College – Page 434 – St. Joseph Post Archive

MWSU baseball splits doubleheader at Harding

Posted on February 8, 2015February 8, 2015

The Missouri Western baseball team played a double-header Saturday afternoon against Harding University. The Griffons split on the day falling in game one, 5-4 and winning game two by a score of 2-1.

Game 1

The Griffons and Bison needed an extra inning to decide the winner of game one. Harding punched in a run when Shane Kinnear drove in Alan Copeland in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The Bison used a four-run third inning to jump out to an early lead. Zac Stewart of Harding drive in two-runs on a double to right center and Jaxon Mohr followed that up with an RBI single into center field. The final run for the Bison came on a wild pitch to eventually score Stewart from third.

Missouri Western was able to close the gap in the bottom of the six when David Glaude hit his second homerun of the season to right center making the score 4-2.

In the eighth inning, the Griffons were able to tie the game when Mitch Thorman reached on a fielder’s error by the first baseman. This allowed Orencio Fisher and Cosimo Cannella to both come around and score.

Matt Russell tallied the pitching loss for the Griffons and Zac Stewart was able to record the win. The Griffons finished the game with seven hits, two errors and left six runners left on base.

Game 2

Missouri Western used a Mitch Thorman two-run homerun in the top of the sixth inning to beat Harding in the second game.

Hardings only run came on a fielding error by the shortstop which allowed John Chapman to score.

MWSU relied on Josh Lansangan to throw 3.1 innings. He gave up one-run and struck out two batters before Richard Peoples came into relief. Peoples finished with 3.2 innings pitch, two strikeouts and tallied his first win of the season for the Griffons.

Cosimo Cannella and Trevor LaHonta each went three-for-three in the game with Mitch Thorman’s homerun being the only other hit for the Griffons.

Jacob Stripling was the losing pitcher for the Bison. He went 5.2 innings, struck out two and allowed six hits.

The Griffons are now 3-3 on the season and will finish up the weekend with a nine inning game against Harding on Sunday afternoon.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest Missouri State women rally past Lincoln Saturday

Posted on February 8, 2015February 8, 2015

The Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball team clawed its way to a 63-59 victory over Lincoln Saturday afternoon in Bearcat Arena.

The win improves the Bearcats’ record to 8-15 on the year and 4-10 in the MIAA, while the Blue Tigers fell to 10-10 overall and 5-9 in the conference.

Tanya Meyer led Northwest with 17 points, a new career high for the freshman.

Meyer scored her 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. The Sioux City, Iowa native was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She added four rebounds and one block.

Tember Schechinger scored the final four points for Northwest to seal the victory. The junior guard finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Sophomore Shelby Mustain added 14 points, hitting 6-of-11 attempts in the contest. She came away with six boards and added one block on defense.

After Kate Frazier hit her second straight layup for the Blue Tigers, the Bearcats found themselves behind, 56-52, with just over four minutes to play. Ariel Easton knocked down her only three-pointer of the day to close the gap to one followed by a quick timeout by coach Michael Smith. After the defense forced a shot clock violation on the next possession, Shelby Mustain knocked down two free throws to give the Bearcats a one point lead.

Lincoln answered with two free throws of their own, making the score 58-57 with 1:47 remaining. Taylor Shull helped the Bearcats regain the lead on their next possession, knocking down a 10-foot jumper. Tember Schechinger added a short range jumper after a defensive stop to increse the Northwest lead to three. After Kelsey Williams hit one of two free throws for the Blue Tigers, Schechinger hit two of her own from the charity stripe to seal the victory for Northwest.

Northwest will host Missouri Southern on Wednesday (Feb. 11). The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

— Northwest Sports Information —

No. 8 Jayhawks fall apart in second half and get upset by Oklahoma State

Posted on February 8, 2015

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Storming the court after beating Kansas is becoming routine for Oklahoma State students.

Le’Bryan Nash scored 18 points to help the Cowboys upset the eighth-ranked Jayhawks 67-62 on Saturday.

Cowboys fans stormed the floor for the second straight year, and Oklahoma State has now beaten Kansas in four of the past six meetings in Stillwater.

The Cowboys trailed this one by 11 at halftime, but their pressure defense held the Jayhawks to 27 percent shooting in the second half.

