Baseball – North Platte Post Archive

Manfred says shortening regular season a popular topic

Posted on May 6, 2015

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says shortening the regular season is becoming a popular topic as players and owners prepare to negotiate a new labor deal.

In his first year on the job, Manfred was at Minute Maid Park before Wednesday night’s game between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros as part of an effort to meet with players from all 30 teams. He also spoke with reporters about several issues, including Pete Rose, pace of play, domestic violence and the designated hitter.

Manfred says reducing the number of games in a season would have economic and competitive ramifications, but the topic is receiving more attention than it ever has.

He noted that playing 162 games in 183 days is tough on players.

Nebraska’s Luis Alvarado Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Posted on May 4, 2015May 4, 2015

Player of the Week
David Kerian, Illinois
Sr., 1B, Dakota Dunes, S.D. – Bishop Heelan Catholic
•   Helped Illinois remain atop the conference standings and extend the nation’s longest-active winning streak to 21 games, batting .636 (7-for-11) in a series sweep of nationally ranked Ohio State
•   Recorded multi-hit games and scored a run in all four games, including three hits, three RBI and a pair of runs in the series finale versus the Buckeyes
•   Tallied a .625 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage for the week
•   Earns his first Big Ten Player of the Week award
•   Last Illinois Big Ten Player of the Week: Casey Fletcher (April 27, 2015)
Pitcher of the Week
Matt Portland, Northwestern
LHP, Jr., Victor, N.Y. – Victor
•   Pitched his first career complete-game shutout against Nebraska
•   Recorded a career-best eight strikeouts, walking only one batter
•   Tossed 132 pitches in his 12th start this season
•   Records his first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor
•   Last Northwestern Big Ten Pitcher of the Week: Jack Quigley (April 21, 2014)
Freshman of the Week
Luis Alvarado, Nebraska
OF, Salinas, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
•   Hit .571 (4-for-7) with a pair of multi-hit games in a series win over Northwestern
•   Batted 2-for-3, including a three-run double with two outs in the series finale against the Wildcats
•   Recorded a .625 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage in Big Ten play
•   Claims his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award
•   Last Nebraska Big Ten Freshman of the Week: Garrett King (April 7, 2015)
2015 Big Ten Baseball Players of the Week
Feb. 16
PL: Nick Ramos, Jr., IND
P: Rob McDonnell, Sr., ILL
F: Austin Guzzo, IOWA
Feb. 23
PL: Ryan Boldt, So., NEB
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Kevin Smith, MD
March 3
PL: Jackson Glines, Sr., MICH
P: Brett Adcock, So., MICH
F: Logan Sowers, IND
March 9
PL: Kyle Wood, Jr., PUR
P: Tyler Jay, Jr., ILL
F: Logan Sowers, IND
F: Alex Troop, MSU
March 16
PL: Austin Cangelosi, So., IND
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Brian Hobbie, IND
March 23
PL: Brandon Lowe, So., MD
P: Kevin Duchene, Jr., ILL
F: Sal Biasi, PSU
F: Milo Freeman, RU
March 31
PL: Eric Toole, Sr., IOWA
P: Kyle Kubat, Sr., NEB
F: Ryan Nutof, MICH
F: Elijah Dilday, NEB
April 7
PL: Jason Goldstein, Jr., ILL
P: Kevin Duchene, Jr., ILL
P: Tanner Tully, So., OSU
F: Garrett King, NEB
April 14
PL: Ryan Krill, Sr., MSU
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Logan Sowers, IND
April 20
PL: Carmen Benedetti, So., MICH
P: Mike Shawaryn, So., MD
F: Ryan Nutof, MICH
F: Tre’ Gantt, OSU

April 27
PL: Casey Fletcher, Sr., ILL
PL: Jimmy Frankos, Jr., IOWA
P: Mick VanVossen, Sr., MSU
F: Jake Bivens, MICH
May 4
PL: David Kerian, Sr., ILL
P: Matt Portland, Jr., NU
F: Luis Alvarado, NEB
PL: Player of the Week
P: Pitcher of the Week
F: Freshman of the Week

Huskers Shutout Wildcats and Take Series, 2-1

Posted on May 4, 2015May 4, 2015

Evanston, Ill. – With the chance to win its first Big Ten road series of the year on the line, the Nebraska baseball team (33-17, 8-10 Big Ten) delivered an 11-0 shutout against the Northwestern Wildcats (15-31, 5-13 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon at Rocky Miller Park. Sophomore Derek Burkamper started and went 7.0 strong innings, while all nine of Nebraska’s starters tallied a hit, including three each from Ryan Boldt and Tanner Lubach. Nebraska scored in sixth different innings on the afternoon, including multiple runs in four innings.

