CHICAGO (AP) — David Ross hit an RBI single with one out in the 11th inning Sunday, lifting the Chicago Cubs over the Kansas City Royals 2-1.
The Cubs and Royals split the abbreviated two-game series. Saturday’s game was rained out and will be made up at Wrigley Field during the last week of the regular season.
Ross delivered the fifth game-ending hit of his career, a bases-loaded single just beyond the reach of shortstop Alcides Escobar, who tried to make a sliding, over-the-shoulder catch.
Earlier in the inning, Dexter Fowler was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Alex Gordon when he tried to score on a single.
Zac Rosscup (2-1) struck out Salvador Perez with runners on first and third with two outs in the 11th.
Ryan Madson (0-1) walked Fowler to begin the 11th.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — DJ LeMahieu homered and had three hits, Nolan Arenado also went deep and the surging Colorado Rockies beat Philadelphia 4-1 on Sunday to hand the Phillies their season-worst seventh consecutive defeat.
Chris Rusin (1-0) replaced injured starter Jordan Lyles with one out in the second and pitched 4 2-3 scoreless innings to help the Rockies win their fourth straight and seventh in eight games.
The Phillies’ losing streak is their longest since dropping eight in a row in July 2013. Philadelphia was swept at home by Colorado for the first time in club history.
Offense continued to be a problem for the Phillies, who have scored 12 runs during their skid. They finished with seven hits.
Lyles re-aggravated an injury to his left big toe, which he sprained in his previous start, when he tried to avoid Cody Asche’s line-drive single up the middle.
The racing action was jam-packed with speed during a smashing successful night of racing at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte, Nebraska on Saturday evening. Earning valuable points with trips to the winners circle were: Colton Osborn, Chad Dolan, Casey Woken, Jacob Olmstead and Andrew Baumgardner. The IMCA Modified’s feature was a dominating performance by Cozad’s Colton Osborn, as he took the lead on the second lap after a caution flag and he never looked back to claim the checkered flag. Coming from deep in the field and challenging Osborn for the lead in the waning laps was John Hansen of Brush, Colorado. Hansen was forced to settle for second place honors. Staying out of trouble and in contention for a podium finish throughout the feature was Jay Steffens of North Platte, who finished third overall. Grabbing the lead at the halfway point, Chad Dolan of Gibbon attempted to run away and hide to cruise to the win in the IMCA Northern Sport Modified Feature. Staying up on the wheel for the whole feature event and avoiding incidents, Veteran wheelman Bryan Herrick of Curtis finished second overall. Leading the first nine laps, Mike Saathoff of North Platte scored a third place finish to complement his great start to the 20-lap feature. Saathoff was joined by Terry Fletcher of Hershey and North Platte’s Tony Schultz in winning heat races earlier in the evening. Breaking through for the win after finished second on opening night, Casey Woken scored the victory in the IMCA Stock Car feature event. Woken took the point on the seventh circuit from runner-up finisher Casey Werkmeister of Maywood, who led the first six laps. Werkmeister continued to show consistency throughout the rest of the feature to finish second overall. Starting within the first couple rows, Mikey Dancer of North Platte stayed near the front and his efforts were rewarded with a third place finish. Woken, Werkmeister and Imperial’s Justin Bussell won earlier in the evening heat races. Finishing strong and leading the final four laps, Jacob Olmstead of Overton claimed the top honors in the IMCA Hobby Stock Feature. Olmstead was among the frontrunners for much of the feature. Runner-up finisher Zach Olmstead of Overton piloted his Chevy Malibu to finish second overall after leading lap five through lap 15. Staying up on the wheel throughout the feature event, Austin Davis of Benkelman was the show position finisher. Zach Olmstead and Tanner Clough of Wallace were the heat race winners in the Hobby Stock division. Staying consistent, Andrew Baumgardner of North Platte was in position to snare the lead on the seventh lap and he stepped up to the plate and scored a feature win in the IMCA Sport Compact division. Baumgardner was running in second place until early leader Blake Fletcher of Hershey rolled as a result of a flat tire off of turn two. Finishing second overall in his Moper Magic hotrod was Devin Bjorklund of Cozad. Making a late charge on the waning laps, Alex Fletcher of Hershey was third overall when the checkered flags flew. Racing action returns to the re-configured Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte on June 13th.