“We just became more aggressive, our whole mentality,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “I think it was more about us than them. We did make them turn it over a bit more, we did speed them up a little bit, but it got us being aggressive, it got us in attack mode.”

Phil Forte, Oklahoma State’s leading scorer for the season, had the flu and was limited to 29 minutes. He finished with 13 points after throwing up before the game.

“Just the fact that my teammates kept coming up to me and wanting me to play — I just tried to mentally push through it,” Forte said. “I didn’t want to let my teammates down, and I just wanted to go out there and give it all I had.”

Anthony Hickey added 15 points for the Cowboys (16-7, 6-5 Big 12), who were coming off a road win at No. 25 Texas on Wednesday.

“We got to keep our kids’ heads out of the clouds and get back down to earth,” Ford said. “It was a big win, because of the respect we have for Kansas, period.”

Wayne Selden Jr. scored 15 points, and Perry Ellis, Frank Mason III and Brannen Greene each added 10 points for the Jayhawks (19-4, 8-2), who had won five straight.

“We just didn’t play very well,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “You can’t look at any individual on our team and say they had a good game. We had a couple guys make some shots, but we didn’t play very well. We didn’t coach them very well. We didn’t do anything very well today.”

Nash’s spinning left-handed layup put the Cowboys up 59-52 with 7:21 to play. Kansas rallied back, but a steal by Jeff Newberry led to a fast-break layup by Hickey that gave Oklahoma State a 65-61 lead with 2:32 remaining.

Nash missed the front end of a one-and-one with 53 seconds left to give Kansas a chance, but the Jayhawks couldn’t score, and Hickey made a layup at the other end to make it a 67-62 game with 20 seconds to play.

Kansas led 16-13 when Nash was called for a charge, his second foul, with 10:52 left in the first half. With Nash on the bench, Kansas went on a 10-1 run to take a 26-14 lead. Kansas boosted its edge to 30-17 before the Cowboys rallied. Mitchell Solomon’s baseline jam on a nice find by Newberry cut Kansas’ lead to 30-24, forced a timeout and brought the crowd back into the game.

A 3-pointer by Greene in the final minute of the half put the Jayhawks up 41-30 at the break. Kansas shot 57 percent in the first half to overcome 11 turnovers.

Oklahoma State opened the second half with a flurry. A dunk by Michael Cobbins cut Kansas’ lead to 42-38 two minutes in. A 3-pointer by Hickey cut Oklahoma State’s deficit to a point, Forte’s 3-pointer put the Cowboys ahead, and it was a game the rest of the way.

“I feel like we just didn’t execute like we needed to on the offensive end,” Ellis said. “That was it, really.”

TIP-INS

Kansas: Mason was issued a technical foul with 2:40 left in the first half after a scramble for the ball near the Oklahoma State bench. … Self played for Oklahoma State from 1981-1985 and is from Okmulgee, Oklahoma. … Kansas made just 11 of 20 free throws.

Oklahoma State: Nash has scored in double figures every game this season. … The Cowboys shot 36 percent in the first half. … Forte took just six shots from the field.

COURTSIDE

Members of the school’s 1995 Final Four team and businessman T. Boone Pickens were on hand. Pickens, an Oklahoma State graduate, has donated more than $500 million to his alma mater. … Coach Eddie Sutton and former star post player Bryant Reeves were among those in attendance.

UP NEXT

Kansas: At Texas Tech on Tuesday.

Oklahoma State: At Baylor on Monday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State comes up short against No. 25 Texas

Posted on February 8, 2015

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Texas’ four-game losing streak was as baffling to Isaiah Taylor as it was for anybody on the Longhorns’ bench.

On Saturday, Taylor and his team took an approach that had been missing for nearly three weeks.

“We played desperate,” Taylor said. “Today we didn’t get down on ourselves. Everyone played with an attitude and it’s sort of like (a sense) of cockiness that we needed to win and that’s what happened.”

Taylor scored 23 points, including two foul shots with one second left that sent No. 25 Texas over Kansas State 61-57 Saturday.

Connor Lammert had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns (15-8, 4-6 Big 12).

Nino Williams had 13 points for the Wildcats (12-12, 5-6), who once again were without Marcus Foster and Malek Harris because of indefinite suspensions. No word has been given on their future status.