After not making it through the fifth inning in each of his last three starts, Burkamper put together one of his best outings of the season on Sunday. The right hander improved to 5-2 on the year with his worked at least 7.0 innings for the third time this season. Burkamper set a new career high with seven strikeouts, while allowing six hits and three walks. He stranded eight Wildcats on the afternoon.

A day after Northwestern starter Matt Portland tossed a complete-game shutout against the Huskers, starter Reed Mason lasted just 3.0 innings. The lefty gave up five runs on six hits and two walks, while notching just one strikeout.

Boldt went 3-for-6 on the day with two runs scored and RBIs. Blake Headley also added two runs, while freshman Luis Alvarado led the way with three RBIs on two hits.

The Huskers gave Burkamper a 2-0 lead in the second with four singles, including a two-out single by Boldt that scored Scott Schreiber for the second run of the inning.

After Burkamper stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the second, the Huskers added three runs in the third. Ben Miller nearly notched his fourth homer of the season to start the inning, but the deep fly ball was hauled in at the wall in left-center field. Lubach got the Huskers started with a single and was soon in scoring position following a walk to Headley. Mason then got Austin Darby to ground out before loading the bases with a walk to Schreiber. Alvarado stepped in and facing a 1-2 count the freshman ripped a bases-clearing double down the left-field line that gave the Huskers a 5-0 lead.

Northwestern tried to answer in the bottom of the third when it had its first two batters of the inning reach. With one out, Jack Mitchel looked to have a single, but shortstop Jake Placzek climbed the ladder and snagged the liner. The Wildcats still had runners on the corners and Burkamper kept them there with a fly out to Alvarado in left field off the bat of Reid Hunter.

Nebraska added a run for the third straight inning in the fourth, with the run coming in on a two-out hit. Boldt led off the frame with a single and was at third with two outs for Lubach. The Husker catcher roped a 1-0 pitch from reliever Tommy Bordignon to left field that extended Nebraska’s lead to 6-0. Bordignon then loaded the bases with back-to-back walks to Headley and Darby, but denied the Huskers a big inning with a 4-3 groundout off the bat of Schreiber.

Burkamper retired his seventh straight Wildcat to start the fifth before Scott Heelan snapped the streak with a single. Zach Jones then worked a walk and the Wildcats had two on with one out, but Burkamper quickly ended the threat with a 5-3 double play off Mitchell.

Even through Burkamper didn’t need it, the Husker offense tagged on two more runs in the seventh and one in the eighth. Schleppenbach and Boldt each picked up their second RBIs of the day in the seventh to give Nebraska a 8-0 lead. Miller then led off the eighth with his fourth home run of the season and the Huskers took a 9-0 lead to the bottom of the eighth.

Freshman Garett King took over for Burkamper in the eighth and faced the minimum to keep the shutout intact. Nebraska kept the runs coming in the top of the ninth with a RBI double from Placzek and a RBI groundout from Miller.

Jake Meyers polished off the shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including Nebraska’s eighth strikeout of the day.

The Huskers will be off for the next five days as they take final exams. Nebraska gets back to action next weekend when they host Purdue for the final home series of the year. The series runs Saturday-Sunday-Monday, with the opener set for 2:05 p.m. and it will be shown statewide on NET.

Pacheco, Tomas lead Diamondbacks to 9-1 Win over Rockies

Posted on April 29, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — Jordan Pacheco stung his former team with a three-run home run and Yasmany Tomas drove in three runs with two singles, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

The Diamondbacks scored five runs in the fifth inning — all with two outs — to break open a 2-1 game. Rockies starter Jordan Lyles walked the bases loaded, and Tomas, whose first major-league RBI came Tuesday night, slapped a single to right field to drive in Ender Inciarte and Paul Goldschmidt.

Pacheco was next, and his first home run of the season cleared the wall in left field. Pacheco was waived by the Rockies last June and was claimed by the Diamondbacks.

