ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball fell on Saturday afternoon to Nebraska-Kearney 2-1, snapping their nine-game winning streak.

The Griffons and Lopers were locked in a pitchers dual until the Lopers broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the eighth inning. Jacob Richardson came up with an RBI single up the middle, propelling the Lopers to a 2-1 lead.

MWSU left two runners on in the bottom of the fifth and seventh inning but couldn’t get anyone across the plate to help the Griffon pitching staff.

Missouri Western was limited offensively, collecting only six hits in the game. Cosimo Cannella and Brandon Downs each had two hits for the Griffons. Kody Matthews and Ozzie Rodriguez each tallied a hit in the game.

Weston Caindec had a solid outing but couldn’t pick up the victory as he pitched 7.1 innings and allowed just six hits in the game. Preston Bailey had 1.2 innings of work and allowed two hits.

Joe Sievers was effective on the mound for the Lopers, pitching seven innings and allowing just six hits and striking out six batters. Chayse Gulzow picked up his third save of the season.

The Griffons and Lopers will face off on Sunday with a game time at noon at the Spring Sports Complex.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – After splitting a non-conference doubleheader with Northwest Missouri State, the Missouri Western softball team (35-11, 19-3) held its spots in both the national and regional rankings.

Missouri Western remained No. 15 in the NFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll and No. 4 in the NCAA Central Regional poll. With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Griffons hold a two-game lead over No. 25/No. 2 Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats made their first appearance in the top-25 this week and jumped one spot in the regional rankings. Missouri Western is 8-5 this season against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the region and 5-5 against teams in the top eight qualifying positions.

This weekend Missouri Western will play doubleheaders at Washburn (April 22) and Emporia State (April 23). The MIAA Tournament will take place next week at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex in Oklahoma City. Games will begin Thursday, April 28 with the championship game on Saturday, April 30.

Click here to view the NFCA poll.

Click here to view the regional rankings.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team finished in fourth place at the MIAA Championships, recording a 980 in the three rounds of golf. MWSU scored their tournament best on day three of competition with a 317. The event was played at Swope Memorial Golf Course which is a par 72 – 5893 yard course.

All five Griffons finished in the top-35 in the tournament. Freshman Shi Qing Ong finished the tournament tied for eighth place in with a 238 in the tournament. Ong had a 73 in the final round which was the lowest score in the round. Madison Romjue tied for 13th place individually, reporting a 244 in the three rounds of golf. Celine Lim and Callie Wilson finished with a 247 and 252, respectively.

The Griffons finished 12 strokes behind Lindenwood for third place and 22 strokes ahead of Central Missouri for the fourth place in the standings. Northeastern State recorded a 922, winning the tournament by 20 strokes over Central Oklahoma.

Baylee Price of Northeastern State finished the tournament with a 219, winning the individual title. Elizabeth Leath of Central Missouri finished second at 230.

The 2016 NCAA Central Super Regional is scheduled to be played at the Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Nebraska on May 1 – 3.

The Missouri Western men’s golf team finished the MIAA Championships with a seventh place finish, scoring a 917.
The Griffons wrapped up the final round with of the tournament with a 304. The event was played at Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo. which is a par 72 – 6977 yard course.

Corey Knight led the Griffons with a 223 in the three round tournament, placing him tied for tenth in the individual standings. Ryan Hand was tied for 22nd in the tournament, tallying a 229 at the tournament. Cole Roberts and Jakob Rudosky finished the tournament with a 236 and 237, respectively.

Seven strokes separated the fourth place through eighth place teams at the MIAA Championships. The Griffons were two strokes behind Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney for fifth place and six strokes behind Missouri Southern for fourth place.

Central Oklahoma won the tournament with an 882 team score and Lindenwood University was second with an 891 in the three rounds.

Blake Lammers of Lincoln won the individual award, firing a 210 in the three rounds of golf.

The NCAA Division II Central/Midwest Super Regional is scheduled to be played in Allendale, Michigan on May 2 – 4.

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ST. JOSEPH – About 30 minutes after it was released that the Missouri Western baseball team was the No. 23 team in the country, the Griffons responded with eight runs in the first two innings on the way to a 12-2, eight inning win over Northwest Missouri State.

