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Royals-Yankees series finale postponed due to weather

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NEW YORK — The scheduled game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees has been postponed by rain.

The announcement was made on a wet Thursday morning in New York City about five hours before the teams were supposed to play the finale of a four-game series. The local forecast called for inclement weather much of the day.

Instead, the game will be made up Sept. 25 at Yankee Stadium at the start of New York’s final regular-season homestand. The Royals will go from a weekend series against the White Sox in Chicago to New York for the make-up game, then to Kansas City for the start of its regular-season-ending homestand.

Right-hander Miguel Almonte had been slated to get his first major league start for the Royals. He made nine relief appearances two years ago.

Struggling ace Masahiro Tanaka had been lined up to start for New York.

— Associated Press —

Matchups announced for 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge

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IRVING, Texas – Kansas will host former Big 12 Conference foe Texas A&M on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, the two conferences and ESPN announced Thursday.

For the third straight year, all games in the Big 12/SEC Challenge will be played in one day. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise the contests of the fifth annual event matching every Big 12 squad with 10 members from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Each league will host five games. In addition, ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will originate from a to be determined site of one of the day’s matchups.

Kansas is 20-1 all-time against Texas A&M, including a 19-1 mark as members of the Big 12 from 1996-97 through 2011-12, when the Aggies moved to the SEC. KU is 9-1 versus A&M in Allen Fieldhouse. A&M’s lone win, 69-66, in the series was Feb. 3, 2007, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas is 3-1 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, having split with Florida in 2013-14 and 2014-15 as both teams claimed home victories. KU swept Kentucky in 2015-16 in Allen Fieldhouse and 2016-17 in Rupp Arena. Dating back to 2007 against the Pac-12, Kansas is 5-2 record in the conference challenges.

The trophy for the winning conference has never left the Big 12 office as the league is 25-15 (.625) in the challenge, having won the series its first three seasons while the Big 12 and SEC split the games a year ago (in case of a tie, the trophy stays with the conference that won it the previous campaign). The Big 12 has posted a 53-35 (.603) record in the last two conference challenge series it has played (vs. Pac-10, SEC) dating back to 2007.

2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge – Saturday, January 27
Texas A&M at Kansas
Baylor at Florida
Tennessee at Iowa State
Georgia at Kansas State
Oklahoma at Alabama
Oklahoma State at Arkansas
TCU at Vanderbilt
Mississippi at Texas
Texas Tech at South Carolina
Kentucky at West Virginia

— KU Athletics —

Royals get blanked by New York 3-0

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NEW YORK (AP) — Helped by a great first-inning catch that forced center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury from the game with a concussion and sprained neck, Luis Severino won for the first time in a month and led the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 3-0 on Wednesday night.

On the first pitch of the game, Ellsbury sprinted 107 feet and raised his glove above his head to catch Alcides Escobar’s fly. Ellsbury’s head jarred into the wall as the ball landed in his glove, and he crumpled to the field.

Ellsbury was checked by manager Joe Girardi and head athletic trainer Steve Donohue and remained in the game, then was replaced by Aaron Hicks starting the second. Girardi said Ellsbury will go on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

Didi Gregorius homered against Jason Hammel (1-6) leading off the third inning, Gregorius’ seventh hit in a span of 12 at-bats. New York tacked on runs with Matt Holliday’s sacrifice fly in the sixth and Brett Gardner’s RBI single over a drawn-in infield in the seventh.

His fastball reaching 99 mph, Severino (3-2) allowed four hits over eight innings, struck out seven, walked one and threw a career-high 114 pitches. Severino, who lowered his ERA to 3.11, had been 0-1 in four outings since beating Boston on April 26.

This year has been quite a turnaround for the 23-year-old right-hander, who lasted only seven starts last season before going to the disabled list and then the minors with an 0-6 record and 7.46 ERA.

Dellin Betances struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his fourth save as the Royals were shut out for a major league-high fifth time.

Hammel, working entirely from the stretch for his fourth straight start, gave up three runs, six hits and two walks in six-plus innings. Hammel, whose 1.69 WHIP is second-worst to Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman among qualified starters, had not pitched since allowing five runs over six innings in a 7-1 loss to the Yankees on May 16. He started with a nine-pitch first innings — all strikes.

FAN HURT

A boy about seven rows behind the third-base dugout was hit on the head by part of Chris Carter’s bat, which shattered on a seventh-inning grounder. Medical personnel carried out the boy, who appeared to have a leg that was in a brace. Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said the fan got first aid at the ballpark and was receiving medical attention elsewhere, but did not disclose where.

RARITY

Gary Sanchez singled leading off the sixth and scored on Holliday’s fly after stealing second and advancing on a wild throw by Salvador Perez, the All-Star catcher’s first error since Aug. 25 against Miami.

