Sports – Page 270 – North Platte Post Archive

Hosmer, Morales, Rios Power Royals to 13-2 Win over Rangers

Posted on March 4, 2015

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Eric Hosmer joined Royals newcomers Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios in hitting consecutive first-inning homers, and AL champion Kansas City routed the Texas Rangers 13-2 on Wednesday in the spring training opener for both teams.

Hosmer hit a three-run shot off Rangers starter Colby Lewis that landed on the grassy berm beyond the centerfield fence. Morales followed with a shot to right field and Rios went deep to left, giving Kansas City a 6-0 lead before Lewis had recorded an out.

Lewis retired the next three batters after the homer binge, but the veteran still needed 36 pitches to get through his only inning against the Rangers’ campus co-tenants.

Fellow starter Yovani Gallardo fared little better, allowing four runs on six hits over 1 2-3 innings in his Texas debut.

MMA Returns to North Platte with St. Patty’s Beat Down Bash III

Posted on March 4, 2015

Russ Jones and Kelly Wiseman of Midwest Championship Fighting (MCF) announce the return of MMA fights to North Platte. St. Pattys Beat Down Bash III will be held March 21 at the st D&N Event Center.

MCF 10 will feature a number of local fighters including MCF veterans Brandon Bringewatt, Martin Sellers, Delfino Benitez, Eric Mecham and Mark Hooper. MCF welcomes fight newcomers Bradan Erdman, Ty Barker and Matt Schartz.

The main event sets up to please all the local fans. First, longtime boxer and North Platte resident, Gary Prince, makes his pro MMA debut against Jeremy Clary of Kansas. The main event will feature the pro debut of longtime MCF veteran Ryan MacDonald. MacDonald retired as an amateur holding two MCF amateur belts.

As always, MCF intends to give a portion of the event proceeds back to the community. 10% of all the gate proceeds on the night of the event will be given to Curstun Barthel to help pay medical and living expenses. Curstun, the son of Dawn Joliffe, was involved in a serious car accident. He was in a coma for weeks and has made a miraculous recovery. He is currently undergoing therapy in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dawn and her husband Tony, owners of the Curtis Cattle Company, have sold concessions at previous MCF events.

The event could not be possible without the support of its sponsors. MCF Canvas Sponsors are Timesaver, ESPN Radio 1410, Bill Summers Ford, Coors Light, Taco Bell, Knobel Refrigeration, Hunts Construction and Sculley’s Shooters. MCF Cage Post Sponsors are U Fillem, Kwik Stop, Prairie Friends and Flowers, Jones Law, Top Tier MMA and Condon Signs.

Gates open at 6:00 p.m. on the 21 of March. Tickets are available at Cagetix.com and Jones st Law Office. General Admission tickets will be available at the door.

Nebraska QB Told to be Ready for More Passing, Less Running

Posted on March 4, 2015

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. remains Nebraska’s No. 1 quarterback heading into coach Mike Riley’s first spring practice with the Cornhuskers.

Besides that, the offense is going to look much different as Riley begins installing a pro-style system when practice begins Saturday.

Armstrong said Wednesday he won’t get nearly the number of rushing attempts in the new offense. Armstrong ran 145 times in 2014, mostly on designed runs and zone-read keepers.

Riley said he would divide the team into two groups for spring practices so he can familiarize himself with and better evaluate the players. Coaches will conduct two separate practices each day, with about 60 players on Team Red and 60 on Team White. The spring game is April 11.

Huskers Poised for Big Ten Championships

Posted on March 4, 2015

The Nebraska wrestling team heads to Columbus, Ohio over the weekend for the Big Ten Championships at St. John Arena.

The conference tournament begins on Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) with the first session. Session II, also on Saturday, starts at 5 p.m. Sunday’s action commences with Session III at noon before Session IV, which begins at 2 p.m. Each of the first three sessions will be streamed on BTN Plus, with a subscription required to view the matches. The final session will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

Live scoring and brackets will be available on TrackWrestling.com. The action can also be followed on Twitter via @HuskerWrestling.

The Big Ten Championships are the final event for the Huskers before the NCAA Championships, set for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

NCAA Reports Big Jump in Home Runs with New Flat-Seam Ball

Posted on March 4, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The new flat-seam ball in college baseball is having the desired effect, with teams hitting 40 percent more home runs so far this season.

The NCAA announced Wednesday that teams are hitting a home run about every other game. Last year, teams homered about once every three games through the first three weeks of the season.

The actual average is 0.47 home runs per team compared with 0.33 at this point in 2014. Last season’s final average of 0.39 per team was a record low.

The NCAA approved use of the flat-seam ball in an attempt to punch up a game that has seen steep declines in offense since new bat standards took effect in 2011. Studies show the flat-seam ball travels 20 feet farther than the old raised-seam ball.

NPCC Knights Softball to Travel to Play Adams State JV

Posted on March 4, 2015March 4, 2015

The North Platte Community College Knights softball team will travel to Alamosa, Colorado and play the Adams State University Grizzlies Junior Varsity in a doubleheader on Friday, March 6.

