TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western baseball team scored a season-high 21 runs and claimed a three-game sweep at Northeastern State on Saturday.

Missouri Western capped the huge day with an eight-run eighth inning then held Northeastern State off the scoreboard for the fourth straight inning to end the game in eight innings on run-rule. The Griffons totaled 24 hits and four home runs, including two from Alex Heuring, who went 4-6 with five RBIs, three runs scored and a triple to go with the two long balls.

Cosimo Cannella went 4-4 at the plate with four RBIs and four runs scored. Cannella also walked twice in the game. After hitting two home runs on Friday, Orencio Fisher went 3-5, Saturday, with an RBI, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Jeremy Alvarado drove in four and went 3-5 with two runs scored. Kody Matthews was 3-5 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a home run. Evan Jones moved to 4-0 on the season. He went five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. Alex Clavet, Weston Caindec and Blaine Werth each pitched one inning in relief. The three, combined, allowed two hits and no runs.

The win improved Missouri Western to 19-8 on the season and 11-5 in the MIAA. The Griffons stay on the road early next week with a Tuesday game at Emporia State before hosting Lindenwood for three games, Apr. 1-3.

— MWSU Athletics —

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Griffon Softball team held Lincoln off the scoreboard on the way to a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.

Game 1: MWSU 10, Lincoln 0 (5 innings)

Janie Smith did not allow a hit until what proved to be the next to last batter of the game and received more than enough run support on her way to her 12th win of the year and fifth shutout of the season.

Smith (12-6) ended the game allowing just one hit while striking out three and walking four. She stepped into the circle with a 2-0 lead after a two-RBI double from Kailey Green. Sydney Washington led off the fourth with a solo home run, the first of six runs for the Griffons in the inning, five of them unearned.

Shelbie Atwell and Taylor Hamilton had two hits apiece in the game. Green drove in two and Hamilton added a stolen base.

Game 2: MWSU 8, Lincoln 0

Smith started game two and went the first five innings, picking up her 13th win of the season. Shyanne Saladino worked the final two innings to share the shutout with Smith.

Morgan Rathmann broke out in game two, going 3-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Hamilton continued her hot day, going 3-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. Atwell and Paige Shifflett also each had two RBIs in game two.

The sweep moved Missouri Western’s overall record to 25-9 with a 10-2 mark in MIAA play. The Griffons stay on the road next week with an important doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday before doubleheaders with Fort Hays State (Apr. 2) and Nebraska-Kearney (Apr. 3) at home next weekend.

— MWSU Athletics —

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Big innings and high run totals are starting to become the norm for the Missouri Western baseball team. It proved to be a good thing, once again, for the Griffons as an eight-run fifth inning helped Missouri Western take game two at Northeastern State 13-9.

It was the ninth time this season the Griffons have scored 10 or more runs, all wins for Missouri Western (18-8, 10-5). Missouri Western trailed 6-2 heading to the fifth, but then exploded for eight runs to take a 10-6 lead. Orencio Fisher hit two home runs in the game, doubling his season total in one day. Fisher went 3-5 at the plate with three driven in and two runs scored. He also stole his 16th base of the season.

Conner Schwienebart picked up his first win of the year (1-4), pitching five innings in relief of the starter, Jared Lloyd. Schwienebart gave up four earned runs and nine hits. He struck out five and walked two. Jeremy Alavarado and Kody Matthews also had three-hit days. Alvaraod went 3-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Matthews was 3-5 with one RBI and one run scored.

The win helped clear up the MIAA standings a bit, for now. Missouri Western, at 10-5 in the conference, left the game Friday alone in fourth in the standings. The two teams wrap up the series Saturday at noon.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Missouri Western softball team earned a split in the first of two weekend, road MIAA doubleheaders. The Griffons dropped the first game, but won the second at Lindenwood on Friday.

Game 1: Lindenwood 6, MWSU 4

The Griffons couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead, giving up six unanswered runs in the game one loss.

