positions for the 6-1 victory.

The closest match for Northwest came at No. 5 singles as Stephanie Mannix fell to Faiga Schmidt, 6-0, 6-3.

Northwest will close out the championships against Central Oklahoma in the third place match. First serve from the Cooper Tennis Complex is set for 11 a.m.

— Northwest Media Relations —

Northwest unveils family of new athletic logos

Northwest2013riggertClick to view the new Northwest logos

For nearly two decades, Northwest Missouri State University athletics has been represented by the Bearcat paw. Today, Northwest is proud to unveil a modern and consistent brand that will carry the future of Bearcat athletics and uphold the history of the iconic logo.

“The paw has been and will continue to be Northwest Missouri State athletics. I feel I have as much invested in the paw over the last 20 years as anyone, and this modern look will serve Bearcat athletics well into the future,” said Northwest Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “The integrity of the paw is still intact and will continue to bring pride to all Bearcats.”

The new logos include a modernized paw, new Bearcat head, new athletic marks and a unique font specific only to Northwest. In addition, Bobby Bearcat has been updated and brought back with a kid-friendly look. All the logos and marks were created in a way to help keep a consistent look for Northwest athletics both in print and apparel.

Several secondary logos were also created for use, including Bearcat eyes and claw marks. These marks add to the variety of logos for teams, fans and alumni to use when representing Northwest athletics.  The new set of unified marks was developed to build upon the tradition and pride associated with Bearcat athletics as well as to create a consistent brand ensuring easy recognition in the community, throughout the region and the country.

“The changing of the logo is about more than just changing the symbol that we wear on our jerseys,” said senior track and field athlete Adrienne Cornelius. “It’s about continuous improvement and striving to be the best we can be. We are building into the future and weaving into the Bearcat fabric a new look on our tradition of excellence.”

The process of updating the logos began more than a year ago. The new athletics marks were designed and developed by Rickabaugh Graphics, a company with extensive experience in collegiate athletics branding. Rickabaugh used input from many members of the Northwest community – including students and student-athletes, community members, Northwest coaches, alumni, faculty and staff – to create an array of designs that kept with the tradition of the original paw logo.

“I am a traditionalist when it comes to trends within college athletics and believe our new brand stays true to the paw,” head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum said. “This new family of logos allows us to keep the foundation of the paw, but gives us an updated look and feel for the next generation of Bearcat athletics.”

“College athletics is going through an unprecedented change, and this modern look for our new family of logos will help Northwest stay current,” Tjeerdsma said. “The future is very bright for Northwest athletics, and this update represents that change in an excellent light.”

Along with the new branding for Northwest, the Department of Athletics has unveiled an online store, www.ShopBearcats.com that will offer a large selection of Bearcat apparel.

Bearcat Athletics has also partnered with several local merchants throughout the branding process to gather input and feedback and to assist in the development of the new logos.  The Bearcat Bookstore, along with Maryville retailers The Student Body and Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods have provided assistance with Northwest’s unveiling event. All three retailers, as well as other area vendors, will carry merchandise bearing the new marks and have also provided items to the University for the unveiling ceremony.

— Northwest Media Relations —For nearly two decades, Northwest Missouri State University athletics has been represented by the Bearcat paw. Today, Northwest is proud to unveil a modern and consistent brand that will carry the future of Bearcat athletics and uphold the history of the iconic logo.

“The paw has been and will continue to be Northwest Missouri State athletics. I feel I have as much invested in the paw over the last 20 years as anyone, and this modern look will serve Bearcat athletics well into the future,” said Northwest Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “The integrity of the paw is still intact and will continue to bring pride to all Bearcats.”

The new logos include a modernized paw, new Bearcat head, new athletic marks and a unique font specific only to Northwest. In addition, Bobby Bearcat has been updated and brought back with a kid-friendly look. All the logos and marks were created in a way to help keep a consistent look for Northwest athletics both in print and apparel.

