ST. JOSEPH – The 18th-ranked Missouri Western softball team two games to open the 2017 Hy-Vee Classic on Friday at the Griffon Spring Sports Complex.

The Griffons (20-4) dispatched of Northern State 6-5 and run-ruled Sioux Falls 12-4 in six innings.

NOTABLES
– Shelbie Atwell’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the game-winner against Northern State

– The Griffons were down 3-0 to Northern State in the first, but tied it in the bottom half thanks to a two-RBI single by Paige Shifflett and a double steal between Shifflett and Shelby Uhl with Uhl scoring the tying run

– MWSU was down 5-3 to Northern State in the third before

– Riley Wilson drove in Uhl on a fielder’s choice in the third and Katie Klosterman hit a solo home run to tie it in the fourth

– Missouri Western broke a team record with four triples in the Sioux Falls game

– On the day, the Griffons hit .368 with 10 extra base hits, slugging .719 and scoring 18 runs

TOP PERFORMERS
– Atwell went 4-for-7 at the plate (.571) on the day with a double, a home run and three RBIs

– Sydney Washington was 4-for-8 with a double, two triples, four RBIs and three runs scored

– Kailey Green went 3-for-6 with four RBIs, she hit a home run and her two-RBI double ended the game against Sioux Falls

– Shifflett was 3-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs

UP NEXT
Missouri Western continues play in the Hy-Vee Classic with Minnesota Duluth (13-7) at noon on Saturday and St. Cloud State (16-6) at approximately 2 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team lost the opening gaeme of their three-game series at Missouri Southern Friday 6-5 in 12 innings.

The Griffons fall to 11-9 this season and 8-2 in the MIAA.

NOTABLES
Missouri Southern scored the game winner in the bottom of the 12th inning on an error after tying the game with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning

– Falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, the Griffons scored the game’s next three runs to take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning

– Missouri Western slugged two home runs, the third consecutive game of multiple home runs

– MWSU forced MSSU to strand two runners on base in both the eighth and ninth innings

– The Lions hit into four double plays on the afternoon

TOP PERFORMERS
– Ryan Smith went 3-for-6 at the plate with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored

– Richard Peoples threw 7 1/3 innings as he gave up three runs on just five hits, it was his fifth start of the season with seven or more innings pitched.

– Alex Heuring was 2-for-4 from the plate, with two RBIs and a home run

UP NEXT
Missouri Western looks to even the series Saturday at 1 p.m. in Joplin.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – More good news came in Wednesday for Missouri Western softball as Kailey Green was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week and the team moved up five spots in the NFCA Division II poll to No. 18.

Green hit four home runs and went 5-for-6 with seven RBIs and four runs scored in a doubleheader sweep of Lindenwood last Thursday. The senior hit two home runs in each game and raised her season batting average by 65 points against Lindenwood. Tuesday, she was named MIAA Hitter of the Week. Greeen’s four home runs last week moved her into sole possession of fourth place on the MWSU all-time list with 31. She needs nine more to break Keri Lorbert’s career record. Last season, Green hit 14 home runs.

The Griffons have now won 11 of their last 12 games and sit 18-4 overall this season with a 2-0 mark in MIAA play that has the team tied atop the MIAA standings. This weekend, Missouri Western hosts the 20-team Hy-Vee Classic. Missouri Western is scheduled to play six games March 17-19 in the event, all against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition, before diving back into MIAA play for the remainder of the regular season next week.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Tuesday’s scheduled Missouri Western softball doubleheader versus Northwest Missouri has been postponed until April 4 due to cold temperatures.

The doubleheader on April 4 will begin at 3 p.m. It’s the second time in less than a week, weather has intervened in Missouri Western’s schedule. The Griffons’ home opener was moved up a day and what was supposed to be the team’s second MIAA and home doubleheader of the season versus Lincoln, was also postponed.

MWSU is 18-4 on the season and 2-0 in the MIAA.

This most recent schedule change will reduce Missouri Western’s schedule this week from eight games to six as the team now just prepares to host the Hy-Vee Classic this weekend. Nineteen other teams from the MIAA and NSIC will converge on St. Joseph for the three-day event. Look for more details to come on this weekend’s classic.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team lost at Pittsburg State Sunday 10-7 in the finale of their three-game series with the Gorillas. MWSU still won two-of-three in the series as the loss did snpa their eight-game winning streak. The Griffons are 11-8 and 8-1 in the MIAA.
NOTABLES
– MWSU cut the lead down to two in the eighth inning, but PSU answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning

– The Griffons hit three home runs in the game, two in the eighth inning and one in the ninth inning

– Missouri Western’s six errors led to seven unearned runs

– The middle of the order produced seven hits and nine RBIs for the Gorillas

– Two through five in the lineup for MWSU combined for eight hits and three RBIS
TOP PERFORMERS
– Nick Gawley went 4-for-5 at the plate with two runs scores, one RBI and three stolen bases

– Dusty Stroup was 3-for-5 with a triple and a home run

– Logan Marston and Alex Heuring combined for three hits, two home runs and two RBIs

– Dallas Reed went 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the Gorillas
UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Joplin, Missouri to take on Missouri Southern State on Friday, March 17.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team swept a doubleheader at Pittsburg State Friday to extend its winning streak to eight games. The Griffons won the opener 2-1 behind a complete game from Richard Peoples and they won the second game 9-4.

Western improves to 11-7 this season and 8-0 in the MIAA, while the Gorillas fall to 7-14 and 1-7 in league play.