Senior Will Lohman qualified for nationals in both the hammer throw and shot put. (Photo Courtesy Nate Olsen/NU Media Relations)
Austin, Texas – The Nebraska track and field team earned four more bids to the NCAA Championships on Friday, bringing the total to nine after two days at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Senior Will Lohman highlighted the day by qualifying for nationals in both the hammer throw and shot put. Lohman earned his second straight trip to nationals with a hammer throw of 215-10 (65.79m), good for fourth place in the event. The Chewelah, Wash., native was an honorable mention All-American in the event last year and is the Husker school-record holder. He then recorded a 61-4 (18.69m) throw on his last shot put attempt to finish 10th and reach the NCAA finals in the event for the first time in his career.
Marusa Cernjul clinched a bid in the high jump. The senior from Celje, Slovenia took care of business by clearing 5-11 1/2 (1.82m) to punch her ticket. It marks the second career NCAA Outdoor Championships appeareance for Cernjul. The 2015 indoor second-team All-American has not been to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since her freshman year in 2012 after battling injuries the past two seasons.
Drew Wiseman snatched a bid in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 50.49 to place third in his heat and earn the automatic berth. The sophomore from Bismarck, N.D., entered the week seeded 26th in the event, but his career-best effort in Friday’s race was the seventh-fastest time overall. He will make his first trip to nationals in an individual event after running in relays three times already in his career.
Antoine Lloyd qualified for Saturday’s 110-meter hurdle NCAA quarterfinal, as he ran 13.83 to place third in his heat and earn an automatic bid. Sean Pille’s time of 13.88 was good for fifth in his quick heat and was fast enough to earn him a spot in Saturday’s quarterfinal.
Ricco Hall will also race on Saturday, as he reached the 200-meter quarterfinal with a season-best time of 20.79 to finish second in his heat and automatically qualify for the quarterfinal.
The NCAA West Region Preliminary Round will conclude tomorrow as the Huskers will look to qualify more athletes for the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Fans can follow live results and watch a free live stream throughout the day’s events.
NCAA Championships Qualifiers (Eugene, Ore. – June 10-13) Will Lohman (Hammer Throw)
Will Lohman (Shot Put)
Marusa Cernjul (High Jump)
Drew Wiseman (400-meter hurdles)
Nick Percy, Discus*
Tierra Williams, Long Jump*
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump*
James White, High Jump*
Landon Bartel, High Jump*
* = qualified on Thursday
Huskers Advancing to Quarterfinals on Sunday Antoine Lloyd (110-meter hurdles)
Sean Pille (110-meter hurdles)
Ricco Hall (200 meters)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chad Bettis retired the first 18 batters and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Troy Tulowitzki hit two solo homers and the Colorado Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Friday night.
Cody Asche singled through a shift to end Bettis’ no-hit bid with one out in the eighth. Bettis (2-0) lost a perfect game in the seventh when shortstop Tulowitzki made an error on Ben Revere’s grounder up the middle.
The 26-year-old Bettis allowed two hits and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts in eight innings in his 12th start in the majors.
Tulowitzki had two homers in 154 at-bats this season before going deep his first two times up against Cole Hamels (5-4). Ben Paulsen hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, who won for the fifth time in six games.
CHICAGO (AP) — Lorenzo Cain hit a tiebreaking RBI double and scored in a three-run eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-4 to snap a four-game losing streak on Friday.
Alcides Escobar homered on the game’s first pitch. Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez also went deep, and the Royals won after squandering a 4-1 lead.
Mike Moustakas walked leading off the eighth against Pedro Strop (1-3). Cain then drove him in with a double to the base of the wall in right-center and the Royals scored two more thanks to an error by center fielder Dexter Fowler.
He dropped Omar Infante’s liner trying to make a shoestring catch with runners on first and second, then fell trying to pick up the ball. Cain and Eric Hosmer scored, making it 7-4.
Kelvin Herrera (1-1) gave up a tying solo drive to Addison Russell in the seventh but picked up the win.
CHICAGO, Ill. – The United States Hockey League today announced that Tri-City Storm Head Coach and General Manager Jim Hulton has been named the 2014-15 USHL General Manager of the Year as determined by a vote of league coaches and general managers.