Paige Shifflett drove in the first three Missouri Western runs with an RBI single in the first and a two-RBI double in the second. Kailey Green put the Griffons up 4-0 in the third with her ninth home run of the season. It was all Lindenwood from there on out as the Lions got on the board in the third, scored two in the fourth and three in the fifth to hand Janie Smith her sixth loss of the season.

All six runs were earned on nine hits against Smith. She struck out five and waked four. Shifflett, Green and Megan Korgie each had two hits.

Game 2: MWSU 11, Lindenwood 5

The Griffons opened the game with six runs in the first then held on, adding five more insurance runs later in the game to earn the split.

Everyone batted in the first with Shifflett opening the scoring by hitting a two-run home run to left. Lindenwood scored four in the bottom of the first, then Missouri Western stetched its lead with three in the fourth. The Griffons added two more in the fifth to add up to 11. Six Griffons had two-hit games with Shifflett, Sydney Washington and Rebekah Mueller picking up two RBIs apiece.

Shyanne Saladino moved to 12-3 on the season with the win. She pitched all seven inning, allowing five runs, just one earned, on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Missouri Western continues its weekend, MIAA road swing with a trip to Lincoln for a doubleheader on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

HAYS, Kan. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team picked up their first MIAA win of the season with an 8-1 victory over Fort Hays State.

The Griffons dominated in singles competition sweeping all six matches against the Tigers. Missouri Western was able to win all of its singles matches in straight sets besides the No. 6 spot. Sarah Giraldo continued her consistent play at the No. 3 spot, winning 6-0, 6-2 in her match. Meara Smith and Denise Chiao won in the No. 4 and No. 5 positions for the Griffons, respectively.

In doubles competition, the Griffons won in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots but dropped the No. 3 match. Sofia Aguilera and Yasmine El Ghazi controlled the No. 1 singles match, winning 8-1. Giraldo and Joanna Roman Abreu picked up an 8-4 victory at the No. 2 spot.

Singles competition
1. El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Jimenez-Lendinez,L. (FHSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Aguilera, Sofia (MWSU) def. Johnson,Jessica (FHSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Villalovos,Alina (FHSU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Smith, Meara (MWSU) def. Dick,Raven (FHSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Chiao, Denise (MWSU) def. Weidemann,Haley (FHSU) 7-5, 6-4
6. Beger, Lindsay (MWSU) def. Noel,Taylor (FHSU) 4-6, 6-4, 10-6

Doubles competition
1. Aguilera, Sofia/El Ghazi, Yasmine (MWSU) def. Jimenez-Lendinez,L./Johnson,Jessica (FHSU) 8-1
2. Abreu Roman, Joanna/Giraldo, Sarah (MWSU) def. Villalovos,Alina/Dick,Raven (FHSU) 8-4
3. Weidemann,Haley/Noel,Taylor (FHSU) def. Beger, Lindsay/Chiao, Denise (MWSU) 8-5

Missouri Western will be in action on Tuesday against Nebraska-Kearney starting at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western baseball team (17-8, 9-5) picked up its 11th win in the last 13 games, 7-4 at Northeastern State on Thursday.

The Griffons took a 1-0 lead in the important MIAA series with early run production and a third straight solid outing from a starting pitcher. Missouri Western led 7-0 after four innings, getting one in the first, two in the second and four in the fourth. Richard Peoples moved to 4-2 on the year, going the first six innings and allowing three runs on four hits. Peoples stuck out five and walked five. Weston Caindec earned the three-inning save, his first of the season, allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts.

Missouri Western totaled 10 hits, getting two-hit games from Orencio Fisher, Jeremy Alvarado and Ozzie Rodriguez. Cosimo Cannella drove in three with his one hit, a three-run home run in the fourth.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Friday with a 2 p.m. first pitch. The teams came into Thursday among five teams tied for third in the MIAA standings.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk-off against No. 15 Emporia State, 6-5, on Tuesday at Griffon Park. Cosimo Cannella’s sacrifice fly with one down in the bottom of the ninth plated the winning run for Griffon Baseball (16-8, 8-5).

