College – Page 425 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Western softball gets swept at No. 20 Central Oklahoma

Posted on March 8, 2015

The Missouri Western softball team finished a two-day, four-game trip to Oklahoma by dropping a pair at No. 20 Central Oklahoma. Missouri Western returns to St. Joseph with a 9-9 record and a 2-2 mark in MIAA play.

Game 1: #20 UCO 6, MWSU 3

Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 6-1 lead after just two innings and the Griffons scored two in the third to pull within three but pitching took over for the next four innings in Missouri Western’s eighth loss of the season.

UCO scored three in the first but MWSU answered with one in the second. The Bronchos added three more in their half of the second on a two-RBI double and a sacrifice fly. In the third it was the Griffons’ turn to score with Paige Shifflett driving in one on a single and Kailey Green picking up an RBI when she reached on a fielder’s choice to make the score 6-3. Janie Smith slammed the door on the Bronchos the rest of the game but Nicole Brady did the same to the Griffons.

Smith picked up the loss, her fifth of the season, through six innings of work. She allowed six earned runs on six hits, struck out three and walked four. Shifflett went 2-4 and Katie Klosterman was 2-3 in the game.

Game 2: #20 UCO 8, MWSU 4

The Griffons had the tying run at first when the final out was recorded of an 8-4 loss at Central Oklahoma.

Trailing 8-4 in the seventh, Morgan Rathmann grounded out to second to lead off the inning but Tiffany Gillaspy followed with a single to second. Sydney Washington then drew a walk to put two on with one out. Shifflett struck out to record the second out before Green was hit by a pitch to put the tying run on with Klosterman at the plate but a ground out to the pitcher ended the Griffons’ attempt at a rally.

Missouri Western jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Rathmann’s lead-off homer. The Bronchos scored the next eight runs with three in the first and six in the second. Green pulled the Griffons within five in the fourth with a two-run home run and Washington’s RBI single in the fifth made the score 8-4.

Shyanne Saladino was charged with the loss to move her to 5-4 on the season. Saladino allowed 11 hits and eight runs. The Griffon defense recorded four errors behind her. Washington finished 3-4 with one driven in and a run scored. Rathmann and Gillaspy each went 2-4 in game two.

Missouri Western will host Southwest Baptist on March 14 in their home opening series. The Griffons and Bearcats will play a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest softball earns two victories at Northeastern State

Posted on March 8, 2015

The Northwest Missouri State softball team swept Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon in Tahlequah, Okla.

The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and used a five-run sixth to seal the 9-3 victory in game one. Then Northwest scored two runs in the sixth and seventh inning to take game two, 7-6.

The Bearcats improved to 4-6 and 2-2 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks are now 8-12 and 0-4 in the conference.

In game one, Sarah Baldwin got the start for the Bearcats and pitched 4 2/3 solid innings, giving up two runs on four hits. The junior struck out four and walked three batters to take the win.

Chantel Adams hit her first home run of the year in the sixth, finishing 3-for-3 with five RBI, while Stephanie Mark continued her strong weekend, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored.

In game two, Freshman Jessica Rawie was a triple short of the cycle, finishing 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Rebecca Maher reached base twice, scoring two runs and crushing the game-winning home run in the seventh, and Senior Stephanie Mark added two RBI and two runs, hitting her fourth home run of the weekend in the first inning.

Abbie Vitosh started in the circle for the Bearcats, throwing 3 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. Kendle Schieber earned the win after throwing three innings and striking out four, while Sarah Baldwin recorded the final two outs to earn her first save at Northwest.

The Bearcats will return to Maryville for their home opener on Wednesday against Upper Iowa. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

— Northwest Sports Information —

Nebraska ends regular season with eighth consecutive loss

Posted on March 8, 2015March 8, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Maryland coach Mark Turgeon told his players early in the week that they would impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they could win their last two road games.

On Saturday he told them that if they beat Nebraska on Sunday night, they would set the school record for wins in a regular season.

The coach’s motivational talks must have helped, because the 10th-ranked Terrapins were pushed to the limit before getting out of Lincoln with a 64-61 win.

