The Missouri Western women’s golf team sits just two strokes behind rival Northwest Missouri State at the Central Missouri Early Bird Invitational at Pointe Royale Golf Course after Monday’s first round.

In the first tournament action of the spring season for most teams in the Midwest, the Griffons got a solid team performance in round one. Senior Natalie Bird leads the event by six strokes firing an 82.

As a team the Griffons shot a 368 while NWMSU fired a 366. Fort Hays Stat enters Tuesday’s final day in third firing a 395, while the MIAA’s newest women’s golf program, Central Missouri, finished with a 397.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s golf team sits in a tie for 8th firing a day one 319 at the Dave Falconer Memorial Invitational hosted by Arkansas Tech. The Griffons sit in a tie with Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Midwestern State University leads the way with a 303 and is one stroke ahead of Henderson State. MWSU is four strokes ahead of Lincoln University and five strokes back of Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Individually, Evan McCarthy leads the way for MWSU shooting a 77 (39-38) putting him in a tie for 20th. James O’Brien and Tyler Gast fired 79 and 81 respectively while Wes Apple and Scott Sheldon fired 82 and 92.

Henderson State’s Jared Black and Southern Nazarene’s Blake Jackson are in a tie for the lead shooting 72.

The final round of the tournament is Tuesday.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team exploded for eight runs in the third inning and rode the solid pitching of Janie Smith to a 11-2 run rule victory over the William Jewell Cardinals in the second game of the MSSU Border Battle. Smith improves to 6-2 on the season while the Griffons sit at 12-6 after going 1-1 on day one of the battle. MWSU fell 2-1 against Pittsburg State early in the day.

The Griffons got going in the first inning using two hits and a Cardinal error taking a 2-0 lead after a half an inning. Sarah Elliott reached on an error and later scored on a Tiffany Gillaspy single through the left side. Bre Fleschner scored the second run of the game on a Michelle Stevenson single to right field.

In the second Smith led off with a walk and scored on a Elliott double to center field giving the Griffons a 3-0 lead after an inning and a half.

The Cardinals battled back in their half of the second capitalizing on two Griffon errors scoring two runs. Eileen Greenwood hit a double to left field scoring Annali Dolman and Brittany Madson. Both were unearned runs.

In the third the Griffon bats caught fire stringing together eight hits with two being extra base hits. Stevenson hit a double to center field which was followed up by singles from Maegan Roemmich, Taylor Anding, Smith before Kendall Sorensen reached on a fielders choice and was later tossed out at third for the second out of the inning.

Following up Sorensen’s field choice was a single by Elliott, Fleschner, and Gillaspy before Keri Lorbert blasted her 7th homer of the season giving the Griffons the 11-2 lead after three and a half. Roemmich, Smith, Elliott, Gillaspy and Lorbert all had RBI in the inning.

Smith dominated the rest of the game giving up just one hit while stranding two Cardinals in the final three innings. Smith went all five innings giving up three hits while striking out one.

Offensively the Griffons had 11 hits with eight of the nine starters getting a hit. Elliott, Gillaspy and Stevenson had two hits apiece. The Griffons had 11 RBI with Lorbert collecting 3 and Elliott, Gillaspy, and Smith all getting two.

The Cardinals fall to 5-5 with Kahli Barrett getting the loss. She went 2.1 innings giving up eight hits and seven earned runs with two walks. Offensively WJC had just three hits.

The Griffons return to action on Sunday, March 10 with two games. The Griffons take on Upper Iowa University at 12:00 pm and Central Missouri at 2:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team out hit the Pittsburg State Gorillas 8 to 5 but stranded 11 runners on base which included the bases loaded in the top of the seventh falling 2-1 in the first game of the Border Battle hosted by Missouri Southern. With the loss the Griffons fall to 11-6 on the season. The Griffons will take on William Jewell College at 4:00 pm closing out day one.

Things looked good early for the Griffons getting the first two batters of the game on base. Unfortunatly the Griffons stranded Sarah Elliott and Bre Fleschner on second and third.

The Gorillas jumped on Jackie Bishop in the first when Jordan Bradshaw got hit by a pitch and then Cheslyn Mitchell hit a homer to center field giving PSU the 2-0 lead after one.

In the top of the second the Griffons responded when Taylor Anding singled to shortstop and later scored on a Kendall Sorensen RBI double to left field cutting the PSU lead to 2-1 after two.

Both rest of the game both teams got numerous runners on base but were unable to push any runs across. In the seventh the put together a two out rally started by a double by Tiffany Gillaspy. Keri Lorbert then singled to shortstop and Michelle Stevenson walked setting the stage for Maegan Roemmich. Roemmich got a hold of it but the center fielder got underneath it dropping the Griffons.

Bishop falls to 6-2 giving up five hits while striking out four and walking three. Lorbert and Anding had two hits apiece for MWSU.