Thomas Gipson missed a layup with less than five seconds that would have tied the game. The Wildcats’ fourth straight loss dropped them to .500 this late in the season for the first time since Feb. 25, 2004.

“There are tears in the locker room,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “I’ve got to help them. It’s tough on me, tough on our staff, but we’ve got to be there for them.”

Lammert said finishing possessions and playing a full 40 minutes became even more evident after the Longhorns’ most recent loss against Oklahoma State at home.

“Coach talked to us and told us that each game is going to come down to one or two possessions,” Lammert said.

Taylor scored at least 15 for the fifth straight game. He and Lammert both matched their highest point total of the season.

After taking a 42-41 with 10:34 left, Kansas State fell victim to the Longhorns’ length as they sealed the paint and pushed their lead to 49-44 on Lammert’s 3-pointer.

The Wildcats’ shot just 32 percent from the field (15 of 47), but went 8 of 16 on 3s.

The Longhorns eliminated Kansas State’s best interior scoring option in Gipson, holding him to five points on 0-for-7 shooting.

“We are a long team,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “Our zone has been good. We have won four conference games and we played zone every minute of those games with the exception of the last two minutes here today.”

Kansas State made only 3 of its first 21 shots, and Taylor pushed the Longhorns’ to their largest lead at 24-12 with 4:16 left in the first half.

TIP-INS

Texas: Jonathan Holmes (11.5 points per game) didn’t make the trip to Manhattan because of a concussion. Javan Felix also was held out due to a head injury.

Kansas State: The Wildcats’ average of 58.9 points per game was the lowest in the Big 12 after 10 games and the lowest for the program since 1982-83.

UP NEXT

Texas hosts TCU on Wednesday.

Kansas State plays at West Virginia on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western softball uses long ball to go 2-0 Saturday

Posted on February 8, 2015February 8, 2015

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Missouri Western softball head coach Jen Bagley Trotter said this year’s team could hit home runs, and through the team’s first three games, it looks like she’s right. Missouri Western scored seven runs on the day, six coming by way of the home run in sweeping two games in the Henderson State/Ouachita Baptist Ronnie Hawkins Invitational. MWSU has hit six homers through their first three games that have accounted for all but one of their nine runs.

Game 1: MWSU 2, Henderson State 0

The Griffons used two solo home runs Saturday morning to defeat Henderson State, 2-0. Paige Shifflett put MWSU on the board first when she led off the top of the second with a solo shot in her first-ever collegiate at bat. Tiffany Gillaspy added another home run in the third. The home runs were two of the Griffons seven hits on the game. Katie Klosterman was the only Griffon with more than one hit, going 2-3. Shifflett and Gillaspy’s homers were the only extra base hits for the team.

Shyanne Saladino went the distance in her first action as a Griffon. She picked up her first win, allowing six hits and no runs.

Game 2: Mississippi College 3, MWSU 5

The Griffons went to the long ball again to start off game two, scoring their first four runs on round trippers. Janie Smith put the Griffons on the board in the second with a solo shot then Tiffany Gillaspy pulled MWSU within one, at 3-2, with her solo homer in the fifth. Morgan Rathmann would make the Griffons first seven runs of the year on homers when she bombed a two-run shot to right center in the fifth. Missouri Western’s first run of the year off anything other than a home run came in the fifth when Paige Shifflett doubled home Gillaspy to score MWSU’s final run of the game.

Janie Smith fell behind 2-0 on two RBI singles by Mississippi College in the first. She locked down and allowed just one more for the game, going all seven innings and striking out seven to even her record at 1-1 on the year. Smith also went 2-3 at the plate driving in one. She was the only Griffon with more than one hit in the game.

Missouri Western wraps up the HSU/OBU Ronnie Hawkins Invitational tomorrow with two games. They take on Arkansa Monticello at 10 a.m. and play at Ouachita Baptist at 2 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri State gets beat by 43 at No. 16 Wichita State

Posted on February 8, 2015

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State guards Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker have had a good chemistry for some time.

So when Baker says he could see something different in VanVleet’s eyes Saturday night, it’s probably true.

“Fred just had this look in his eye like, `Shoot it,’ when he passed it to you,” Baker said. “He’s setting us up with these perfect passes, this perfect backspin, and you could tell he wanted you to make the shot.”

