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Category: Sports

Matchups revealed for 2019-20 Big 12/BIG EAST scheduling alliance

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Irving, Texas – The Big 12 and BIG EAST revealed the 2019-20 matchups for the inaugural year of the men’s basketball scheduling alliance between the two conferences.

The matchups were jointly determined and include four games that were previously scheduled. The home school will have the right to determine the venue of its game. Broadcast rights of the games will be determined by the conference national television rights agreement of the home team. The Big 12 television rights are controlled by ESPN and the BIG EAST’s men’s basketball television rights are controlled by FOX Sports.

Games will be played in the month of December with dates announced once available.

The four-year agreement will continue through 2022-23 with an equal number of games played in each conference’s home market each year.

2019-20 Big 12/BIG EAST Scheduling Alliance Matchups
Butler at Baylor
Seton Hall at Iowa State
Kansas at Villanova*
Marquette at Kansas State*
Oklahoma at Creighton*
Georgetown at Oklahoma State
Xavier at TCU
Texas at Providence*
Texas Tech at DePaul
West Virginia at St John’s

*Pre-existing matchups

Northwest national championship celebration set for April 14 at Bearcat Arena

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MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team will host a national championship celebration on Sun., April 14, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.

This free event will give fans the opportunity to interact with members of the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship team and coaching staff. The team will be available to sign autographs for approximately two hours.

Fans will receive Northwest’s exclusive Bearcat men’s basketball 2019 national championship poster. Fans will be limited to two (2) items to be signed, including the FREE championship poster. This is a courtesy to the student-athletes and other celebration attendees.

The 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship trophy also will be on display.

— Northwest Athletics —

Royals blow another late lead, get swept by Twins

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli really wanted to give Byron Buxton a rest, a day after the center fielder bruised his ribs when he crashed into the wall chasing down Adalberto Mondesi’s inside-the-park home run.

But then the perfect situation arose to insert the speedster Wednesday, and Baldelli made the move. After Nelson Cruz drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, Buxton entered as a pinch-runner.

On the next pitch, Buxton swiped second, his 30th straight successful steal.

Eddie Rosario followed with a single and Buxton scored the go-ahead run as the Minnesota Twins used a late rally for the second straight day, beating the Kansas City Royals 7-6.

“That’s the only thing he was going to be used for today, regardless of what else happened in the game,” Baldelli said. “He did not waver one bit. He said he was feeling good and he went out there and changed the game again. That’s the kind of stuff that he can do.”

Max Kepler hit a tying, two-run single with two outs in the Twins eighth.

Willians Astudillo and Mitch Garver each had three hits and scored twice for Minnesota.

Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 25 games, tied with George Brett and Mike Sweeney for third longest by a Royals player. Alex Gordon homered and drove in four runs for Kansas City.

Mondesi kept up his fast start for the Royals with two more hits, including his third triple of the season. The 23-year-old shortstop also flashed the leather in the field, laying out for a catch in shallow left to leave the bases loaded in the sixth and then starting an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the seventh.

Trevor May (1-0) threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win and Blake Parker picked up his second save in as many days.

The game drew an announced crowd of 10,575. A day earlier, the Twins scored the tying run in the ninth and won 5-4 in the 10th on an RBI single by Cruz — that game drew 10,024, the lowest at Kauffman Stadium in eight years.

Despite surrendering a run in the first, Twins starter Kyle Gibson cruised through 4 2/3 innings. But after retiring the first two hitters in the fifth, the next seven batters reached base — one on an error — and he left with the Royals leading 6-3. Albert Mejia threw 2 1/3 innings to keep the Twins in the game.

“I mean, Mejia did a great job. He came in and gave the offense the break they needed right then and put up a couple zeros and gave our guys a chance to fight back,” Gibson said. “We got a lot of quality arms done there and the ability to put up zeros quick and give the team a chance to get one run at a time.”

Three Twins relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. The Kansas City bullpen faltered, giving up four runs and six hits over four innings.

“Whenever you’re at home and get a come-from-behind loss like that, it’s always frustrating,” Gordon said. “It’s early. We have to keep running them out there and giving them chances. Hopefully it turns around.”

