The Northwest Missouri State women’s tennis team concluded a busy weekend on Sunday with an 8-1 defeat to Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. Northwest is now 7-8 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play.

Northwest picked up a point at No. 5 singles as Aniek Kolen battled back to win over Anna Braun, 4-6;6-4;10-4.

The Northwest men’s and women’s tennis teams will host Truman State this week. The match was originally scheduled for Monday but has been pushed to Wednesday in Maryville, Mo.

University of Central Oklahoma def. Northwest Missouri State 8-1

#1 Singles Alina Gorina (UCO) def. Lorena Rivas (NW) 6-2;6-0
#2 Singles Petra Pesic (UCO) def. Alexis Bartek 3(NW) 3-6;6-4;10-5
#3 Singles Kristen Richardson (UCO) Stephanie Mannix (NW) 6-0;6-1
#4 Singles Aniek Kolen (NW) Anna Braun (UCO) 4-6;6-4;10-4
#5 Singles Emilie Semo (UCO) def. Marianne Hull (NW) 6-0;6-0
#6 Singles Lauren Allison (UCO) def. Mindy Anderson (NW) 6-2;6-0

#1 Doubles Alina Gorina /Anna Braun (UCO) def. Alexis Bartek/Lorena Rivas (NW) 8-4
#2 Doubles Petra Pesic/Kristen Richardson (UCO) def. Stephanie Mannix/Aniek Kolen (NW) 8-6
#3 Doubles Lauren Allison/Emilie Semo (UCO) def. Marianne Hull/Mara Veasey (NW) 8-6

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team’s offense came alive on Friday evening in an 18-4 series opening victory over Fort Hays State at Larks Park. The Bearcats pounded out 18 hits as every Northwest hitter who came to he plate recorded a hit. Northwest moves to 13-8 overall and 9-5 in MIAA play.

Eric McGlauflin and Austin Wulff each had a homerun and four RBIs on the day. It was McGlauflin’s first homer of the season and Wulff’s team-leading fifth longball. Luke Wilkinson had a pinch hit two-run homerun in the seventh. Steven Garber went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Zack Ferreira crossed the plate three times as he went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Jon Pomatto also crossed the plate three times for the Bearcats. Brandon Huske, Blake Hardegree and Paul Johnson each collected two hits, scored two runs and drove in a run on the day. Ryan Abernathy drove in two runs and also crossed the plate once.

Ryker Fox went all seven innings for the Bearcats, allowing just four runs on eight hits. He struckout five batters.

The Bearcats scored once in the first before they exploded for 12 runs in the third on eight hits and one error. Fort Hays would add one in the bottom of the third but Northwest would tack on two more in the fourth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. The Tigers scored three in the bottom of the seventh.

Northwest will play a doubleheader against the Tigers tomorrow at Larks Park in Hays, Kan., starting at 1 p.m. The four-game series will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State softball team took game one from Concordia-St. Paul Friday, 11-6 and fell to Wayne State in game two, 6-2 on the first day of the Missouri Western Divisional Crossover.

CU plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning to go up early on Northwest in game one.

The Bearcats answered back in the top of the third inning as they scored five runs on three hits.

Both teams traded two runs each in the fifth inning as Northwest held a 7-4 lead going into the sixth.

Stephanie Mark hit a three run home run over the center field fence to put her team up 10-4. The Bearcats would add one more run in the top of the seventh.

Taylor Blackford was able to shut CU down in the seventh to bring home the 11-6 victory. It was the first complete game and win for the freshman pitcher this season.

Torri Blythe and Mark combined to go 4 for 6 with six RBIs, five runs scored and one stolen base.

The Bearcats jumped out in front in the first inning of game two as Mark hit her second home run in as many games. It was a two run shot to left center field, her fifth of the season.

Northwest held a 2-1 lead over WSU going into the fifth inning when the Wildcats tied it up at 2-2 with a solo home run.

WSU took the lead in the top of the sixth as they were able to push one run across and then pulled away in the seventh inning with three more runs.

The Bearcats were unable to comeback as they fell 6-2.

Sarah Baldwin was tagged with the loss moving her record to 5-5 on the season.

