We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Sports

Martinez throws 5 sharp innings as Cardinals defeat Miami

Posted on

riggertCardinalsJUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton’s first home run of the spring wasn’t enough to help Miami overcome a dazzling pitching performance by Carlos Martinez for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-1 win Wednesday.

An All-Star last season, Martinez threw five shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out five.

“He was nasty,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “It was effortless velocity. Every pitch he had today looked sharp.”

Martinez was particularly pleased with his offspeed deliveries.

“I was able to use that changeup, especially behind in the count — 2-1, 2-0,” Martinez said via a translator. “I liked the fact that I threw it to right-handed hitters. That’s something I’ve been working on. It feels pretty good, so hopefully I can continue to do that.”

Stanton tied it at 1 in the seventh when he hit a 3-0 fastball from Trevor Rosenthal over the center field wall.

“It was good to get on top of a fastball. I’ve seemed to pop up the last couple,” Stanton said.

Brandon Moss doubled home two runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Cardinals had been 0-6-2 in their last eight games.

“We go out to win every time we go out to play the game,” Matheny said. “I didn’t know the exact number. It seemed like it’s been a long time since we’ve slapped high-fives after a game, so it was nice today.”

STARTING TIME

Marlins: Though he only allowed one run, Tom Koehler needed 91 pitches to get through five innings.

“The goal was to get that many (pitches), but not over the course of as few innings,” Koehler said. “I need to be a little more economical.”

Cardinals: Martinez helped himself in the field by making an athletic leaping play to snare a one-hopper hit by J.T. Realmuto, then tossing on to first to end the third inning.

“Believe it or not I’ve been working on that. I’ve been working not to fall down from the mound and trying to follow through because I want to be able to help myself with comebackers,” Martinez said. “Today it worked, so I’m doing a pretty good job with it.”

MATHENY RETURNS

Matheny returned to the dugout after spending a couple of days in West Virginia following the death of his grandmother.

BULLPEN BOUND?

Miami signed Edwin Jackson to compete for a role in its starting rotation but he could break camp as a member of the Marlins bullpen.

“We shortened him up yesterday knowing that that could be a possibility,” manager Don Mattingly said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: CF Marcel Ozuna was a late scratch. He injured his ankle on a slide during Tuesday’s game. Mattingly expects Ozuna to play on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Miami will play its third consecutive game at Roger Dean Stadium when the Twins come to Jupiter. Adam Conley gets the ball for the Marlins against Tommy Milone.

Cardinals: St. Louis heads up to Viera, where ace Adam Wainwright starts against Washington.

— Associated Press —

Missouri’s spring football game to air on SEC Network

Posted on

riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football’s annual Black & Gold Spring Game is set to air live on SEC Network, as announced Wednesday by ESPN and the Southeastern Conference. The game will kick at 5 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium. Tom Hart, Chris Doering and Kayce Smith will be on the call for SEC Network.

Every Southeastern Conference football team playing a spring football game this year will have their game nationally televised, live and in full, on either SEC Network, ESPNU or ESPN.

Every spring game is also available through connected devices on the ESPN and WatchESPN apps.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Cannella’s sac fly gives Griffons walk-off win over No. 15 Emporia State

Posted on

MWSUST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk-off against No. 15 Emporia State, 6-5, on Tuesday at Griffon Park. Cosimo Cannella’s sacrifice fly with one down in the bottom of the ninth plated the winning run for Griffon Baseball (16-8, 8-5).

Cannella’s game winner was set up by a tough at bat from Landon Mason to tie the game at five. Kody Matthews drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk then Ozzie Rodriguez followed with another walk, bringing Mason to the plate. Down 1-2, Mason fouled off six straight pitches before roping a double off the base of the fence in left that scored Michael Babbitt who was pinch running for Matthews. Emporia State intentionally walked Orencio Fisher to load the bases for Cannella, who sent a 1-0 pitch deep to center, scoring Marcus Brown who pinch ran for Rodriguez.

Emporia State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third, but Missouri Western tied it in the bottom half of the third on a three-run home run by Nick Gawley. Emporia added three more in the fifth to set up the showdown in the ninth.

Preston Bailey pitched the last two innings to pick up the win and move to 3-0 on the season. Bailey allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. Mason finished 3-5 with the one run driven in. Cannella was 1-2 with two driven in and a run scored.