It was the Western’s eighth straight win after going 7-0 on the road last week. Missouri Western jumped on the Bearcats early as all nine came to the plate in a four-run first inning. Back-to-back doubles by Nick Gawley and Cosimo Cannella put the Griffons up 3-0. Two batters later Kody Matthews put the Griffons up four with an infield single. Gawley went 4-for-4 at the plate with seven RBIs, good for second most ever in a game for the Griffons. Matthews was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Cannella drove in three with a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Landon Mason stretched his hitting streak to 20 games, but was replaced after the first inning due to recurring eye problems.

Tyler Tuepker got the win in his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2015. He picked up the win, going the first three innings and allowing three hits and two runs. David Anderson pitched three innings in relief, giving up two hits and no runs with four strikeouts. Jared Lloyd and Mike Calimeno went one inning apiece.

The Griffons finished the night tied with just Washburn for second place in the MIAA standings after Emporia State lost to Washburn. Missouri Western hosts Nebraska-Kearney this weekend for a three-game series that begins Friday night at 6 p.m .

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western senior second baseman David Glaude continued a hot streak at the plate last week that earned the junior his second straight MIAA Hitter of the Week honor.

Glaude batted. .625 in four road wins last week for Missouri Western. Of his 10 hits, five were doubles, slugging .938 on the week. He also drove in 11 and scored five runs with two walks. Glaude now has five straight multi-hit games and has an eight-game hitting streak. He’s bumped his average up to .404 on the season and is batting .607 in the team’s last seven games tih 21 RBIs, three home runs, seven doubles and a triple.

The Canadian’s hot bat has helped his team move into a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings. Tonight, the Griffons host Northwest Missouri State at 7 p.m. for a single game. This weekend Nebraska-Kearney will be in town for three games, beginning on Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The numbers show the potency of the Missouri Western softball teams lineup from top to bottom and the MIAA Hitter of the Week honors are starting to display the same.

Sydney Washington became the third Griffon to receive the award, being named Co-Hitter of the Week after going 3-5 last week against Northwest Missouri State. The junior showed her prowess in the clutch, hitting the game tying home run in the seventh inning of game two, setting up an extra-inning win for Missouri Western. She just missed what would have been a walk-off home run in the seventh of game one, but her deep fly out put Katie Klosterman on third base. One batter later, Klosterman scored, placing the potential tying run on base in what turned out to be a loss for the Griffons. In the non-conference doubleheader, Washington batted .600 with three hits, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. She was on base four times and stole a base.

Washington joined Taylor Hamilton and Katie Klosterman as 2016 recipients of the award. Janie Smith was also named Pitcher of the Week earlier this season. Missouri Western takes a two-game lead atop the MIAA standings to Washburn on Friday for a doubleheader. The team concludes the regular season on Saturday at Emporia State.

— MWSU Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women’s golf team is currently tied for fourth at the MIAA Women’s Championships, firing a 341 team score in the first round of the tournament. The event is being played at the Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City which plays at a par 72 – 5893 yards.

Shi Qing Ong and Celine Lim have paced the Griffons in the first round, each shooting an 83 in round one. They are currently tied for 16th individually. Senior Callie Wilson reported an 87 in her first round of action, sitting tied for 22nd.

Missouri Western is tied with Central Missouri at 341 in the first round and trail Lindenwood by 17 strokes for third place.

Northeastern State scored an impressive 306 in round one and leads the tournament over Central Oklahoma by 15 strokes.

Baylee Price of Northeastern State scored a 71 in round one of the tournament, leading all individuals.

The second round of the MIAA tournament will continue on Tuesday in Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Western Men’s Golf finished the first round of the MIAA Championships with a team score of 318, placing them eighth in the tournament. The event is being played at Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City which is a par 72 – 6977 yard course.

Corey Knight sits tied for third place individually, firing a 74 in the first round of action. The Griffons received a solid round from freshman Cole Roberts, scoring a 78 and tying him for 21st in the individual standings. Ryan Hand is tied for 31st in the standings after scoring an 80 in the tournament.

The Griffons trail Missouri Southern by one stroke for seventh place and Northeastern State for sixth place.

Washburn leads the team standings, scoring a 302 in the first round of action. The Ichabods led Central Oklahoma by three strokes and Lindenwood by four strokes.

Blake Lammers of Lincoln sits alone in first place, reporting a 70 in his first round of action.