Homer Bailey, who was 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA last year with Cincinnati, was solid in his Kansas City debut. He threw five innings, allowing five hits and three runs and striking out eight. But for the second consecutive day, the Royals bullpen couldn’t shut down the Twins.

“He spotted his fastball well. He had a good split, a good breaking ball. He made a couple of mistakes. But all in all, I thought it was a good first outing for him,” manager Ned Yost said.

GETTING IN A GROOVE

After three off days in the first week of the season, Kansas City will play games on 19 consecutive days beginning Saturday at Detroit, something Yost is looking forward to.

“I’m glad we get past Friday and we get to roll for a while,” Yost said. “I’m happy for that.”

The Twins have five days off in the first 12 days of the season, the most in baseball. Beginning April 12, Minnesota has a game on 13 straight days.

ROSTER MOVES

Kansas City added Bailey to the roster prior to the game. RHP Chris Ellis, who made his major league debut on Sunday, was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Royals: Jakob Junis gets his second start of the season Thursday as the Royals hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Detroit for a three-game series with the Tigers. Junis was the winning pitcher Saturday in his first start of the season, giving up three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work as the Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 8-6.

Twins: Jake Odorizzi tries to follow up an outstanding first start of the season Friday at Philadelphia as Minnesota continues a nine-day road trip. Odorizzi matched his career high with 11 strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision Saturday against Cleveland.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals escape jam in extras to beat Pirates

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tyler O’Neill capped another St. Louis rally by driving in Kolten Wong for the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Cardinals surged past the Pirates 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Two days after coming back from four runs down to beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh’s home opener, St. Louis again took advantage of another wobbly performance by the Pirates’ bullpen.

Harrison Bader hit a two-run homer off Keone Kela in the eighth to tie the game at 3. Wong led off the 10th with a triple against Nick Burdi (0-1) and scored when O’Neill followed two batters later with a sharp single to right. Bader pushed the lead two when he scored on a wild pitch by Francisco Liriano.

John Gant (2-0) worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the win. Dakota Hudson collected his first major league save when he stranded the tying run at third in the 10th. Paul DeJong added a solo home run for St. Louis, which finished 3-3 on a season-opening six-game road trip.

Adam Frazier had three hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Jung Ho Kang hit his first home run in 2 1/2 years for Pittsburgh. The Pirates went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

Jameson Taillon dominated the Cardinals for seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts.

Taillon spent 87 pitches keeping the Cardinals off balance. St. Louis needed to see just six pitches from Kela to tie it.

Kela, who walked in the tying run on Monday, inherited a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth. He threw four straight balls to Wong, then saw his second offering to Bader end up in the St. Louis bullpen beyond the wall in center field.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas slogged through five innings. He retired the Pirates in order just once and spent most his night working in and out of trouble. The allowed three runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Taillon, expected to be the anchor of a starting staff the Pirates will rely on heavily in an attempt to be a factor in the wide-open NL Central, certainly looked the part. He retired 11 straight at one point before his lone mistake, a fastball over the middle that DeJong sent into the seats in left-center for his second home run of the season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LF Marcell Ozuna was scratched shortly before the game with tightness in his right side. Jose Martinez filled in. … RF Dexter Fowler started and went 0 for 3 two days after taking a foul ball off his left foot that required x-rays afterward.

Pirates: LF Corey Dickerson did not start due to soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder. He grounded out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. … C Elias Diaz (illness) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Bradenton on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Head home for the first time this season and welcome San Diego for a three-game series at Busch Stadium starting Friday. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday before being pushed back due to weather concerns. Jack Flaherty (0-0, 8.31 ERA) starts for the Cardinals against Nick Margevicius (0-1, 1.80).

Pirates: Begin a four-game home set with Cincinnati on Thursday. Jordan Lyles makes his first start for the Pirates against Tyler Mahle. The teams split a two-game series in Cincinnati last weekend.

— Associated Press —

MWSU’s Ong wins third consecutive MIAA Golfer of the Week award

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the third consecutive week this spring, the MIAA has named Shi Qing Ong MIAA Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week. Ong receives the this week’s honors after a dominating win at the Henderson State Invitational in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Ong’s victory on Tuesday gives her four-straight event wins, winning each of Missouri Western’s spring competitions thus far. Ong established herself as the favorite early in the tournament after her career-best score of 67 (-5) in the opening round, eclipsing her previous-best mark of 69. She would follow that score with a 71 (-1) in the second and a 72 (E) in the third and final round on Tuesday.

