Sports – Page 823 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Northwest women’s basketball signs three players

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014

Northwest Missouri State women’s basketball coach Michael Smith has announced the signings of three players to National Letters of Intent on Thursday afternoon for the 2014-15 roster. The additions include Alexa Schaaf (El Dorado, Mo.), Morgan Walker (Rembrandt, Iowa) and Samantha Hurst (Harrisonville, Mo.).

Schaaf is a 5-9 guard who was an all-district and an all-state performer for El Dorado Spring High School. She averaged 20.0 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game.

“Alexa is a tall guard that can really shoot it,” said Smith. “She brings a high basketball IQ and a winning mentality to our program. She led her team to the 3A state title this year and leaves as her school’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,600 points.”

Walker is a 5-10 wing player who will head to Northwest after playing two seasons for North Iowa Area Community College, where she was a second team all-region team. Walker, who averaged 10.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, was also named to the Region XI All-Tournament team. She is from Rembrandt,Iowa, where she attended Sioux Central High School.

“Morgan has the ability of beating people off the dribble and stepping out and shooting the 3,” Smith commented. “Her team finished 34-3 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation most of the season. She understands what playing in high pressure games are about and will easily adapt to the rigorous MIAA conference.”

Hurst played two seasons at Kansas City Kansas Community College, averaging13.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. The 5-7 guard earned honorable mention all-region honors for KCKCC. She is from Harrisonville, Mo., and attended Harrisonville High School.

“Sam is a tough hardnosed guard that we feel can be an asset on the defensive end for us,” Smith said. “She gained valuable experience playing in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference. Unfortunately her season was cut short due to an injury, she will have two full seasons left to play starting this fall.”

Last November, Smith signed Raven Bunn, Elizabeth Finn, Tanya Meyer and Bailey Smith to letters of intent.

2014-15 Roster Additions
Raven Bunn – Independence, Mo. (Fort Osage HS)
Elizabeth Finn – Bettendorf, Iowa (Bettendorf HS)
Samantha Hurst – Harrisonville, Mo. (Kansas City Kansas CC/Harrisonville HS)
Tanya Meyer – Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux City West HS)
Alexa Schaaf – El Dorado Springs, Mo. (El Dorado Springs HS)
Bailey Smith – Columbus, Neb. (Columbus HS)
Morgan Walker – Rembrandt, Iowa (North Iowa Area CC/Sioux Central HS)

— Northwest Sports Information —

Cards’ Wainwright limits Nats to 2 hits in complete-game shutout

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam Wainwright threw a two-hitter Thursday night for his seventh career shutout, chipped in at the plate with a double and a single, and St. Louis benefited from four errors by Washington in the Cardinals’ 8-0 victory.

Wainwright (3-1) allowed Ian Desmond’s infield single in the second inning and Adam LaRoche’s single to right in the ninth. He struck out eight and walked three. During one dominant stretch, the runner-up for the 2013 NL Cy Young award retired 18 consecutive batters.

This was the right-hander’s 17th complete game and his fourth two-hitter.

Desmond, Washington’s shortstop, made a pair of errors, raising his season total to seven. The Nationals have 20 through 16 games, an average of 1.25.

Wainwright threw 110 pitches and finished the game by striking out Desmond.

Taylor Jordan (0-1) gave up seven runs, five earned, in 5 1-3 innings.

Matt Adams drove in three runs, Matt Holliday two, and the Cardinals finished with 14 hits. Everyone got in on the act: All nine members of the starting lineup had at least one hit.

St. Louis has won eight in a row against Washington, dating to Game 5 of the 2012 NL division series.

So far this season, the Nationals have beaten weaker opponents, going a combined 8-1 against the Mets and Marlins, and really struggled against better teams, going 1-6 against the Braves and Cardinals.

Remnants of last season, when the Nationals went 6-13 against the Braves, 0-6 against the Cardinals. It is as if Washington sees those clubs and forgets the basics of baseball.

