ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western (10-8, 8-3 MIAA) scored the first three runs of the game and never looked back, as the Griffons baseball team took game two of their series with Washburn (9-11, 4-7 MIAA) by a score of 8-3 on Sunday afternoon.

On the mound and leading Missouri Western to the win was Anthony Castaneda. Castaneda improves to 5-0 on the season, allowing only one run in his seven innings pitched on Sunday.

NOTABLES

• Jordan Jackson put the Griffons on the board in the top of the first, scoring Fahd Shakeel on a sacrifice fly to center field
• With Missouri Western up 3-0 in the fifth inning, Andrew Curry’s double quickly turned into a run scored when Curry rounded all of the bases after a Washburn throwing error.
• The Griffons capitalized off of another Washburn mistake when Fahd Shakeel rounded third after a throwing error to third base from the pitcher, giving Missouri Western the 5-1 advantage in the seventh inning.
• The Griffons would tack on two more runs in the seventh, with all three of those runs coming without a hit reaching the outfield.
• Missouri Western scored three of its first four runs with two outs.
• Josh Robinson’s pinch-hit single in the eighth inning drove in Brooks Day to give the Griffons their largest lead of the game at 8-1.
• The Ichabods used a solo home run and a double to score the final two runs of the game in the eighth inning.

LEADERS

• Castaneda struck out six batters and only allowed one run. He has now allowed no more than one run in five of his six starts this season.
• Shakeel finished 3-for-4 with three singles, two runs, and an RBI.
• Curry was the other Griffon with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
• Jacob Cooper pitched 1.1 innings and allowed no hits.

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western and Washburn will play the series-deciding game on Monday at 1:00 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – A six-run eighth inning by Washburn (9-10, 4-6) spoiled a Griffon Baseball (9-8, 7-3) comeback effort in Missouri Western’s home opener Saturday afternoon as the Ichabods beat MWSU 8-4.

Missouri Western took a 4-2 lead with a three-run seventh, but Washburn’s big eighth inning handed the Griffons just their third MIAA loss of the season.

NOTABLES

• Andrew Curry led off the fifth with a solo home run to center for Missouri Western’s first hit off of Washburn starter Josh Ramirez
• With one out in the seventh, Curry tripled to start a string of seven-straight Griffons reaching base that gave the Griffons a 4-2 lead on a three-run inning
• Wyatt Meyer gave MWSU the lead with a pinch-hit single in the seventh that drove in Josh Robinson
• The Ichabods rallied with a six-run, six-hit eighth inning that put them on top 8-4
• Missouri Western had six hits in the game and left seven runners on base

LEADERS

• Curry went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI
• Zach Pych returned to the lineup and went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI
• Meyer drove in the other run
• Jacob Purl pitched the first 4 2/3. He allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and five walks
• Levi Abrahamson took the loss, he pitched one inning-plus, allowing four runs on four hits

UP NEXT

• The two teams play game two of the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Missouri Western women’s tennis team (8-6) fell in a road matchup with Arkansas Tech (5-3) Saturday as the Golden Suns topped the Griffons 6-1.

The match began with Arkansas Tech sweeping the doubles, as the Griffons’ closest match being Karolina Ström’s and Joanna Abreu Roman’s 6-3 loss on the number one courts.

The Golden Suns won five of the six matches in singles play. Both Federica Salmaso and Bojana Vuksan lost close second sets, each falling by two points of less in the last set. Saturday’s defeat snaps a six-match winning streak for Vuksan.

Abreu Roman earned the lone victory for the Griffons in the singles. The senior earned the win on the number four court with a three-set victory to give Missouri Western the point.

Missouri Western will return home for a pair of MIAA matchups, beginning with a match against Emporia State on March 22.