Several secondary logos were also created for use, including Bearcat eyes and claw marks. These marks add to the variety of logos for teams, fans and alumni to use when representing Northwest athletics.  The new set of unified marks was developed to build upon the tradition and pride associated with Bearcat athletics as well as to create a consistent brand ensuring easy recognition in the community, throughout the region and the country.

“The changing of the logo is about more than just changing the symbol that we wear on our jerseys,” said senior track and field athlete Adrienne Cornelius. “It’s about continuous improvement and striving to be the best we can be. We are building into the future and weaving into the Bearcat fabric a new look on our tradition of excellence.”

The process of updating the logos began more than a year ago. The new athletics marks were designed and developed by Rickabaugh Graphics, a company with extensive experience in collegiate athletics branding. Rickabaugh used input from many members of the Northwest community – including students and student-athletes, community members, Northwest coaches, alumni, faculty and staff – to create an array of designs that kept with the tradition of the original paw logo.

“I am a traditionalist when it comes to trends within college athletics and believe our new brand stays true to the paw,” head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum said. “This new family of logos allows us to keep the foundation of the paw, but gives us an updated look and feel for the next generation of Bearcat athletics.”

“College athletics is going through an unprecedented change, and this modern look for our new family of logos will help Northwest stay current,” Tjeerdsma said. “The future is very bright for Northwest athletics, and this update represents that change in an excellent light.”

Along with the new branding for Northwest, the Department of Athletics has unveiled an online store, www.ShopBearcats.com that will offer a large selection of Bearcat apparel.

Bearcat Athletics has also partnered with several local merchants throughout the branding process to gather input and feedback and to assist in the development of the new logos.  The Bearcat Bookstore, along with Maryville retailers The Student Body and Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods have provided assistance with Northwest’s unveiling event. All three retailers, as well as other area vendors, will carry merchandise bearing the new marks and have also provided items to the University for the unveiling ceremony.

— Northwest Media Relations —

Missouri Western hits six home runs in doubleheader sweep of Washburn

MWSUThe Missouri Western softball team belted six home runs on their way to a doubleheader sweep of Washburn by scores of 10-0 and 14-5. Both games were ended in the fifth due to the run rule. Maegan Roemmich went 5-for-5 in the two games with two home runs, 7 RBI and 5 runs scored. The Griffons improve to 31-11 overall and 15-5 in MIAA play.

Game 1
MWSU 10, WU 0 (5 innings)

All nine of the Griffon starters got a hit while Jackie Bishop pitched a three hit shutout helping the Griffons to a 10-0 five inning victory. Bishop struckout ten batters in her five innings of work improving to 17-4 with the victory.

The Griffon offense got going in the second inning scoring two runs and getting three hits with two outs. Kat Steponovich got a two RBI single through the right side opening up the scoring for the Griffons.

In the third the Griffon bats continued to be on fire scoring four runs on four hits. Maegan Roemmich hit her 7th homer of the season while Sorensen followed that up with her 3rd giving MWSU a 6-0 lead after three innings.

In the fourth the Griffons scored four more runs on four hits. Sarah Elliott led of with a single and then Bre Fleschner walked and scored on a Tiffany Gillaspy double to right center. Roemmich and Sorensen hit RBI singles later in the inning giving MWSU the 10-0 victory.

The Griffons had 12 hits with Roemmich going 3-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. Sorensen had two hits and two RBI for MWSU.

The Lady Blues had three hits while Lauren Thimmesch falls to 7-13 on the season going four innings. She gave up 12 hits and 10 earned runs.

Game 2
MWSU 14, WU 5 (5 innings)

The Griffons put togethern another solid effort in game two hitting four home runs and using a 10 run third inning coming away with a 14-5 victory in five innings.

The Griffons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings. Sarah Elliott led off with a homer in the first and then second back-to-back doulbes by Fleschner and Gillaspy gave MWSU the 3-0 lead after two.