It was the first full season for Hulton with Tri-City after taking over midway through the 2013-14 season. He guided the Storm to a 37-17-6 record (80 points), finishing just one point back of first place in the USHL Western Conference standings. It was the most wins in a season for the Storm since the 2003-04 season (43), and the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Hulton guided the Storm to a 10-game winning streak from January 9th to February 7th, equaling a team record. The team also won 10 straight home games from January 9th to February 28th which tied for a USHL season high and established a new Storm record.
Tri-City was among the league leaders in multiple categories, most significantly first in team defense by giving up the fewest goals (158) over the 60-game regular season. They also ranked second in power play conversion (25.1%) and sixth overall in goals scored (202).
Hulton and the Storm began building the 2014-15 roster through the 2014 USHL Draft, adding some key pieces during Phase Two. Forward Mason Appleton was the team’s first-round selection and went on to score 40 points (12g, 28a) this season for Tri-City. Goaltender Alec Dillon was selected in the second round and proved to be a huge difference maker, posting a 23-11-4 record while leading all USHL goaltenders with a 2.27 goals-against-average.
Off-season moves also bolstered the lineup, including the acquisition of Bobby Nardella from Sioux City. He would put up 42 points (10g, 32a), tying for third in scoring among USHL defensemen, and was key to the Storm power play as he dished out 22 assists on the man-advantage. The Storm also added Nick Master who spent the previous season in Cedar Rapids. Master thrived with Tri-City, tying for third on the team in scoring with 42 points (23g, 19a) and leading the squad with a plus-20 rating. Jake Wahlin was another acquisition by Tri-City that paid dividends as he put up 41 points (15g, 26a) in his first full USHL season.
During the season, Hulton made some key moves to help solidify the roster and make a run towards the playoffs. In December, the team acquired Jared Rutledge who played a significant role as a backup goaltender, posting a 13-3-1 record over 20 appearances. A February trade with the Bloomington Thunder brought veteran defenseman Vince Pedrie to the Storm. He would add seven points (4g, 3a) and post a plus-18 rating over 23 games down the stretch run of the regular season.
Veteran Storm players also thrived under Hulton’s guidance. Chris Wilkie tied for the USHL lead with 35 goals which also tied a team record. Captain Garrett Gamez finished second in scoring on the team with 44 points (15g, 29a) in 44 games.
A total of 25 players that suited up for the Storm this season are committed to play NCAA Division I hockey. Additionally, three were selected to compete in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game; forwards Wilkie and Matthew Freytag, along with defenseman Tory Dello.
Hulton has compiled a 54-43-8 record over the past two seasons in the USHL. He is the second Storm GM to be named the USHL General Manager of the Year, joining Bliss Littler who earned the award following the 2003-04 season.
Tri-City is preparing for the team’s annual tryout camp, which will be held in Las Vegas June 15-21.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have signed veteran offensive lineman Ryan Harris a day after losing perennial Pro Bowler Ryan Clady to a torn knee ligament.
Harris was set to join the Broncos at practice Friday, the final day of this week’s on-field work.
Harris, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Denver, started 15 games last season for Kansas City. Before that, he spent two years in Houston with current Broncos coach Gary Kubiak.
Clady tore his left ACL in a pass-blocking drill Wednesday, but the severity of the injury wasn’t realized until he was tested Thursday.
With Clady’s injury, quarterback Peyton Manning will have four new starting linemen protecting him this season. The only returning starter is right guard Louis Vasquez.
Tierra Williams advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second straight season with a long jump PR 20-10 1/2 (6.36m). (Photo Courtesy Walt Middleton)
Austin, Texas – Five members of the Nebraska track and field team punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships with their performances on Thursday at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.
Over the course of the three-day meet, the Huskers will compete to earn top-12 finishes in their events to secure a bid to the national meet in Eugene, Ore., in two weeks.
On a first day that featured strong wind and two lightning delays, Nick Percy (discus), Tierra Williams (long jump), Jazmin McCoy (long jump), James White (high jump) and Landon Bartel (high jump) became the first five Huskers to lock in a spot at the NCAA Championships. Four of the five NU qualifiers were freshmen or sophomores.
Percy, a freshman from Ventnor, England, threw the discus 182-8 (55.69m) on his second attempt to finish ninth in the event and become the first Husker to qualify.
Williams, a sophomore from Auburn, Neb., will make a repeat trip to nationals after unleashing the best jump of her career, 20-10 1/2 (6.36m) on her first jump. She finished first in her flight and sixth overall. McCoy, also a sophomore, jumped 20-5 3/4 (6.24m) on her last attempt to finish ninth in the competition. The Kansas City, Mo., native will also make a repeat trip to nationals.