MWSU VS. ATU
SINGLES
Katharina Drebka (ATU) def. Karolina Ström (MWSU) 6-2, 6-2
Alejandra Sanchez (ATU) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-0, 6-1
Kami Ward (ATU) def. Ciarra Gilmore (MWSU) 6-3, 6-2
Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) def. Annabel Rowlands (ATU) 2-6, 7-5, 2-1
Katie Harris (ATU) def. Federica Salmaso (MWSU) 6-0, 7-5
Daniela Baez (ATU) def. Bojana Vuksan (MWSU) 6-1, 7-6

DOUBLES
Ström/Abreu Roman (MWSU) def. Rowlands/Ward (ATU) 6-3
Drebka/Bell (ATU) def. Salmaso/Vuksan (MWSU) 6-0
Baez/Sanchez (ATU) def. Dunn/Gilmore (MWSU) 6-1

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western tennis team (8-5, 0-1 MIAA) lost its first match of the MIAA conference schedule on Thursday, as Northwest Missouri bested the Griffons 5-2 at Genesis Health Club in St. Joseph.

The Griffons were unable to pick up a win in the doubles, with two of their losses coming in close 6-4 decisions. Karolina Ström and Joanna Abreu Roman suffered just their second loss as a doubles pair in 13 duals this season.

All four of Missouri Western’s defeats in singles play came in two sets. However, both Ström and Bojana Vuksan scored points for the Griffons as they closed out the match with two victories. After dropping the first set on the number one courts, Ström took control in the following two sets to come away with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win.

After splitting the first two sets on the number six courts, Vuksan won a back-and-forth third set by a score of 12-10, earning her sixth-straight victory in singles.

Missouri Western will travel to Arkansas Tech (4-3) for its next match on March 16.

MWSU VS. NWMSU
SINGLES
Karolina Ström (MWSU) def. Tania Teruel (NWMSU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Irene Recuenco, Irene (NWMSU) def. Mireia Birosta (MWSU) 6-1, 6-0
Marta Ferrando, Marta (NWMSU) def. Joanna Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-3, 6-1
Julia Aliseda, Julia (NWMSU) def. Ciara Gilmore (MWSU) 6-1, 6-4
Julie Rinderknech, Julie (NWMSU) def. Federica Salmaso (MWSU) 6-3, 6-0
Bojana Vuksan,Bojana (MWSU) def. Sara Grozdanovic (NWMSU) 2-6, 6-1, 12-10

DOUBLES
Ferrando/Teruel (NWMSU) def. Ström/Abreu Roman (MWSU) 6-4
Aliseda/Rinderknech (NWMSU) def. Salmaso/Vuksan (MWSU) 6-4
Grozdanovic/Recuenco (NWMSU) def. Birosta/Dunn (MWSU) 6-0

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The wait for Missouri Western baseball to play in St. Joseph will soon end. Weather in Topeka, Kansas has forced the relocation of a three-game series with Washburn to the MWSU Spring Sports Complex.

Due to field conditions at Missouri Western and the re-schedule, the series has been pushed back one day. Game one will come at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, followed by single games at 1 p.m. on March 17 and March 18. While the games will technically count as home games for Missouri Western, Washburn will play as the home team in all three games.

Missouri Western had five previous attempts at home openers either canceled or postponed to a later date. The Griffons were not scheduled to play at home again until March 29 when Central Oklahoma visited for a three-game series. Cold, snowy and wet conditions in St. Joseph forced the Griffons to twice due what Washburn will do this weekend, play on the road as the home team. The Griffons moved a series with Fort Hays State to Edmond, Oklahoma and a series with Northeastern State to Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The Griffons are 9-7 and tied atop the MIAA standings with a 7-2 conference record. Missouri Western has won three-consecutive series over MIAA opponents. Washburn is 8-10 overall with a 3-6 record in MIAA play. The Ichabods were swept in a three-game series at Missouri Southern their last time out.

— MWSU Athletics —

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With the team sitting in third place entering the second round of the Warrior Invitational on Wednesday, the Missouri Western women’s golf team had the best team score of the second round to jump two spots and win the tournament.

Anna Bech came into the second day of the tournament tied for 15th, but shot a 78 (+6) to vault up to first to tie teammate Shi Qing Ong as co-winner of the tournament. Bech and Ong both finished 159 (+15) to win the event by five strokes.

