KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are awaiting MRI exam results on pitching prodigy Yordano Ventura and have learned top prospect Kyle Zimmer will miss additional time with his own injury.
Ventura’s 100 mph fastballs have made him a budding star. He was removed from Monday night’s loss to Houston with discomfort in his right elbow, but the Royals are hopeful that his injury is not to a ligament because it was on the opposite side from where those injuries are typically felt.
Meanwhile, the team said in a statement Tuesday that Zimmer, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, will be kept from even playing catch for at least six weeks because of a strained back muscle.
Zimmer was already getting a slow start to the season because of biceps tendinitis.
A North Platte woman was arrested Monday night for going to Walmart, a store from which she had been banned.
According to Investigator John Deal, officers received a report that Latosha Ryan was inside Walmart, even though she had previously been banned from the store.
An officer stopped Ryan as she was exiting the store.
Deal said Ryan voluntarily showed the contents of her purse to the officer, which revealed an unmarked pill bottle containing a scheduled controlled substance.
Ryan was eventually able to prove that she had a prescription for the substance, but, because it was not in the original container, she was cited for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance-other than the original container.
The North Platte First Nationals American Legion baseball team played six games over Memorial Day Weekend and went 3-3.
The First Nationals (4-5) traveled to Lincoln on Friday for a doubleheader against JC Brager. JC Brager won the first game 6-0 behind the arm of Connor Curry. Curry threw a one-hit shutout against North Platte. The First Nationals lone hit came off the bat of Ty Brockmoller. Jace Barker took the loss on the mound for North Platte. Barker threw four and one-third innings, giving up five runs, three of them earned, on seven hits.
The second game of the doubleheader was a pitchers dual as JC Brager won 2-1. North Platte struck first with a run in the third inning before JC Brager scored two in the fifth to secure the win. Despite scoring one run in the game North Platte didn’t have a hit. JC Brager’s Noah Kulhanek threw the no-hitter and earned the win, giving up just the unearned run. Darian Allberry took the loss on the mound for North Platte after pitching four and one-third innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. Following Friday’s games North Platte was 1-4 on the season.
The First Nationals played in Gretna on Saturday in a Cornhusker League doubleheader. North Platte won the first game of the day, 2-0. Dalton Pflughaupt was dominant on the mound by pitching a complete game one-hit shutout while earning the win. Allberry provided the offense for North Platte by going 1-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
The second game of the doubleheader favored Gretna as they beat the First Nationals 6-3. North Platte started to really get the bats rolling with 10 hits in the game, but could only get three runs across the plate. Jack Kenny, Barker, Luke Volz and Drew Callaghan each had two hits in the loss. Barker had the First Nationals lone extra-base hit with a double and Jayden Kruse had two RBI to lead North Platte. Riley Vierya took the loss on the mound by giving up four runs, three of them earned, on five hits in four innings. North Platte had a record of 2-5 after Saturday’s games.
The final doubleheader of the holiday weekend was North Platte’s home-opener. The First Nationals hosted Norfolk on Memorial Day and won game one 11-1. Callaghan had a two-run home run for the first home run this season by a First National. Brockmoller added a double and Volz went 3-3 at the plate in the run-rule victory. Brockmoller earned the win on the mound as well after giving up just one run on five hits, while striking out five batters.
Game two was more of a test for North Platte after leading by just one run in the sixth inning en route to a 10-6 win. The First Nationals led 7-3 before Norfolk scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to make it a one-run game. The First Nationals gave themselves a cushion in the sixth inning by scoring three runs to secure the win. The sixth inning offense was provided by Volz. He hit a two-run double for North Platte’s only extra-base hit of the game. Volz also earned the save, pitching two and one-third innings without giving up a run on two hits. Kruse earned the win after giving up six runs, five of them earned, on six hits, while striking out four batters. Barker also had two RBI in the game to pace the North Platte offense. The First Nationals finished the weekend with a 4-5 record overall.
The North Platte First Nationals seniors next game is Wednesday, May 28 against Lexington at Bill Wood Field. It is a juniors-seniors doubleheader. The juniors will play at 5:30 pm with the first pitch for the seniors game scheduled for 8:00 pm.
The most recent results for the North Platte First Nationals juniors team shows they have a record of 5-0 after beating Ogallala 6-5 and Gering 13-3 over the weekend.