HE’S BACK

Royals LF Alex Gordon went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts after missing three games for the birth of daughter Joey Lynn.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Nate Karns was put on the 10-day DL because of nerve irritation in his pitching arm, a move retroactive to Sunday.

Yankees: LHP Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) hopes to start throwing Saturday.

UP NEXT

RHP Masahiro Tanaka (5-3), who has allowed 14 runs and seven homers over 4 2/3 innings in his last two starts, starts for New York in Thursday’s series finale. RHP Miguel Almonte makes his first big league start for the Royals following nine relief appearances two years ago.

— Associated Press —

Missouri falls to LSU in second round of SEC Tournament

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HOOVER, Ala. – Mizzou Baseball dropped its second-round SEC Tournament game with No. 2 LSU, 10-3, Wednesday evening at Hoover Met Stadium. Mizzou jumped ahead on a Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) solo homer in the second inning, but LSU took a 4-1 lead with a four-run third inning and never looked back. The loss snaps a seven-game win streak for the Tigers as they fall to 36-22 on the year.

Mizzou will now play an elimination game against South Carolina Thursday at a time to be determined, but it will likely be around 1:30 p.m. Mizzou freshman LHP T.J Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) was charged with the loss after tossing 4.1 innings on short rest, just five days after throwing a complete game shutout at Tennessee. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits.

Mizzou drew first blood in the top of the second as Misner hit Mizzou’s fourth homer of the tournament, a solo shot that was a no-doubter to right field. It was his seventh homer of the year. His seven homers are the most by a Mizzou true freshman since 2007.

Sikkema allowed a leadoff single in the second, but picked up a pair of strikeouts and a 5-3 putout to escape the jam. LSU then got to Sikkema in the third inning, hanging four runs on four hits with a walk. The fourth run scored on a two-out pop-up that Mizzou couldn’t haul in.

LSU added another run in the fifth before a one-hour, 22-minute rain delay suspended play with runners on the corners and one out. LSU tacked on another run after the break on an RBI groundout and took a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning.

Mizzou had a chance to get back into the game in the seventh, getting two men aboard with one out, but a pair of groundouts got LSU out of the jam. Mizzou got a run in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by junior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) to cut the lead to 6-2. LSU then broke the game open in the bottom of the eighth inning with four runs.

Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) hit a pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth, his third of the year to cut the lead to 10-3. It was Mizzou’s second pinch-hit homer this season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Jayhawks’ Mykhailiuk to return for senior season

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – After working out for his third NBA team Wednesday, University of Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk announced he has withdrawn his name from the 2017 NBA Draft and will return for his senior season at KU.

Mykailiuk sprained his ankle during the NBA combine. After rehabbing he worked out for three teams (New Orleans, Boston and New York) to gage the interest in staying in the upcoming draft.

“I had a lot feedback and I decided to come back,” Mykhailiuk said. “I saw what I need to improve on next year and be a better player. I look forward to being with my teammates and help my team win.”

A 6-foot-8 guard from Cherkasy, Ukraine, Mykhailiuk started 25 games for KU last season and averaged 9.8 points per contest. A two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection who is on course to graduate from KU in May 2018, Mykhailiuk ranked eighth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.9 percent and eighth in 3-point field goals made at 1.9. Mykhailiuk made three or more from beyond the arc in 11 games with four or more treys in four outings. He pulled down 3.0 rebounds per game and also averaged 1.9 steals per contest in 2016-17.

“Svi utilized the process exactly the way it is meant to be,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “Unfortunately for him, he sprained his ankle at the (NBA) combine and was not able to work out for teams as much as he wanted. We know he knows what he needs to do this upcoming season to get to the next level. We’re excited and anxious for Svi to come back and help us play at a high level.”

For his career, Mykhailiuk has played in 97 games for Kansas with 31 starts and a 6.3 scoring average. His 122 3-pointers made rank 20th on the KU career chart, including a career-high six treys against Chaminade (11/23/15) during his freshman season at the Maui Invitational. Mykhailiuk scored career-high 23 points against Austin Peay in the 2016 NCAA Tournament opening round.

— KU Athletics —

Griffons’ Gawley, Glaude earn ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western seniors Nick Gawley and David Glaude from the Griffon baseball team were named 2017 ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Region.

Nick Gawley led Missouri Western on the season with a .364 batting average, 79 hits, 46 runs scored, 39 stolen bases and 18 doubles. His 39 stolen bases were a single season record, third best in division II and sixth in all NCAA divisions. He also ranked second on the team with 36 RBIs and 21 walks.