It was part of the reason VanVleet had the Shockers’ first triple-double in 43 years as No. 16 Wichita State routed Missouri State 78-35.

VanVleet finished with 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Shockers (21-3, 11-1 Missouri Valley Conference). He completed the feat in just 24 minutes of playing time and knew he was close early in the second half.

“While still playing the game the right way, my guys helped me get over the hump,” he said. “It’s pretty special.”

Baker led all scorers with 17 points, while Shaquille Morris and Darius Carter added 10 each for Wichita State.

Missouri State (9-15, 3-9) has lost nine of its last 10 games and suited up just seven scholarship players due to injuries, illness and departures. Gavin Thurman led the Bears with nine points.

The Bears had not been held to 35 or fewer points since Feb. 11, 1950.

Starting point guard Dorrian Williams did not play due to symptoms from a concussion suffered Wednesday. Christian Kirk, scheduled to start at forward, also did not play due to what coach Paul Lusk called “health issues.”

“They dominated us in every way possible,” Lusk said. “We started a freshman point guard and couldn’t take him out. I’ve never been through anything like this.”

Predictably, the Shockers pressured the short-handed Bears non-stop in the first half and Missouri State turned it over nine times. And even when the Bears were able to run their offense, fatigued legs helped contribute to going 5 of 26 from the floor in the first half.

The Shockers took advantage. Three-pointers from Evan Wessel and Baker helped Wichita State to a 14-3 lead.

Missouri State got within nine, 20-11, on Loomis Gerring’s long jumper with 7:58 remaining in the half.

Wichita State went on a 17-2 run the rest of the half to lead 37-13.

“As much as I honestly feel for what Paul is going through with his roster, you want to win the game,” Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. “We wanted to make it a track meet. That played in our favor.”

It only got worse in the second. After a Missouri State basket, Wichita State scored 12 straight.

Baker sank two 3-pointers to ignite the run. Carter converted a layup and alley-oop dunk, and Baker turned a steal into a layup.

Wichita State led 49-15 with 16:54 to play, the crowd exploded and the Bears took a timeout.

“We got tons of deflections, and we were relentless on the glass,” Marshall said.

The Shockers used 14 players, twice that of Missouri State.

“I think the past three days, the two practices and this game, have been some of our best-played basketball,” Baker said.

TRIPLE THE FUN

With 13:52 remaining in the game, VanVleet hit a 3-pointer and the crowd let out an extra cheer.

He was already at 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the 3-pointer gave him 10 points for his triple-double. He exited soon after. He is the first Shocker with a triple-double since 1972, when Terry Benton had 20 points, 22 rebounds and 10 assists against Tulsa.

TIP-INS

Missouri State: Lusk faced his 14th ranked opponent in four seasons at Missouri State. That equals the total of the previous three Bears coaches combined. . Missouri State’s Austin Ruder drew a first-half charge on Baker. It was the first charge drawn by Missouri State since Dec. 20.

Wichita State: The Shockers have won 29 straight home games, the fourth longest active streak nationally. . Wichita State has won 10 straight against Missouri State, the longest streak in a series that dates to 1942. . Baker became the 43rd Wichita State player with at least 1,000 career points. . Wichita State’s 1965 Final Four team was recognized at halftime.

UP NEXT

Missouri State: Travels to Evansville on Tuesday.

Wichita State: Hosts Indiana State on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

Cold-shooting Huskers lose at Penn State

Posted on February 8, 2015February 8, 2015

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Coach Patrick Chambers made it clear he didn’t care that Penn State’s 56-43 victory over Nebraska on Saturday turned into what he called a “rock fight.”

Geno Thorpe scored 14 points, Brandon Taylor 11 and Penn State was able to take advantage of Nebraska’s cold shooting to saddle the Huskers with their sixth straight Big Ten road-game defeat.

The teams combined for just 35 first-half points before picking up the pace in the final 20 minutes. Nebraska shot 15 of 51 from the field and just 2 of 20 from 3-point range.

“It was ugly, it was a rock fight, and I’m OK with ugly, just so you know,” Chambers said.

Nebraska (13-10, 5-6 Big Ten) trailed by as many as 11 points late in the game but closed to within 44-41 before Penn State (15-9, 3-8) pulled away with just over 3 minutes to play.

