Baseball – Page 70 – North Platte Post Archive

Rockies’ Arenado Suffers Apparent Hand Injury

Posted on May 23, 2014May 25, 2014

ATLANTA (AP) — Nolan Arenado has left the Rockies’ game against the Braves after he apparently hurt his left hand on a head-first slide into second base.

Arenado led off the second inning of Friday night’s game with a double to left field. Arenado’s slide beat shortstop Andrelton Simmons’ tag. The play stood following a review that lasted 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

Arenado grabbed his hand following the slide but remained in the game to score from third on Jordan Pacheco’s groundout. Charlie Culberson replaced Arenado at third base in the bottom of the inning.

There was no immediate report from the Rockies on Arenado’s injury.

Ramiro Pena replaced Braves third baseman Chis Johnson after Johnson’s strikeout to lead off the second. The Braves did not say why Johnson left the game.

Bummer Carries Huskers to Win Over Spartans

Posted on May 22, 2014

Omaha – In front of more than 11,000 fans at TD Ameritrade Park on Thursday night, the Nebraska baseball team (39-18) improved to 2-0 at the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-2 victory over the Michigan State Spartans (30-24). With the win, the Huskers will have tomorrow off and will be back on the field at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning against either Iowa, Michigan or Indiana.

Junior lefty Aaron Bummer brought his best stuff to the park, as he allowed just four hits and two unearned runs over 7.0 innings of work, while striking out a career-high tying seven. Outside of the fifth inning when the Huskers committed a pair of errors that turned into two unearned runs, Bummer never allowed more than one base runner in an inning, including no one past second base. Bummer picked up his seventh win of the season in the victory, while Zach Hirsch earned his fourth save of the year with 2.0 innings of scoreless relief.

The top of Nebraska’s lineup combined to go 6-for-14 at the plate with three RBIs, including two hits, two RBIs and a double from freshman Ryan Boldt. Along with Boldt, four other Huskers notched a double on the night, including the eventual game-winning RBI double by Michael Pritchard in the seventh. Thursday night marked the fifth time this season the Huskers have had at least five doubles in a game, while their last five-double game came in their series opener at Michigan on April 25.

With a 10-to-5 advantage in hits, the Huskers notched their 29th double-digit hit game of the year and improved to 30-1 on the year when out-hitting their opponent.

Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Steven Reveles led off with his 11th double of the season and Boldt followed with a double on the ninth pitch of his at-bat for his 28th RBI of the year. Jake Placzek then laid down a bunt single and the Huskers had runners on the corners with no outs for their 3-4-5 hitters. MSU starter Cam Vieaux would only allow one run in the inning though, as he escaped major damage by striking out Pritchard, getting Pat Kelly to pop up and Blake Headley to line out.

After Bummer set the Spartans down in order in the bottom of the third, Tanner Lubach nearly notched the Huskers first ever home run at TD Ameritrade Park, but the 1-2 offering from Vieaux hit the top of the left field wall and Lubach had to settle for a leadoff double. Austin Darby moved Lubach to third base with a sacrifice bunt, but then Vieaux struck out Ben Miller looking on a full-count. With a runner still on third and two down, Reveles worked a walk that rolled over the Husker lineup and Boldt delivered again with a RBI single that put NU ahead 2-0.

With Bummer allowing just two hits through the first four innings, Nebraska’s defense let down its pitcher in the fifth by committing two errors and the Spartans took advantage with a pair of unearned runs to tie the game. Ryan Richardson led off the frame and reached on a throwing error by Placzek. Richardson later scored on a one-out single by Justin Hovis, who then moved to second on the play on a throwing error by Headley. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Blaise Salter hit what would have been the third out of the inning, but instead it was a sacrifice fly that scored Hovis. With the go-ahead run at third base, Bummer ended the inning on his own with his fifth strikeout of the night.

Nebraska’s offense got the lead back for Bummer in the seventh with its fourth and fifth doubles of the game on consecutive pitches. Placzek ripped the first pitch he saw into the left-field gap and then Pritchard followed with his 20th double of the year to put the Huskers ahead 3-2.

With his 20th double of the season, Pritchard became the eighth NU hitter to notch 20 or doubles in a season since 2000.

Holding a one-run lead, Bummer toed the rubber in the seventh and sat the Spartans down in order, including his seventh strikeout of the night to end the inning.

The Spartans made a late rally in the eighth when they got a two-out single and a walk to put the tying run in scoring position, but Hirsch got Richardson to groundout 6-3 to end the threat. The senior lefty then sat down MSU in order in the ninth to secure the win.