The second round of the MIAA Championships will continue on Tuesday morning in Kansas City.

— MWSU Athletics —

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women’s Tennis team defeated Lincoln 9-0 on Saturday. It’s the second time this year the Griffons finished the match 9-0 in a victory. Also, the Griffons snapped a three-game losing skid, improving their overall record to 9-5 this year.

Missouri Western dominated in singles matches, winning five matches in straight sets. Yasmine El Ghazi, Meara Smith and Lindsay Beger all won their matches by the score of 6-0, 6-0. Sarah Giraldo defeated Abigail Gober 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles competition.

The Griffons were able to control the Tigers in doubles competition as well. Denise Chiao and Joanna Abreu Roman won in convincing fashion in the No. 3 spot, 8-0. Sofia Aguilera and Yasmine El Ghazi won 8-1 in the No. 1 doubles match.

Singles competition
1. El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Roling,Ashley (LU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Gober,Abigail (LU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Abreu Roman, Joanna (MWSU) def. Amarakoon,Nirvani (LU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Smith, Meara (MWSU) def. Geldner,Yvonne (LU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Chiao, Denise (MWSU) def. Ruboneka,Claudine (LU), by default
6. Beger, Lindsay (MWSU) def. Quick,Shelbie (LU) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Aguilera, Sofia/El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Roling,Ashley/Gober,Abigail (LU) 8-1
2. Beger, Lindsay/Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Amarakoon,Nirvani/Geldner,Yvonne (LU) 8-2
3. Abreu Roman, Joanna/Chiao, Denise (MWSU) def. Ruboneka,Claudine/Quick,Shelbie (LU) 8-0

The Griffon will finish up the regular season on April 24 against Lindenwood, starting at noon. It will also be senior day for Lindsay Beger, Denise Chiao, and Sarah Giraldo.

— MWSU Athletics —

HAYS, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team (28-11, 20-8) did what it’s been doing and did what it hasn’t done in a doubleheader sweep at Fort Hays State on Friday. The two wins pushed Missouri Western into second place in the MIAA standings and gave the team a seven-game winning streak. The team also improved to 21-3 on the road.

Game 1: MWSU 13, Fort Hays State 2 (8 innings)

Five runs in the top of the eighth inning for the Griffons gave the team a run-rule win in the first of the twin-bill.

David Glaude started the five-run eighth with a two-RBI double, his second double of the game. Kody Matthews picked up two RBIs in the eighth with his record-tying fifth hit of the game. Matthews is one of a handful of Griffons to record five hits in a game, though no one has ever done more. He was 5-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored in the game. Cosimo Cannella went 3-5 with a pair of RBIs. Brandon Downs drove in four going 1-3 at the plate. His one hit was his sixth home run in his last five games.

Richard Peoples moved to 7-3 with the win. He went seven innings and held Fort Hays to the two runs on 10 hits.

Game 2: MWSU 2, Fort Hays State 1

For the first time in 2016, the team won a game without scoring four or more runs. Nick Gawley’s RBI single in the sixth proved to be the game winner and broke a 1-1 tie. Gawley’s two-out single up the middle scored Orenco Fisher.

The one-run lead was enough for Evan Jones and Preston Baiely, who combined to give the Griffons another solid pitching performance. Jones moved to 5-1 on the year allowing just three hits in seven innings of work. He struck out three and walked one. Bailey earned his third save of the year and also struck out the three and allowed one hit in two innings.

Missouri Western now returns home for four-straight beginning Tuesday night when Northwest Missouri State visits for a 7 p.m. first pitch.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH. – After delivering the program’s first conference championship in 14 years, Missouri Western Women’s Basketball head coach Rob Edmisson wasted no time adding to the cupboard for next season.

Edmisson announced the signing of Erin Anderson to a national letter of intent. Anderson is fresh off an NJCAA Division II National Championship at Kansas City Kansas Community College. The 5-7 guard led the Blue Devils, averaging 15.5 points per game. She also averaged 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She also shot 39.2 percent from three-point range and was a first team All-Jayhawk and All-Region VI selection. Anderson was also named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team.

“We are excited to add a player like Erin to our Missouri Western family,” Edmisson said. “Her competitive spirit and skill set will make an instant impact. Playing on a national championship team sets her apart from a lot of players.”

Anderson graduated from Edwardsville High School in suburban St. Louis.

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