The Griffons handled the weather conditions better than any other team at the tournament. Wind gusts on the course consistently ranged from 25 to 35 miles per hour, with some gusts as high as 50 miles per hour. Each of the eight teams at the event suffered higher stroke totals on Wednesday, but the Griffons still managed to out-perform the next best round-two score by 20 strokes.

Bech was the main story of the second round. Bech shot an impressive 78 (+6) to climb 14 spots for a share of the individual tournament win. She was one of just four golfers to improve in the field of 47. The win gives Bech her first career victory at Missouri Western.

Ong held on to tie for the win with her 88 (+16) in round two. Her second-round score gave her the fifth-best performance in the field.

Chong Yong tied for fourth place to give the Griffons three of the top five finishers. Yong’s score of 85 (+13) was the second-best score of the round, behind Bech’s 78.

Giving Missouri Western another top-10 finish was Jenna Kosmatka. Kosmatka finished tied for eighth after her 89 (+17) on Wednesday. She entered the round tied for 15th but advanced seven spots on day two.

Rounding out the scores for the Griffons was Sabrina Galfano, whose two day score of 183 landed her in the top-25.

Missouri Western Women’s Golf will return to St. Joseph for its next event, as they compete in the MWSU Holiday Inn Express Invitational at the St. Joseph Country Club on March 18-19.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western softball’s home schedule has been further delayed as the team re-scheduled two MIAA doubleheaders that were supposed to be played Friday and Saturday.

Due to field conditions, Missouri Western has postponed its home opening doubleheader with Central Missouri until Monday. The games may be moved back to Sunday if field conditions will allow. A decision on the finalized date and time will be made later this week. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Friday.

The doubleheader with Southwest Baptist has been postponed until Tuesday, April 9. Those games were originally scheduled for Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Missouri Western softball team (12-11) split a pair of one-run games at Illinois-Springfield (11-9), Tuesday.

The Griffons got all their runs in game one via the long ball, including the game winner in the top of the eighth inning. The bats were quieted in game two as MWSU managed four hits with three coming in the first few innings.

GAME 1
Missouri Western 5, Illinois-Springfield 4 (8 innings)

• Emma Hoffart hit a game-winning, leadoff home run to left in the eighth
• After allowing back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the seventh, Kaili Hinds induced two ground ball outs and struck out the cleanup batter to strand two and force extra innings
• There wasn’t a base runner for almost three complete innings until UIS put four-straight on with two hits a walk and an error to take a 2-0 lead
• Taylor Hoelshcher hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the fourth as part of a four-run, four-hit inning for the Griffs that gave MWSU a 4-2 lead
• Shelby Uhl stayed hot, going 2-for-4 in the game

GAME 2
Illinois-Springfield 3, Missouri Western 2

• UIS scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the fourth
• MWSU scored its two runs in the third
• The Griffons were held to just four hits in the game with one each in the first, second, third and seventh innings
• Gabi Carter doubled twice
• Olivia Goodale got the start and went four innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western is scheduled to host Central Missouri (8-6, 1-3) in a doubleheader Mar. 16 at 4 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Missouri Western Women’s Golf began the 2019 spring season at the Warrior Invitational on Tuesday. It was a successful first day for the Griffons, as Shi Qing Ong leads the field of 47 while Missouri Western sits in third as a team after the first round.

Leading the Griffons after the first round in her senior season, Ong shot a 71 (-1) and was the only golfer below par. She sits two strokes ahead of three golfers currently tied for second. Ong separated herself from the field with consistent play throughout the round, leading all golfers with 15 pars.

Chong Yong is the second Missouri Western golfer on the leaderboard, as she shot an 80 (+8) and is tied for 13th heading into the second round.

Anna Bech and Jenna Kosmatka both shot an 81 (+9) which ties them for 15th. Bech was one of just four golfers to shoot an eagle while Kosmatka tied for second in the entire field with three birdies.

Freshman Sabrina Galfano is also in the top-half of the leaderboard, sitting in 21st with her 83 (+11).

Missouri Western will continue play at the Warrior Invitational on Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —