ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team (32-14, 19-5) ran its win streak to 14 games and secured the No. 2 seed in the MIAA Softball Championships with a doubleheader sweep of Washburn (24-24, 15-9), Friday night, 7-2 and 3-2 in 9 innings.

Missouri Western got to its seventh-straight MIAA series sweep in dramatic fashion. After taking game one 7-2, the Griffons took game two on a ninth inning error by Washburn. With Shelby Uhl on third and one out in the ninth, Brea Blanton bunted to the pitcher who threw the ball over the catcher’s head to the backstop, allowing Uhl to score the winning run.

GAME 1
Missouri Western 7, Washburn 2

• The Griffons totaled 10 hits and took advantage of several of Washburn’s six errors
• MWSU led 3-0 before two Washburn runs in the fifth
• Missouri Western answered with a three-run bottom of the fifth
• Morgan Frost continued her hot streak, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and her 20^th double of the season
• In her return to the lineup after missing the last nine games with an injury, Uhl went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a double
• Emma Hoffart had a pair of hits as did Taylor Hoelscher
• Kaili Hinds moved to 14-3 on the season, pitching all seven innings and holding the Ichabods to two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Her last loss came on Mar. 8 at Central Oklahoma.

GAME 2
Missouri Western 3, Washburn 2 (9 Innings)

• Washburn scored in the first and held its 1-0 lead until the Griffons went up 2-1 in the fifth
• Blanton and Uhl scored the Griffons’ two runs in the fifth on a throwing error that allowed Gabi Carter to reach base
• Washburn tied the game in the seventh, scoring an unearned run after a Griffon error
• Uhl led off the ninth with a double to left center
• Lauren Houston bunted Uhl to third to set up the game-winning error
• Frost was 2-for-4 again
• Cassidy Kelsheimer went 2-for-4 and Uhl was 2-for-3 with two runs scored
• Lexi Kinnaird got the win, pitching all nine innings. She also did not walk a batter in the game and held Washburn to one earned run on eight hits

UP NEXT

• Missouri Western hosts Emporia State (25-24, 14-10) on Saturday in the final regular season games of the season
• Following the games, the Griffons’ seven seniors will be honored.

— MWSU Athletics —

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA announced the 80 teams and 32 student-athletes competing as individuals that will be headed to regional competition for the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf Championships. Missouri Western junior Patrick McCarthy was one of four individuals selected from the central region to compete alongside the 10 teams from the Central Region.

There will be four regional tournaments, with two regions paired at each location. The top 10 teams from each region automatically qualify for the tournaments, with each region receiving four student-athletes selected to compete as individuals. McCarthy was the first individual selected from the Central Region.

McCarthy earns his third-straight selection to the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf Regional after his junior season. His selection on Friday comes just two days after being named All-MIAA at the MIAA Men’s Golf Championship.

McCarthy enters the regional with four top-10 finishes, including a victory at the SBU Invitational with a score of 215 (-1). In total, he has placed in the top-20 in nine of Missouri Western’s 10 events this season.

Qualifiers for the NCAA Div. II Men’s Golf National Championships will be determined based on the results from the four regionals. The Central/Midwest Regional will take place in Hot Springs, Arkansas on May 9-11.

— MWSU Sports —

MAYETTA, Kan. – For the second-consecutive season, Shi Qing Ong is the MIAA’s Women’s Golf individual champion. Ong claimed the title with a three-round total of 215 (-1), dominating the field with a six-stroke championship victory. Missouri Western placed fourth in the team standings, advancing one spot since entering Wednesday’s final round in fifth.

Ong’s victory at the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships on Wednesday gives her back-to-back MIAA individual championships. The 2019 MIAA Women’s Golf Championship title also adds to an already-historic senior spring season for Ong. With her fifth-straight victory of the spring, she has now won each tournament that she has competed in this spring. Her career win total stands at 14 in her 44 appearances at Missouri Western.

After shooting what was then a field-best 71 (-1) in the second round, Ong improved with a 70 (-2) in the final round on Wednesday. Entering the final round with a one-stroke lead, her third-round performance sealed a six-stroke victory. She finished the MIAA Championship with a tournament-best 12 birdies to go along with 33 pars.

As a team, Missouri Western had its best round of the championship on Wednesday. The Griffons shot a 296, with each of Missouri Western’s five golfers having their best round of the event in the final round. The Griffons came up just short of third place, finishing with a total of 922 behind Central Oklahoma’s 920. Northeastern State won the team championship, edging Central Missouri by just three strokes.

Anna Bech tied for 13th in her first MIAA Women’s Golf Championship, finishing with a 232. She advanced three spots on Wednesday with her 75 (+3) in the final round, her best single-round score at the event. Bech ended with the second-most birdies on the team with eight. She now has a total of five top-10 finishes in her freshman season.

Katie Irvin placed 27th with a three-round total of 239. She had the second-best round score on the team on Wednesday, finishing with a 73 (+1). Her one-over 73 also gives Irvin a new career-low single-round score.

Jenna Kosmatka and Chong Yong each had their best round of the tournament with a 78 in Wednesday’s final round. Kosmatka placed 29th overall with a score of 241 while Yong finished 30th with a 242.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Free passes came back to bite the Missouri Western baseball team (18-18) again on Wednesday in an 8-3 home loss to Emporia State (25-16).

Griffon pitchers issued six walks and the defense committed four errors in the game. Missouri Western led 3-2 after sixth, but the first two Emporia State batters in the seventh were both walked and later scored the tying and what turned out to be the winning run.

NOTABLES

• ESU added four runs on two hits and two Griffon errors in the ninth inning
• Casey Danley cut a 2-1 Emporia State lead in half with an RBI single in the third
• Kyle Snuttjer tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Brooks Day’s RBI single in the fifth gave MWSU a 3-2 lead
• MWSU used nine different pitchers in the game
• Levi Abrahamson got the start and went the first three innings, allowing two runs – one earned – on three hits
• Kellan Richards (1-3) took the loss after walking the two batters he faced in the seventh
• After hitting the first batter he faced in the seventh, Jacob Purl retired five-straight, the final four via strikeout
• Danley and Dusty Stroup each had two hits

UP NEXT
The next-to-last conference series of the season comes this weekend when Missouri Western hosts Southwest Baptist in a three-game series that begins Friday at 7 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team turned in a 291 on the final round of the MIAA Golf Championships to finish tied for sixth with a three-round total of 888. Patrick McCarthy was named All-MIAA for the third time in his career.

Lucas Horseman (2-under) and McCarthy (1-under) each turned in their lowest rounds of the tournament on Wednesday. Horseman finished tied for 15th with a three-round total of 220 while McCarthy tied for 19th with a 222. Also tied for 19th was Tom Buffington. Cole Roberts finished with a 234 and Jake Mikesch turned in a three-round score of 239.

The Griffons started the day on fire and were at 9-under at one point early in the final round, but finished the tournament 24-over par, 22 strokes behind fourth place finishers Washburn and Central Oklahoma. Lindenwood took the team title with an impressive 21-under, 843, claiming the MIAA Championship by 12 strokes.

Buffington finished the tournament even on par-3 holes, third best in the field, and had the second most pars in the field with 39. McCarthy’s 8-under on par-5 holes was tied for third best in the field. Roberts and McCarthy were among a handful of golfers with Eagles in the tournament.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team held at No. 6 in the NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings this week.

With last week off, the Griffons held steady at No. 6 and stayed in position to return to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The top eight teams in the final rankings head on to NCAA postseason play. Missouri Western missed the regional last year for the first time since 2013. The new No. 1 team in the nation, Central Oklahoma held the top spot in the regional rankings followed by Winona State, Augustana (S.D.), Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas. Central Missouri was the other MIAA representative in the rankings, coming in at No. 8 this week.

The Griffons host Washburn and Emporia State to close out the regular season this weekend. The games come with MIAA Championships seeding implications and more. The Griffons are still mathematically in contention for the regular season MIAA title, but would need some help sitting three games back of Central Oklahoma. Washburn will enter St. Joseph tied for third in the MIAA standings with Central Missouri, two games behind the second-place Griffons. Emporia State begins the weekend tied for fifth in the standings, three games back of the two tied for third place.

Friday’s games with Washburn will be part of the Second Annual Teal Games. On Saturday, the team will recognize its seven seniors following the doubleheader against Emporia State.

— MWSU Athletics —

MAYETTA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Golf has now played through the second of three rounds at the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships. Shi Qing Ong has climbed into first place with her tournament-best score of 71 (-1) in the second round. The Griffons slid to fifth in the team standings, but remain just three strokes back of third place.

Missouri Western posted the exact same team score as it did in the first round, finishing at 313 for a two-round total of 626. Nebraska Kearney and Central Oklahoma each managed to jump the Griffons in the team standings, as both squads improved off of their first-round marks by over 10 strokes. The Griffons are still within reach of a top-three finish, trailing Nebraska Kearney by just three strokes for third place.

Shi Qing Ong entered Tuesday in a tie for fourth place after her 74 (+2) in the opening round. After her score of 71 (-1) in the second, Ong now sits atop the individual leaderboard with a combined score of 145 (+1). Her second-round score is the best of any completed round at the event. She has also scored the most birdies of anyone in the field, and has been thriving on the lower-par holes. She leads the field in par-three scoring, going two-under on those holes. Ong appears to be in the midst of a three-player competition for the title, as she will aim to outlast Rosie Klausner (146) and Olivia Sobaski (147), both from Central Missouri.