With a three-round total of 210, Ong cruised to a seven-stroke win. She topped a leaderboard that included 64 golfers from 12 NCAA Div. II teams, leading the Griffons to a top-three finish. She also led the field with 11 birdies to go along with her 38 pars.

With four-straight event wins and three-straight MIAA Golfer of the Week awards, Ong and the Griffons will travel to Springfield, Missouri for the Central Region Preview on April 8.

— MWSU Atheltics —

Northwest’s Joey Witthus earns another All-America honor

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Northwest Missouri State University senior Joey Witthus has earned first-team all-America honors from the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association.

Witthus (Chanhassen, Minnesota) has already been named a first-team all-America selection by the NABC and Basketball Times. It’s the third straight season that Northwest has had a player earn first-team all-America status from the D2CCA as Justin Pitts tallied first-team status in both 2017 and 2018.

Witthus, the MIAA player of the year and most outstanding player at the MIAA tournament, averaged a team-best 21.1 points per game and shot 50.9 percent from the field. Witthus buried an-MIAA high 114 three-pointers, and he shot 45.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Witthus led Northwest in free throws made (170) and he shot 86.3 percent from the free throw line. Witthus earned a spot in the Elite Eight All-Tournament team after helping lead Northwest to the 2019 NCAA Division II national championship.

2019 D2CCA Men’s Basketball All-America Teams


First-Team
Name		 School Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown
Will Vorhees Notre Dame College F 6-8 Sr. Lima, Ohio
Joey Witthus Northwest Missouri State G 6-7 Sr. Chanhassen, Minn.
Shaun Willett Queens University F 6-4 Sr. Palm Bay, Fla.
Amir Hinton Shaw University G 6-5 Jr. Philadelphia, Pa.
Ryan Quaid West Texas A&M G 6-6 Sr. Fort Collins, Colo.

Second-Team Name		 School Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown
DaultonHommes Point Loma G 6-8 Jr. Lynden, Wash.
Alex White University of Findlay F 6-7 Sr. West Chester, Ohio
Tommy Bolte Concord University G 6-1 Sr. Chillicothe, Ohio
Andrew Sischo Daemen C 6-9 So. Guilderland, N.Y.
Jonathan Lawton Florida Southern G 6-2 Sr. Williamstown, N.J.

Third-Team Name		 School Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown
Marquill Smith West Georgia G 6-4 Sr. Miami Gardens, Fla.
Cam Martin Missouri Southern F/C 6-9 So. Yukon, Okla.
Gage Davis St. Cloud State G 6-4 Sr. Bolingbrook, Ill.
Ryan Bruggeman Southwest Minnesota State G 6-0 Sr. Pelican Rapids, Minn.
Tim Guers Saint Anselm G 6-3 Sr. Langhorne, Pa.

Honorable Mention: Mark Matthews, Nova Southeastern; Anthony Lee, Kutztown; Adam Eberhard, Bellarmine; Kevin Buckingham, Southeastern Oklahoma State; Alex Stein, Southern Indiana

Missouri Western softball sweeps Lincoln 8-0 and 13-0

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ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Softball ended an 11-game homestand with a bang Tuesday night. Missouri Western (20-14, 7-5) swept a doubleheader from Lincoln (4-30, 1-15) as they won 8-0 and 13-0.

After being held to one hit and no runs through the first four innings, the Griffons had four hits and were helped by three Lincoln errors in an eight-run game two fifth inning to win by run rule. In game two, the Griffs scored early and often with two in the first, five in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth to win again via run-rule.

