TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State University baseball squad captured the rubber game today in a three-game set at Northeastern State. The Bearcats recorded a 19-15 triumph over the Riverhawks.

Northwest moved to 6-7 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play, while Northeastern State fell to 2-11 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Northeastern State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second by executing small ball to get runners around the bases.

In the third, Northwest notched two runs of their own despite beginning the inning with a pair of outs. Senior infielder Mondesi Gutierrez walked to get the ball rolling for the Bearcats. Gutierrez was then advanced to third after senior outfielder Derek Hussey reached base on a throwing error. Senior catcher Jay Hrdlicka drew a walk to load the bases. The first hit of the afternoon for the Bearcats came when senior catcher Alixon Herrera singled to left, scoring Gutierrez and Hussey.

The Riverhawks added one in the bottom half of the third, increasing their lead to 6-2.

The Bearcat offense exploded with a seven-run fourth to take a 9-6 advantage. During the top of the fourth, the Bearcats offense rallied and tallied seven runs in the inning to take back the lead over Northeastern State, 9-6. To lead off the fourth, junior infielder Calvin Rudolph and sophomore infielder Matt Gastner each singled. Freshman outfielder Ryan Koski advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. The Bearcats loaded the bases when senior infielder Logan Rycraft was hit by a pitch. Gutierrez followed with a single to left scoring Rudolph and leaving the bases loaded. A wild pitch allowed Gastner to score and advanced Gutierrez and Rycraft. Hrdlicka recorded his first hit in the game during the inning by singling to right, scoring both Gutierrez and Rycraft. Hrdlicka advanced to third base when Herrera reached on a throwing error. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson singled advancing Herrera to second and allowing Hrdlicka to trot across home. Rudolph produced a two-out, two RBI double to deep right center to cap the monstrous seven-run inning.

The Riverhawks drew to within 9-8 with a two-run sixth.

In the eighth, both teams combined to score 10 runs on nine hits. Northwest scored four in the top of the eighth with a two-out rally, initiated by Herrera singling to right field. Freshman Jonathan Hernandez pinch ran for Herrera. Hernandez advanced to second on a single by Carlson. Up next, Rudolph singled to left to load the bases for the Bearcats. Gastner singled to right, scoring Hernandez and Carlson, while moving Rudolph to third. Junior infielder Matt Schingel clubbed a double, scoring Rudolph and Gastner, but was called out when trying to stretch it into a triple.

Heading into the bottom of the eighth, Northwest held a 13-8 lead with closer Trevor Dudar on the hill. But, Northeastern State answered with six runs on four hits and took advantage of a Bearcat error to retake the lead at 14-13.

The Bearcats returned the favor, scoring six runs of their own in the top of the ninth to take a decisive 19-13 lead over the Riverhawks. Northwest tallied the six runs on four hits in the comeback.

The Riverhawks managed only one run in the bottom of the ninth allowing the Bearcats to take it 19-15 and two of three games in the series.

The Bearcats used five pitchers on Saturday. Max Spitzmiller made the start and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Spitzmiller gave up three hits and three runs, while striking out one. Dudar got the victory as he went 3 2/3 innings despite giving up six hits, nine runs (seven earned) and striking out six, while walking seven. Gibson Brown relieved Dudar with two on and no one out in the ninth. Brown gave up a single and a sacrifice fly but was able to close out the victory for the Bearcats.

Northwest will travel to back to Oklahoma for a three-game set at Central Oklahoma this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The series was originally set for Maryville, but was moved to Edmond, Oklahoma because of inclement weather and field conditions.

NOTES: Herrera is riding a 10-game hitting streak … Gutierrez and Hrdlicka extended their on-base streaks to 13 games … first baseman Matt Gastner knocked in four runs and notched his first three-hit game of the season … third baseman Calvin Rudolph and left fielder Peter Carlson also produced their first three-hit games of the season.

— Northwest Athletics —

BOLIVAR, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball squad ran the nation’s longest win streak to 27 in a row with an 85-66 road win over Southwest Baptist University on Saturday.

Northwest drained 16 three-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field overall (28-of-56).

Ryan Hawkins scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed a team-best six rebounds and two steals. Joey Witthus also tallied 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Trevor Hudgins posted 18 points and was 4-of-6 from deep. Hudgins also dished out four assists. Ryan Welty sank four triples and scored 14 points to go along with five rebounds.

Northwest did not trail in the contest and led 45-32 at the break.

Northwest (27-0 overall, 17-0 MIAA) will return home Tuesday against Missouri Western. The Bearcats will honor their seniors prior to the tip at 7:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

NOTES: Northwest has won 14 consecutive road games … Northwest has won 18 straight games by double figures … sophomore Ryan Hawkins has tallied at least two steals in 21 of 27 games this season … it’s the sixth time this season that the Bearcats have made 15 or more three-pointers … Tyler Dougherty drained his first career three-pointer.

— Northwest Athletics —

BOLIVAR, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team connected on a season-high 15 three-pointers but came up on the short end of a 79-66 decision at Southwest Baptist University.