Dez Wells made a contested 18-foot jumper with 8.8 seconds left after Nebraska had made it a one-point game, and Shavon Shields missed what would have been a tying 3-pointer in the last second.

Maryland (26-5, 14-4), runner-up to Wisconsin in its first Big Ten season after being picked 10th in the preseason, heads into this week’s conference tournament in Chicago on a seven-game win streak.

“Twenty-six wins. We found out yesterday that we had a chance to set a record, most wins in a regular season, and we really dialed in,” Turgeon said. “I think because that number was sitting out there, we stayed focused and kept trying to get it done.”

Freshman guard Melo Trimble scored 21 points, Wells had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Jake Layman added 11 points for the Terps.

“This team, I’ve always thought we could do anything. Twenty-six wins, I knew we’d get it as long as we played our game,” Trimble said. “Coach Turgeon told us we were on the way to breaking the school record. Once he told us that, we really wanted it.”

Regular season-ending road wins at Rutgers and Nebraska gave Maryland a 5-4 Big Ten road record, and the Terps also had a December win at Oklahoma State.

“They say we’re a 3, 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament,” Turgeon said. “The committee likes road wins. We had two chances to get road wins this week, and our guys took advantage of it.”

Shields had 26 points and Terran Petteway added 19 for the Cornhuskers (13-17, 5-13), who lost their eighth straight.

Shields’ three-point play with 43 seconds left pulled the Huskers to 62-61. The Terps called a timeout with 11 seconds left and 4 on the shot clock. Wells took the inbounds pass and hit his shot from the wing.

Nebraska outscored Maryland 23-21 at the free-throw line, but made only 12 of 22 in the second half.

Maryland went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good after Nebraska had gone up 48-43.

Nebraska coach Tim Miles said he had a “devastated locker room” after the game. The Huskers are the No. 12 seed in the conference tournament and play Penn State on Wednesday.

“Just play your butts off and let destiny lay where it is,” Miles said he told his team. “If we ended up losing whatever in a row out, big deal. Just play your butts off. That’s what we did today. We gave ourselves a chance.”

—

LOCKER ROOM BAN ENDS

Miles on Saturday ended the locker room lockout he imposed after the Huskers lost by 28 points to Iowa on Feb. 22. Miles had said his players’ effort didn’t merit them having access to one of the most posh locker rooms and lounges in college basketball.

LOTS OF FOULS

Officials called a combined 51 fouls in a grinding game. Turgeon was surprised one didn’t get called when he ordered that Petteway be fouled on Nebraska’s last possession. “We were trying to foul,” he said, laughing. “We weren’t trying to foul for those other 27 fouls, but we were trying to foul then.”

TIP-INS

Maryland: The Terps’ 26 wins mark a nine-game improvement from last season. … The 26 wins match the most in a season in Turgeon’s 17 years as a head coach. His 2005-06 Wichita State team, which went to the Sweet 16, also won 26. … The 7-foot-1 freshman Michal Cekovsky was back after missing two games with a left knee injury.

Nebraska: The eight-game losing streak is the program’s longest since a nine-game skid in 2002-03. … F Walter Pitchford returned after missing a game with a hip flexor injury.

UP NEXT

Maryland plays in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal Friday.

Nebraska plays Penn State on Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament.

— Associated Press —

Griffons score 27 runs in doubleheader sweep of Lincoln

Posted on March 7, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball scored 27 runs and swept a doubleheader from Lincoln Saturday. The wins moved the Griffons to 9-5 on the year and 6-1 in MIAA play.

Game 1: Lincoln 0, MWSU 15
Griffon Baseball’s offense picked up where they left off in a 15-0 win over Lincoln in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a six-run fifth inning from Missouri Western that included a grand slam by Ryan Degner.

The Griffons scored in each inning of the game and got hits from all but one starter. Through the first 14 innings of the four-game series with Lincoln, MWSU has outscored the Blue Tigers 32-2 and head into game two of the doubleheader with a 5-1 record in MIAA play.

Degner finished game 2-5 with four RBIs. Mitch Thorman went 2-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. David Glaude was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Josh Lansangan picked up the win, going four innings and allowing two hits, while striking out three. Lansangan moved to 1-2 on the year.