G. Thurman Foote, 91 of Maywood, NE passed away peacefully on April 26, 2014 at Great Plains Regional Medical Center.
He was born November 30, 1922 in Farnam, NE to Grover T. and Eleanor A. Austin Foote Sr. He and his brother George attended rural elementary schools in the Farnam area, and high school in Gothenburg, graduating from Farnam High School.
From 1930’s to 1940’s he farmed with his father south of Moorefield. It was at this time that he met the love of his life, Delma Ruth Walker. They were united in marriage July 26, 1947 and moved to a farm in northeast Hayes County. There they raised two daughters, Peggy and Sue. Upon retirement from farming in 1986 they bought a home in Maywood and resided there until his passing.
He kept active by working in his yard, finding odd jobs and driving around town to visit with neighbors or lend a hand when needed.
He has left to celebrate his life, his daughter Alyce S. (Jack) Callaway of Ainsworth; grandson, Travis Callaway; son-in-law, Dennis Rosenblad; many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Thurman was preceded in death by his parents; wife of 64 years, Delma Ruth; his eldest daughter, Peggy; and a brother.
Memorials may be made to the Callahan Cancer Center and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Cremation was chosen. A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 31, 2014 at Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, NE with the Reverend Derrick Brown officiating. Inurnment will be at the Maywood Cemetery. Those wishing to sign the register book may do so 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Thursday, May 29, 2014 and Friday, May 30, 2014 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home in North Platte which is in charge of arrangements.
Quirt Hunt has been a bullfighter since his high school days in Custer County. The Hershey, Neb. cowboy will work fighting bulls at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte June 18-21.
North Platte, Neb.(May 27, 2014) – Quirt Hunt has carved out his niche in the world, doing what he loves, making a living at it, and supporting his family.
The Hershey, Neb. man is a bullfighter – one of two men at a rodeo who wear the clown makeup but have a serious mission: protect the bull rider after the buzzer sounds, so the rider doesn’t get mowed down by the bull, and can go on to compete at the next rodeo.
It’s a fun job, a dangerous job, and one that requires some dedication. It’s not a huge money-maker, but Quirt has diversified with his second passion: horses and ranching – to provide for his family.
As a youngster growing up in Custer County on the family ranch, he dreamed of rodeo but his dad never encouraged it. “We worked. We didn’t rodeo. We went and watched in Burwell (at Nebraska’s Big Rodeo) and that’s as close as I got.” His dad and granddad had work to do: rodeo was secondary. His dad’s thinking was: if Quirt wants it bad enough, he’ll do it. “If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to do it. He didn’t do it that way because he hated it or didn’t love me, but he said, if you want something bad enough in life, you’ll work hard to get there.”
He competed in high school rodeo his senior year, riding barebacks and bulls, but it was the bullfighting that compelled him. He rode bulls in the amateur ranks for a few years, but “I would only find myself wanting to get jobs fighting bulls rather than riding bulls. I decided I wasn’t going to do them both, so I stuck with one.”
After that, Quirt had the chance to do something that was instrumental in his rodeo and ranching career. “The greatest thing I did was work high school rodeos,” he said. He fought bulls at about sixteen Nebraska high school rodeos a year, building relationships and getting to know people. “I got to know all the parents, from the timed event parents to the roughstock parents. I knew all those kids growing up, (two time world champion steer wrestler) Dean Gorsuch is my age, I watched (six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifying bareback rider) Steven Dent’s career. It’s cool. The relationships you make.” And as he met more people, he found work during the week, between rodeos. “I got a lot of jobs when I wasn’t fighting bulls. In the fall (rodeo) would slow down, and I’d ride colts, do fall (ranch) work. I stayed real busy.”
In 2003, he got his Pro Rodeo Cowboys Hall of Fame card, and his PBR membership. Being single, rodeo was his life. He traveled across the nation and was gone all summer and part of the winter, working big rodeos like North Platte, Burwell, Austin, Texas, Tucson, Ariz., Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Denver, Prescott, Ariz., and the little ones, too: Idaho Falls, Idaho, Tonganoxie, Kan., Northfield, Minn., Oneida, S.D.
He fought bulls at the PBR World Cup in Mexico and Brazil, and worked the PRCA Tour Finale in Omaha three times.
There wasn’t much down time between rodeos, but when there was, he started colts for people, including steer wrestling champion Frank Thompson, and Hall of Fame rodeo announcer Hadley Barrett, who ranched in North Platte.
And he dreamed of ranching.
