The PRCA Buffalo Bill Rodeo kicks off action tonight at the Wild West Arena as the first signature event of Nebraskaland Days. Three hundred and eighty-five cowboys and cowgirls descend upon North Platte, among them plenty of local favorites, national finals contenders, and former world champions. Fifty-seven competitors from the state of Nebraska are entered in the Buffalo Bill Rodeo, including reigning world champion steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch from Gering, who won the event at this rodeo last year. Mullen’s Steven Dent, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier will compete in bareback and saddle bronc riding, and Dru Melvin from Tryon will compete in steer wrestling. Competition will start the next two mornings with slack, and the big shows get under way the next four nights at 8 PM with gates open at 5:30.

The North Platte First Nationals seniors and juniors both earned splits against Grand Island in doubleheader action last night. The seniors lost the first game of the night at Bill Wood Field by a 3-2 score. Grand Island Home Federal, who was the home team in the contest, scored twice in the last of the seventh inning to walk off with the win. In the nightcap, the seniors responded in kind, scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 victory. The games between the first Nationals juniors and Grand Island Wells Fargo in Grand Island also went down to the wire. GI’s juniors scored a run in the top of the seventh and took the opening game 8-7. In game two of the double dip, the First Nationals juniors tallied in the top half of the seventh and won by the same 8-7 score. Both the seniors and juniors are in action today, with the juniors hosting Columbus and the seniors making the trip northeast.

The Colorado Rockies squandered a promising start to their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as poor pitching and sloppy defense led to a split. Tonight the Rockies hope to get back on track and keep the bats going as the San Diego Padres come to Denver for the first game in a three-game series. The Rockies scored 30 runs in the four games against the Dodgers, but allowed 12 unearned runs in the series, five of which cost the Rockies in yesterday’s 10-8 loss. Aaron Cook makes his second start of the season on the mound for the Rox. He allowed three runs in five and two thirds innings against the Padres last week. Anthony Bass gets the start for San Diego. It’s his big-league debut. The Rockies have split six games with the Padres so far this season. ESPN Radio 1410 has the game tonight with pregame coverage at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.

North Platte teams defended their home diamonds in weekend baseball and softball action. At the Buffalo Bill Softball Tournament, the North Platte Vipers won the 18 and under championship with a 9-3 victory over the McCook Rebels in the final. The Gothenburg Angels took third in that age group. The 16 and under championship belonged to the red hot North Platte Jr. Belles, who continued their winning ways with a 6-5 victory over the Ralston Rampage in the final. In legion baseball action, the North Platte First Nationals seniors went 3-1 over the weekend at their own tournament. On Saturday, the First Nationals routed the Buckley Bombers 10-2 and Windsor, Colorado 11-4. In Sunday’s action, North Platte lost their opener to Hays, Kansas 3-2, but rebounded in their second game of the day with a 9-1 win over Windsor.

Four players with Nebraska ties were selected on the third and final day of the Major League Baseball entry draft as the proceedings concluded with the 31^st through the 50^th rounds. Nebraska’s Kash Kalkowski was taken in the 50^th round by the Kansas City Royals. A draft-eligible sophomore, Kalkowski was second on the Huskers in home runs and RBI in 2011. It’s the second time Kalkowski’s been selected in the draft. He was taken in the 49^th round by Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft out of Grand Island Senior High. Two small college players from the state were also selected. Left-handed pitcher Andre Kinder from Peru State College was tabbed in the 42^nd round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Wayne State College’s Mike Bisenius, an outfielder, went in the 48^th round to the Washington Nationals. One Nebraska prep player was chosen as well. Millard West pitcher Adam Ladwig was picked by Philadelphia in the 50^th round.
 

Four players with Nebraska ties were selected on the third and final day of the Major League Baseball entry draft as the proceedings concluded with the 31^st through the 50^th rounds. Nebraska’s Kash Kalkowski was taken in the 50^th round by the Kansas City Royals. A draft-eligible sophomore, Kalkowski was second on the Huskers in home runs and RBI in 2011. It’s the second time Kalkowski’s been selected in the draft. He was taken in the 49^th round by Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft out of Grand Island Senior High. Two small college players from the state were also selected. Left-handed pitcher Andre Kinder from Peru State College was tabbed in the 42^nd round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Wayne State College’s Mike Bisenius, an outfielder, went in the 48^th round to the Washington Nationals. One Nebraska prep player was chosen as well. Millard West pitcher Adam Ladwig was picked by Philadelphia in the 50^th round.

The Colorado Rockies hadn’t won a three-game series since mid-April. They also hadn’t won a game that they were tied in or trailing in the ninth inning all season. Troy Tulowitzki made sure both of those items were checked off his team’s to-do list. Tulo’s two run double in the ninth inning broke a deadlock and gave the Rockies a 5-3 win in San Diego over the Padres last night. It capped off a three-RBI night for the Rockies shortstop. Todd Helton also shone at the plate, picking up four hits, including a home run and two doubles. On the mound, Aaron Cook worked five and two thirds innings in his season debut, allowing three runs and picking up a no-decision. The Rockies finish their nine-game road trip at 4-5. They now come back home to start a 10 game homestand with the first of four games tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch is at 7:40.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Colorado Rockies wasted a strong starting pitching effort with an utter lack of offense, leading to yet another loss. This time, it was Ubaldo Jimenez who left the mound with every right to sue the bats for lack of support. Jimenez allowed two runs in seven innings, striking out eight, but the Rockies offense was blanked in a 2-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. The Rockies managed just five hits and six baserunners on the evening. Jimenez gave up both of his runs in the fifth inning on singles by eight-hole hitter Alberto Gonzalez and the pitcher, Tim Stauffer, who threw eight shutout innings and fanned eight Rockies. The Rockies try again for their first series win since mid-April tonight against the Padres. ESPN Radio has all the action, with pregame coverage at 5:05 and the first pitch at 5:35.

Four players with Nebraska college ties were selected on the second day of the Major League Baseball Entry Draft yesterday. Nebraska third baseman Cody Asche became the highest-drafted Husker since Alex Gordon in 2005 when he went with the 151^st overall pick, a fourth-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies. The second-team All-American led the Big 12 in home runs and led the Huskers in batting average in 2011. Asche’s teammate, relief pitcher Casey Hauptman, was selected in the 26^th round by the New York Mets. Hauptman led the Huskers with eight saves and had the lowest walks per game rate in the nation. The Creighton Blue Jays also had two players selected. Pitcher Jonas Dufek became the highest Jays draft pick since 2006 when he went in the ninth round to the Houston Astros, and first baseman Trever Adams was taken in the 16^th round by the Texas Rangers.

The North Platte First Nationals seniors came up empty in their matchup with their rivals Kearney Runza in Kearney last night. The senior dug themselves an early hole, allowing seven runs in the first three innings, and that would be more than enough for Kearney Runza in a 7-0 victory. The loss makes the First Nationals 0-2 against Kearney Runza this season, having lost to them in the Grand Island tournament last weekend. The First Nationals juniors had a better result, taking a 6-3 victory over Kearney Post 52 in the first game of last night’s junior-senior doubleheader. Jack Kenny hurled a complete game to earn the win. The right-hander allowed two earned runs in seven frames. Drew Callahan drove in a pair of runs to lead the offense. Today, the First Nationals seniors host Hastings in a doubleheader, while the juniors travel to Hastings for a pair of games.