Game 2: Lincoln 3, MWSU 12
Missouri Western broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth with seven runs to add on to an impressive weekend at the plate. The Griffons added two more in the sixth to win 12-3 and end the day with 27 runs scored and 44 runs through the first three games of the series.

Cody Childs broke the tie in the fifth with an RBI single. MWSU went up 5-3 when Trevor LaHonta reached on fielder’s choice and an error by the shortstop allowed Childs to score. Degner followed with an RBI double to right that put the Griffons up 6-3. Mitch Thorman made it 9-3 with a three-run home run, his second of the day, and Dave Glaude’s RBI single capped off the seven-run inning that saw MWSU score six with two outs.

Degner went 4-5 in game with three RBIs and two runs scored. Thorman was 2-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Degner went 6-10 on the day with seven driven in and four runs scored.Thorman finished day-two, 4-7 at the plate with seven RBIs and four runs scored. Richard Peoples picked up his third win of the season in game two, going an inning and two thirds.

The Griffons are now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play headed into the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats lose in MIAA Semifinals to Pittsburg State

Posted on March 7, 2015

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A little over 2 minutes left and the game tied, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball saw its goal of winning the MIAA Tournament slowly disappear on a three-point bomb by Pittsburg State junior Trey Starks.

“With the shot clock running down, that was a dagger,” Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff said.

A minute later, Trevor Gregory grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, giving the Gorillas a five-point lead.

“That was a tough one,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said.

Those two plays gave Pittsburg State a five-point lead with 1:23 left. The Bearcats never recovered and lost for the first time in 11 games, falling 65-58 to Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon in the MIAA semifinals at Municipal Auditorium.

“Obviously, a shot like that is going to affect us, but I told the guys to keep believing and keep fighting no matter what happens,” said Northwest senior Grant Cozad. “It was a hard fought game. I wish we could have had it.”

Despite the disappointment of the loss, Northwest, 23-6, has plenty to play for next weekend. The Bearcats will likely receive a bid into the NCAA Division II tournament and play in the Central regional.

“We will start focusing on it as soon as possible,” said junior Conner Crooker, who finished with 15. “We fought hard. We just have to move on.”

For the Gorillas, 19-11, they probably have to win the MIAA Tournament to reach regional. They definitely played with that type of urgency against Northwest.

“Our team persevered in a roller coaster type of game,” Muff said. “Our players responded well, probably against the best coached team in the conference as far as executing what they do.”

Even with the five-point lead and 83 seconds left, Pittsburg needed to hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win. The Gorillas did, going 8-for-8.

The game was so closely contested that two plays made all the difference. There were seven lead changes and eight times the game was tied.

“We had a good game plan and got the looks we wanted,” McCollum said.

The last tie came with 4:21 on a three-pointer by Crooker. Northwest, though, struggled from beyond the arc, going 5 for 18.

Over the next few minutes, defense ruled until Starks hit the trey with 2:30 left that spurred Pittsburg to victory.

“It is not what we designed,” Muff said. “Sometimes you have to go and make a play.”

Freshman Justin Pitts led Northwest with 23 points.

Northwest went into halftime with a slim 28-26 lead. The first half had the intensity of the final 20 minutes of a national championship game. Nearly every basket was contested, but the Gorillas still shot 50 percent from the field and Northwest 45 percent.

The Gorillas took the early lead at 10-6. Over the next 7 minutes, Northwest clawed to an 18-13 lead. The Bearcats maintained a narrow lead the rest of the first half

— MIAA Press Release —

Western softball wins two at Northeastern State

Posted on March 7, 2015

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western softball team opened its 2015 MIAA season with a doubleheader sweep at Northeastern State. Missouri Western jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game one before winning 7-1 and used a 10-run fifth inning to win a shortened game two, 12-3.

Game 1: MWSU 7, Northeastern State 1
The Griffons pounded out 14 hits and didn’t commit an error in the field while holding the RiverHawks scoreless through the first six innings.

MWSU got the scoring going in the third when Tiffany Gillaspy drove in Megan Korgie with a single to the pitcher. The Griffons added three more in the inning on a 2-RBI double by Paige Shifflett and a single from Katie Klostermann. Sydney Washington put MWSU up 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run home run and Morgan Rathmann made it 7-0 in the seventh with an RBI double to right center.

