LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carlos Gonzalez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Colorado Rockies stopped their 11-game losing streak Thursday night with a 5-4 victory over Los Angeles following a rare rain delay at Dodger Stadium.
Wilin Rosario also went deep for the last-place Rockies in the opener of a four-game series between the top and bottom teams in the NL West. Play was halted for 85 minutes during the sixth inning at a ballpark that hasn’t had a weather postponement in 15 years.
Dodgers rookie Yimi Garcia (2-1), who has been filling in as closer with Kenley Jansen on the disabled list following foot surgery in February, gave up a leadoff single to Nick Hundley in the ninth and a one-out single by Drew Stubbs. Charlie Blackmon was called out on strikes before Gonzalez drove a 2-1 pitch halfway up the right-field pavilion for his third homer of the season.
Luis Alvarado was 2-for-4 with two doubles (Photo Courtesy Stephanie Carpenter/NU Media Relations)
Champaign, Ill. – On a rainy night at Illinois Field, the #2 Illinois Fighting Illini (44-6-1, 20-1 Big Ten) ran its nation-leading win streak to 25 games and clinched the 2015 Big Ten regular-season title with a 6-3 victory over the Nebraska baseball team (34-20, 9-13 Big Ten).
Freshmen Luis Alvarado and Scott Schreiber each had two hits on the night, including a pair of doubles from Alvarado. Illinois didn’t have one play with multiple hits on the evening, but its first eight batters each recorded a hit.
In his final regular-season start as a Husker, Chance Sinclair lasted 5.0 innings in the loss and fell to 6-7 on the year. Sinclair struck out five and only issued two walks, but gave up four runs on five hits. After giving up three hits to start the bottom of the first, Sinclair allowed only two hits the rest of the way, but one was a two-run homer in the fourth.
Illinois junior Kevin Duchene went 7.0 innings and picked up his 10th win of the season. Duchene allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, just his ninth and 10th walks of the season, while striking out four. The lefty entered the game with a 0.95 ERA and allowed a season-high three-earned runs to the Huskers. In his first 11 starts of the year, Duchene has allowed more than one total run only twice, and had allowed more than one earned run only once.
The Illini jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on three hits, including a leadoff double from Adam Walton. Illinois’ first three batters recorded hits, but then Sinclair settled in and kept the Illini from a big inning.
After going down in order in the first, the Huskers had their leadoff man on in each of the next three innings, including a leadoff double from Alvarado in the second, but each time Duchene kept the Huskers off the board.
Sinclair allowed one baserunner in the second and third innings combined, and had retired five straight before issuing a leadoff walk in the fourth to Jason Goldstein. After picking up his fourth strikeout of the day against Casey Fletcher, Pat McInerney doubled up Illinois’ lead with a two-run home run to left field. Sinclair retired the next two batters, but not before Illinois built a 4-0 lead through four.
Illini put together its third two-run inning of the night in the sixth to take a 6-0 lead. Will Krug drove in a run with a two-out single and then Illinois added a run on a ground ball to Blake Headley, who tagged out Krug on the play to end the inning, but David Kerian scored before the tag to put Illinois on top, 6-0.
The Husker offense came alive in the seventh, starting with a one-out single from Schreiber. Jake Meyers came in as a pinch hitter and worked a four-pitch walk off Duchene, just his ninth free pass allowed on the year. Headley then delivered the big blow of the inning with a home run off the scoreboard in right field, his second career homer off Duchene. Wes Edrington then worked a walk, marking only the second time this year Duchene has walked two batters in a game. With the top of NU’s lineup coming, Duchene put an end to the bleeding with back-to-back groundouts from Ryan Boldt and Jake Placzek.
King retired the Illini in order in both the seventh and eighth, but Nebraska just one hit off Illinois’ bullpen in the final two innings and lefty Tyler Jay earned his 11th save of the season in the win.
Game two of the three-game series between the two teams is scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow night and the game will be shown nationally on the Big Ten Network.
GIRLS
Katherine Montgomery – Pole Vault – 1st Place
Erin Nozicka – Triple Jump – 2nd Place
Anna O’Malley – 1600 meters – 1st Place
Anna O’Malley – 3200 meters – 1st Place
Jordyn Childears – 100 hurdles – 2nd Place
4 x 100 Meter Relay (Jessica Slattery, Amanda McClellen, Anna O’Malley, Jordyn Childears) – 1st Place
BOYS
Drew McClellan – Pole Vault – 1st Place
Bryce Byrn – Triple Jump – 2nd Place
Michael Elsten – Shot Put – 1st Place
Michael Elsten – Discus – 2nd Place
Lane Kinsley – 100 meters – 2nd Place
Chase Ochs – 800 meters – 2nd Place
Chase Ochs – 1600 meters – 2nd Place
Bryce Byrn – 110 Hurdles – 1st Place
Bryce Byrn – 300 Hurdles – 2nd Place
There will be eleven Class C district meets.
– The winners of the first two places and the two fastest thirds in each individual running event qualify for the state meet. There shall be a maximum of 24 qualifiers. If there is a tie for the last qualifying spot, none of those tied shall qualify.