The Knights enter the contest with a 1 – 9 record and are coming off a loss to Division I 15^th rated Western Nebraska Community College.

The Knights are led offensively by Shannon Lieber, who is batting 0.345 in 35 plate appearances. Lieber has a slugging percentage of 0.621 with five doubles and one home run. Sara Villalobos and Brittney Odum each have two home runs for the Knights.

Lieber also anchors the pitching staff. Lieber has a 5.28 earned run average in 29.0 innings pitched. She has 14 strikeouts and has allowed four home runs.

Game times are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. CST.

Huskers Visit Texas for Houston College Classic

Posted on March 4, 2015

Following a 2-1 series victory over the Loyola Marymount Lions in Los Angeles, the Nebraska baseball team (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten) heads back on the road for the fourth straight weekend with a trip to Houston, Texas, for the Houston College Classic. One of the premier tournaments of the college baseball season, the event is held at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.

Nebraska will be joined in Houston this weekend by Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU, Houston and Hawaii, but will not play Houston or Baylor.

The Huskers have a tough slate this weekend, starting on Friday afternoon at 3:35 p.m. when they take on undefeated and No. 14 nationally-ranked Texas A&M (13-0, 0-0 SEC). It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2011, when they were both members of the Big 12 Conference.

Senior Chance Sinclair is scheduled to start the opener and will look to snap a two-game losing streak after posting a 10-1 record last season.

Nebraska and Hawaii then open the second day of the tournament on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors hold a 15-7 advantage over the Huskers all-time, but this will be the first time the two teams have ever met in the Continental United States.

Senior Kyle Kubat is scheduled to get the ball on Saturday. The lefty is 1-0 on a year and has gone at least 7.0 innings in each of his last two starts.

The Huskers wrap up the tournament on Sunday at 11:05 a.m. against the No. 7 nationally-ranked LSU Tigers (11-1, 0-0 SEC), the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Sophomore Derek Burkamper is scheduled to start on Sunday for the second straight weekend and is coming off his best outing as a Husker. Last Sunday against Loyola Marymount, Burkamper allowed only two hits and one walk over 7.0 innings of work, while striking out five.

Fans interested in attending the Houston College Classic can buy tickets in advance through the Houston Astros. Single-day and tournament passes are available.

Texas A&M | Friday, March 6 – 3:35 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Sinclair (1-2) vs. LHP Minter (2-0)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Hawaii | Saturday, March 7 – 12:05 p.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: LHP Kubat (1-0) vs. RHP Brashears (2-1)
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: None
Radio: Husker Sports Network

LSU | Sunday, March 8 – 11:05 a.m. (CT)
Probable Starters: RHP Burkamper (1-0) vs. TBA
TV: ROOT Sports Southwest & Cox Sports
Stream: Free Radio (Huskers.com) | Video Stream: ESPN3
Radio: Husker Sports Network

Arcidiacono Saves No. 4 ‘Nova in 76-72 Victory over Bluejays

Posted on March 3, 2015

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ryan Arcidiacono converted a three-point play to give No. 4 Villanova the lead in the last minute and came up with the game’s final rebound, allowing the Wildcats to turn back Creighton’s upset bid and win its 11th straight game, 76-72 on Tuesday night.

Austin Chatman’s 3-pointer pulled the Bluejays within 74-72 with 6 seconds left, and Creighton got the ball back after Arcidiacono ran into Chatman as Villanova tried to inbound. Will Artino missed what would have been the tying layup, and Arcidiacono grabbed the ball, got fouled and made the free throws.

Arcidiacono finished with 23 points and Dylan Ennis matched his career high with 19 for the Wildcats (28-2, 15-2 Big East), who trailed by nine points in the first half.

Chatman scored 21 points to lead the Bluejays (13-17, 4-13), who lost for the seventh time when leading in the final minute.

Gallinari Scores 26 as Nuggets beat Bucks, 106-95

Posted on March 3, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 26 points, Kenneth Faried had 14 points and 14 rebounds and Denver beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-95 on Tuesday night, hours after Brian Shaw was fired as Nuggets coach.

Guard Ty Lawson had 16 points and 10 assists for Denver, which ended a six-game losing streak and won at home for the first time since Jan. 14.

Shaw was fired after 1 1/2 seasons with the team at 20-39. Assistant coach Melvin Hunt was named interim head coach.

Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 20 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who have lost five of six.

Denver led by six after three quarters and started the fourth on an 11-2 run to go up 87-72.

Denver Nuggets Fire Coach Brian Shaw

Posted on March 3, 2015

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have fired coach Brian Shaw after 1½ seasons.

General manager Tim Connelly said in a statement Tuesday: “You won’t find a better guy than Brian and he is one of the brightest basketball minds I’ve ever been around. Unfortunately things didn’t go as we hoped, but we know with his basketball acumen that he has a very bright future ahead of him.”

Assistant coach Melvin Hunt will serve as interim coach.

Shaw went 56-85 for a .397 winning percentage. Denver takes a 20-39 record and a six-game losing streak into its game against Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

Shaw replaced George Karl, who was ousted after Denver won a franchise-record 57 games in 2012-13 only to be bounced from the first round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.