“If you don’t play well against these guys, you’re probably going to get beat,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said before Thursday’s game. “We understand that we have to play the game right and play it well to have a chance to win.”

It was as if his players set out to prove him right.

The game’s first batter, Matt Carpenter, sent a seemingly routine grounder to Desmond, who failed to field the ball cleanly. Then Kolten Wong’s swinging bunt was grabbed by Jordan, but the pitcher could not manage to get the ball out of his glove. That, at least, was ruled a hit.

Up came Holliday, who bounced a double past diving third baseman Anthony Rendon to drive in a run. An RBI groundout scored another, and Yadier Molina’s single through a drawn-in infield made it 3-0.

There was more sloppiness in the fourth, when Desmond’s throwing error was compounded by an error on second baseman Danny Espinosa, who dropped the ball making the transfer on a potential double play, resulting in an RBI for Wainwright that gave St. Louis a 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals kept tacking on runs, including one off rookie reliever Blake Treinen. Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth dropped a flyball in the eighth, but St. Louis didn’t score that inning.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western softball signs junior college pitcher Shyanne Saladino

Posted on April 17, 2014

Missouri Western softball coach Jen Bagley announces the signing of a junior college pitcher for the 2014-2015 season. Shyanne Saladino from Davenport, Iowa is a transfer from Kirkwood CC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Saladino will join Riley Wilson, Rebekah Mueller, Shelbie Atwell, Paige Shifflett and Emilie Laliberte on next years squad as those players signed back in November (2013).

Shyanne Saladino is a 5-5 pitcher from Davenport, Iowa. Saladino will transfer from Kirkwood Community College where she has had an outstanding career. She played her high school softball at Davenport West where she was a five year letter winner. She was an All-State and All-Conference selection four times and was an All-District selection once. So far this season Saladino has a 18-0 record in 20 starts at Kirkwood. She has pitched in 23 games with one save and has pitched 14 complete games. She has pitched 120 innings giving up 89 hits and 21 earned runs for a 1.22 ERA. She has walked just 15 batters with 150 strikeouts (8.75 K/game). She has also had five at bats picking up three hits with three RBI, one run scored and one double.

As a freshman at Kirkwood, Saladino helped her team to a conference and district championship. During her freshman campaign she went 10-0 in 21 appearances. She picked up three saves and pitched six complete games. In 79.2 innings of work she gave up 66 hits, 18 earned runs (1.58 ERA) with 70 strikeouts (6.15 K/game). She is the daughter of Joy and Steve and plans on majoring in exercise science or education at Missouri Western State University.

“Adding Shyanne to our pitching staff is really big for our team,” commented Coach Bagley. “She is a talented pitcher with much to offer athletically. More importantly, she is a competitor that knows how to win. We are excited to get her in black and gold.”

— MWSU Sports Information —

Kansas names Montell Cozart starting quarterback

Posted on April 17, 2014

Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced Thursday morning that sophomore Montell Cozart has been named the Jayhawks’ starting quarterback.

“After the completion of post spring ball evaluations and individual player meetings, I met with the offensive staff and we have decided to name Montell Cozart our starting quarterback,” said Weis.

Cozart earned Offensive MVP honors following KU’s annual Spring Game after leading his Blue team to a 20-10 win over the White team. He finished the game completing 6-of-10 passes for 58 yards, while also rushing for 70 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.

Kansas will open its 2014 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 6, when it plays host to Southeast Missouri State at Memorial Stadium.

— KU Sports Information —

Griffon softball ranked 7th in first NCAA Central Regional poll

Posted on April 16, 2014

The Missouri Western softball team found itself ranked 7th in the first NCAA Central regional ranking, unveiled late Wednesday afternoon by the NCAA Division II softball committee.

The Griffons (31-15), who last qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2012, were one of four Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association teams to sit atop the Central region. In a region comprised of teams from the MIAA, Great America Conference, and the and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Griffons sit ahead of Fort Hays State (8th), Wayne State (Neb.) (9th) and East Central (10th). Minnesota State-Mankato leads the way while Emporia State sits No. 2. Augustana (S.D.), Central Oklahoma, Winona State and Southeastern Oklahoma State came in 3rd-6th respectively.