Anna Bech remains tied for 16th with her 77 (+5) on Tuesday. Bech improved three strokes from yesterday’s first round and currently has a total score of 157 heading into Wednesday. She has the second-most birdies at the tournament with eight.

Jenna Kosmatka shot an 82 (+10) to bring her score to 163 and sit tied for 26th. One stroke behind Kosmatka is Chong Yong. Yong scored an 83 (+11) on Tuesday after her 81 (+9) in the first round.

Katie Irvin finished Tuesday’s second round with an 88 (+16) after her 78 (+6) in the opening round.

The Griffons will begin the third and final round of the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – After the first two rounds of the MIAA Men’s Golf Championships at Shangri-La Country Club, the Missouri Western men’s golf squad is in seventh place with a score of 597. Leading the Griffons on Tuesday was Tom Buffington, who sits tied for 15th entering the third and final round.

After scoring a 303 in the first round, the Griffons improved by nine strokes for a second-round score of 294. Directly ahead of Missouri Western and in sixth place is Missouri Southern with at 586. Lindenwood is the current leader of the tournament, and will look to continue to fend off Northeastern State and Washburn for the top spot.

Tom Buffington ended the first two rounds as the top score for Missouri Western with a 147. Buffington opened the tournament with a 76 (+4) in the first, but improved in the second round with a score of 71 (-1). Buffington’s second round was the best single-round score of any Missouri Western golfer on Tuesday. His 28 pars are also the second-most in the field at the championship.

Lucas Horseman is tied for 27th after a two-round total of 150. His best round came in the first when he shot just one-over with a 73.

Patrick McCarthy’s score of 151 on Tuesday lands him in a tie for 29th. After a 78 (+6) in the first round, McCarthy bounced back with a 73 (+1) in the second. He also led the team with seven birdies.

Jake Mikesch finished with a score of 156 while Cole Roberts wrapped up Monday with a 159.

Missouri Western will tee off the final round of the MIAA Men’s Golf Championships on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Baseball has added a non-conference game against Emporia State to its home schedule this week.

Missouri Western will host the Hornets in a single non-conference game, Wednesday, April 24 at 4 p.m.

Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the Griffons’ early season schedule, particularly at the Spring Sports Complex. So far, MWSU has played just nine of its 35 games at the Spring Sports Complex and the Griffons played as the guest in one third of those.

To help compensate for the cancellation of seven home games and a change in venue of six other home games, Missouri Western has now added three non-conference games to the final two weeks of the regular season. In addition to Wednesday’s game with Emporia State, the Griffons will host Illinois-Springfield in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 30.

Missouri Western is 18-17 overall and 15-12 in MIAA play. Emporia State (24-16, 17-10) took two out of three from MWSU in the teams’ MIAA series in Emporia, Kansas earlier this month. With two conference series remaining, the Griffons are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAA standings with Pittsburg State and Lindenwood.

The Griffons are set to host Southwest Baptist in a three-game MIAA series beginning on Friday. MWSU is now scheduled to play its final nine regular season games at home.

— MWSU Athletics —

MAYETTA, Kan. – Missouri Western Women’s Golf sits in third place after the opening round of the MIAA Women’s Golf Championships at Firekeeper Golf Course Monday. Both Shi Qing Ong and Katie Irvin are positioned inside the top-10 to lead the Griffons after the first round.

The MIAA Women’s Golf Championships features three rounds spread across three-consecutive days. Missouri Western put together a solid team performance to open the tournament, finishing with a combined score of 313. The Griffons trail Central Missouri by nine strokes for second place. Northeastern State is the current leader after scoring a 300 on Monday.

Near the top of the individual leaderboard was Shi Qing Ong in a tie for fourth. The 2018-19 MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Year finished the first 18 holes of the tournament with a 74 (+2). Ong led the field of 49 golfers with five birdies in the round. She is currently three strokes back of Central Missouri’s Rosie Klausner for the top spot heading into the second round.

Katie Irvin played one of the best single rounds of her season, finishing Monday with a score of 78 (+6) to land inside the top-10 in a tie for ninth. Her consistent first round included two birdies and 10 pars. She also had one of the top scores on par-four scoring, going two-over on those holes.

Anna Bech is currently in a tie for 16th after her 80 (+8) in the first round. Bech was second on the team with three birdies.

Chong Yong and Jenna Kosmatka are both tied for 20th after first-round scores of 81 (+9). Kosmatka led the team with 11 pars on Monday.

— MWSU Athletics —