White, a senior high jumper from Grandview, Mo., will make his first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance after clearing a season-best 7-2 1/2 (2.20m) on his first try to place fifth. Bartel, a freshman from Ashland, Mo., cleared 7-1 1/2 (2.17m) and finished ninth to earn his first NCAA bid.
In preliminary action, Drew Wiseman advanced to Friday’s 400-meter hurdle NCAA quarterfinal with a time of 51.88, good for second in his heat and the 15th-fastest time overall.
Levi Gipson and Jake Bender both qualified for the 400-meter quarterfinal. Gipson’s time of 47.03 was 20th overall and was fourth-best among non-automatic qualifiers to earn him a bid. Bender earned an automatic bid, charging down the stretch to finish second in his heat at 47.05.
Shawnice Williams advanced to the 800-meter quarterfinal by running 2:09.52. She earned the final non-automatic qualifying spot in the field.
Competition will continue on Friday at Noon with the women’s discus. Fans can follow live results or watch the action via a free live stream, which begins at 4:30 p.m. (CT).
Huskers Advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon
Nick Percy, Discus (9th)
Tierra Williams, Long Jump (6th)
Jazmin McCoy, Long Jump (9th)
James White, High Jump (5th)
Landon Bartel, High Jump (9th)
Huskers Advancing to NCAA Quarterfinals on Friday
Drew Wiseman, 400m hurdles
Levi Gipson, 400m
Jake Bender, 400m
Shawnice Williams, 800m
KEARNEY, Neb. – Storm forward Chris Wilkie, defenseman Bobby Nardella and goaltender Alec Dillon were named to the All-USHL Second Team on Thursday after a vote of the league’s coaches and general managers.
All three had outstanding seasons in Kearney, leading the way at their respective positions. The awards are the first All-USHL recognition for any Storm player since Jaden Schwartz after the 2009-10 season.
Wilkie had the recognition of being the top scorer all season for Tri-City, tying a team record with 35 regular season goals. The Omaha native was also tied for the USHL goal scoring lead.
Bobby Nardella
In addition, the forward led the USHL in power play goals (17) and shots on net (300). Both of those totals broke individual Storm records. Wilkie is committed to play for the University of North Dakota.
Nardella had an outstanding offensive season, scoring 10 goals and 32 assists in 56 games. The defenseman’s 42 points was third-best among USHL defenseman, while his 22 power play assists was first among blue liners and third-best among all skaters.
Committed to Notre Dame, Nardella broke single season Storm records for most assists by a defenseman (32), most points by a defenseman (42) and tied for most power play assists (22).
For Dillon, the honor is his second of the offseason, after being named to the USHL All-Rookie First Team last Friday. The netminder led the league with a goals against average of 2.27 during the 2014-15 season.
Alec Dillon
A fifth round 2014 NHL Draft pick by the Los Angeles Kings, Dillon also finished fourth in the league with a .914 save percentage, while playing over 2,000 minutes in net.
The goaltender played in 41 games and had a record of 23-11-4 with three shutouts. Dillon is committed to play for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) next season.
A full list of the three All-USHL Teams is below.
Tri-City is preparing for the team’s annual tryout camp, which will be held in Las Vegas June 15-21.
All-USHL First Team F – Brock Boeser (Waterloo Black Hawks)
F – Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms)
F – Adam Johnson (Sioux City Musketeers)
D – Neal Pionk (Sioux City Musketeers)
D – Hayden Shaw (Dubuque Fighting Saints)
G – Eric Schierhorn (Muskegon Lumberjacks)
All-USHL Second Team F – Maxim Letunov (Youngstown Phantoms)
F – Seamus Malone (Dubuque Fighting Saints) F – Chris Wilkie(Tri-City Storm) D – Bobby Nardella(Tri-City Storm) D – Christian Wolanin (Muskegon Lumberjacks) G – Alec Dillon(Tri-City Storm)
All-USHL Third Team
F – Kieffer Bellows (Sioux Falls Stampede)
F – Mason Bergh (Chicago Steel)
F – Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (Omaha Lancers)
F – Auston Matthews (Team USA)
D – Corey Schueneman (Muskegon Lumberjacks)
D – Jimmy Schuldt (Omaha Lancers)
G – Cale Morris (Waterloo Black Hawks)