Southwest Baptist shot 53.8 percent from the field on 28-of-52 field goal attempts.

Northwest knocked in 15-of-30 from three-point range. Sophomore Jaelyn Haggard led Northwest with 20 points as she drained six from distance. Junior Kendey Eaton tallied 15 points and sophomore Kylie Coleman joined her in double figures with 10 points.

Northwest (7-19 overall, 3-14 MIAA) will take to the floor again Tuesday at home against Missouri Western. The Bearcats will honor their seniors prior to the tip at 5:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Northwest Missouri State baseball team dropped the second game of a three-game series to Northeastern State Saturday, 12-8. The Riverhawks hit four home runs on the afternoon.

After a scoreless first inning, the Bearcats (5-7, 1-1 MIAA) jumped out to a 1-0 lead after senior catcher Alixon Herrera doubled to right-center field to lead off the top of the second. Sophomore infielder Peter Carlson singled to right, scoring Herrera from second.

Northeastern State took the lead away from the Bearcats in the home half of the third inning, scoring four runs on three hits. Junior first baseman Colton Burgess hit a three-run homer over the right field fence to cap a four-run inning for the Riverhawks.

The Bearcats answered in the top of the fourth, scoring two runs of their own. Herrera led off the inning reaching on an error and then advanced to second base on a single hit by Carlson. Both runners advanced bases on a sacrifice bunt by junior infielder Calvin Rudolph. After a double play, senior infielder Logan Rycraft stepped in and doubled to deep right center, scoring Rudolph and Carlson

Northwest retook the lead in the fifth with a two-out, three-run rally. Rudolph walked with the bases loaded for the first run. Enrique Gonzalez came through with a two-run single through the left side to give Northwest a 6-4 lead.

But a four-run fifth by Northeastern State gave the home team an 8-6 advantage. The Riverhawks used a sacrifice fly and another three-run home run to retake the lead.

NSU increased the lead by another run in the sixth when the home squad plated a run on a double play.

Rudolph doubled with two outs in the seventh and then scored on a triple by pinch hitter Matt Gastner. Gastner’s RBI pulled Northwest to within 9-7.

NSU added a solo homer in the seventh, a leadoff homer in the eighth and a two-out RBI double in the eighth.

Pinch hitter Matt Schingel came through with an RBI single with two outs in the ninth. But the Bearcats could get no closer when Logan Rycraft flied out to end the contest.

The Bearcats used five pitchers on Saturday. Joe Funkhouser made the start and took the loss as he went 4 1/3 innings. Funkhouse gave up nine hits and eight runs, while striking out four.

Northwest and Northeastern State will meet on Sunday for game three of the series at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Herrera is riding a nine-game hitting streak … Gutierrez, Hrdlicka and Quick extended their on-base streaks to 12 games.

— Northwesst Athletics —

WARRENSBURG, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team became the first team in the history of the MIAA to win six consecutive league regular season titles with a 64-49 triumph at Central Missouri on Thursday.

Northwest moved to 26-0 overall and 16-0 in MIAA play, while UCM dropped to 13-13 overall and 6-10 in league play.

The Bearcats were led in scoring by redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins with 21 points. Junior Ryan Welty and freshman Diego Bernard each chipped in offensively with 14 points apiece. Welty drained 4-of-7 from three-point range in the victory.

Northwest shot 50.0 percent from the field and drained 10 three-pointers against the Mules. Northwest locked in defensively in the second half and limited the Mules to 26.7 percent shooting in the second half after UCM had made 52.2 percent of its shots in the opening half.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday at Southwest Baptist. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. in Bolivar, Missouri.

NOTES: Hudgins made his first three throws in the game to set the Northwest record for consecutive free throws made at 36 … he surpassed Kelvin Parker’s mark of 35, but had to settle for a tie for the MIAA record with UCM’s Reggie Soward at 36 in a row as Hudgins missed his 37th attempt … Northwest has won 13 straight road games.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team fell to Central Missouri 71-53 in Warrensburg Thursday night. The Bearcats got off to a slow start, only scoring 17 points in the first half of the game, and were down 31-17. They were able to get it going a little more in the second half putting up 21 points in the third quarter.

Mallory McConkey and Jaelyn Haggard led the Bearcats with 13 points. Kendey Eaton was also in double digit scoring with 11. McConkey also led the team in rebounds with 5. The Bearcats shot 50% from the three-point line going 9-18. They also went 10-13 from the free throw line.

Morgan Flemming led the Jennies with 21 points, Megan Skaggs had 19, and Paige Redmond had 13. Flemming added 10 rebounds to give herself a double-double. UCM shot 51.7% from the field and outrebounded Northwest 35-22.

The Bearcats take on Southwest Baptist on the road Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The first NCAA Division II men’s basketball regional rankings were released today and the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats are in the top spot in the central region.

The top eight teams in each region will qualify for the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament. Northwest has served as the central region host in each of the previous two seasons.

