ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball fell to Lindenwood 9-6 on Sunday afternoon. It’s the Griffons second straight loss after winning seven in a row prior to this weekend.

Missouri Western allowed eight runs in the first three innings and was held scoreless until the seventh inning. Lindenwood opened the game with two-runs in the first inning, five runs in the second inning and added one more run in the third inning.

The Griffon offense came alive in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring all six runs with two-outs in the inning.

MWSU’s rally was started with a Landon Mason single and an Orencio Fisher walk. Cosmino Cannella drove in the first two runs for the Griffons with a deep fly ball to center field. The bases were eventually loaded via two straight walks and Jeremy Alvarado capitalized with a grand slam, moving the score to 8-6 in favor of the Lions.

The Lions were held to just one more run in the top of the eighth inning. Preston Bailey came in the third inning and allowed just five hits in seven innings of work. Bailey added seven strikeouts to his line as well.

Cannella and Mason were the only Griffons with multiple hits in the game. Alvarado finished with a team-high four RBIs and Cannella added two RBIs on the day.

The Griffons are in action next weekend at Central Oklahoma with the series starting on Friday at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team (30-10, 14-3) continued an impressive run of power hitting, slugging five home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska-Kearney (14-23, 5-14) on Sunday.

GAME 1: #22 MWSU 6, Nebraska-Kearney 5

The Griffons scored all six runs on home runs as four different players hit one each in the game one win.

Sydney Washington hit Missouri Western’s first home run of the day in the second, giving the Griffons a 2-0 lead. Nebraska-Kearney jumped ahead in the top of the third with three runs before Paige Shifflett and Katie Klosterman homered in the bottom half of the inning to put Missouri Western back up 6-3. Janie Smith surrendered one Loper run in the sixth and another in the seventh, but held on to pick up the win and move to 16-7 on the season.

Smith gave up five runs, all earned on 10 hits while striking out six and walking two. Morgan Rathmann went 2-4 at the plate. Shifflett was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Green was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Klosterman and Washington had two RBIs and one hit apiece.

GAME 2: #22 MWSU 6, Nebraska-Kearney 3

Missouri Western broke a one-all tie with five runs in the fifth, including Taylor Hamilton’s fourth home run of the weekend and sixth in the last five games.

Hamilton’s two-run blast to center in the fifth put Missouri Western up 3-1. Then Megan Korgie drew a bases loaded walk and Rebekah Mueller drove in two with a double to left center to put the Griffons up 6-1. Nebraska-Kearney got two in the sixth, but Shyanne Saladino retired the Lopers in order in the seventh to move to 14-3 on the season.

Hamilton was 3-4 with three RBIs and one run scored in game two. No other Griffon had more than one hit in the game.

A long homestand continues for the team next week with doubleheaders against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State next weekend. The Gorillas will enter leading the MIAA. Then Missouri Western will see rival Northwest Missouri State on Apr. 12 for a non-conference doubleheader and the last regular season home games of 2016.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball suffered its first loss in seven games, falling to Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon 7-5.

MWSU’s 1-0 lead quickly vanished when the Lions responded with a three-run home run in the top of the third inning.

The Lions extended their lead in the top of the fourth inning, producing another two-run home run. LWU took a 5-1 advantage into the bottom of the fourth.

Missouri Western’s offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cosimo Cannella and Nick Gawley reached on back-to-back hits to open the inning. Gawley, Jeremy Alvarado and Kody Matthews all picked up RBIs in the inning, making the score 5-4 in favor of Lindenwood.

The Griffons eventually evened the score in the bottom of the sixth inning when Gawley came home on a dropped third strike. LWU responded quickly with two more runs in the top of the seventh. The Griffons comeback bid fell short as they left two runners on in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Griffons and Lions will play the final game of the series on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Taylor Hamilton hit three home runs, two of them walk-off game winners as the 22nd-ranked Missouri Western softball team (28-10, 13-3 MIAA) swept a doubleheader from Fort Hays State on Saturday.

Game 1: #22 MWSU 7, Fort Hays State 5

Hamilton was the hero as her two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh capped a three-run inning for the win. Down three in the final frame, Morgan Rathmann led off with her 18th career triple, tying a Griffon Softball record. Shelbie Atwell drove in Rathmann with a fielder’s choice. Atwell reached on the play as the throw went home, but didn’t get the speedy Rathmann. That put Hamilton at the plate with the winning run on first. The freshman blasted the first pitch deep to left field for the game one winner.

Hamilton went 2-4 in the game with three RBIs. Rathmann was 3-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Janie Smith moved to 15-7 on the season with the win, allowing five runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.

Game 2: #22 MWSU 12, Fort Hays State 3 (6 innings)

Hamilton hit two home runs in game two, including the clincher in the bottom of the sixth. Her second of the game came in the fifth when she hit a three-run shot to left. That’s when the unthinkable began. For the second time in five days, Kailey Green and Katie Klosterman followed a three-run Hamilton home run with solo shots of their own. The three-straight round trippers put Missouri Western up 9-2.

Fort Hays added one in the sixth then Hamilton delivered the knockout punch with her third home run of the day and 10th RBI, a three-run shot to center field. Hamilton finished game two 3-4 and tied a program record with seven RBIs. On the day, the freshman designated player was 5-8 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and four runs scored.