– In the field events the first two places shall qualify for the state meet.
– The winners of first place in the relay events qualify for the state meet, plus the five fastest times of the nonqualifiers regardless of place, with a maximum of 16 relay teams qualifying. If there is a tie for the last qualifying spot, none of those tied shall qualify.
– Athletes placing first or second must have cleared 9’6” or higher to qualify in the boys’ pole vault and 6’6” or higher in the girls’ pole vault.
Nebraska’s Sept. 26 Homecoming game against Southern Miss will kick off at 11 a.m. (Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations)
The kickoff time for Nebraska’s Sept. 26 Homecoming matchup against Southern Miss has been announced. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT with television coverage to be announced six to 12 days in advance.
The matchup with Southern Miss is the second kickoff time for the 2015 season to be announced. NU will take on South Alabama on Sept. 12 at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT.
Southern Miss’ trip to Lincoln will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the schools, all since 1999. Nebraska holds a 4-1 advantage in the series, most recently including victories in 2012 and 2013 at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska will open the 2015 season on Sept. 5 against BYU at Memorial Stadium. In addition to the three non-conference home games, Nebraska will also travel to Miami on Sept. 19. Game times and television information for the matchups with BYU and Miami are expected to be announced in the near future.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Alcides Escobar had three hits and accounted for five runs, Eric Hosmer homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Thursday for a split of the four-game series.
Escobar led off the game with a single and scored on Alex Gordon’s fielder’s choice on a shattered-bat grounder. Escobar added a two-run single in the fourth, then had an RBI single before scoring on Hosmer’s drive in the sixth.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie (3-2) gave up two runs over five innings to win his second consecutive start. He struck out one and didn’t walk a batter, but twice hit Prince Fielder with pitches.
Greg Holland worked the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances, even after consecutive two-out walks.
Ross Detwiler (0-5) is winless in his first seven starts for Texas, which acquired the right-hander from Washington over the winter. Detwiler gave up nine hits and three runs in five innings.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Mike Riley says he knows of no players planning to transfer before practice begins in August.
Riley said Thursday he’s aware of fan speculation about players leaving, especially with five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. He said he’s met individually with players in recent weeks and that the roster is “status quo as we speak.”
Riley said he’s surprised no one is transferring because invariably one or more players left in the offseason during his years at Oregon State.
Riley also said he didn’t plan to take any graduate transfers. He said he would look at a grad transfer “if it’s the right guy with the right talent and if we have a special need.” Riley said he isn’t a coach who would “seek out” graduate transfers.
Cassie McClure was an all-region selection for the second straight season. (Photo Courtesy Nate Olsen/NU Media Relations)
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) recognized four Nebraska softball players on Thursday, as senior Steph Pasquale, junior Kiki Stokes and sophomores MJ Knighten and Cassie McClure were all named to the NFCA All-Midwest Region first team.
Nebraska’s four first-team selections were double the total of any other team in the Midwest region, as Huskers claimed four of the 12 spots on the first team.
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle said all four Huskers – who learned of the honor just prior to Nebraska’s team practice Thursday at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional – were more than deserving of being recognized alongside the best players in the country.
“It’s always a great thing when hard work and preparation are not only recognized but rewarded,” Revelle said. “MJ had a good freshman season but she has taken her game to another level as a sophomore. Kiki has grown every year in our program, and she has emerged this season as one of the top leadoff hitters in the country. Steph and Cassie have both made immediate impacts in their first year in our program. Steph came to Nebraska as an All-American, and she has been everything we had hoped she would be. Cassie joined us in January and has been able to not only adjust to a new school and new teammates, but has been a real key to our success offensively and on the mound.”
Knighten was named to the first team to earn the first all-region accolade of her career. Knighten joins Jessica Yoachim (2004) as the only Nebraska third baseman to earn all-region accolades as a freshman or sophomore. Overall, Knighten is the first Husker third baseman to be an all-region honoree since 2006.
One of six unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selections this spring, Knighten leads the Big Ten with 78 hits and ranks fourth with a .417 batting average. Knighten enters the NCAA Tournament with the fifth-highest batting average in school history, while ranking fifth in RBIs (57), sixth in hits and eighth in runs (52). With her 78 hits, 57 RBIs and 52 runs, Knighten has become one of only four players in school history to total 50 hits, 50 RBIs and 50 runs in the same season. The only two Huskers to accomplish that feat before this season were three-time All-American Ali Viola and two-time All-American Tobin Echo-Hawk.
Pasquale earned first-team all-region accolades for the third time in her career after twice being named a first-team All-Northeast Region honoree at Temple. A 2013 third-team All-American and 2015 first-team All-Big Ten selection, Pasquale is one of only three catchers in program history to earn first-team all-region honors. She moves on to the All-America ballot, where she will look to join Taylor Edwards as the only All-America catchers in school history.