It was the first home run allowed by Lyles (2-2) in seven starts. The Rockies are winless in all four of Lyles’ career starts in Arizona.

Josh Collmenter (2-3) held the Rockies to an unearned run and five hits over eight innings.

Huskers Start May with Trip to Northwestern

Posted on April 29, 2015

Lincoln – Without a road win in league play this season, the Nebraska baseball team (31-16, 6-9 Big Ten) will look to break that streak this weekend with a three-game series in Evanston, Ill., against the Northwestern Wildcats (13-29, 4-11 Big Ten). The series kicks off at Rocky Miller Park on Friday afternoon at 3:05 p.m., while both Saturday andSunday’s games are both set for 1:05 p.m. starts.

Nebraska enters the weekend in seventh place in the Big Ten with a 6-9 record, including an 0-6 mark on the road. The Huskers have been swept at Maryland and at Iowa, with three of the games decided by one run. In Nebraska’s nine conference losses this season, four have come by one run and three have been extra-inning defeats.

Nebraska has only made one trip to Rocky Miller Park since joining the Big Ten and it didn’t end well. The Huskers took the series opener in 2012, but then dropped the final two games of the series. The Huskers bounced back with a three-game sweep in Lincoln in 2013, but the Wildcats took their second series from the Huskers in three years last season. Northwestern took the first two games of the series in Lincoln in 2014 before the Huskers avoided the sweep with a 10-9 win in the series finale.

The Wildcats sit 11th in the conference standings with a 4-11 mark, including a 0-3 home mark in the league after they were swept by Ohio State last weekend. Northwestern was scheduled to have played two league series at home already, but due to renovations at Rocky Miller Park, its Big Ten home opener against Illinois in early April was moved to the Illini’s home field in Champaign, Ill. The Wildcats played their first 37 games of the year away from home, as they didn’t play their first home game until April 21. Following a 5-4 win over Chicago State on Wednesday night in 10 innings, the Wildcats are 3-3 at home this season.

While the Huskers are in search of their first Big Ten road series win of the season, the Wildcats are looking for their second conference series win overall this year. After starting the season with a 2-1 series victory at Minnesota, the Wildcats have dropped four straight series to Illinois (0-3), Michigan State (1-2), Iowa (1-2) and Ohio State (0-3).

Kipnis, Salazar Help Indians Break Losing Streak

Posted on April 29, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jason Kipnis homered and drove in four runs to help the Cleveland Indians snap a four-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

Kipnis hit a three-run home run — his first since July 31 of last season — in the third and then capped another three-run rally in the sixth with an RBI grounder. Michael Bourn’s double gave Cleveland the lead.

Danny Salazar (3-0) allowed four runs in six innings.

Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar suffered a bruised left cheek after being hit in the head by a pitch from Salazar in the fifth inning. The ball struck Escobar on the left side of the helmet and he was on the ground for several moments. He walked off the field with help from two Royals trainers.

Yordano Ventura (2-2) allowed five runs in 5 1-3 innings.

Royals’ Escobar Hit in Head by Pitch

Posted on April 29, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar was hit in the head by a pitch from Cleveland’s Danny Salazar in the fifth inning on Wednesday.

Escobar was hit in the left side of the helmet and dropped to the ground immediately as two Royals trainers rushed on the field.

Escobar stayed down for several moments before being moved into a sitting position. He walked to the dugout with help from the trainers and was taken to the clubhouse.

Salazar was upset over the incident and patted his hand in his glove as Escobar left the field. Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas, the on-deck hitter, knelt down while several Indians in the field looked on in concern.

Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura, who was ejected from his last two starts and is facing a seven-game suspension, didn’t retaliate in the bottom of the inning.

Bradley Walks Off After Line Drive to Face, D-backs Win 12-5

Posted on April 29, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley was hit in the face by a line drive but walked off the field and gave a thumbs up to the crowd, apparently avoiding serious injury during Arizona’s 12-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

Mark Trumbo went 4 for 4 with a two-run homer and a two-run triple to lead the Diamondbacks, who ended a four-game skid after a frightening scene early on.

Bradley was struck on the right side of his face by a liner off the bat of slugger Carlos Gonzalez in the second inning. The 22-year-old rookie lay virtually motionless on the mound for several minutes as trainers attended to him and anguished teammates squatted nearby.

Eventually he was rolled over and helped to his feet.