The top eight teams qualify for the NCAA Central regional, which will begin on May 9 at two campus sites. Seeds one, four, five, and eight will compete at one site in a double-elimination format, while seeds two, three, six, and seven will do the same at a second site. Each sub-regional winner will advance to the Central super-regional the following weekend for a best-of-three showdown, with the advancing team moving on to the NCAA Div. II College World Series – held in Salem, Va., from May 22-26.

The NCAA will release its second of three weekly polls next Wednesday (April 23), with a final regular season release coming on Wednesday, April 30. The selection show will take place on Monday, May 5.

Under the direction of head coach Jen Bagley, the Griffons take will be off until April 24th and 25th when they wrap up their regular season schedule. The Griffons will take on Northeastern State on Friday, April 24 in St. Joseph, Mo. Game time is set for 4 pm. They will round out the season on Saturday, April 25th with a doubleheader against Central Oklahoma beginning at noon.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Bearcats sign Kearney’s Starzl, Montana State transfer Wentz

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum announced the additions of Vance Wentz and Dray Starzl on Thursday afternoon. Wentz redshirted last season at Montana State University and will have four years of eligibility remaining. Starzl recently completed a standout career at Kearney High School in Kearney, Mo.

Wentz was a standout for the Shawnee Mission East Lancers and head coach Shawn Hair, earning second team all-state and All-Sunflower League honors. He surpassed 1,000 career points and led his team to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament as a senior. Wentz redshirted at NCAA Division I member Montana State, and will have four years of eligibility remaining at Northwest. While in high school he also lettered twice in football and played club basketball for KC Run GMC and coach LJ Goolsby. He was a teammate of current Bearcat forward Zach Schneider.

“Vance has a high basketball IQ, he is tough and most importantly, he is a proven winner,” said McCollum. “He shoots the ball well and is a solid rebounder from the guard position. Vance also fits our mold of quality, high character student-athletes and we are extremely excited that he chose to be a Bearcat.”

Starzl was an all-state performer for Gary Belcher at Kearney HS. He was also an All-Suburban Conference honoree and was named to the all-district team. He averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a senior. A two-sportathlete, he also lettered three times in football. This year he earned KKWK, KMZU, Kearney Classic, Holiday Classic and Liberty North accolades. Starzl played club basketball for MoKan Elite and coach Jim Huber. He is the brother of Northwest forward Dillon Starzl, who completed his career this season for the Bearcats.

“Dray runs the floor well, sees the floor well, is a very good passer and can handle the ball,” McCollum commented. “He is tough and will help our program in all aspects over the years. He rebounds and is a solid post scorer and can even step out. Dray is another high character individual and a solid student that we are very excited to add.”

Starzl and Vance join Xavier Kurth as members of this year’s recruiting class. The Bearcats signed the all-state performer Kurth from Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Mo., back in November.

2014-15 Roster Additions
Xavier Kurth       F                6-2           St. Joseph, Mo. (Lafayette HS)
Dray Starzl           F                6-8           Kearney, Mo. (Kearney HS)
Vance Wentz      F                6-4           Leawood, Kan. (Montana State/SM East HS)

— Northwest Sports Information —

Moustakas’ home run lifts Royals past Houston in 11 innings

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

HOUSTON (AP) — Mike Moustakas homered in the 11th inning to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.

Moustakas has been off to a tough start this season and was hitting .098 before his solo shot to the seats in right field off Jerome Williams (0-1) to lead off the 11th.

A small group of Royals fans stood and yelled `Moooooose’ as he rounded the bases after his first homer this year.

Jarrod Dyson singled and added an insurance run on a fielder’s choice.

Danny Duffy (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win and Greg Holland allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless 11th for his fifth save.

Jason Castro and Marc Krauss both had two-run home runs for the Astros. Heralded Houston prospect George Springer made his major league debut, batting second and playing right field.