The Griffons get one day off before heading to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for a three-game series at Northeastern State. Game one was moved up to Thursday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest takes interim tag off Buck Scheel, naming him women’s basketball coach

Posted on

NWMSUMARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma has announced that Buck Scheel has been named head coach of the Bearcat women’s basketball team. The announcement comes after a nationwide search that included over 100 applicants. A formal press conference to introduce Scheel will be held on Tuesday, March 29, at 11:30 a.m. in the Tower View dining room in the J.W. Jones Student Union.

“During Buck’s two and a half months as interim head coach, it was very evident that he had the qualities that we were looking for in our head women’s basketball coach,” said Tjeerdsma. “I am excited about the culture that he has already begun to establish with our team. There’s no doubt that we have the right person to lead our women’s basketball program back to the top of the MIAA.”

Scheel was named interim head coach on Dec. 16, 2015, prior to a road contest against Lincoln University.

“I want to thank Mel Tjeerdsma, the Northwest administration team and the department of athletics for this opportunity,” Scheel said. “I felt we made some major strides in the second half of our season and I’m excited to get the chance to continue building off of the strong base that we worked hard to establish.

“I am convinced that with our resources at Northwest, there is no question we can build a championship caliber basketball team here. The MIAA is one of the toughest conferences in the nation and continually puts high-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament. I believe that in order to establish a winning culture, you need to start with quality student-athletes, both in the classroom and on the court. I’m excited to be able to continue to represent Northwest Missouri State and I look forward to expanding my role both on campus and in the community.”

Scheel joined the Northwest staff prior to the start of the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach. He previously served as the assistant coach at State Fair Community College, where he helped lead a Lady Roadrunner team to a 68-28 record in three years. SFCC won a Region 16 championship in 2011 and advanced to the Region 16 tournament all three years.

Prior to SFCC, Scheel was the head women’s basketball coach at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, from 2007 to 2010. He coached multiple all-conference athletes both on the floor and in the classroom.

Scheel graduated from Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, where he was a co-captain for two years. He graduated with a degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing. Scheel also worked as a student assistant at Waldorf University following his graduation. He received a master’s degree in sports management from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Ala. Scheel is a native of Columbus, Neb.

Scheel will fill out his staff in the coming weeks.

— Northwest Athletics —

Bearcats get run-ruled at Nebraska-Kearney

Posted on

NWMSUThe Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell at Nebraska-Kearney, 16-5, on Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Field in Kearney, Neb.

The Bearcats are now 13-10 overall and 8-5 in MIAA play. The Lopers improved to 12-10 and 9-4 in conference action.

The game was called in the seventh inning with the MIAA run rule.

The Bearcats scored five runs on seven hits but committed four errors. Northwest got one in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth.

Nebraska-Kearney scored one in the second, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, three in the sixth and eight in the seventh. The Lopers had 13 hits and four errors.

Hondo Pearcy started the game for Northwest, going 3.2 innings. He allowed four runs but only one was earned. He struck out five batters.

Derek Meyer was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.  Kolby Greenslade went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. He also stole a base for Northwest.  Ozzie Adams was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base.

With two outs in the second inning, Fort reached on an error by the second baseman and promptly stole second base. With a 2-1 count, Meyer drove a ball to deep right center for a double to score Fort, putting Northwest up, 1-0.

Greenslade led off the third with a single to center that was misplayed allowing him to go to second. Adams walked a batter later. With one out, Adams seemingly got caught in a rundown between first and second but on the play, Fort was able to advance home on an error by the catcher. Lewis singled to right, scoring Adams from second to make it 3-1 Bearcats.

With two outs in the fourth, Meyer singled to center. Barratt came up next and also singled to center and again Northwest took advantage of an error by the Lopers, scoring Meyer all the way from first and Barratt took thrid base. Greenslade hit an infield single in the the next at bat, scoring Greenslade from third.

The Bearcats will head to Warrensburg, Mo., to take on Central Missouri starting on Thursday, March 24, at 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

MWSU men’s golf team finishes 10th at Central Oklahoma

Posted on

riggertMissouriWesternOKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Missouri Western men’s golf team finished the final round of the Broncho Invitational on Tuesday afternoon with a final team score of 675, finishing in 10th place.  The event took place at the Gaillardia Country Club which is a par 72 – 7136 yard golf course.

Missouri Western was led by Jakob Rudosky, recording a 162 in his two rounds of golf. He was tied for 12th place individually, shooting an 80 and 82. Ryan Hand tied for 22nd in the tournament with a score of 163. Corey Knight shot a 168 in his two rounds of golf, finishing tied for 46th place.