NOTABLES

  • Nine Griffons got to the plate without an out being recorded in the eight-run game two fifth inning
  • The first five Griffs to the plate all got on base to chase Lincoln starter Shannon Greene from the game. Greene had held the Griffs scoreless on just one hit through the first four innings
  • On the night, Missouri Western scored 21 runs on 20 hits and eight Lincoln errors
  • MWSU had six doubles and three home runs, all of the homers coming in game two
  • The Griffons batted .426 and held Lincoln to a .171 average in the doubleheader
  • Griffon pitchers Kaili Hinds (10-3) and Lexi Kinnaird (5-3) held Lincoln scoreless on six total hits and three walks. They combined for nine strikeouts
  • Kinnaird pitched a two-hit complete game shutout with five strikeouts and just one walk. The second hit the senior allowed was a bloop to left in what proved to be the final inning.
  • The Griffons were not charged with an error through 10 innings of play
  • Brea Blanton went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader with four RBIs, a double and a home run. She also scored four runs and walked once.
  • Sydni Hawkins and Emma Hoffart each had three hits in the doubleheader
  • Morgan Frost drove in four runs and was 2-for-2 in game two with a double and a home run

UP NEXT

  • The Griffs play on the road for the first time since March 12 with a trip to Fort Hays State (14-13, 7-5) on April 6 followed by a doubleheader at Nebraska-Kearney (10-16, 6-6) on April 7.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals blow 9th inning lead, fall to Twins in 10 innings

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nelson Cruz got a second chance and delivered a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning, giving the Minnesota Twins a 5-4 victory over the Royals on Tuesday night before Kansas City’s smallest announced home crowd in eight years.

Cruz appeared to ground out against reliever Brad Boxberger (0-1) with runners on first and second when third base umpire James Hoye signaled his chopper fair. But plate umpire Mark Ripperger came in and signaled it was foul, and after the two umps visited it was Ripperger’s call that stood.

Cruz followed a couple pitches later with his third RBI of the game.

Trevor Hildenberger (1-0) got the final out of the ninth inning for Minnesota, and Blake Parker worked around a two-out walk in the 10th to earn his first save.

Kansas City announced attendance as 10,024, the lowest at Kauffman Stadium since 9,279 against Cleveland on April 21, 2011.

The Royals took the lead with one out in the eighth on an inside-the-park home run by Adalberto Mondesi, only for starter-turned-reliever Ian Kennedy to cough it right back up in the ninth.

Jorge Polanco led off with a double and, after Nelson Cruz flied out, Eddie Rosario delivered his first hit of the season to tie the game. Rosario eventually reached third on a single by Marwin Gonzalez, but Kennedy bounced back to retire Jonathan Schoop and escape the inning.

Mondesi finished a triple shy of the cycle, driving in a run with a single in the first and hitting a double in the third. Ryan O’Hearn also homered while Hunter Dozier added a sacrifice fly.

The game was supposed to be a matchup of bright young pitchers, and the Twins’ Jose Berrios and Royals counterpart Brad Keller followed up scoreless outings on opening day with solid starts.

They just weren’t around to see the finish.

Berrios allowed three runs on seven hits over seven innings, while Keller struggled with his command most of the night. He got some help when Max Kepler was thrown out trying to steal second, but the right-hander still allowed three runs on five hits over six innings.

The Royals bullpen nearly coughed up the game right after Keller took a bow.

Tim Hill allowed back-to-back singles to the only two batters he faced, and Wily Peralta issued a full-count walk to load the bases with nobody out. But their erstwhile closer bounced back to bookend a pair of strikeouts around a lineout and left the bases loaded.

Mondesi’s drive off reliever Taylor Rogers in the eighth hit high off the wall, just past the outstretched glove of centerfielder Byron Buxton. It bounced far enough away that Mondesi was able to score with ease for his first career inside-the-park homer.

Buxton was removed from the game in the ninth inning to be evaluated.

NEW CATCHER

The Royals acquired C Andrew Susac from Baltimore for cash. Susac had been dropped from the Orioles’ 40-man roster earlier this year and failed to make the major league team coming out of spring training. He’s a career .221 hitter over parts of five big league seasons.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins RHP Matt Magill and LHP Gabriel Moya, both on the injured list with shoulder tendinitis, are throwing bullpen sessions in extended spring training. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Magill is ahead of Moya and both are ahead of LHP Addison Reed, who is dealing with a sprained thumb.

UP NEXT

The Royals plan to add RHP Homer Bailey to the roster Wednesday to make his season debut against the Twins. RHP Kyle Gibson will start for Minnesota in the finale of their two-game set.