Central Region
1. Northwest Missouri State
2. Washburn
3. Northern State
4. St. Cloud State
5. Missouri Southern
6. Southern Nazarene
7. Minnesota State, Mankato
8. Lincoln
9. Wayne State
10. Southern Arkansas

Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Austin Meyer has announced the signing of Savannah Guenther to play for the Bearcats in the 2019-2020 season.

Guenther (Grayslake, Illinois/Grayslake North HS) is a 5’11” guard. Guenther averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.7 blocks for head coach Rob Nicoletti. Guenther earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a junior. She earned all-area accolades in 2017-18. She tallied all-conference honors the last two seasons.

Guenther is a member of National Honor Society. She is an Illinois State Scholar student. She is a four-time Northern Lake County Conference all-academic award recipient.

She is the daughter of Michael and Angela Guenther.

2019-20 Bearcat Women’s Basketball Signees
Kayla Chapman           5-9       G         Treynor, Iowa (Treynor HS)
Jayna Green                6-1       G/F      Omaha, Nebraska (Millard North HS)
Savannah Guenther    5’11     G         Grayslake, Illinois (Grayslake North HS)
Paityn Rau                   6-2       F          Waukee, Iowa (Waukee HS)

CONWAY, Arkansas – The Northwest Missouri State University softball team spilt a pair of games Sunday by defeating Parkside, 6-0, and losing to Rogers State, 7-4.

Game One vs. Parkside
Regan Thompson tossed a four-hit shutout and took advantage of a Bearcat offense that generated six runs. Thompson struck out four and walked one while facing 29 batters.

The Bearcats started the game strong offensively by putting up a three-spot in the first inning. Sydne Brashear led off with a double to left center. Jaedra Moses reached on a single to the pitcher. Kaitlyn Weis came through with two-RBI triple down the left field line. Weis would score on an RBI groundout by Erin Keeney.

Northwest added another run in the second on a sacrifice fly from Sydne Brashear plated Karli Allen.

Northwest made it 5-0 in the third when Kiana Baderdeen came through with a two-out double to score Weis, who had doubled with one out.

In the fourth, Kenzi Sutton doubled to left field to put Allen on third and two Bearcats in scoring position. Brashear tallied a sacrifice fly that scored Allen and gave the Bearcats a 6-0 cushion.

Game Two vs. Rogers State
Northwest started game two strong offensively with Kaitlyn Weis hitting a two-run home run to open the scoring in the top of the first.

Grace Ruehle doubled to left field at the start of the second. Jaedra Moses singled to center field to bring Ruehle home and advance the Northwest lead to 3-0.

Rogers State answered in the bottom of the second with a bases loaded walk to cut the lead 3-1.

In the third inning, Karli Allen hit a double to right center to reach scoring position. Next up, Ruehle ripped an RBI single to left field allowing Allen to score and give the Bearcats a 4-1 advantage.

Rogers State responded with a home run by Danelle Day in the third to cut the lead 4-2. Rogers State drew one run closer with another single score in the bottom of the fourth.

Rogers State completed its rally with a four-run sixth to post a 7-4 triumph.

Northwest starter Rachel Smith went 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on five hits and struck out seven. Logan Wenzel came on in relief in the fifth and gave up four runs (one earned) in 1 2/3 innings of work. Wenzel suffered the defeat in the circle.

The squad will be back in action this weekend in Emporia, Kansas, with a three-day tournament.

— Northwest Athletics —

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team inched closer to its sixth straight MIAA regular season title with an 84-61 win over visiting Southwest Baptist University Saturday in Bearcat Arena.

Northwest shot 53.1 percent from the field and drained 13 three-pointers to extend the nation’s longest active win streak to 25 in a row. Southwest Baptist shot 43.4 percent from the field and only 29.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. SBU drops to 12-12 overall and 6-9 in MIAA play.

Redshirt freshmen Trevor Hudgins reached the 20-point mark for the 14th time this season as he drained a career-high four three-pointers. Sophomore Ryan Hawkins chipped in with 15 points and sank 3-of-7 from three-point range to go along with four steals. Junior Brett Dougherty came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes of action. A trio of Bearcats dished out five assists as Diego Bernard, Xavier Rhodes and Joey Witthus helped others get in scoring column.

Northwest used a 17-4 run to turn a 23-19 game into a 40-23 advantage with 1:23 left in the half. Northwest would lead 40-26 at the break.

Northwest put together a 13-0 spurt early in the second half to a 47-32 contest into a commanding 60-32 lead. Northwest would lead by as many as 33 en route to its 11th consecutive win over SBU.

Northwest can lock up a share of its sixth straight MIAA title on Thursday against Central Missouri. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in Warrensburg, Missouri.

NOTES: Northwest has won 20 consecutive MIAA games, which is also the longest active current streak in NCAA Div. II basketball for conference games … Northwest is 13-0 at home … Northwest is 87-5 overall in the past three seasons … Northwest is 77-7 in its last 84 MIAA games, including a mark of 41-1 in Bearcat Arena … Northwest has won 16 straight games by double figures.

— Northwest Athletics —