In the third inning the Lady Blues scored five runs on five hits taking a 5-3 lead. MWSU responded nicely getting 8 hits and 10 runs in the third to take a 13-5 lead afte three. Roemmich and Sorensen both homered for the second time on the day while Keri Lorbert hit her 11th homer of the season later in the inning. Lorbert has 36 home runs in her career and is just one away from tying Amy Beverly for the career record.

The Griffons tacked on one more in the 4th and Emily Moe pitched a scoreless 5th inning while striking out the final batter giving the Griffons the victory.

Janie Smith picked up the victory going four innings giving up six hits and three earned runs. She improves to 14-5 with the victory. Moe went one inning with one strikeout in releif.

The Griffons had 15 hits with six different playersgetting two. Elliott scored three runs while Gillaspy and Roemmich had thee RBI.

The Lady Blues fall to 9-29 and 5-15 with the loss. Marina Quimby went four innings giving up 15 hits and 14 earned runs. Six differnt players had hits in the game for the Lady Blues.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, April 20 with a doubleheader against Emporia State University. Game time is set for 12:00 pm. The Griffons will honor five seniors after the games tomorrow. They are Emily Moe, Kendall Sorensen, Maegan Roemmich, Keri Lorbert and Sarah Elliott.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest women’s tennis team rolls past UNK in MIAA opener

riggertNorthwestThe Northwest Missouri State women’s tennis team claimed an impressive 6-1 win Friday over Nebraska-Kearney to advance to the second round of the MIAA Championships at the Cooper Tennis Complex.

Northwest improved to 13-9 on the season and will take on top seed Southwest Baptist Saturday.

The Bearcats cruised in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles and picked up a hard fought 9-8 victory at the No. 3 position.

Heading into singles action Northwest wasted little time picking up easy wins at No. 3 and No. 6 singles. Emily Hoffman earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Stephanie Irvin at No. 6 singles while Alexis Bartek picked up her fifth straight win. Bartek picked up the 6-2, 6-3 win over Britni Norfolk.

Northwest and SBU will battle in second round action at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Last week SBU shutout Northwest, 5-0 in the regular season meeting between the two teams.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Two Griffons added to Tino Martinez watch list

MWSUBased on their outstanding play this season two Missouri Western baseball players (Spencer Shockley & Brandon Simmons) have been added to the 2013 Tino Martinez Award Watch List.

The list includes 152 top amateur athletes from across the nation. The award is presented to the most outstanding player in DII college baseball. The annual honor is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez.

Shockley is a senior first baseman who is hitting .328 on the season and is leading the Griffons with 14 doubles. He broke the MWSU career record for doubles earlier this season and now has 44 in his three years at MWSU. Shockley is also a solid defender making just one error on the season. He has 252 putouts, 11 assists and a .996 fielding percentage. Shockley has walked 13 times and struck out just eight in his 119 at bats.

Simmons is a senior pitcher from Kansas City, Kan. Simmons holds a perfect 8-0 record on the season with a 2.98 ERA. Simmons has thrown two complete games in 45.1 innings of work. He has given up just 15 earned runs whlie striking out 30 and walking just eight. In his career he has a school record with 32 victories and also set the school record for most victories in a season with 12 a season ago. He has 206 strike outs in his career which is 5th all-time. With his next victory he will become the MIAA all-time leader in wins.

Initial nominations for the award were made by baseball sports information contacts, coaches and media members. A panel of media, coaches and sports information officers was polled to finalize the candidates and determine the winner. A fan Internet vote also contributes to the final vote.

The Griffons are 31-5 on the season adn 24-2 in MIAA play. they return to action on Saturday, April 20 with a doubleheader against 8th ranked Central Missouri (29-8, 23-7 MIAA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm from the Griffons Baseball Field.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Cardinals lose rain-shortened game at Philadelphia

CardsThis was more like the Roy Halladay everyone is used to.

Halladay tossed a two-hitter over seven innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Friday night in a rain-shortened game to snap a four-game losing streak.