Northwest is now 9-14 on the season and will take on Northern State in game one tomorrow, followed by St. Cloud State in game two. First pitch in game one is scheduled for noon, with game two set to follow immediately.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State senior guard DeShaun Cooper was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) 2014 Coaches’ Division II All-Central District first team on Wednesday. The NABC recognizes the best men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes and coaches in the division. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC in NCAA Division II, these 88 student-athletes and eight coaches represent the finest basketball players and coaches across America.

Cooper, who was a first team CoSIDA/Daktronics first team all-district performer, was named the 2014 MIAA Player of the Year. He was the team’s leading scorer at 17.4 points per contest. He was twice named the MIAA Athlete of the Week and was named to the All-Central Region Tournament Team.

The Bearcats finished the season at 24-9, reaching the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

— Northwest Sports Information —

With a two game total of 29 hits and 25 runs the Northwest Missouri State softball team was able to defeat Rockhurst 13-1 in game one, then 12-7 in game two, Wednesday.

The bats were out early for the Bearcats who scored five runs in the top of the first inning in game one.

Northwest and RU both plated one run in the second inning.

The Bearcats then put up six runs on four hits in the top of the third inning to take a 12-1 lead before adding one more in the fifth inning.

Abbie Vitosh silenced the RU bats and went the distance for the win on her way to her fourth complete game of the season. Vitosh walked only one, while giving up five hits and allowing only 1 run and striking out a season high seven batters.

Torri Blythe went 4 for 4 with an RBI while scoring three times in the contest. Kristin Uthe went 3 for 3 with four RBIs as she hit her second long ball of the season over the left center field fence.

Northwest picked up in game two where they left off in game one as they got on the board in the first inning with two runs.

RU plated one run in the bottom of the first and then tied the game up at 2-2 with a run in the second.

Baylee Scarbrough singled in Stephanie Mark in the third inning to take back the lead, 3-2.

A three run home run by RU in the bottom half of the third put them up 5-3.

The bats came back out for the Bearcats in the fifth inning as they drove in four runs, and then again in the seventh when they added five runs.

RU could only manage two runs in the bottom of the seventh as Sarah Baldwin got the win in the 12-7 victory.

Chantel Adams was 3 for 5 in game two scoring twice and driving in two runs while hitting her fifth home run of the season. Adams currently leads the Bearcats with 19 runs driven in this season.

Baldwin moves her season record to 5-4 as she collected her fourth complete game of the season.

Head Coach Ryan Anderson’s team will head to St. Joseph, Mo. for the Missouri Western Classic. The Bearcats will play five games in three days beginning on Friday when they take on Concordia-St. Paul for a 10 a.m. start.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team fell to the University of Central Missouri on Tuesday night, 60-59, in overtime at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. UCM advances to the Elite Eight as the winners of the Central Region championship in the NCAA Division II tournament. Northwest finishes the season at 24-9, the highest win total in head coach Ben McCollum’s five year tenure with the Bearcats. UCM improved to 27-5.

Senior DeShaun Cooper led all scorers with 24 points. In three games, Cooper scored 78 points (26.0), and was named to the All-Central Region tournamentteam. He finishes his career as Northwest’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,702 points. Senior Tyler Funk provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points for Northwest.

Northwest shot 32.1 percent for the game (18-for-56) from the field and hit8-of-24 three pointers (33.3 percent). The Bearcats held a 20-15 advantage in points off the bench and 11-1 edge in points off turnovers.

The game featured 17 lead changes and the score was tied 12 times during the contest. Both defenses held tight in the second half after Northwest held a26-22 lead at the break. The score was tied at 43-43 with 7:19 left in the second half as both defenses dug in, allowing just three points to each side down the stretch. A pair of free throws from Daylen Robinson put UCM up by one with 3:05 left before Cooper hit a jumper to give Northwest the lead with 1:41 to go, 46-45. UCM’s Charles Hammork hit a free throw with 26 seconds to tie the game but missed the second giving the Bearcats a chance with 26 seconds left. But a three pointer from senior Bryston Williams wouldn’t fall and the game went to overtime, tied 26-26.

In the overtime, Northwest led just once on a Cooper free throw with 1:57 to go. Down one, Robinson hit a three pointer with 28 seconds left to give UCM a four-point lead, 59-55. Cooper responded by drawing a foul and hitting a pair of free throws. After Robinson missed a pair of free throws, Northwest was unable to hit a three and fouled Robinson with two seconds left, but Robinson was called for a technical after the play. Williams hit the two technical free throws before Robinson went to the line to shoot his foul shots for the Mules. After missing the first free throw, Robinson hit the second, leaving Northwest down by one, 60-59, with two seconds left. Cooper got a look from just inside the half court line but the shot hit the rim and bounced off as the buzzer sounded.