NOTABLES
– The Griffons had 20 hits and scored 11 runs in the doubleheader, giving up 12 hits and five runs

– Griffon batters drew 13 walks on the day while
– Griffon pitchers walked just six

– Missouri Western pitchers limited Pittsburg State to just a .194 batting average on the day

– The Griffons only had to use four pitchers all day, three in game two, with Richard Peoples earning his second complete game victory of the season in game one

– Nick Gawley stretched his hitting streak to 17 games in the first game of the day, but went without a hit in game two

– David Glaude moved into second all-time at MWSU with his 42nd career double. Glaude needs two more to become MWSU’s career leader. He’s also second all-time in home runs and RBIs. The senior’s on-base streak was snapped at 32 games, dating back to last season. Glaude’s reached safely in 65 of his last 67 games.

– Missouri Western has won its first eight MIAA games of the season, the longest such streak since winning the first 15 of 2013

TOP PERFORMERS
– Bailey Zimmer went 4-for-8 on the day with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Zimmer is now batting .389 on the season after going 9-for-18 in the Griffons’ last six games

– Andrew Curry was 3-for-7 at the plate and also drew two walks with an RBI

– Jeremy Alvarado was 4-for-10 with a double, four RBIs and a run scored

– Dusty Stroup had three hits in eight at bats and scored three runs

– Peoples moved to 4-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.92, limiting the Gorillas to five hits in nine innings

– Nate Hunter went seven innings in game two and improved to 3-1 on the season

UP NEXT
The two teams are scheduled to wrap up the series Saturday at 1 p.m., but weather could again force the game to be re-scheduled. Any change will be posted on gogriffons.com as well as official Griffon Athletics social media outlets.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The 23rd-ranked Missouri Western softball team (18-4, 2-0) racked up 16 extra base hits, and scored 25 runs in doubleheader sweep of Lindenwood (6-8, 0-2) Thursday night.

Missouri Western got a dominant, 14-1 five-inning win in game one before needing some late-inning heroics to win game two, 11-10.

NOTABLES
– Kailey Green hit four home runs, two in each game, bringing her career total to 31. The senior needs nine more home runs to break Keri Lorbert’s MWSU career record.

– Rebekah Mueller hit two home runs in game two

– Riley Wilson blasted an RBI-triple off the top of the wall in right center to score the tying run in the bottom of the seventh of game two. Two batters later, Wilson avoided the catcher’s tag on a fielder’s choice by Morgan Rathmann to score the winning run.

– The Griffons batted .448 in the doubleheader with 26 hits, seven doubles, three triples and six home runs

– Six Griffon starters batted .500 or better in the doubleheader

– Lindenwood pitchers had a 14.9 ERA in the doubleheader

– As a team, Missouri Western slugged .983 over the two games with a .529 on base percentage

TOP PERFORMERS
– Green broke out of a slump with a 5-for-6 performance at the plate. She hit the four home runs, had seven RBIs and scored four runs

– Mueller continued her hot streak, going 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and four runs scored. The junior catcher has batted. 533 over her last 12 games.

– Shelbie Atwell went 4-for-8 at the dish with three doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored

– Sydney Washington and Shelby Uhl both went 3-for-6 at the plate. Uhl had two doubles, both scored three times.

– Barbara Billingsley picked up the win in both games, going the distance in game one and pitching 2 2/3 in relief in game two. Billingsley is now 11-2 on the season.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western is scheduled to host Lincoln (2-16, 0-2) in a doubleheader, Friday, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – For the second time this year Missouri Western sophomore Shi Qing Ong was named MIAA Women’s Golfer of the Week.

Ong claimed her third individual title of 2016-17 earlier this week at the Southwest Minnesota State Invitational in Litchfield, Arizona. Ong went from fourth after a first round 77 to the title with a 72 in round two. Her two day total was a 5-over-par 149 that helped Missouri Western to the team title at the event.

Ong and the Griffons will go for back-to-back trophies when the team hosts the Holiday Inn Express Spring Invitational at the St. Joseph Country Club, March 20 and 21.

— MWSU Athletics —

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team won its first tournament of the season shooting a 625, five strokes better than second place Central Missouri, at the Southwest Minnesota State Spring Invite.

Shi Qing Ong won the event with a 5-over-par 149, winning her third individual title of the season.

In her first event for Missouri Western, Chong Yong carded an 11-over-par 155, to end in fifth place. Tiffanie Yabut finished 11th with a 159. Jenna Kosmatka shot a 163 and Madison Romjue fired a 166, to both finish inside the top-30.

The Griffons hosts the Holiday Inn Express MWSU Women’s Spring Invitational on March 20 and 21 at the St. Joseph Country Club.

— MWSU Athletics —

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team is competing in their first tournament of the spring as they are competing in the Southwest Minnesota State Spring Invite at Wigwam Resort-Heritage Course in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

The Griffons have a ten-shot lead over Central Missouri after the first round Tuesday as they shot a 308 on the first day. Nebraska-Kearney is in third with a 319.

Missouri Western currently has four players in the top six after the 18-hole round. Chong Yong, playing her first tournament as a Griffon, led the field with a 3-over-par 75. Shi Qing Ong shot a 5-over-par 77 for fourth place. Jenna Kosmatka and Tiffanie Yabut are tied for sixth place carding 6-over-par 78s. Madison Romjue finished inside the top-25 with an 82.

MWSU will look to maintain its ten-stroke lead in Wednesday’s final round.

— MWSU Athletics —