Cannella’s game winner was set up by a tough at bat from Landon Mason to tie the game at five. Kody Matthews drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk then Ozzie Rodriguez followed with another walk, bringing Mason to the plate. Down 1-2, Mason fouled off six straight pitches before roping a double off the base of the fence in left that scored Michael Babbitt who was pinch running for Matthews. Emporia State intentionally walked Orencio Fisher to load the bases for Cannella, who sent a 1-0 pitch deep to center, scoring Marcus Brown who pinch ran for Rodriguez.

Emporia State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third, but Missouri Western tied it in the bottom half of the third on a three-run home run by Nick Gawley. Emporia added three more in the fifth to set up the showdown in the ninth.

Preston Bailey pitched the last two innings to pick up the win and move to 3-0 on the season. Bailey allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. Mason finished 3-5 with the one run driven in. Cannella was 1-2 with two driven in and a run scored.

The Griffons get one day off before heading to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for a three-game series at Northeastern State. Game one was moved up to Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team finished the final round of the Broncho Invitational on Tuesday afternoon with a final team score of 675, finishing in 10th place.  The event took place at the Gaillardia Country Club which is a par 72 – 7136 yard golf course.

Missouri Western was led by Jakob Rudosky, recording a 162 in his two rounds of golf. He was tied for 12th place individually, shooting an 80 and 82. Ryan Hand tied for 22nd in the tournament with a score of 163. Corey Knight shot a 168 in his two rounds of golf, finishing tied for 46th place.

Oklahoma Christian won the team title, scoring a 631 team score in the two round tournament. Central Oklahoma finished second firing a 632 and Southwestern Oklahoma State finished with a 639 for third place.

MWSU finished one stroke ahead of Southern Arkansas for 10th place. The Griffons were just behind Southern Nazarene and Henderson State in the overall standings.

Missouri Western returns to action on April 4th for the Henderson State tournament in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the Big Creek Golf Course.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – LaQuinta Jefferson has become the first Missouri Western women’s basketball player to garner two All-American honors in one year since Becky Reichard in 1999. Jefferson was named first team All-American by the WBCA on Monday after being named honorable mention All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association earlier in the day.

Jefferson led Missouri Western to its best season in more than a decade. The senior guard from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was named MIAA Player of the Year, unanimous first team All-MIAA and first team D2CCA All-Region after her team won its first MIAA regular season championship since 2002.

Jefferson led the MIAA in scoring and ended the season averaging 20.3 points per game. She became the 19th Griffon to score 1,000 points in her career and finished with 1,081 career points and an MWSU record, 20.8 career points per game average.

Jefferson is the first Griffon Women’s Basketball student-athlete to be named All-American since Jessica Koch was an honorable mention WBCA All-American in 2012. Reichard was the last Griffon to pull in two in one season, being named WBCA/Kodak All-American and Daktronics honorable mention All-American in 1999.

— MWSU Athletics —

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team returned to action on Monday afternoon competing at the Broncho Invitational. The Griffons currently sit tied for 10th in the standings with a team score of 332. The event is taking place at the Gaillardia Country Club which is a par 72 – 7136 yards.

Missouri Western was led by a pair of 80’s in the first round of competition by Jakob Rudosky and Ryan Hand. They are currently tied for 15th in the individual standings. Senior Corey Knight fired an 83 in his first round and is tied for 33rd place after one round.

The Griffons are currently one stroke behind Washburn for ninth place and two strokes behind Southern Arkansas and Central Missouri for seventh place in the team standings. Central Oklahoma leads the tournament with a team score of 314 and Oklahoma Christian has a team score of 321 for second place.

Eric Kline and Eli Armstrong of Central Oklahoma lead the tournament individually with a score of 76 in the first round.

The second round of play will continue Tuesday at the Broncho Invitational.

— MWSU Athletics —