Janie Smith allowed her only run of the game on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh. Smith moved to 4-4 on the year, holding Northeastern State to five hits, while striking out seven and walking two. Rathmann went 3-5 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. Green, Shelbie Atwell and Smith all finished with two hits apiece.

Game 2: MWSU 12, Northeastern State 3
The two teams entered the third tied at 0 but the Griffons scored 10 to take control of the game and the series. What turned out to be an offensive explosion started slowly enough when Shifflett was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Kailey Green followed that run with a grand slam to put MWSU up 5-0. Rebekah Mueller drove in two more with a double to center and Megan Korgie made it 8-0 when she scored on a wild pitch. Tiffany Gillaspy drove in the last two runs of the third with two-run home run.

Green added a solo homer in the fourth and finished the game 2-3 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Rathmann had another three hit game, going 3-4 and scoring three runs. Gillaspy finished game two with two hits in four at bats with two RBIs and two runs scored. Mueller was 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Shyanne Saladino went all five innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out four.

With the wins, Missouri Western improved to 9-7 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. They will play another doubleheader Sunday at Central Oklahoma.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western women lose to Emporia State in MIAA Quarterfinals

Posted on March 6, 2015

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Western Women’s Basketball season ended with a 77-60 loss to No. 10 Emporia State in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Championships Friday night.

Emporia State shot better than 56 percent from the field and held Missouri Western to just 31 percent from the field. Missouri Western went to halftime down just three, but the Lady Hornets opened the second half on a 17-2 run to open up an-18 point lead. MWSU pulled within nine with 6:07 left but Emporia State stretched the lead again.

LaQuinta Jefferson led the Griffons with 14 points on five of 21 shooting from the field. Sarafina Handy finished with 12 points on two three-pointers and one field goal.

Missouri Western ends the season 15-12. It was the sixth-straight time the Griffons have lost a game in Kansas City as part of the MIAA Tournament.

— MWSU Sports Information —

MWSU baseball rolls past Lincoln 17-2 in series opener

Posted on March 6, 2015

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team scored at least two runs in four straight innings to defeat Lincoln University 17-2 on Friday afternoon. MWSU scored five runs in the third and seven runs in the fourth. The Griffons tallied 16 hits in their victory.

Cosimo Cannella led the Griffons going 3-4 on the day including two runs and hitting four RBIs. Five other players added two hits on the day. D’Andre Heggie blasted a three-run shot in his only hit of the day for a home run in the bottom of the fifth.

Grant Woods was extremely effective in his six innings of pitching. He gave up two hits and allowed one run but also added eight strikeouts.

The Lincoln defense had five errors on the day and MWSU attacked starting pitcher Trevor Schnieder for nine hits including seven runs.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats cruise past Washburn into MIAA Semifinals

Posted on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State should have had only two concerns Thursday afternoon when it faced Washburn in the quarterfinals of MIAA tournament at historic Municipal Auditorium.

The Bearcats, seeded No. 1, were coming off an emotional victory over Central Missouri just five days ago. Would Northwest experience a letdown?

“We knew what was at stake,” said Northwest senior Matt Wallace, who went five for seven from the field and finished with 12 points. “We were ready to go.”

Northwest also might have had a bit of doubt facing the No. 8 seed. Washburn was the only conference team to beat Northwest in Bearcat Arena this season.

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Northwest scored the first five points of the game. And even though the Bearcats briefly faced a 1-point deficit midway through the first half, Northwest had no problem beating Washburn 71-61.

Northwest, 23-5, moves on to the semifinals and will play at noon Saturday.

“It is pretty exciting to get the first win,” Wallace said. “Coach Mac (Ben McCollum) always says the first win is the hardest. It was against a really good Washburn team. We knew we weren’t going to blow them out. They fight too hard and are coached too well. To be able to get that win and do things right was great for us. We are excited for Saturday.”

The thing that has made the Bearcats so good all season is their focus. The only time they lost it was late in the first half and into the second half against Washburn on Jan. 10.