The Gorillas improve to 8-4 overall with Tiffany Brown (3) and Mitchell (2) combining for all five of their hits. Haleigh Sills went all seven innings giving up eight hist while striking out two. She improves to 3-1 with the victory.

— MWSU Sports Information —

In the waning seconds, Central Missouri’s defense prevailed.

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to the Jennies in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament, losing 54-53. Missouri Western had a shot to win the game at the end, but a missed 3-pointer by Sharniece Lewis at the buzzer ended the night.

Missouri Western gave everything it had to even come close to the win. Behind by 10 with 4 minutes to play, the Griffons caused several turnovers and went on a 10-1 run to pull within one.  The Griffons three of their final four free throws, however, they still had a chance to win after Heather Howard recorded an offensive rebound on the final miss free throw.
Howard finished with a team-high 13 points and 18 rebounds.

The Jennies used an 11-0 stretch in the middle of the second half to pull ahead. Central Missouri and Missouri Western saw nine lead changes and five ties in the first half. Sharniece Lewis was on fire, knocking down three 3-pointers to give the Griffons a slight edge in the first half.

Missouri Western led Central Missouri 30-27 at the break. The teams swapped five points in the first 4 minutes, but it was all Central Missouri for the next 10 minutes.

The Jennies 11-0 run gave them a 43-35 lead, and they eventually settled to a 53-43 lead. But the Griffons’ hard defense and smart offense pulled the game closer.

Brittany Griswold started the run off with a layup to pull within eight. After Jennies’ BreAnna Lewis converted 1-of-2 free throws, the Griffons matched that to mark the score 54-46. Lanicia Lawrence added a layup a minute later to make it 54-49.

After a steal by Lawrence, JaQuitta Dever put in a lay-in to draw within three points with 2:28 left. The run stalled in the next two minutes, and Howard made a free throw, but her second was negated after a lane violation.

Alicia Bell was later fouled, but made just one of her attempts to pull the game to 54-53. After Dever missed two free throws, Howard pulled in her 18th board to give the Griffons one final opportunity.

Dever finished with 10 points and three steals. Lawrence added five steals to help the Griffons, who end the season 16-12.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team ran its win streak to eight with an MIAA doubleheader sweep over the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday afternoon. Brandon Simmons (27) tied the school record for wins in a career in the first game improving to 3-0 on the season as Western won 7-4. In game two, the Griffons got another solid pitching performance Ethan Ward in an 11-1 victory. Missouri Western improves to 9-3 overall and 5-0 in MIAA play.

Game 1
MWSU 7, Nebraska-Kearney 4

Missouri Western got off to a shaky start in the field once again giving up three hits and making two errors which allowed the Lopers to an early 2-0 lead after a half of a inning.

After the first inning Griffon pitcher Simmons settled down giving up just five hits and two runs in the final four an one third innings that he pitched. Simmons picked up his third victory of the season and 27th of his career which ties Nick Finn (1972-75) for most victories in a career.

The Griffons responded in their half of the first getting one run on two hits. Michael Schulze led off with a single and scored on a double by Bubba Dotson. The score remained 2-1 Lopers until the bottom of the third when Grant Fink hit a two out, two run triple giving the Griffons the 3-2 lead after three.

The teams traded runs in the fourth and in the top of the fifth the Lopers tied the score at four. The rest of the game would belong to the Griffons scoring three unanswered runs claiming the three run victory.

In the bottom of the fifth MWSU strung together four hits with RBI singles coming from Fink and Jake Schrader. In the sixth Nate Ramler singled in Dotson giving MWSU its final run of the game.

The Griffons scattered 15 hits with three doubles and two triples. Schulze, Dotson, Simpson, Ramler, Fink and Jimmy Smelcer all had two hits in the contest. Fink led the way with three RBI.

Simmons went 5.1 innings giving up eight hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts while Logan Hollingsworth picked up his second save of the season going 1.2 innings giving up two hits.

The Lopers had 10 hits with Brian Wuest going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Scott Jameson got the loss going three innings giving up six hits and three earned runs with one strikeout.

Game 2
MWSU 11, Nebraska-Kearney 1 (7 innings)

Missouri Western used a seven run fourth inning claiming a 11-1 run rule game against the Lopers. The Griffons left 10 runners on base with 13 hits.

Ward improves to 1-0 going five innings giving up two hits with five strikeouts. Mark Spreckels went one inning while Kyle Kelly closed out the game going one inning.

In the second inning the Griffons got on the board capitalizing on the only error of the game. The Griffons got RBI singles from Schulze, Dotson and Simpson taking a 3-0 lead after two.

In the fourth the Griffons got five hits and used four hits scoring seven runs. Shawn Egge, Dotson, Simpson, Fink and Smelcer all got hits in the inning. After four the Griffons lead 10-0.