— Northwest Sports Information —

After a change in venue gave them a home game, the Northwest Missouri State baseball team was able to walk away with a 4-3 win over William Jewell in front of their home crowd Tuesday.

WJC was able to get on the board first with a three run home run in the top of the third.

In the bottom half of the same inning Brandon Huske answered with a two out double to the wall that scored Blake Hardegree from first base to plate the Bearcats first run of the game.

Pitching dominated the next three innings as both offenses were held scoreless.

Zac Ferreira led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single up the middle, which was followed by a single off the bat of Jon Pomatto. Steve Garber moved the runners to second and third with a sac bunt for the first out of the inning. Hardegree then stepped to the plate and deposited his first collegiate home run over the left field fence to put his team up 4-3.

Northwest used five pitchers in the game with Bex Trout earning the victory. Taylor Bruch, Nikko Pablo and Pomatto finished the last three innings of the contest as they combined to give up one walk, one hit, while striking out two. Pomatto closed the door in the ninth inning to net his second save of the season.

With the victory, the Bearcats move to 12-8, 8-5 on the season and will get back to MIAA competition as they travel to Fort Hays, Kan. for a four game series. Game one is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday and will be a nine inning affair.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball team picked up one of the biggest victories in program history on Sunday evening, knocking off host Minnesota State, 71-66, at the Taylor Center to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Bearcats will play Central Missouri on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Taylor Center with a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight on the line. Northwest improves to 24-8 while Minnesota State, who was ranked ninth in the last NABC poll and first in the central region, finishes the year at 30-5.

Senior DeShaun Cooper had a game-high 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting. He also tallied four assists, a steal and three rebounds. The MIAA Player of the Year also went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Freshman Zach Schneider had 13 points for Northwest, all coming in the first half on four three pointers.

Northwest shot 40.4 percent for the game, connecting on 21-of-52 attempts. After hitting 11 three pointers on Saturday evening against Winona State, the Bearcats only four long range makes came from Schneider, all in the first half of play. Northwest had 17 second-chance points and outscored the Mavericks’ bench 23-11.

The Bearcats lead by as many as 20 points in the first half but host Minnesota State was able to climb back into the game in the second half, eventually pulling to within one with 36 seconds left. But a pair of Bryston Williams free throws and a late layup from Cooper sealed the win for Northwest.

Cooper recorded his 11th consecutive game with double-digit point totals and his 12th performance this season of 20 points or more. MSU’s Zach Monaghan, who was the Central Region Player of the Year, finished with 16 points, as did Assem Marei who was also a first team All-Central Region selection.

— Northwest Sports Information —

The Northwest Missouri State baseball team lost both games of a double header Saturday to Southwest Baptist as they lost in the seventh inning in game one, 5-4, and then fell 11-7 in game two.

SBU got on the board in the top of the second inning with one run, which was answered by Northwest who plated a run of their own when Steven Garber drove in Zac Ferreira.

Ferreira put his team up 2-1 in the third inning when he knocked in Paul Johnson from second base.

Northwest added two more runs in the fifth inning to go up 4-1, while Ryker Fox was still going strong from the hill. Fox, who gave up three hits through six innings, did not factor into the final decision.

Brian Schmiedt relieved Fox in the seventh, and would later be tagged with the loss as SBU was able to mount a five run seventh inning comeback to go up 5-4. Northwest failed in their comeback attempt in the bottom half as they dropped game one.

Game two was a different story as the two teams combined for 23 hits and 18 runs.

Garber and Austin Wulff both knocked in an RBI in the first and second inning respectively to go up 2-0 heading into the third.

The SBU bats came out in the fourth inning as they plated five runs on six hits. They would add three more runs in the fifth, one in the six and two runs in the top of the seventh.

Northwest entered the bottom of the seventh with comeback on their mind as they trailed 11-2.

Four hits and five runs later they fell a little short as they dropped game two, 11-7.

Northwest moves their season record to 11-8, 8-4 and will play the final game of the four game series against SBU Sunday. The game was originally scheduled for a noon start, but has been pushed back to 2 p.m. due to inclement weather in the morning.

— Northwest Sports Information —