The 24-year-old, who hit 37 homers combined in Double-A and Triple-A last season, singled and walked, but struck out with one out and a runner on first in the 11th.

Danny Valencia had a solo homer in the second and Salvador Perez tied it up in the seventh with a two-run single.

The Astros went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.

Eric Hosmer had two hits for his fourth multi-hit game. He led the American League last season with 60 such games.

Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar singled with one out in the seventh inning and Hosmer walked with two outs to load the bases. A sharp groundball single by Perez off Matt Albers rolled just out of reach of a diving Marwin Gonzalez and into left field to score two and tie it at 4-4.

The homer by Krauss put Houston up 4-2 in the sixth inning.

Alex Gordon drew a one-out walk in the fourth inning before a single by Valencia. Dallas Keuchel plunked Justin Maxwell on the right hand to load the bases and Gordon scored on a groundout by Cain to tie it at 2-2.

Springer got his first major league hit on a dribbler that traveled just a few feet down the third base line with one out in the third inning. His parents were sitting behind home plate and his mother stood up and waved her hands in the air when he reached first base. Castro’s opposite field homer to left field followed to put Houston up 2-1.

Valencia’s shot to the Crawford Boxes in left field gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Springer drew a leadoff walk in the fifth inning, but was caught stealing in a rundown later in the inning.

Hosmer made a nifty play on a grounder Matt Dominguez hit off the end of his bat for the second out in the eighth inning. He grabbed it on the run backhanded and flipped it to pitcher Kelvin Herrera, who was covering first.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western tennis drops season finale to Washburn

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

In a fight for their playoff lives the Missouri Western tennis team was in a must win in order to have a chance at post season play. A lot like the rest of the season the Griffons play hard but lost a close battle with the Wasbhurn Ichabods 5-4 ending their season. The Griffons took a 2-1 lead after doubles but lost in four of the six singles matches to lose by one. The Griffons end their season with a 1-14 overall record and 1-9 in MIAA play.

After doubles things looked good for the Griffons as they held a 2-1 lead with 8-6 victories by both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Denise Chiao and Lindsay Beger won against Kirsten Holle and Gwen Shepler in No. 2 doubles while Alyssa Dougan and Kayla Dysart won against Nzingha Banks and Sophie O’Neill.

In singles action the Griffons got victories at No. 4 and No. 5 singles but could not pick up the third victory to get the win. Ceara Boldridge won 6-2, 6-2 against Maria MoralCarretero at No. 4 singles while Beger won 6-0, 6-3 against Holle at No. 5 singles. Meara Smith played touch but fell 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 singles to Jodie Blackim while Denise Chiao fell at No. 3 singles by scores of 7-5, 6-0 against O’Neill at No. 3 singles. Dougan played tough but fell 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles while Dysart fell 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.

Washburn 5, Missouri Western 4
Apr 16, 2014 at St. Joseph, Mo. (Noyes Tennis Courts)

Singles competition
1. Buchman,Casyn (WU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Blackim,Jodie (WU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-2, 6-4
3. O’Neill,Sophie (WU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 7-5, 6-0
4. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) def. MoralCarretero,Maria (WU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) def. Holle,Kirsten (WU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Shepler,Gwen (WU) def. Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Buchman,Casyn/Blackim,Jodie (WU) def. Smith,Meara/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-0
2. Chiao,Denise/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) def. Holle,Kirsten/Shepler,Gwen (WU) 8-6
3. Dougan,Alyssa/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) def. Banks,Nzingha/O’Neill,Sophie (WU) 8-6

— MWSU Sports Information —

St. Louis falls short of series sweep at Milwaukee

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke realizes one victory doesn’t necessarily end the St. Louis Cardinals’ recent dominance over the Brewers.

But it’s a start.

Wily Peralta allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings, and the Brewers beat the Cardinals 5-1 Wednesday to avoid a series sweep.

Milwaukee, which entered the series with a nine-game winning streak, had one run and six hits in losing the first two games to St. Louis. The Cardinals won last year’s season series 14-5.