David Glaude earned his second straight ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honor as he led the team with 114 total bases, 47 RBIs, 29 walks and eight home runs. He was second to Gawley with a .340 batting average, 73 hits, 44 runs scored and 13 doubles. Glaude also broke MWSU career records for home runs, RBIs, doubles and walks this season.

Both senior started all 54 games for Missouri Western as it qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Central Regional. The all-region teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America Committee.

— MWSU Athletics —

Bearcats’ Caenepeel named second team All-Region

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Northwest Missouri State University senior pitcher Anthony Caenepeel has been named to the 2017 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region second team. Last week, the right hander was also named to the 2017 National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association All-Central Region second team and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region second team.

The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America Committee.

Caenepeel, the 2017 MIAA Pitcher of the Year, went 8-5 this season, setting Northwest single-season records with 114 strikeouts and 106.2 innings pitched. He allowed just 25 walks and held opponents to a .226 batting average. He was twice named the MIAA Pitcher of the Week and earned All-MIAA First Team honors. He set the Northwest career record with 267 strikeouts and 278 innings pitched.

— Northwest Athletics —

Kansas upsets No. 6 TCU in Big 12 Tournament

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Backed by a four-run dagger of an eighth inning, the Kansas baseball team defeated No. 6-nationally ranked and No. 2 seeded TCU, 7-3, Wednesday evening at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to open the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.

“This was a great win for our program against one of the best teams in America,” head coach Ritch Price said. “I am very proud of the way we competed and how we grinded out the victory.”

The Jayhawks (30-26) broke a tie in the top of the eighth, just half a frame after a Horned Frog (39-15) rally knotted the game up, 3-3. Sophomore left fielder Devin Foyle drove in the go-ahead RBI that sparked the four-run rally off TCU relief ace Sean Wymer (4-4), who picked up his fourth loss of the season.

Freshman second baseman James Cosentino led off the eighth with a four-pitch walk, before junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin and Foyle hit back-to-back singles to regain the lead. Freshman designated hitter Jaxx Groshans followed with his own single to load the bases and sophomore third baseman David Kyriacou added another run with a sacrifice fly.

However, it would be the two-run base knock by freshman right fielder Brett Vosik the put the game away, 7-3.

The victory came on the heels of an outstanding pitching performance from junior lefty Taylor Turski, who kept the TCU bats at bay for six and 1/3 innings. He struck out eight Horned Frogs without surrendering a walk. His 108-pitch performance allowed Price to go to his team’s strength – the bullpen – with the lead in the seventh.

“I felt great,” Turski said. “I wanted to go in there and throw strikes and attack the hitters, which is what I did. I felt great.”

The task at hand fell to junior Blake Weiman (5-1). The southpaw faced seven batters, and struck out two. His blemish came by way of a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. A failed pickoff attempt and a single later, and TCU tied the game up, 3-3.

Kansas rallied in the eighth and Weiman pitched a perfect bottom half of the inning, before turning the ball over to closer Stephen Villines for the ninth. The senior gave off a leadoff single, but induced the double play, only to follow up with a strikeout to end the game and preserve the Kansas victory, 7-3.

That late rally by the Kansas bats mimicked a third-inning performance that seemed to ignite the Jayhawk dugout. TCU took the lead in the bottom of the second off a two-run triple by designated hitter Zach Humphreys. KU saw that two-run triple and raised a RBI-single by Groshans in the next frame.
38296 McLaughlin hit his second-career three-bagger with one out in the third inning to score sophomore center fielder Rudy Karre (double) and Cosentino (walk), and breath some life back in the Kansas dugout. Groshans followed with a RBI knock up the middle and the Jayhawks found themselves with the lead for the next four innings.

“I think the biggest thing right now is just understanding our window,” McLaughlin said. “We believe if we go out and win two or three games, we will put ourselves in a position to make a regional.”

The victory for Kansas is the first in the Big 12 Championship since 2013 and the second over TCU in tournament play. With the win, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in Texas Tech and TCU, respectively, both lost in the first round to unranked teams.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Turski out of trouble: After giving up a leadoff double in the bottom of the third inning, junior lefty Taylor Turski settled in and retired the next nine Horned Frogs in order. Then back-to-back singles in the bottom of the sixth looked to end Turski’s day, but the southpaw recorded back-to-back strikeouts before a fly out to get out of the jam unscathed.

I see your triple: Just half an inning after TCU broke open the scoring with a two-run triple, junior shortstop Matt McLaughlin matched that effort with his second-career triple – a two-run poke – to knot the game up, 2-2. That set the table for the then-go-ahead RBI by freshman designated hitter Jaxx Groshans for KU’s first lead.

