Sports – Page 440 – North Platte Post Archive

James Shields Pitches Royals past Yankees 1-0

Posted on September 6, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — James Shields pitched two-hit ball into the ninth inning and Nori Aoki lined a run-scoring single in the third following Chase Headley’s two-base error, leading the Kansas City Royals over the New York Yankees 1-0 Friday night.

Two starts after losing to the Yankees 8-1 in one of his worst outings this season, Shields (13-7) retired his first 11 batters before Brett Gardner’s double in the fourth. Headley singled in the fifth, and Gardner flied out to the right-field warning track in the sixth.

Shields retired 11 straight before Derek Jeter singled softly with one out in the ninth. Wade Davis relieved, and pinch-runner Antoan Richardson stole second before Gardner struck out swinging on a 3-2 fastball.

Carlos Beltran took a called third strike, giving Davis his first big league save. Davis has fanned 92 batters in 62 1-3 innings this season.

Veteran Pitcher Bruce Chen Released by Royals

Posted on September 6, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander Bruce Chen has been released by the Kansas City Royals.

The 37-year-old pitcher was designated for assignment Aug. 29, a day after he gave up six runs in the 10th inning of an 11-5 loss to Minnesota.

Chen began the season in the rotation, went on the disabled list with a back injury and finished 2-4 with a 7.45 ERA in 13 games. He had a 47-43 record with a 4.53 ERA in six seasons with Kansas City.

Chen is 82-80 with a 4.91 ERA in a big league career that also has included stints with Atlanta, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Montreal, Cincinnati, Houston, Baltimore and Texas.

NCAA Head-Injury Deal’s Backers Press for Court OK

Posted on September 6, 2014

CHICAGO (AP) — Attorneys pushing for approval of a proposed $75 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA say claims the deal unfairly costs athletes affected by head injuries hundreds of millions of dollars are untrue.

Proponents of the plan say in federal court filings Friday in Chicago that former San Diego State football player Anthony Nichols’s assertions are “unfounded by any fact.”

Nichol’s opposition is part of what could be a months long approval process to raise questions about the deal that would involve the NCAA creating a $70 million fund to test thousands of current and former athletes for brain trauma. It also sets aside $5 million for research.

Nichols is among tens of thousands of male and female athletes who would be covered by the sweeping class-action deal.

Union Says NFL Wants DUI Policy Change

Posted on September 5, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The players’ union says the NFL has asked for the right to immediately suspend players who are arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

NFL Players Association executives told The Associated Press on Friday that the league’s proposal to increase penalties for DUI offenses includes a provision to suspend or discipline a player before the completion of his legal due process.

“They want to immediately discipline for an arrest,” said George Atallah, the NFLPA’s assistant executive director of external affairs.

“We prefer to discuss these issues directly with the union,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Atallah also noted that progress has been made on possible testing for HGH.

Both sides have held intensified talks on a variety of drug policy issues, what New York Giants long snapper and union executive committee member Zak DeOssie’s calls “doing our due diligence.”

No. 15 NPCC Lady Knights Drop Two

Posted on September 5, 2014

North Platte – The No. 15 North Platte Community College Lady Knights volleyball team dropped two games this week. On Tuesday the Lady Knights traveled to Hastings where they were defeated by the Hastings College JV in four sets 20-25, 15-25, 25-14, 17-25. North Platte then hosted the No. 16 (DI) Northeastern Junior College Plainswomen at the ribbon cutting of the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium re-model on Thursday. The Lady Knights fell in straight sets to the Plainswomen 19-25, 20-25, 22-25.,

Against Hastings College JV the Knights fell in four sets. Sophomore Samantha Kennedy led the way with 12 kills and three blocks as she was the only Lady Knight in double-figures. Freshman Valerie Most was second with six kills. Joli Hopping was the lone Lady Knight with more than one assist as she recorded 13. Erica Goodwin and Aryn Mesinger both were in double-figures in digs at 12 and 10 respectively.

In their first home game since the opening weekend of the Subway Invite, North Platte was defeated in straight sets by a team they defeated in four sets at the Subway Invite. Kennedy again led the Knights in kills with nine, while sophomores Taylor King and Samantha Byrn each chipped in five. Hopping recorded 11 assists on the evening while freshman Gabrielle Nickel recorded nine. Goodwin and Mesinger were again in double-figures with 19 and 13 digs.

The Lady Knights return to action next week as they host rival McCook Community College (3-7) at 7 p.m. at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium before taking to the road for the Pizza Hut Invitational in Sterling, Colo. at Northeastern Junior College.,

The Lady Dawgs Softball Team Splits 2 Games in Kearney

Posted on September 5, 2014September 5, 2014

The North Platte Bulldogs softball team went 1-1 in two neutral site games against Hastings and Lincoln East on Thursday.

Kearney hosted the three teams with North Platte playing Hastings and Lincoln East. The Dawgs played Hastings in the first game of the night and lost 9-2. The Lady Tigers jumped on North Platte early by scoring four runs in the top half of the first inning. The Lady Dawgs cut the lead in half by the end of the third inning but still trailed 4-2. Hastings then scored three runs in the fourth inning and its final two runs in the sixth for the 9-2 win.

Senior Jenny Keck led the way at the plate by going 1-3 with a double and an RBI in the loss. Sophomore Willow Chitty was the only player from North Platte with more than one hit as she had two singles and a run scored.

Keck also took the loss inside the circle after giving up nine runs, eight earned, on 14 hits in six innings. She also struck out three batters and didn’t issue a walk. Senior Katie Franzen came in for the final inning for North Platte and gave up one hit but no runs.