“What’s really important — most important — is we lost two games to begin the series and we got that game back,” Roenicke said. “It’s important against our division, but we have to win more games than they do. It’s not head to head. We have to win more games this season then they do. That’s what we’re playing for.”

Peralta (2-0) allowed six hits and struck out three, and three pitchers combined for scoreless relief.

“He was a show-stopper today,” Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “He stopped their momentum and shut them down. He was a lot of fun to catch.”

Cardinals starter Joe Kelly (1-1) gave up an unearned run and three hits in four innings. Kelly left in the middle of the fourth inning with left hamstring tightness after trying to beat out a bunt attempt in the top half.

“I felt like I tried to step a little quicker, maybe a little overextend and hit the bag a little bit before it and ended up tweaking it,” said Kelly, who said he was scheduled to return to St. Louis for additional examination and treatment. “I was feeling pretty good. I had three pitches working for me first time the whole year. I had a slider, and a pretty good curve ball breaking down and had some velocity on my fastball and was locating it.”

Milwaukee went ahead in the third inning when first baseman Matt Adams misplayed Logan Schafer’s leadoff bouncer for an error, Peralta sacrificed and Carlos Gomez hit an RBI double to the wall in right-center, one pitch after bunting foul.

The Brewers boosted the lead to 4-0 in the fifth against Seth Maness. Wily Peralta reached when his two-out liner went off the glove of shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Gomez walked, Jean Segura reached on an infield single, Lucroy followed with a two-run single and Aramis Ramirez had an RBI single.

“I saw the replay,” Roenicke said on Wily Peralta’s hit. “I thought the ball did something funny on him. When they showed the replay from the center-field camera, you can see the ball slowly turn over, which gives you the idea it’s going to knuckle a little bit. It kind of jumped behind him.”

Allen Craig hit his first home run of the season, a sixth-inning drive off Peralta. Pat Neshek walked pinch-hitter Lyle Overbay with the bases loaded in the eighth.

— Associated Press —

Northwest men’s tennis knocks off UMKC

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014

The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team knocked off Division I member UMKC on Wednesday at the Plaza Tennis Center, 4-3. The win moves Northwest to 14-3 on the year while UMKC is now 7-14 overall.

The Bearcats got four singles wins on the day. Sergio De Vilchez won at No. 1 singles over Tomas Patino, 7-5, 7-6. Alvaro Riveros won at No. 3 singles over Mike Psarros, 6-3, 6-3. At No. 4 singles, Julien Couronne defeated Uldis Gaismins, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 and Fin Glowick won at No. 6 singles over Jai Grewal, 6-3, 6-3. In doubles, Couronne teamed with Romain Boissinot to win at the No. 3 spot, 8-3.

The Bearcats will return home to face Bethany College on Friday, April 18, at 3 p.m. at Frank Grube Tennis Courts. At 12:30 p.m., the team will honor LluisAltimires as part of Senior Day, along with women’s tennis senior Alexis Bartek.

#16 Northwest Missouri 4, Kansas City 3

Singles competition
1. DeVilchez,Sergio (NW) def. Tomas Patino (UMKC) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
2. Andrey Smirnov (UMKC) def. Boissinot,Romain (NW) 6-4, 7-5
3. Riveros,Alvaro (NW) def. Mike Psarros (UMKC) 6-3, 6-3
4. Vinh Pham (UMKC) def. Altimires,Lluis (NW) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Couronne,Julien (NW) def. Uldis Gaismins (UMKC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
6. Glowick,Fin (NW) def. Jai Grewal (UMKC) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Mike Psarros/Tomas Patino (UMKC) def. DeVilchez,Sergio/Clews,Amery (NW) 8-3
2. Conner Edwards/Vinh Pham (UMKC) def. Riveros,Alvaro/Altimires,Lluis (NW) 8-5
3. Boissinot,Romain/Couronne,Julien (NW) def. Uldis Gaismins/Andrey Smirnov(UMKC) 8-3

— Northwest Sports Information —