The Lopers pushed one across in the top of the seventh but MWSU used three straight hits which included the game winning RBI single from Jeremy Monty which scored Dotson.

Seven Griffons had hits in the game with Simpson going 4-for-5 with two hits and one run scored. Dotson, Fink and Smelcer all had two hits in the game. Dotson had three RBI and walked three times.

Drew Postgate picked up the loss for the Lopers going just 3.2 innings giving up 10 hits and five eraned runs. The Lopers had three hits with Anthony Pacheco getting the RBI single. The Lopers fall to 5-7 on the season adn 5-5 in MIAA play.

The Griffons return to action on Tuesday, March 12 when they travel to Topeka, Kan. to play the Washburn Ichabods in an MIAA doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Brittany Griswold’s fifth three snapped a 65-65 tie with 24 seconds to play helping the Griffons to a 71-67 victory in the first round of the MIAA Tournament over the Pittsburg State Gorillas. The Griffons advance to play the 2nd seed University of Central Missouri Jennies on Friday, March 8 in Kansas City, Mo. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Griswold finished the game with 19 points as the Griffons improve to 16-11 on the season. The Griffons improve to 6-0 (5-0) against the Gorillas in the MIAA tournament with one win being vacated in the 2006-2007 season.

The Griffons could not have gotten off to a better start opening up a 15-4 lead just four minutes into the game. The Griffons made seven of its first nine field goals which included a fast break layup by KC Clouser giving MWSU the 11 point lead.

The Griffons went scoreless the next five minutes getting into foul trouble and taking poor shots. The Gorillas went on a 13-4 run cutting the Griffon lead to 19-17 after a Y’Cedria Devers free throw.

The Griffons remained calm going on a 15-1 run capped by Alex Saxen’s three with 6:57 to play giving MWSU the 34-18 lead. During the run Alicia Bell and Griswold had three’s.

Free throws kept the Gorillas in the game as the Griffons had 17 personal fouls allowing the Gorillas to shoot 26 free throws. The Gorillas made just 13 but were able to close the half on an 14-8 run.

MWSU took a 42-32 halftime lead with its leading scorer Heather Howard scoring just three points in just eight minutes of action due to foul trouble.

The Griffons shot 48.3-percent (14-29) from the field and 6-of-12 from long range. They also made 8-of-10 free throws and out rebounded the Gorillas 16-15. Griswold led the way with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting form the field. She also had led the way with three rebounds.

The Gorillas shot 52.9-percent (9-17) from the field and made just 1-of-6 long range shots. Lauren Brown and Lizzy Jeronimus led the way for PSU with seven points apiece. Brown also had five rebounds and three blocks.

The second half was a back and forth battle between the two teams as the Gorillas came out cutting the Griffon lead to 46-40 after Jeronimus hit a layup with 15:05 to play. The Griffons came right back with a 5-0 run capped by a JaQuitta Dever tip in with 13:38 to play giving the Griffons the 51-40 lead.

The next 12 minutes belonged to the Gorillas as they went on a 22-9 run taking its first lead of the game with 1:33 to play when Jeronimus hit a layup.

The Griffons hung in there as Howard tied the score at 62 with 1:11 to play. Griswold hit two three’s in the final minute while Lanicia Lawrence and Dever hit three of four free throws sealing the victory.

The Griffons shot 41.1-percent (23-56) from the field and 36-percent (9-25) from long range. They also made 66.7-percent (16-24) of their free throws. Howard and Alicia Bell both had 11 points while Dever and Lawrence pitched in nine. Dever had five assits while Griswold led the way with six rebounds. MWSU also scored 25 points off 18 PSU turnovers.

The Gorillas season ends with a record of 17-10. They were led by Jeronimus with 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Brown and Devers pitched in 11 points apiece. PSU shot 59.5-percent (22-37) from the field but made just two threes and 21-of-38 free throws.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team continued its offensive dominance collecting 17 hits in a 16-6 run rule shortened non-conference game. All nine of the Griffons got hits helping MWSU to a 7-3 record and six straight victories.

Things got off to a rocky start for the Griffons on the defensive side of the ball in the first inning as the Bearcats scored four runs on three  Griffon errors. They did not get a single hit in the inning.

In the bottom of the first the Griffons offense got going getting five hits with Grant Fink hitting a three run homer and Jake Schrader hitting his first homer of the season giving MWSU the 6-4 lead after one. The Bearcats scored two more in the top of the second but Jerad Hawkins came into to shut the door on the Bearcats. After two and a half the teams were tied at six.

The rest of the game would be all Griffons scoring 10 unanswered to get the victory. The Griffons took the lead for good in the bottom of the second when Kyle Simpson knocked in Michael Schulze. The Griffons took a 9-6 lead in the third getting two hits with Schulze singling in Jake Schrader and Jimmy Smelcer.