When some grass came up for lease northwest of Hershey, he took it. He got married, and ranch work picked up. He and his wife Amber run cattle on leased grass, he builds a little fence (“I don’t like that to get out,” he joked), and he makes horses for his kids. Daughters Raylynn, six, and Racquel, four, love being on horseback, and Raylynn is junior rodeoing. She does well at horseback riding. “She’s a good hand for no older than she is,” Quirt said. “She sits a horse naturally.” Raylynn has won the all-around title at a couple of junior rodeos, and she loves to go to brandings. Quirt takes pride in the horses he makes for his daughters. “I put a lot of time in on my horses. Most of the horses I have, the kids can ride and get along good with them.”
It’s harder to be on the rodeo trail now. He works as many rodeos as he used to, but isn’t gone for long stretches of time, as he was in the past. “Now that I have two kids and I’m married, my priorities are different. I still try to go (on the road) as much as I can. I’d be gone every weekend if I could, but it’s hard to be gone for a month and a half and never come home.”
His closest rodeo is the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte next month. It’s his third year to fight bulls in North Platte, and he’s grateful to North Platte and to his fellow Nebraskans. “I’m pretty thankful for Nebraska. They’ve supported me. There’s a lot of people in this state who have supported me, whether it was with a job or encouragement.”
When he started in rodeo, Quirt knew his career wasn’t guaranteed. There are a lot of bullfighters who don’t last long, who don’t get hired for the big shows. “I always knew, deep down inside, that not everybody makes it to the top. So you have to have something going all the time. I don’t have any complaints. Trying to find the right balance in everything, that’s my biggest problem.”
And rodeo has been good to him. “I wanted to rodeo my whole life. I love every part of it. Everybody can make a living doing something, but the relationships and the friends, bonding with people, has been the best.”
The Buffalo Bill Rodeo is June 18-21 at the Wild West Arena in North Platte. It begins at 8 pm each night. Tickets are available online at NebraskalandDAys.com, at the NebraskalandDays office (509 East 4th Street in North Platte), and at the gate. Tickets range in price from $7 to $20. For more information, visit the website or call the NebraskalandDays office at 308.532.7939.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ryan Howard had five RBIs and Kyle Kendrick pitched into the seventh inning to snap his 10-game losing streak as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 9-0 Monday.
A day after Dodgers right-hander Josh Beckett threw a no-hitter against the Phillies, leadoff man Ben Revere started with a single for the first of Philadelphia’s 12 hits.
Kendrick (1-5) allowed six hits over 6 2-3 innings to earn his first win since last Aug. 6, a span of 16 winless starts. His best performance in a while came against the top offense in the majors. The Rockies are first in runs (262) and batting average (.291).
Jhoulys Chacin (0-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He has lost five straight decisions dating to last season.
(AP) — A man faces charges in connection to his girlfriend’s stabbing injuries in Omaha.
Omaha police say Michael Jennings was arrested Friday following an incident at a house on the city’s north side.
Jennings is accused of assaulting his girlfriend and stabbing her several times. The woman told police the couple had been arguing.
The woman was able to escape the house with her children. As police responded to the incident, Jennings is accused of running back into the house with a knife and barricading himself inside. He surrendered peacefully several hours later.
Jennings faces charges of felony assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony and two counts of child abuse. Court records do not list an attorney.
The woman is expected to recover from her injuries.
(AP) — Authorities are investigating the driver of a vehicle that plowed through a backyard in northeast Nebraska and hurt four children.
Antelope County Sheriff Bob Moore says 42-year-old Stephen Barrington, of Oakdale, drove his SUV through his home’s backyard Sunday night. The vehicle hit a tent with five children near it. Four of them were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Barrington was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. He’s being held at the Antelope County Jail. Court records do not list an attorney.
Moore sayd the children, all boys, range in age from about 9 to 13 years old. At least three have been released from the hospital.
Moore says Barrington was arguing with his wife prior to the crash.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — George Springer homered in his fourth straight game and went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and scored five runs in the Houston Astros’ 9-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
The Astros have won three straight, matching their longest winning streak this season, and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Royals.
Springer led off the eighth with a home run off Louis Coleman, his fifth homer in four games. He is the first Houston rookie to homer in four straight games.
Springer also had two doubles and became the first Astro to score five runs in a game since Cody Ransom on Sept. 24, 2007 against St. Louis.
Scott Feldman (3-2) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits over six innings.
Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-5) left in the third inning with discomfort in his elbow.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are awaiting MRI exam results on pitching prodigy Yordano Ventura and have learned top prospect Kyle Zimmer will miss additional time with his own injury.