Oklahoma Christian won the team title, scoring a 631 team score in the two round tournament. Central Oklahoma finished second firing a 632 and Southwestern Oklahoma State finished with a 639 for third place.

MWSU finished one stroke ahead of Southern Arkansas for 10th place. The Griffons were just behind Southern Nazarene and Henderson State in the overall standings.

Missouri Western returns to action on April 4th for the Henderson State tournament in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the Big Creek Golf Course.

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs Houston may miss 2016 season after ACL surgery

Posted on

riggertChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pro Bowl pass rusher Justin Houston could miss the upcoming season for the Kansas City Chiefs after having surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee that bothered him in the playoffs.

Houston hurt his knee in a game against Buffalo last November, and at the time it was diagnosed as a hyperextension. He missed the remainder of the regular season but returned wearing a brace for the playoffs, playing 44 snaps in a win over Houston, but just eight in a loss to New England.

Still feeling discomfort in the knee, Houston visited orthopedist Dr. James Andrews for an arthroscopic procedure during the first week of February. Andrews realized that the ligament was not functioning properly.

After discussing his options with the Chiefs, Houston had surgery to repair it on Feb. 16.

“As you know from past, those are six-to-12 month recoveries,” Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Tuesday, “so it’s too early to tell where he’s at right now, but he’s on the road to recovery.”

That timeframe means Houston could return by the start of the season if everything goes perfectly. It also means he could miss the entire season if there are any setbacks.

“We’re hoping, just because of his work ethic and he’s been a fast healer in the past, we’re hoping that that’s not the case, that he’ll be able to play this season,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “When and where that is, it’s too early to be able to tell.”

Houston has established himself as one of the league’s premier pass rushers, earning All-Pro honors when he led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014. He parlayed that performance into a huge contract after Kansas City designated him its franchise player, a $101 million, six-year deal with $52 million guaranteed.

Despite playing just 11 regular-season games last season, Houston still had 7 1/2 sacks.

“Right now he’s in the middle of the process of doing rehabilitation,” Burkholder said. “(The injury) was a little bit tricky because his ACL wasn’t torn, but it wasn’t functioning the way it should.”

The injury may explain in part why the Chiefs moved quickly to re-sign veteran pass rusher Tamba Hali to a $22 million, three-year contract in free agency. Hali made the Pro Bowl last season, but he battled his own knee issues throughout the year and appears to be on the downward side of his career.

Hali had surgery to clean up his right knee in February, but should be back by training camp.

“He’s here every day as well. He’ll be ready to go in July,” Burkholder said. “That’ll come down to (Reid) and myself, with some help from our strength coaches, to give him some adequate prep work as well as rehab as well as recovery, just like we did last year.”

In other injury news, punter Dustin Colquitt had surgery on his right knee in January to remove some hardware from an operation he had in high school. He’s expected to be ready for the season.

Running back Jamaal Charles and cornerback Phillip Gaines, who had ACLs repaired about a week apart, are also making progress. The Chiefs are optimistic both of them will be ready by training camp.

“They aren’t ready right now, as we didn’t think they would be,” Burkholder said. “You’ll see them a little bit at the OTAs and minicamps in some limited work.”

Middle linebacker Justin March, who had micro-fracture surgery on his right knee in August, should be ready to begin the Chiefs’ offseason program April 18. Offensive lineman Paul Fanaika, who had lower back surgery in September, and tight end James O’Shaughnessy, who had his right foot operated on in November, are also planning to participate in the offseason program.

Then there’s Reid, who missed the scouting combine in Indianapolis and this week’s league meetings in Florida while waiting to have his own troublesome knee replaced.

“I’ve got, probably, three-to-four more weeks in the process of just getting the infection out of there,” Reid said. “It’s a non-weight-bearing process, so my arms are getting in good shape. I think we’re on the downside of the infection part of it, we’ll get the replacement put in in a month or so — three-to-four weeks and we’ll go from there with the rehab.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest tennis teams split at Newman Tuesday

Posted on

Northwest2013riggertThe Northwest Missouri State University men’s tennis team beat Newman University, 7-2, on Tuesday while the women’s team fell to the Jets, 7-2, in Wichita, Kan.

The men’s team moves to 7-1 overall with the win while No. 35 Newman is 5-8.  The Bearcat women are now 5-5 overall and the Jets improved to 11-3.