Nebraska continues through the winners bracket and will play on the Big Ten Network at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. The loser of tonight’s game between Indiana and Michigan will play an elimination game against Iowa tomorrow, with the winner of tomorrow’s game facing the Huskers on Saturday.

Giants, Rockies Suspended Due to Rain

Posted on May 22, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The game between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants was suspended after the second rain delay Thursday, with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

A makeup date was still being determined. The Giants next visit Coors Field on Sept. 1-3.

The game was interrupted for 82 minutes before the fourth. The rain moved back in two innings later, delaying the game for another 84 minutes and leading the umpires to suspend action.

Wilin Rosario tied the game at 2 when he hit into a double play in the fifth.

Hunter Pence had a solo homer for the Giants in the fourth and Pablo Sandoval drove in a run with a double.

Sandoval also had a solo homer overturned by a challenge in the second.

Gonzalez Out of Lineup with Swollen Finger

Posted on May 22, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is out of the lineup Thursday against San Francisco with a swollen left index finger.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said before the game that Gonzalez’s injury is a “day-to-day thing” and he doesn’t believe it’s “any more serious than that.”

Gonzalez has been dealing with inflammation in the finger all month and aggravated it again at the plate Wednesday night. He’s also bothered by tendinitis in his left knee.

Asked if he could see Gonzalez going on the disabled list to heal up, Weiss said, “if it gets to a certain point, it’s certainly an option.”

The smooth-fielding outfielder downplayed his recent spate of ailments, saying “just another stripe for a zebra.”

Gonzalez is hitting .276 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.

Royals Send Slumping Moustakas to Omaha

Posted on May 22, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals sent third baseman Mike Moustakas to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday in their latest attempt to break one of their franchise cornerstones out of his prolonged slump.

The team announced the move in a brief statement while traveling from Kansas City to Anaheim. The Royals open a three-game series against the Angels on Friday.

Utility man Jimmy Paredes was recalled from Omaha in a corresponding move.

Moustakas had slowly lost playing time to Danny Valencia. The former No. 2 overall pick heads to Omaha toting a .152 average with four homers and 17 RBIs in 40 games.

Moustakas has been the everyday third baseman the past two seasons, but he’s struggled to live up to expectations. He hit.233 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs a year ago.

Giants Hit 3 Solo Homers in 5-1 Win over Rockies

Posted on May 22, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Hunter Pence hit one of San Francisco’s three solo homers and reliever Yusmeiro Petit threw three sharp innings after starter Matt Cain left with a strained right hamstring as the Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Crawford also connected for the NL West-leading Giants, who won at Coors Field for just the fifth time in 15 games dating back to last season.

Cain didn’t allow a hit through three innings, before giving way to Petit (3-1). He and four other relievers limited the best offensive team in the majors to just five hits.

Jhoulys Chacin (0-3) worked 5 2-3 innings and allowed three runs, including a homer to Pence in the fourth and another to Sandoval two innings later.

Guthrie Strong in Royals’ 3-1 Win over White Sox

Posted on May 21, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jeremy Guthrie, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined on a four-hitter and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 Wednesday night to avoid being swept in their three-game series.

The White Sox had scored 14 runs and hit five home runs in the first two games.

Guthrie, who is winless in seven starts since an April 9 victory over Tampa Bay, left after seven innings with the score 1-1. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out two.

Wade Davis (3-1) struck out two in a flawless eighth and has tossed 10 scoreless innings in his last nine appearances. Greg Holland logged his 13th save in 14 chances, but not before giving up a single to Dayan Viciedo and walking Adam Dunn in the ninth.

Left-hander Jose Quintana (2-4) gave up three runs on eight hits over 7 1-3 innings for Chicago.

Huskers Open Big Ten Tournament with Walk-Off Win

Posted on May 21, 2014May 21, 2014

Omaha – Headed into the bottom of the ninth down by three runs, the No. 20 Nebraska baseball team (38-18) plated four runs in its final at-bat, capped by a walk-off sacrifice fly by Tanner Lubach, on its way to a 7-6 opening-round victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes (30-27) in front of one of the largest crowds in Big Ten Tournament history. The win sets up a 5 p.m. meeting tomorrow with the Michigan State Spartans, who opened the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Illinois.

The victory was the Huskers’ sixth walk-off of the season and marked the 14th time this season the Huskers have won a game when they trailed or were tied after the sixth inning.