“We haven’t been a very good outside-shooting team; our 3-point percentage is really low this season,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said.

“Tonight we were 2 for 20. I didn’t think we had great sharpness or crispness on our offense.”

Nebraska was led by 13 points from Terran Petteway and 12 from Shavon Shields. That duo has averaged a combined 35 points per game this season.

“It takes a team to stop a player like that who can score at will,” Penn State’s D.J. Newbill said about Petteway. “We defended and rebounded and helped each other out, that’s what that was.”

Newbill added 11 points for Penn State and moved to fourth place on Penn State’s career scoring chart with 1,609 points. He is just the second player in the program’s history to score 500 points in three consecutive seasons.

Nebraska’s pressure defense forced Penn State into seven second-half turnovers — 16 overall — and put the Lions on their heels in the second half.

“I’m not sure how many turnovers we had but we were throwing the ball all over the gym,” Penn State’s Thorpe said. “We stick to our game plan and try to play solid defense.”

The Lions were 19 of 44 from the floor and 9 of 21 from long range. They outrebounded Nebraska 39-26 as Newbill and Jordan Dickerson each had six.

“We didn’t make shots, we turned ball over, but we kept a great attitude; the defense was terrific,” Chambers said.

Seven early, second-half points from Thorpe and 3-pointers from Garner and Taylor helped Penn State open a 37-17 lead before Tarin Smith and Petteway put up seven straight to cut the gap to 13.

The Huskers’ momentum continued when Smith popped a 10-footer along the baseline and Penn State went on a scoring drought of its own for more than 7 minutes. Nebraska closed to 37-29 to force a Penn State timeout.

The Huskers stayed close with two free throws from Walter Pitchford, a layup from Tai Webster and a long 3 from Petteway to make it 44-41.

“It’s important for us to go through that and to be able to respond the way we did was good to see,” Chambers said.

Nebraska was 4 of 23 from the field and 1 of 9 from long range in the opening half. The Huskers were scoreless from 15:43 to the 5:10 mark and after that hit two free throws until David Rivers rebounded Benny Parker’s missed 3-pointer and put in layup at the first-half buzzer.

“There was real opportunity lost the first eight or 10 minutes of the game,” Miles said. “I thought our defense was really good.”

—

TIP INS

Nebraska: Terran Petteway became Nebraska’s 27th 1,000-point scorer and the second to eclipse that mark this week. Shavon Shields went over 1,000 on Tuesday in a win against Northwestern. . Petteway, if he maintains his current averages of 19 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists, will become one of just four Big Ten players since 2000 to accomplish that.

Penn State: The Lions have not allowed more than 66 points in their last six games. . D.J. Newbill’s 1,609 career points ranks ninth among active Division I players.

UP NEXT

Nebraska is at home against No. 5 Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Penn State travels to No. 20 Ohio State on Wednesday.

WOEFUL OFFENSE

Nebraska recently scored 42 points against Minnesota and 44 against Michigan.

FAMILIAR FACE

Nebraska coach Tim Miles first faced Penn State’s Newbill when Miles coached at Colorado State and Newbill played for Southern Mississippi.

— Associated Press —

Griffon softball drops season opener to Henderson State

Posted on February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

The Missouri Western Softball team opened the 2015 season with a 6-2 loss at Henderson State Friday. The Griffons scored both runs in the first inning and couldn’t hang on, giving up all six Reddie runs between the third and fifth innings.

MWSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on Sydney Washington’s two-run home run. Morgan Rathmann led off the game with a single to left then stole second. Washington drove in MWSU’s first runs of the season when she blasted one to right field two batters later. The Griffons went without another hit from Washington’s round tripper until Brooke Schaben led off the seventh with a double.

Henderson State got on the board in the third when a wild pitch allowed one run to cross the plate. They added three more in the fourth when Allison Waggoner hit a three-run home run to put Henderson State up 4-2. Henderson State added two more in the fifth on another home run, this time a two-run shot that proved to be too much for the Griffons to overcome.

The two teams will see each other again on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the HSU/OBU Ronnie Hawkins Invitational. The Griffons will finish day one of the tournament when they play Mississippi College at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Mizzou football names Ryan Walters safeties coach

Posted on February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

The University of Missouri football program has hired Ryan Walters as its safeties coach, as announced Friday.