Match Results
Men’s Scores
1. Boissinot,Romain (NW) def. Santos,Eduardo (NU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Riveros,Alvaro (NW) def. Gonzalez,Alejandro (NU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ebinal,Andre (NU) def. Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) 7-6, 6-7, 10-6
4. Tete,Mauro (NW) def. Pyle,Max (NU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Glowick,Fin (NW) def. Fernandez,Diego (NU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Coiras,Jose (NU) 8-2

1. Santos,Eduardo/Gonzalez,Alejandro (NU) def. Riveros,Alvaro/Fontcuberta,Sergi (NW) 8-5
2. Boissinot,Romain/Autones,Aymeric (NW) def. Pyle,Max/Coiras,Jose (NU) 8-6
3. Abaitua,Vazquez/Tete,Mauro (NW) def. Fernandez,Diego/Ebinal,Andre (NU) 8-5

Women’s Scores
1. Bugayenko,Kate (NU) def. Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NW) 6-4, 6-0
2. Emersic,Kaja (NW) def. Brill,Venessa (NU) 6-3, 6-0
3. Stoianova,Kateryna (NU) def. Jacquet,Margaux (NW) 6-3, 6-2
4. Tskhakaia,Tamar (NU) def. Gallardo,Andrea (NW) 6-1, 6-2
5. Raga,Ariana (NU) def. Berghaus,Marie (NW) 6-0, 6-0
6. Sestokaite,Vilune (NW) def. Lemmens,Marit (NU) 8-4

Doubles competition
1. Brill,Venessa/Raga,Ariana (NU) def. Sestokaite,Vilune/Jarolim,Lorena Rivas (NW) 8-6
2. Bugayenko,Kate/Stoianova,Kateryna (NU) def. Kolen,Aniek/Jacquet,Margaux (NW) 8-5
3. Tskhakaia,Tamar/Wise,Emily (NU) def. Emersic,Kaja/Gallardo,Andrea (NW) 8-5

The Bearcat men will stay in Wichita to take on Wichita State on Wednesday, starting at 1 p.m. Both teams will be at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, March 25, at 2 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Benedictine women fall to Baker in NAIA semifinal

Posted on

riggertBenedictineINDEPENDENCE, Mo. – Baker (Kan.) used a big first quarter to propel into the 2016 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship title game, as the Wildcats defeated Benedictine (Kan.), 50-34, Monday night in semifinal action.

“I thought we shot the ball exceptionally well in the first half,” said Baker head coach Ben Lister. “We took rhythm shots, we weren’t forcing shots. I didn’t expect us to be in that good of a rhythm, but they were settled down right away and played extremely well.”

The Wildcats jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first six minutes of the game after a layup from senior Macy Wallisch. Baker extended the advantage to 16 (23-7) when Kelsey Larson scored three of her nine points with 1:12 left in the quarter.

Baker was able to control the game into the second quarter, as Benedictine shot just 2-of-13 (15.3 percent) from the field. Baker ended the period on a 13-0 run to take a 21-point lead – its the largest of the first half – into the halftime break, 36-15.

Both teams struggled on offense in the third quarter, as the two teams scored six points each on a combined 5-of-27 shooting. Despite the shooting woes, Baker was able push its lead to a game-high 25 points.

The Ravens cut the lead to 14 in the final period, but that iss as close as they would get.
In the second half, the two teams combined for 33 points on 12-of-48 shooting from the field. Additionally, the two clubs were 3-of-19 from behind the 3-point line, including a 0-of-11 performance from distance from the Wildcats.

Benedictine was led in scoring by Ali Taff, who scored 12 points. Benedictine’s top three scorers in this championship (Jordan Kramer, Kristen Murphy and Chayla Rutledge), who were all averaging double figures, were held to just 14 points total.

Baker was led in scoring by Simpson’s season-high 24 points and was the only Wildcats player in double figures. Sydney Buchel recorded a two-point, nine-rebound, three-assist, and four-block performance.

After recording four blocks tonight, Wallisch now as a championship-high 18 blocks in four games. As a team, Baker, who ranks No. 1 in the NAIA in blocks per game (6.0) and total blocks (210), recorded 12 blocks in the game.

The Ravens, who ranked No. 10 in the NAIA in assists per game (15.3) and No. 5 in total assists (537), finished with just two assists on the night.

Baker dominated the paint, as they outscored the Ravens 24-10 in the paint and 12-4 in second chance points.

The Wildcats will appear in their first national title game against the winner of the No. 6-seed Pikeville (Ky.) and No. 2-seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.). The title game will start at 6:30 p.m.

— NAIA Press Release —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File