UP NEXT: Kansas is set to play the winner of Oklahoma and Texas on Thursday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

— KU Athletics —

No. 1 seed Nebraska handles Purdue in first game of Big Ten Tournament

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Bloomington, Ind. – The Nebraska baseball team (35-18-1) opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 15-9 win over Purdue (29-26) on a rainy Wednesday night at Bart Kaufman Field.

Junior right-hander Jake Hohensee made his 14th start of the season, and struck out six Boilermakers in 6.0 innings of work. He gave up six runs, all of which were earned, and allowed seven hits. Robbie Palkert earned a save in 3.0 innings of work.

In the first inning, Hohensee retired all three Boilermaker batters, striking out one. Jake Meyers doubled in the leadoff spot to begin the night for Nebraska’s offense. Angelo Altavilla also doubled before Scott Schreiber reached on a throwing error and advanced to second. Ben Miller was walked to load the bases. Luis Alvarado singled to score Altavilla. Luke Roskam was walked, which scored another run for the Big Red. Jesse Wilkening grounded into a double play, but Miller scored. Jake Schleppenbach flew out to right field to end the inning after the Huskers scored four runs.

Purdue’s first four batters reached base with hits in the second frame, which included a pair of doubles. In all, the Boilermakers scored five runs on six hits to take the lead. All three Husker batters were retired in the bottom of the second.

Purdue went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, as Hohensee struck out one Boilermaker. Leadoff hitter Schreiber reached on a fielding error and scored when Miller doubled to right field. Miller scored when Wilkening’s single brought him in after back-to-back outs. NU’s two runs off two hits gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead.

Hohensee struck out all three Boilermakers he faced in the top of the fourth. The Huskers extended their lead in the bottom half of the frame with two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit-by-pitch. Mojo Hagge, the leadoff hitter, singled, and scored along with Meyers, who was hit by a pitch.

Purdue’s Jacson McGowan homered to trim the lead to 8-6, but Hohensee managed to get the other three Boilermakers out in the top of the fifth. NU managed to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 11-6. Four Huskers were walked, while Schreiber and Miller each doubled.

Hohensee gave up a walk in the top of the sixth, but retired the other three hitters, including his sixth strikeout of the game. Schleppenbach reached on a leadoff single and advanced to third, but the Huskers couldn’t bring him in.

Palkert came in for Hohensee before the top of the seventh, and allowed a leadoff double, which led to a Purdue run. The Boilermakers had two groundouts and a strikeout to end the inning. All three Husker batters in the bottom of the seventh struck out.

In the top of the eighth, Purdue scored one run off two hits. Hagge saved an additional run with a catch at the right field wall. Hagge launched a home run to right field that scored Schleppenbach and gave NU a 13-8 advantage. Schreiber also homered, bringing in Altavilla.

In the top of the ninth, Purdue managed a home run, but three consecutive outs led to an NU win.

The Huskers will face the winner of Maryland and Iowa in the next round of the Big Ten Tournament. The game between the Terrapins and Hawkeyes has been moved to Thursday at 9 a.m.

— NU Athletics —

Vincent Crowley, Jr. named wrestling coach at Lafayette

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Vincent Crowley, Jr. is a 1999 Lafayette High School graduate. While at Lafayette, he participated in baseball, track, football, and wrestling. He lettered two years in track, three years in football and four years in wrestling. In track, he was All-Conference, All-District and Sectional Qualifier. In football, he was All-City three times, second team conference and honorable-mention district player as a full-back. In wrestling, he holds the record for most pins and third for most career wins. He was two-time Academic All-State, four-time City Champ, two-time Conference Champ, two-time District Champ and two-time State Qualifier (fourth and fifth).

During high school, Crowley also participated in USA wrestling. He was a Northern Plains bronze medalist and a Southern Plains silver medalist. He was a member of the Freestyle and Greco National Team, a four-time Greco state champ and two-time Freestyle runner-up. He was a Great Britain Tour de Monde champion.

He continued wrestling at Central Missouri State University, where he was a two-time varsity letter winner with a record of 45-21, ranked as high as fourth in the nation. Due to an injury, he ended his college career in wrestling, but became an assistant coach for the program. He majored in CADD technology.

Crowley returned to Lafayette in 2004 as a Technology Education Instructor. He was the Assistant Wrestling Coach from 2004 – 2011 and the Assistant Soccer Coach from 2008 – 2012. From 2012 – 2015, he became an Applied Technology Instructor at Platte City Middle School, where he was the Assistant Wrestling Coach. In 2012, Crowley completed his Masters of Science in Leadership at the University of Central Missouri.

Crowley will take over duties from Kevin Jones, Lafayette’s longtime Head Wrestling Coach, who retired this school year.

— St. Joseph School District Press Release —

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