Walters, 29, comes to Mizzou after spending the past season as cornerbacks coach at Memphis, where he worked as cornerbacks coach with new Mizzou Defensive Coordinator Barry Odom. At Memphis, the pair oversaw a defense that was among the most improved in the nation. Memphis went 10-3 in 2014, thanks in large part to its defense which ranked fifth nationally in points allowed (17.1 ppg) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 ypg) in the regular season.

Walters, a Los Angeles, Calif. native, played collegiately at Colorado, where he was a standout safety for the Buffaloes (2004-08). He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Colorado working with the secondary in 2009, and then spent two years on staff at Arizona, where he was a graduate assistant in 2010, before being promoted to defensive backs coach for the 2011 season.

From there, Walters moved to the Oklahoma staff as a graduate assistant cornerbacks coach in 2012, as the Sooners went 10-3 and played in the 2013 Cotton Bowl. He moved to North Texas for the 2013 season, where he coached corners and helped lead UNT to a 9-4 record in its first year in Conference USA and a win in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green defense that season ranked fourth in the nation in turnovers gained (34), eighth in points allowed (17.8 ppg), 13th in interceptions (18) and 17th in total defense (348.3 ypg).

“I’m really pleased that we are able to attract someone of Ryan’s caliber to join our team,” said Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Barry Odom. “I’ve known him for a while now, and had the chance to work together last year and he made a big impression on me. He’s a loyal and tireless worker who I see as a great technician and fundamentals coach. He was very sought after this past season, so we’re excited to recruit him to Mizzou,” he said.

Odom first met Walters as part of a trip the Mizzou coaching staff took to Arizona to share best practices in 2010, and recruited Walters on the staff at Memphis when he had an opening for the 2014 season.

“I’m excited to join a program as prestigious as Mizzou,” said Walters. “Coach Pinkel and his staff have done a tremendous job over the years and I’m excited to learn their system and also to bring my perspectives in. I’m fired up to work with Barry Odom again, I think he’s one of the best coaches I’ve been around, and it means a lot to me that he wants me in his defensive room. I’m excited to get to work and to help Mizzou continue to compete for championships,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to having Ryan join our staff, he is a really impressive young coach who has a well-respected reputation in the coaching industry,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “He’s had proven success everywhere he’s been and we believe he’s going to do a great job with teaching and leading our safeties,” he said.

As a player, Walters had a standout career at Colorado as a safety. He started in 33 games and played in 46 contests for the Buffaloes. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press and first-team All-Colorado honors from the state’s National Football Foundation his senior year.

A team captain for the Buffaloes in 2008, Walters was also picked by his teammates the team’s MVP. He had 87 tackles, two sacks, seven pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions his senior year. His 20 career passes defended rate No. 15 in Colorado history and his 223 career tackles were No. 45 all-time.

During his playing time, the Buffaloes played in the Houston Bowl, Champ Sports Bowl and Independence Bowl.

— MU Sports Information —

Northwest baseball loses first game of season to NW Oklahoma State

Posted on February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the 2015 season opener on Friday, 12-11, in Alva, Okla.

The Bearcats trailed 10-4 at one point but clawed back with seven runs in the final three innings.

Northwest is now 0-1 on the season while the Rangers improved to 4-0 on the year.

Sophomore right fielder Austin Wulff got the Bearcats on the board in the top of the second with a solo shot on a 2-1 count. He finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk.

Shortstop Nick Gotta had a pair of hits, scored two runs and had an RBI in his Bearcat debut.

Kolby Greenslade had a pair of RBI, and scored two runs while going 2-for-5.

Steven Garber had a pair of hits and drove in a run in the third inning.

Catcher Blake Hardegree had a pair of hits, scored two runs, drew a walk and threw out a base stealer in the third.

Northwest used five pitchers. Kole Klocko started but after being hit by a line drive, left after two-thirds of an inning.

Hondo Pearcy pitched 2.1 innings, Austin Battaglia pitched 3.2 innings, Jacob Wagner got the final out of the seventh inning and Patrick Brady pitched the eighth inning.

The Bearcats will face Regis College (Colo.) in a neutral site game tomorrow at noon followed by a rematch with Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. Both games will take place in Alva, Okla.

— Northwest Sports Information —