In the fifth the Griffons scored three more runs on four hits with Simpson getting two more RBI. In sixth and seventh the Griffons scored two runs in each inning. In the sixth the Griffons scored two runs on one hit and in the seventh Fink signled in Spencer Shockley ending the game.

The Griffons got three hits apiece from Schulze and Bubba Dotson while Simpson, Fink, Smelcer and Shawn Egge all got two. Hawkins picked up his first victory of his career going 5.2 innings giving up four hits while striking out five.

The Bearcats had just six hits with Zach Pirrello going 2-for-3. SBU had six errors in the contest as they fall to 4-3 on the season.

The Griffons return to action on Wednesday, March 6 with an MIAA doubleheader against Nebraska-Kearney in Springfield, Mo. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 am.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The career of long time Missouri Western Head Coach Tom Smith ended on Monday evening in the first round of the MIAA tournament. The Griffons fell to a hot shooting Northwest Missouri State team 65-43 in Bearcat Arena. The Griffons end the season with a 10-17 overall record.

The Griffons struggled during the first half against the Bearcats scoring just 14 points on 7-of-23 shooting. The Bearcats on the other hand made 10 long range shots in the frame going into the half up 35-14.

The Griffons missed their first three shots of the game while the Bearcats made 3-of-4 including two long range shots claiming the 8-0 lead just 2:12 into the game.

The Griffons cut the lead to 10-6 after Dzenan Mrkaljevic nailed to straight jumpers with 11:35 to play in the half. The rest of the frame was all Bearcats outscoring MWSU 25-8 the rest of the way.

Mrkaljevic and Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe led the way with four points apiece while Cedric Clinkscales had seven rebounds. The Griffons did not attempts a free throw in the frame and went 0-9 from long range.

Back on February 20 Alex Sullivan had eight three’s against the Griffons. In the first half he made 6-of-10 three point shots for 18 points while they made 10-of-17 as a team. The Bearcast had an assist on all 12 of their field goals with Matt Wallace dishing out nine.

The Bearcats opened up the second half scoring the first five points opening up a 40-14 lead. The Griffons battled back going on an 11-0 run cutting the Bearcat lead to 15 at 40-25 with 14:00 minutes to play. The rest of the game belonged to the Bearcats as the Griffons did not have an answer for the Bearcat long range shootng.

The Bearcats finished with 15 long range shots with eight coming from Sullivan. He finished with 27 points while Deangelo Hailey dumped in 21 making 5-of-7 long range shots. As a team the Bearcats made 15-of-29 three’s and dished out 17 assists on 22 field goals. Wallace finished with 11 assists and as a team NWMSU had 22 points off 13 Griffon turnovers.

The Griffons had two playes score in double figures with Clinkscales and Mells both dumping in 10. Clinkscales collected is sixth double-double of the season snaring 10 rebounds. As a team MWSU made 8-of-10 free throws and 17-of-49 field goals.

Tom Smith ends his career with 618 overall wins with 448 coming at Missouri Western.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team continued to swing the bats well collecting 12 hits in a 10-3 victory in a non-conference match-up with Southwest Baptist on Monday evening.

The Bearcats quickly jumped ahead of the Griffons 1-0 in the top half of the first. Ross Wolfe doubled to left center, followed by a walk by Drew Miller. Spencer Blacksher then hit an RBI single up the middle giving the Bearcats the 1-0 lead.

The Griffons responded in their half of the first as Michael Schulze led off with a double, Kyle Simpson singled up the middle scoring Schulze and then Nate Ramler hit his second homer of the season giving MWSU the 3-1 lead. The final run of the inning came on a wild pitch scoring Spencer Shockley.

The game remained 4-1 until the top of the sixth when SBU’s Aaron Anderson hit an RBI doulbe cutting the MWSU lead to 4-2. In the bottom of the sixth the Griffons capitalized on two Bearcat errors to score three runs. Schulze had a two RBI double while Ramler scored Schulze on a ground out to shortstop. MWSU led 7-2 after six.

In the seventh the Griffons got three extra base hits which included a homer by Grant Fink leading off the inning. Schulze and Bubba Dotson both had RBI doubles giving MWSU the 10-2 lead fter seven. The Bearcats scored one in the 9th but fell for the second time this season.

Oliver Kadey picked up his first victory ove the season going 5.2 innings giving up seven hits and two earned runs. Tyler Riddle and Mason Queen closed out the rest of the game giving up just one hit.

Schulze finished the game going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Fink and Dotson had three and two hits respectively.

Kyle Jochems led the way for the Bearcats with two hits.

MWSU will be back in action on Tuesday, March 5 when they take on Southwest Baptist in another non-conference match-up. Opening pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri.

— MWSU Sports Information —