A native of Pompton Lakes, N.J., Pasquale has put up outstanding numbers in her lone season as a Husker. She enters the NCAA Tournament batting .382 with 11 doubles, 11 homers and 51 RBIs. The 12th player in school history to produce double-digit totals in both doubles and home runs in the same season, Pasquale ranks 10th in school history with her current .671 slugging percentage. Pasquale’ 51 RBIs rank 11th in Husker history, and her 36 RBIs during the Big Ten Conference season ranked second in Big Ten history.
Stokes continued to receive recognition for her breakout junior season with the first all-region honor of her career. Stokes is the first Husker outfielder to be named a first-team all-region performer since 2004. An Olathe, Kan., native, Stokes joins All-American Kim Ogee as the only other Husker outfielder to earn first-team all-region recognition prior to her senior season.
Also a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, Stokes has excelled as Nebraska’s leadoff hitter for all 55 games this season. Stokes is batting a career-high .407, more than .100 higher than her career average entering the year. Stokes has set a school record with 63 runs and 17 hit-by-pitches this season, and she enters the NCAA Tournament with the highest on-base percentage in program history (.534). Stokes also enters the postseason with the sixth-highest batting average and slugging percentage (.707) in school history, while ranking 11th in RBIs. One of four players in program history to total 50 hits, 50 RBIs and 50 runs, Stokes has slugged a career-high 11 home runs this season, nearly double the total from her first two years combined (6). Stokes has also exceeded her career totals in doubles (9) and extra-base hits (24).
McClure earned all-region accolades for the second straight season after being a third-team All-Central Region selection as a freshman at Texas Tech in 2014. She was rewarded for her dual talents, as she earned a spot on the first team at the pitcher/utility spot, which takes into account a player’s work in the circle and at the plate.
Offensively, McClure is batting .349 entering the NCAA Tournament. She ranks second on the team with 11 doubles and has added four homers and driven in 39. A tough out, McClure has drawn 20 walks while striking out only nine times. In the circle, McClure is 9-3 after not registering a decision at Texas Tech last season. In addition to her nine wins, McClure has added five saves for the Huskers. The five saves – which rank second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally – tie for the most ever by a Husker sophomore and rank fifth overall in school history.
By earning all-region accolades, Knighten, McClure, Pasquale and Stokes move on to the national All-America ballot. The 2015 All-Americans will be announced on the NFCA’s website (nfca.org) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27.
Event Details:
The NPHS Athletics 5K Run and Fun Walk will provide a residential course in the shadow of North Platte High School, as participants run, “wog” and walk in support of the student athletes of NPHS! One lucky student who participates in the run will win a $500 scholarship from Da Buzz Coffee House! This event, co-sponsored by O Clothing and Da Buzz Coffee House will give experienced runners a flat, fresh running route and beginners a great first 5K. Walkers and woggers are warmly welcomed! Start location is Da Buzz Coffee House at 1208 West A, behind NPHS. Race day registration begins at 7:15 a.m. at Da Buzz. Race shirts to all participants, with awards to overall and top 3 in each age group.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout made two spectacular defensive plays in extra innings, Albert Pujols hit a game-ending sacrifice fly in the 11th, and the Los Angeles Angels sent the Colorado Rockies to their 11th consecutive loss, 2-1 Wednesday night.
Pujols’ bases-loaded fly to left easily scored pinch-runner Taylor Featherston for the Angels, who climbed back to .500 (17-17) with their sixth win in eight games to close a nine-game homestand.
Trout leaped at the wall in the 10th to take a homer away from Troy Tulowitzki, making a potentially difficult catch look routine.
In the 11th, the AL MVP made a running catch on Daniel Descalso’s fly and uncorked a perfect throw to get Carlos Gonzalez at the plate. Umpire Phil Cuzzi initially called Gonzalez safe, but it was overturned by video review.
Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss had an appendectomy Wednesday night following two days of stomach discomfort.
A club spokesman said Wednesday that the 51-year-old Weiss left Angel Stadium right before batting practice with athletic trainer Keith Dugger to get a follow-up exam. He is expected to be hospitalized until Thursday afternoon, but no timetable has been established on when he will rejoin the club. Bench coach Tom Runnells will guide the team in Weiss’ absence.
The Rockies begin a four-game series up the freeway at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.
This is Weiss’ third season with the Rockies, Weiss was the 1988 AL rookie of the year with the Oakland Athletics, and spent four of his 14 big league seasons playing shortstop for the Rockies, who were managed then by current Angels hitting coach Don Baylor.
Another Angels coach with a connection to Weiss is Alfredo Griffin, who was traded by the A’s in September 1987 because they felt that Weiss could handle the shortstop job on a regular basis.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Prince Fielder homered and had three hits, Shin-Soo Choo hit a leadoff home run for the second straight game and the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Wednesday night.
Choo pulled a 98 mph fastball from Yordano Ventura into the right-field seats, and Fielder gave the Rangers a 4-0 lead with a two-run homer in the second inning.
Texas rookie Delino DeShields had three hits, including his first triple, and scored twice.
Yovani Gallardo (3-5) took a shutout into the seventh inning before allowing run-scoring doubles by Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez. Gallardo snapped a four-start losing streak that matched a career worst.
The first five Texas hitters reached against Ventura (2-3), who gave up at least four runs for the fourth time in five starts.