The second game of the night for North Platte was a different story offensively as the Dawgs beat Lincoln East 12-10. North Platte once again gave up first inning runs to the Spartans to trail 2-0 going into the bottom half of the inning. The Dawgs responded quickly though by scoring three runs to take a 3-2 lead. North Platte added two more in the second inning and led 5-2. Lincoln East got back on the scoring train in the fourth inning by scoring five runs to take a 7-5 lead, but North Platte again responded by scoring three runs in the fourth to finish the inning with an 8-7 lead. The Dawgs added two more runs in the fifth, followed by three Lincoln East runs in the sixth to once again tie the game at 10 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. North Platte scored the two runs that ultimately made the difference in the bottom of the sixth and held the Spartans scoreless in the seventh for the 12-10 win.

Chitty led the way for North Platte by going 3-4 with two runs batted in. Franzen and Keck each had a double and two RBI in the game. Franzen also scored three runs in the game along with fellow senior Hannah Hays.

Senior Marisa Ramos started the game inside the circle for the Bulldogs and went three and one-third innings, giving up seven runs, five earned, on six hits. She also had one strikeout and gave up on walk. Keck came in for the final three and two-third innings. She gave up three runs, all of them earned, on six hits, while walking two batters and striking out three.

The standout player for Lincoln East was its leadoff hitter Crist. She had three home runs in the game and six RBI.

North Platte is now 6-4 on the season and will next play at the McCook Invite Saturday morning. The Lady Dawgs will play Cozad in the first round at 9:00 am. The bracket for the tournament can be seen below.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Hastings	4	0	0	3	0	2	0	9	15	1
North Platte	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Lincoln East	2	0	0	5	0	3	0	10	12	8
North Platte	3	2	0	3	2	2	–	12	9	3

Neb HS Hall of Fame Foundation Leader is Resigning

Posted on September 5, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Larry Munksgaard is resigning as executive director of the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation at the end of the month.

Munksgaard was a longtime athletic director at Lincoln Southeast High School and has been executive director of the Hall of Fame Foundation since 2011.

Munksgaard said he’s resigning to spend more time with his family.

Foundation president Dick Beechner said he hopes to have a new executive director in place by next month.

No. 19 Nebraska Hosts Last FCS Foe in McNeese St.

Posted on September 5, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — No. 19 Nebraska will host McNeese State on Saturday, and coach Bo Pelini says it will be the last time an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision will visit Lincoln.

With the start of the College Football Playoff, and strength of schedule a factor in the selection process, Pelini supports the Big Ten’s policy of avoiding games against opponents outside the Bowl Subdivision.

McNeese State, which will be playing its season opener, has regularly taken on FBS opponents. The Cowboys have won at South Florida and Middle Tennessee State the past two years, and they start 2015 at LSU.

McNeese State will earn $415,000 for playing in Lincoln, and coach Matt Viator would like to continue scheduling the big boys.

The Huskers are 1-0 after beating Florida Atlantic 55-7.

NCAA Asks for Dismissal of 2 Scholarship Lawsuits

Posted on September 4, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA and 11 conferences that have played major college football in recent years have filed a motion to dismiss two antitrust lawsuits that accuse the association of illegally capping compensation to athletes.

The NCAA announced Thursday night that it has asked Northern California U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to dismiss two suits that were filed in March. Wilken ruled this summer against the NCAA in the O’Bannon case that challenged rules prohibiting college athletes from being compensated for their names, images and likenesses

One of the suits the NCAA is seeking to dismiss was filed in New Jersey by attorney Jeffrey Kessler on behalf of four athletes, including former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins. The other was originally filed in Northern California and former West Virginia running back Shawn Alston is the lead plantiff.

Both could eliminate the NCAA’s ability to control the costs of scholarships, and the Alston suit seeks hundreds of millions in damages.

Huskers Eager to Play McNeese State

Posted on September 4, 2014

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team continued its preparations for the second game of the season versus the McNeese State Cowboys, as the Huskers conducted a 45-minute walk-thru Thursday afternoon at the Hawks Championship Center and outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields.

Head Coach Bo Pelini addressed the media following practice, noting that NU has had a good week of preparation for the Cowboys of Lake Charles, La.

“We have had a couple good days of preparation, this is really the first week of having a normal game week,” Pelini said. “I like the way it is coming off, it gives us coaches a heckuva coaching opportunity of tying things up on Thursday before our Friday practice.”

A few Huskers that sat out against Florida Atlantic last Saturday will make their season debuts this week. Juniors Zach Sterup and Sam Burtch will play in their first game of the 2014 season against the Cowboys.

Sterup, a 6’ 8” offensive tackle out of Hastings played in 11 games as an offensive tackle last season, but did not make a start.

Burtch, a wide receiver out of Murdock, Neb., will also make his debut Saturday, after a breakout sophomore campaign. He finished with 12 receptions for 147 yards and three touchdowns. He was at his best late in the season, making 10 of his 12 catches in the final six games.

Pelini did mention that junior preseason All-American selection Randy Gregory will not be available for the game this Saturday. Gregory has been battling a minor knee injury the past few weeks, but will likely make his return next week when the Huskers travel to Fresno, Calif., to face off against the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Sophomore receiver Brandon Reilly will be held out of competition for the second straight week. Pelini did note that Reilly is now listed as day-to-day.

The Huskers will be back on the practice fields Friday as the Nebraska football team completes its preparations for their second home game of the season against McNeese State on Saturday Sept. 6, at 11:00 a.m. (Central). Fans can tune in to National broadcast on ESPNU.