Paige Shifflett was 2-3 with three runs scored in game two. Green went 2-3 as did Klosterman. Shyanne Saladino picked up the win, improving to 13-3 on the year. Rathmann broke and MWSU career record with her 19th triple in the sixth inning.

The Griffons host Nebraska-Kearney in a doubleheader on Sunday. The Lopers were swept in a doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State on Friday and enter 14-22, 5-13 in MIAA play.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team received, arguably, its best pitching performance of the season to pick up its seventh straight win and 17th in the last 20 games, 11-2 over Lindenwood, Friday night.

Richard Peoples went a career-high eight innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed just one hit to move to 5-2 on the season. Peoples didn’t allow a hit until a leadoff single in the sixth and gave up his only two runs on a miscommunicated error in the sixth. With runners on second and third, Peoples turned toward second for a pickoff attempt but no one was there to cover and the ball went into center field, scoring two. He would hold Lindenwood without a hit for two more innings before Tyler Tuepker pitched a scoreless ninth. It was Tuepker’s first appearance since missing nearly all the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery.

Peoples got plenty of help from his offense as the Griffons totaled 11 runs on 10 hits. Nick Gawley went 3-4 with three RBIs. Kody Matthews was 2-3 with two driven in.

Missouri Western improved to 21-8 on the season and 13-5 in MIAA play. The two teams are scheduled to play the second game of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Press Release —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team is back in the top 25 as the Griffons (26-10, 11-3) sit at No. 22 in the latest edition of the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The Griffons began the season at No. 16 in the preseason poll, but dropped out after a 2-2 opening weekend. Missouri Western is 16-4 in its last 20 games, including a doubleheader split at then No. 16 Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday. The run has also included a doubleheader sweep of then No. 12 Central Oklahoma, a doubleheader sweep at 2015 MIAA Champion Central Missouri and win over current No. 17 Winona State.

Missouri Western is now the only MIAA school ranked in the top-25. Northwest Missouri dropped out this week, but is still receiving votes along with MIAA leading Pittsburg State. The Griffons are in second place in the conference standings. This weekend the team hosts Fort Hays State (13-20, 7-9) on Saturday and Nebraska-Kearney (14-20, 5-11) on Sunday.

— MWSU Athletics —

EMPORIA, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team stayed hot Tuesday, clinching the season series with Emporia State with an 8-1 win over the No. 10 Hornets.

Missouri Western (20-8, 12-5) won its sixth straight and 14th in the last 16 with 11 hits and solid pitching. Weston Caindec picked up the win, going six innings and holding Emporia State (21-7, 13-4) to one run in six innings of work. The Griffons jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three before Caindec allowed his first run in the fourth. His offense picked him up with two more in the sixth.

Western held a 7-1 lead when Conner Schwienebart entered in the bottom of the seventh. He limited the Hornets to one hit in two innings of relief. Preston Bailey was perfect in the ninth, retiring the side in order with one strikeout.

Jeremy Alvarado went 2-4 at the plate with two RBIs, a home run and two runs scored. Ozzie Rodriguez was 2-3 with a pair of RBIs, two runs scored and a home run. David Glaude and Landon Mason also had two-hit game for Missouri Western.

The win moved the Griffons into sole possession of third place in the MIAA standings and gave Missouri Western two wins already over second place Emporia State. The two teams will complete the three-game series of Tuesday games on Apr. 6 in St. Joseph. Before that, Missouri Western hosts Lindenwood (11-13, 5-11) for three games this weekend beginning on Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Missouri Western tennis team fell to Nebraska-Kearney 7-2 on Tuesday afternoon. Due to high winds, the dual match was moved inside to the Racquet Center of Grand Island.

The Griffons couldn’t claim a double match, falling in close matches in the No.1 and No. 2 doubles matches 8-5 and 8-6, respectively. In the final doubles match, they fell 8-2 to the Lopers.

Missouri Western was able to claim two wins in singles matches. In the No. 1 spot Yasmine El Ghazi earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory and the No. 2 singles match ended 6-3 and 6-5 for Sarah Giraldo. UNK won the other matches in straight sets.

The Griffons will be back at home this Thursday against Emporia State, starting at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

AXTELL, Neb. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team finished in ninth place at the UNK Spring Invite Sunday, recording a team score of 646 over the two rounds of golf. The event was played at the Awarii Dunes golf course which is a par 72 – 6236 yard course.

Shi Qing Ong was the highest finisher for the Griffons as she scored a 153 in her two rounds of golf, finishing in 11th place individually. Senior Callie Wilson was second for the Griffons, firing a 163 in her two rounds. Madison Romjue scored 164 during the tournament.

Missouri Western finished two strokes behind Iowa Western CC for eighth place and 13 strokes behind SW Oklahoma State for seventh place. Northeastern State took the team title, tallying a 607 team score. Central Oklahoma finished in second place team and Arkansas Tech finished in third place.

Baylee Price of Northeastern State won the individual award, scoring a 145 in the two day event.

The Griffons are back in action for the Henderson State University Invitational at the Big Creek Golf & Country Club, starting April 4th.

— MWSU Athletics —