— Associated Press —

Griffons’ Ong wins 4th straight tournament; MWSU finishes 3rd

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MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – For the fourth time in as many events this spring, Missouri Western senior Shi Qing Ong won the individual title as MWSU wrapped up play at the Henderson State Invitational on Tuesday. The Griffons placed third in the field of 12 teams and had the best finish of the five MIAA schools competing.

Missouri Western finished the event with a combined team score of 906 over the three rounds. The Griffons were consistent throughout the invitational, scoring single-round totals of 302, 300, and 304. Winning the event with a score of 893 on its home course was Henderson State, while Texas A&M Commerce took second with a 901.

Ong’s fourth-consecutive victory was never in doubt throughout the three rounds of the tournament, as the senior won the event by seven strokes. Her margin of victory becomes her largest during her current win streak. After scores of 67 (-5) and 71 (-1) on Monday, Ong closed with a 72 (E) in the third round for a total of 210.

Ong finished with a field-high 11 birdies, while also adding 38 pars. She excelled in the holes with higher pars, leading the field in both par-four and par-five scoring. The victory gives Ong her 13th win at Missouri Western.

Chong Yong shot a 77 in the third round, tying her for 28th with an overall score of 232. She also had the second-most pars on the team with 33.

Anna Bech and Jenna Kosmatka finished with scores of 235 and 236 respectively. Bech had one of the best single-round scores on the team when she shot a 74 (+2) in the second.

Katie Irvin had her best round of the event in Tuesday’s final round, shooting a 75 (+3) to bring her three-round total to 240.

Missouri Western will compete for the final time before the MIAA Championship when the team travels to Springfield, Missouri for the Central Region Spring Preview on April 8.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest Missouri State softball takes two from Lindenwood

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State University softball team ran its win streak to four in a row with a doubleheader sweep of the Lindenwood Lions on Tuesday.

Northwest scored a walk-off win in game one, 11-10. The Bearcats then posted a 7-1 victory in the nightcap. Northwest is 9-14 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play. Lindwenwood is 17-13 overall and 6-10 in league play.

Game One
Lindenwood started the game strong offensively scoring four runs in the first inning to claim an early 4-0 lead.

The Bearcats answered in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run homer from Kaitlyn Weis to cut the lead 4-2.

Grace Ruehle evened the score at 4-4 with a two-run homer that plated Sydne Brashear in the second.

Lindenwood scored a run in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice fly to take a 5-4 lead.

Olivia Daugherty scored when Kaitlyn Weis reached on a fielder’s choice but Lindenwood catcher Becca Stocker’s throw went awry to first base allowing Daugherty to score from second and tie the game at 5-5.

Daughterty looked to put things out of reach in the fifth when she connected on a grand slam to give the Bearcats a 9-5 lead.

However, Lindenwood had its first seven batters reach base in the top of the seventh to rally for a 10-9 lead over Northwest.

But Daugherty came through in the clutch with a two-out, walk-off, two-run homer to right field that gave the Bearcats a dramatic 11-10 victory.

Rachel Smith earned her fourth win of the season.

Game Two
Northwest wasted little time in building a six-run advantage. The Bearcats put up a pair of three-run innings in the first and second.

The reigning MIAA hitter of the week Erin Keeney came through with a two-run single and Kiana Baderdeen hit a sac fly to give Northwest a 3-0 lead in the first.

Keeney laced a three-run double to right center in the second to give starter Regan Thompson a 6-0 lead.

The Lions scored an unearned run in the fifth to break up Thompson’s shutout bid.

Jaedra Moses singled to left field in the bottom of the sixth, bringing in Brashear for the game’s final tally and giving Northwest a 7-1 triumph.

Thompson tossed a three-hit gem with five strikeouts and allowed one unearned run. Thompson moves to 4-6 on the season.

Up next for the Bearcats is a road trip to Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays on Saturday and Sunday.

NOTES: Olivia Daugherty leads the squad with a .436 batting average, four home runs and 21 RBI … Kaitlyn Weis is batting a .420, with eight homers and 26 RBI … Erin Keeney leads the squad with 30 RBI.

— Northwest Athletics —

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