Roeder Ties Career Saves Mark in Husker Win

Posted on April 28, 2015

Omaha – On a night when Josh Roeder notched his 31^st career save to tie Brett Jensen for Nebraska’s career saves mark, the Nebraska baseball team (31-16, 6-9 Big Ten) finished a season sweep of the Creighton Bluejays (24-13) with a 7-6 victory on Tuesday night in front of 10,513 fans at TD Ameritrade Park.

With a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, Roeder gave up a triple and a double to start the frame, putting the tying run at second base with no out. The Jays used a sacrifice bunt to put the tying run 90 feet from home, but Roeder kept Reagan Fowler from scoring with a groundout and a swinging strikeout to end the game.

The Husker win was also made possible by an insurance run from Taylor Fish in the top of the ninth. Wes Edrington started the inning with a walk and scored on a RBI groundout from Fish to put the Huskers ahead 7-5 and it ended up being the game-winning run. Nebraska also got a key two-out hit from Jake Schleppenbach in the eighth. With the bases loaded and two out, Schleppenbach lined a two-RBI single into right field to put the Huskers back in front 6-5.

Schleppenbach, Ryan Boldt and Blake Headley combined for nine of NU’s 11 hits on the night, while Schleppenbach and Fish both drove in a pair of runs.

The Huskers led off the game with a single from Boldt, but then didn’t have another base runner until the top of the fourth when Boldt led off the frame with a walk. Headley followed with his 17^th double of the season and the Huskers quickly had two runners in scoring position. Miller got the Huskers on the board with a RBI groundout and Fish delivered a RBI single to cut Creighton’s lead to one run, 3-2.

The Jays jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second on three singles and a pair of wild pitches from Husker starter Garett King.

Nebraska even the game at 3-3 in the fifth on a two-out RBI from Boldt. The Huskers were in position for a big inning when Schleppenbach and Luis Alvarado started the frame with singles to put runners on the corners. The Jays caught a break though when Edrington hit into a 5-4-3 double play, leaving a Schleppenbach on third with two out. CU went to Will Bamesberger to face Boldt and the sophomore got in an 0-2 hole before ripping the third pitch of the at-bat into centerfield for a RBI single. Headley then drew a walk to put Boldt in scoring position, but Bamesberger retired Miller 4-3 to end the inning.

The Jays jumped back in front in the sixth with a pair of runs on two hits and two walks. With one run already plated and the bases loaded the Huskers nearly got out of the inning with a double play ball, but NU was unable to turn it and a run scored. Colton Howell then struck out Fowler swinging to end the inning.

Schleppenbach started the seventh with a single, he was quickly at third after stealing second and taking third on a throwing error by the catch on the steal. After Alvarado struck out, Edrington came through with an RBI groundout that cut CU’s lead to 5-4.

After Howell kept the Jays scoreless in the seventh, Headley got the Huskers going with a leadoff single in the eighth and was in scoring position when Miller drew a four-pitch walk. Fish moved both Huskers into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt and to setup the double play, the Jays internationally walked Darby to load the bases. CU reliever David Gerber struck out Schreiber for the second out of the inning and needed to retire Schleppenbach to get out of the jam. The Husker second baseman took a strike before roping a two-RBI single that retook the lead for NU, 6-5.

Miller took the mound for NU in the bottom of the eighth and retired the Jays in order, Fish delivered a much needed insurance run in the ninth and Roeder closed the door to record NU’s first 3-0 mark over Creighton in a season since 2008.

Tuesday marked the final non-conference game of the season for the Huskers. Nebraska has nine Big Ten games left, including a three-game series with Northwestern this weekend in Evanston, Ill.

Royals Score 6 in 7th to Overtake Indians 11-5

Posted on April 28, 2015

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kendry Morales’ three-run homer capped a six-run seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 11-5 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City’s big inning came after Cleveland had taken a 5-3 lead on Brandon Moss’ three-run homer in the sixth.

Alcides Escobar’s two-run double off Scott Atchison (0-1) tied the game. Escobar scored the go-ahead run from second on Mike Moustakas’ infield hit and Morales later hit his third homer of the season to dead center off Bryan Shaw.

Brandon Finnegan (1-0) picked up his first career win despite allowing Moss’ home run.

Alex Gordon homered and drove in two runs for the Royals, who had a season-high 18 hits.