The Ichabods faced a different Northwest team this time around. The game started with a basket by senior Grant Cozad followed by a three-pointer from freshman Justin Pitts, giving Northwest a quick 5-0 lead. It was a nice way to shake off any tournament jitters.

Northwest pushed its lead to 12-5 when it suffered its only lull in the game when the outcome was in doubt. A couple of three-pointers by Washburn allowed the Ichabods to briefly take a 15-14 lead.

A three-point play by Pitts gave Northwest the lead for good at 18-15. Sophomore Zach Schneider took over, unleashing a couple of three-point bombs that helped the Bearcats extend their lead to 24-17.

Northwest went into halftime ahead 34-27 and then took complete control in the first five minutes of the second half. The Bearcats held Washburn to 30 percent shooting from the field while making 54 percent of their shots.

“We really locked in and played good defense,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “We were really focused.”

Washburn opened the second half with a bucket. Northwest answered with a basket by Cozad, followed by one from Pitts and then a three-pointer by Schneider. Schneider concluded a 12-0 run with a three-pointer, giving Northwest a 46-29 lead.

“Justin driving off the ball screen was huge for us,” Wallace said. “If he is being aggressive, they have to help more and that gets everybody else open. That is always big for us.”

The Bearcats maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the rest of the game. In the final 2 minutes, Northwest missed several free throws that allowed Washburn to close to within seven.

“All in all I was pleased with the effort, to fight through it and get the win,” McCollum said.

As always, it was another solid team effort. Four of the five starters scored in double figures.

Pitts, a graduate of Blue Springs South, had a nice game in his return to Kansas City. Pitts finished with 25 points, going nine for 12 from the field, including four of five from three-point range.

“It is a great feeling being back at home, and playing in front of my friends and family who came out to watch me,” Pitts said. “It was a great feeling all around.”

— Northwest Sports Information —

Ravens avenge two losses to Central Methodist with win in Heart Quarterfinals

Posted on March 6, 2015March 6, 2015

The Benedictine Men’s Basketball team opened up postseason play on Thursday night as they took on Central Methodist University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

Central Methodist (20-12) entered the game looking for their third straight win over Benedictine (24-7) but the Ravens had other plans as they used a 62.1 percent shooting effort in the second half to keep the Eagles at arm’s length and earn a 75-62 win.

The win moves the No. 2-seeded Ravens into the Heart of America Athletic Conference semifinals on Saturday night.

Benedictine struggled from the floor out the gate while CMU was able to build as much as a five-point lead inside the first four minutes of play.

Those five points proved to be CMU’s biggest lead of the game as Benedictine started to click offensively by the midpoint of the first half.

After the lead changed hands six times, a 3-pointer by Jonathan Anaekwe pushed the Ravens in front 18-16 with seven minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the first half. That shot sparked a 15-4 run that allowed Benedictine to pull ahead by as much as 13 before settling for a 33-28 lead at the break.

A 3-pointer by CMU’s Mitchell Farr pulled the game into its second tie at 37 points inside the first five minutes of the second half but Benedictine never gave up their advantage.

The Ravens outscored the Eagles 18-7 over the next five minutes as John Harris Jr. scored 16 of his game-high 31 points to spark Benedictine.

CMU didn’t go down without a fight as the pulled within six points three times inside the final nine minutes of play but they couldn’t find an answer for Benedictine’s second-half offensive outburst.

Brett Fisher and Jake Schannuth knocked in back-to-back 3-pointers to keep CMU from getting any closer than six points before Harris Jr. capped off his night with a break away dunk to push Benedictine ahead by 13 points with 90 seconds left in the game.

Benedictine outscored CMU 42-26 in the paint as Harris Jr. set a new single-game individual high with 14 field goals. Jallen Messersmith chipped in with 14 points, converting on 6 of 7 field goals while Anaekwe finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Ravens remain at home on Saturday as they host No. 3 seed Missouri Valley College back inside the Nolan Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The Ravens and the Vikings split the regular-season series successfully defending their respective home floors. Benedictine earned a 82-74 win in Atchison on Jan. 17 and then Valley earned a 77-76 win in Marshall, Mo., on Feb. 21.

— BC Sports Information —