DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies tied their best start in franchise history, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-1 Friday behind Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run double and Justin Morneau’s solo homer.
The Rockies, off to their first 4-0 start since 1995, got another stellar performance from their bullpen in relief of a shaky Tyler Matzek.
Right-hander Christian Bergman (1-0) picked up the win with a perfect fifth inning, and five Colorado relievers combined to allow just one hit — a bunt single by Anthony Rizzo with the shift on — in five innings.
Matzek became the first Rockies starting pitcher ever to bat eighth. With fellow lefty Travis Wood (0-1) also batting eighth, this marked the first game that both starting pitchers batted in that spot since St. Louis’ Joel Pineiro and Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell did it on July 13, 2008, according to STATS.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska fans’ sense of anticipation for Saturday’s spring game is heightened because it will be their first look at the Cornhuskers under new coach Mike Riley.
Riley says he’s excited, too, because he’s never been at a school where a spring game is so celebrated.
As of late in the week, 65,000 tickets had been sold. The crowd at Memorial Stadium probably will swell to over 70,000 on what’s supposed to be a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the 70s.
That’s a stark contrast to Riley’s final spring game at Oregon State, where 5,000 to 7,000 fans typically show up.
Riley said the passionate fan base is one of the things that drew him to Nebraska.
Nebraska Athletics will honor 37 members of the 2014 football team that have been named to the 18th annual Brook Berringer Citizenship Team. The group of student-athletes will be recognized on the field before kickoff of Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. The group includes 34 members of Nebraska’s 2015 team in addition to three players who completed their eligibility in 2014.
The Brook Berringer Citizenship Team was established by the Husker football program in honor of former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer, who died in a plane crash in April of 1996. Berringer was a member of NU’s back-to-back national championship teams in 1994 and 1995. Berringer was also one of the most dedicated Husker volunteers in the community with youth, both in Nebraska and in his hometown of Goodland, Kan.
The team honors players who display a similar love and dedication for volunteering in the community through Nebraska’s nationally recognized Life Skills program. The recipients have completed six or more service projects during the academic calendar year and are in good academic standing.
Senior offensive guard Chris Long was named to the team for the fourth consecutive year, while running back Imani Cross and receiver Lane Hovey are being honored for the third straight year.
Second-time honorees include 2014 seniors Joey Felici, Mike Moudy and Trevor Roach, along with senior receiver Sam Burtch, junior tight end Trey Foster, sophomore offensive lineman Dwayne Johnson, sophomore offensive lineman David Knevel, junior kicker Spencer Lindsay, junior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice, junior running back Graham Nabity and sophomore quarterback Johnny Stanton.
Another 23 members of the football program were named to the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team for the first time.
The Nebraska football team has continued to be among the most active teams in the local community, regularly being a contender for the Life Skills Team Award.
Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley and Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst will join members of the Berringer family in making the presentation to the team recipients.
2015 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (years on team)
Freedom Akinmoladun (2015)
Christian Bailey (2015)
Alex Boryca (2015)
Tyson Broekemeier (2015)
Drew Brown (2015)
Sam Burtch (2014, 2015)
Byerson Cockrell (2015)
Maliek Collins (2015)
Imani Cross (2013, 2014, 2015)
Daniel Davie (2015)
Joey Felici (2014, 2015)
Jerald Foster (2015)
Trey Foster (2013, 2015)
Luke Gifford (2015)
Zach Hannon (2015)
Blake Holtmeier (2015)
Lane Hovey (2013, 2014, 2015)
Dwayne Johnson (2014, 2015)
Harrison Jordan (2015)
Joshua Kalu (2015)
Bo Kitrell (2015)
David Knevel (2014, 2015)
Chongo Kondolo (2015)
Spencer Lindsay (2014, 2015)
Chris Long (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Kevin Maurice (2014, 2015)
Greg McMullen (2015)
Mike Moudy (2014, 2015)
Graham Nabity (2014, 2015)
Marcus Newby (2015)
Terrell Newby (2015)
De’Mornay Pierson-El (2015)
Trevor Roach (2014, 2015)
Johnny Stanton (2014, 2015)
Chris Weber (2015)
Jordan Westerkamp (2015)
Kieron Williams (2015)
North Platte Community College Knights head coach Kevin O’Connor announces three recruits, who have signed National letters of intent to play for the Knights in the 2015 – 16 season.
The players are Jordan Mills from Alliance, Neb., Diontae Champion from Arlington Texas, and Tim Wagner from Galesville, Wis.
Mills, a 6’ 2” guard, played for the Alliance High School Bulldogs. During his senior year, Mills averaged 22.1 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists per game.
Alliance High School head basketball coach Roger Trennepohl said: “Jordan is a skilled player. We are obviously going to miss him, but a tremendous kid, a good character kid, a great leader on our team. I think he (Mills) will do well in North Platte. It will be a challenge for him because North Platte is very competitive in the JUCO ranks. It will really show Jordan what he needs to do for his game to get to a four-year school and find out how good he is.”
Champion, a 6’ 7” forward from Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas averaged 19 points a game, 12 rebounds a game and three blocks per game.
Lamar head basketball coach Zach Burks said: “Diontae is a good kid and plays hard. He was our best defender, and I would often put him on the opposing team’s best offensive player.”
Wagner Is a 6’ 2” guard from Galesville, Wis. Wagner redshirted at the University of Nebraska during the 2013 -14 season because of an injury. He transferred to Winona State in Minnesota. Wagner played in 27 games and averaged 8.9 points a game, 2.3 rebounds per game and 1.8 rebounds per game this past season.
In high school, Wagner played for his father at Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School. In 2013, Wagner was the Coulee Conference player of the year. He was a first team all-conference selection his junior and senior year and was a second team selection his sophomore year.