Halladay (2-2) allowed two runs, walked two and struck out six to record a complete game. He’s had consecutive strong outings after starting the season with two poor ones. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is coming off an injury-plagued, subpar year, but has looked like his old self this week.

”Today was as close as I’ve felt to where I want to be,” Halladay said. ”When I stay within myself and execute the mechanics the way they should be done, I feel good where I’m at.”

Jimmy Rollins, Ben Revere, Humberto Quintero and John Mayberry Jr. each had two hits for the Phillies, who busted out of their slump with five runs off Jaime Garcia (1-1) in the first inning.

Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday hit solo homers for the Cardinals.

Garcia allowed eight runs – four earned – and nine hits in three innings.

”They put some good swings on the pitches I was making,” Garcia said. ”No excuse. I just didn’t get the job done.”

The game was called after a 35-minute rain delay before the bottom of the seventh.

Chase Utley started Philadelphia’s big first inning with a two-out walk, snapping the Phillies’ unusual streak of four games without drawing one. Michael Young followed with a single. Mayberry ripped an RBI double to left. Then Kevin Frandsen hit a sharp grounder, but third baseman Ty Wigginton made a diving grab. Wigginton, however, made a wild throw to first and the error allowed two runs to score.

”I just pulled it wide left,” Wigginton said. ”I feel like it’s a play I make the majority of time. I don’t know if I rushed. I know I didn’t really get the grip I’d like to have. It’s part of baseball. We were hoping to keep them there. But they started finding the gaps.”

Revere ripped an RBI triple to left-center for his first extra-base hit in his 66th at-bat, and Quintero lined an RBI double to make it 5-0.

Utley had an RBI single in the second, and Quintero drove in a run on a single in the third.

The Phillies helped Halladay with excellent defense. Left fielder Freddy Galvis made a diving, backhanded catch on a sharp liner and Revere made a headfirst sliding catch on a ball to shallow center.

”We did some good playing the first few innings,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

Halladay allowed 12 runs and 12 hits in 7 1-3 innings in his first two starts. But he was solid against a weak Marlins lineup last Sunday, giving up one run and five hits in eight innings.

The Cardinals were a tougher test. Halladay only made two bad pitches, and Beltran and Holliday got hold of both.

”It’s a big difference with a nice lead,” Halladay said. ”You can be aggressive and attack hitters.”

After a rough spring training was followed up by early troubles, many wondered if Halladay was on the decline. He’s thrown a ton of innings and is 35. But Halladay knew it was a matter of time before he got the results he wanted.

”I always felt I was going in the right direction,” he said. ”Once I got a chance to pitch deeper in games, do more bullpens, I felt I was able to take some of that over into the game.”

— Associated Press —

Western women’s golf team still ranked 11th in Central Region standings

riggertMissouriWesternThe NCAA has released the second NCAA Central Region Women’s Golf rankings and the Missouri Western Griffons remain 11th. Three other MIAA schools are in the top 12 teams with Central Oklahoma coming in 1st while Northeastern State and Northwest Missouri State are 4th and 9th respectively.

The MIAA, the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) make up the NCAA Central Region this year. The NCAA Regional Tournament is set for May 5-7 at the St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Mo. The top nine teams and the top four individuals that are not on the top nine teams make the regional.

The NCAA Women’s Golf Championships will be held May 15-18 at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Griffons wrap up their regular season at the MIAA Championships on Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23 in Smithville, Mo. The event will be held at Paradise Pointe and the women will play the Posse Golf Course.

CENTRAL REGION STANDINGS

1 Central Oklahoma
2 Augustana (S.D.)
3 Northeastern State
3 Southwestern Oklahoma State
5 Arkansas State
5 Harding
7 Henderson State
8 Minnesota State-Mankato
9 Northwest Missouri State
9 Concordia-St. Paul
11 Missouri Western State
12 Upper Iowa

— MWSU Sports Information —

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