The Knights were 24 – 9 this past season, finishing second in the NJCAA Region IX south sub-region.
DENVER (AP) — The Winnipeg Jets clinched their first playoff spot in eight seasons Thursday night despite a 1-0 shootout loss to the Avalanche.
Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene scored in the shootout, and Reto Berra stopped both Winnipeg shots. Berra finished with a season-high 41 saves, then stymied Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd in the shootout.
The Jets received help from Calgary to squeeze into the playoffs as a wild card when the Flames beat Los Angeles. The last time the franchise made the postseason was in 2006-07, when the team was the Atlanta Thrashers. The Jets are making their first playoff appearance since relocating to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season.
Ondrej Pavelec had another brilliant night, stopping 21 shots through overtime. But O’Reilly beat him with a backhanded shot and Duchene followed with another.
BOSTON (AP) — Noel Acciari and Mark Jankowski scored second-period goals, Jon Gillies made 25 saves and Providence beat Nebraska-Omaha 4-1 on Thursday night in the Frozen Four to advance to the national championship game for the second time in school history.
Trevor Mingoia and Nick Saracino also scored for the Friars (25-13-2). They will face Hockey East rival Boston University in the championship game Saturday night at TD Garden. Boston University beat North Dakota 5-3 in the second semifinal.
The Friars, making their fifth appearance in the final four, lost to RPI in the 1985 title game in Detroit.
Jake Guentzel scored and Ryan Massa made 44 saves for Nebraska-Omaha (20-13-6). The Mavericks were making their first appearance in the Frozen Four.
The Nebraska women’s basketball team celebrated the careers of four outstanding seniors while gathering to remember a successful season at the annual awards banquet at Lincoln Station on Thursday, April 9.
Approximately 300 family and friends of the Husker program cheered Nebraska’s four seniors – Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample – for one last time together. The quartet finished their careers with a school-record 96 wins while becoming the first class in NU history to lead the Big Red to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and four straight 20-win seasons.
Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., was recognized as a four-time All-Big Ten selection, including a pair of second-team honors as a junior and senior. She also earned the team’s Husker Award for her leadership throughout the season.
Laudermill, a 5-9 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., was a two-time All-Big Ten choice on the court, including second-team honors as a junior in 2013-14 and honorable-mention accolades as a senior. She claimed Nebraska’s Defensive MVP award after leading NU with 45 steals as a senior.
Sample, a 6-1 senior forward from Flower Mound, Texas, claimed the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. She also delivered the invocation at the event.
Jeffery, a 5-7 guard from Vacherie, La., claimed Nebraska’s Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award by increasing her rebounding average by 4.8 boards per game. The 5-7 Jeffery finished the 2014-15 season averaging 6.7 rebounds per game, after grabbing just 1.9 rebounds per game in 2013-14.
Junior point guard Rachel Theriot earned Nebraska’s Offensive MVP award despite missing the final 11 games of the 2014-15 campaign with an ankle injury. Theriot averaged team bests of 16.5 points and 5.2 assists per game while leading NU to a 17-4 start to the season. A preseason candidate for the Wade, Naismith and Wooden National Player-of-the-Year awards, Theriot earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2015, despite missing more than half of the conference season. She was a first-team All-Big Ten choice and honorable-mention Associated Press All-American as a sophomore in 2013-14.
Freshman guard Emily Wood captured Nebraska’s Teammate Award. The 5-5 walk-on from Salina, Kan., competed in 10 games as a freshman, including NU’s Big Ten Tournament games against Illinois and Iowa.
2015 Team Awards Offensive MVP – Rachel Theriot Defensive MVP – Tear’a Laudermill Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award – Brandi Jeffery Husker Award – Emily Cady Teammate Award – Emily Wood Most Dedicated Practice Player -Jacob Birch
The NFL preseason will open Aug. 9 when Pittsburgh and Minnesota meet in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
In the first full week of the preseason, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will host Green Bay, which lost to Seattle in the NFC title game. The Seahawks will host Denver, which they beat in the 2014 Super Bowl, in Week 1 of the exhibition games.
Most matchups in the preseason involve AFC vs. NFC teams, but a dozen games will feature intraconference meetings. Pittsburgh, Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay and Buffalo each play two exhibitions within the conference.
The regular season begins Sept. 10; that schedule is expected to be released later this month.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jordan Spieth kept up his hot play on the PGA Tour with a brilliant opening round at the Masters, shooting an 8-under 64 Thursday for a two-stroke lead.
Spieth birdied eight of the first 14 holes, his shots so precise that he often had nothing more than tap-ins with the putter. He rolled in a 6-footer at the 12th, a 2-footer at the 13th, then nearly holed out from behind a tree along the 14th fairway, the ball striking the flagstick before settling about 2 feet away for another easy birdie.
The 21-year-old Texas went to the par-5 15th with a shot at the major championship scoring record, which is 63. But he muscled his second shot through the green, leading to his only bogey.
He finished up with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 18th.
Jason Day was 6 under with two holes to play. Charley Hoffman, Justin Rose and Ernie Els shot 67.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez dazzled for eight innings in his Royals debut, Lorenzo Cain made a pair of spectacular catches after driving in a run, and Kansas City beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 Thursday to finish a season-opening sweep.
Salvador Perez added a two-run homer, Kendrys Morales also drove in a run and the AL champion Royals improved to 3-0 for the first time since an opening sweep of Detroit in 2008.
Volquez (1-0) allowed four hits, including Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single, in validating the $20 million, two-year deal he signed in the offseason. Volquez struck out five while walking one.
Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his second save in less than 24 hours.
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies tied their best start in franchise history, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-1 Friday behind Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run double and Justin Morneau’s solo homer.