After cutting OSU’s lead in half in the fifth with three runs, the Huskers went hitless over the next three innings. With All-American closer Trace Dempsey on the mound in the ninth, freshman Ben Miller snapped the hitless streak with a leadoff single and was replaced on the bases by fellow freshman Quinn McGill. Dempsey then hit Steven Reveles and walked Ryan Boldt to load the bases with no out. With a right hander on the mound, Darin Erstad called on lefty Christian Cox to pinch hit and the junior worked a full count, but struck out for the first out of the inning. Michael Pritchard was up next and worked a four-pitch walk to force home NU’s first run of the inning. With clean-up hitter Pat Kelly due up and the tying run at second base, the Buckeyes turned the ball over to Tyler Giannonatti. Kelly, who was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season on Monday, came through with a two-RBI game-tying single, his third hit of the day. The Buckeyes then intentionally walked Blake Headley to load the bases and setup a potential double-play ball, but the game was not meant for extra innings as Lubach lifted a 1-0 offering from Giannonatti into shallow center field and Pritchard beat a throw home by Troy Montgomery to complete the Husker comeback.

The improbable comeback marked the fourth time this season the Huskers have defeated the Buckeyes in their final at-bat of the game.

Kelly was 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the Huskers, while Pritchard chipped in a pair of RBIs without getting a hit. Kelly leads the Huskers with 21 multi-hit games and 16 multi-RBI games on the year.

The ninth-inning rally wouldn’t have been possible without the work of Nebraska’s bullpen. Following OSU’s six-run fourth inning, three Husker relievers combined to allow just one hit over 5.0 scoreless innings. Luke Bublitz tossed a scoreless fifth before Jeff Chesnut and Austin Christensen each threw 2.0 innings of relief, including a pair of perfect innings from Christensen, who earned the win to improve to 3-0 on the year.

After the teams combined to score no runs on four hits through the first three innings, the Buckeyes broke the game open in the top of the fourth. OSU sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on six hits. Aaron Gretz got the scoring started when he dropped a base-loaded double on the left-field line that scored two runs. The Buckeyes then executed a squeeze bunt and NU starter Chance Sinclair saw his day come to an end after Gretz scored on a wild pitch. Bob Greco took the mound and gave up three straight singles that scored a pair of runs before getting Pat Porter to bounced into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

The Huskers cut OSU’s lead in half in the bottom of the fifth with three runs, starting with an RBI double by Jake Placzek. Pritchard then hit a dribbler out in front of the plate and OSU Tanner Tully tried to cut down Reveles at home, but the Husker shortstop slid under Gretz’s tag for the second run of the inning. Kelly kept the runs coming with an RBI single, before Tully got Headley to fly out for the second out of the inning. Tully, the 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, then walked Lubach to load the bases, just his seventh walk of the season in 91.0 innings of work. With the tying runs on bases, Austin Darby stepped to the plate and was unable to keep the rally going with his third strikeout of the game.

Nebraska and Michigan State meet in tomorrow night’s winner bracket game at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network, with the winner getting Friday off and moving to Saturday’s 9 a.m.game against a team from the loser’s bracket.

First Nationals Notch First Win of the Season

Posted on May 21, 2014

The North Platte First Nationals (1-2) made the short trip to Hershey on Tuesday and earned its first win of the season.

North Platte jumped on top of Hershland early by scoring three runs in the first inning of a 13-0 win. The First Nationals added two more runs in the third inning before going off in the fourth inning for eight runs. The game ended after five innings with the run-rule in effect.

North Platte only had five hits in the game and none of them were for extra bases. The First Nationals were also issued 10 walks in the game. Drew Callaghan continued his hot start to the season by going 1-2 with two RBI and a walk. Callaghan is currently hitting .444 to lead the team. He also leads the team with five RBI and one double.

Jayden Kruse earned the win on the mound by pitching a complete game shutout. Kruse gave up two hits in the game and struck out nine batters compared to just one walk. The First Nationals defense backed Kruse up as well. North Platte didn’t commit any errors in the game for the first time this season.

The First Nationals were scheduled to play their home opener today in a doubleheader against Columbus, but Columbus had a conflict and had to cancel. The games will be postponed to a later date. Because of the postponement North Platte doesn’t have a home game until Monday, May 26 vs. Norfolk. The First Nationals next game is Friday in Lincoln against JC Brager. The doubleheader will begin at 5:00 pm at Lincoln Sherman.

Arenado Lifts Rox to 5-4 Win over Giants in 9th

Posted on May 21, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a two-run double off the wall in the ninth inning, lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.

It’s the second straight game the Rockies have won in walkoff fashion, with Justin Morneau hitting a two-run homer in the 10th against San Diego on Sunday.

The NL West-leading Giants took a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Tyler Colvin against closer LaTroy Hawkins (2-0).

Arenado hit a 2-2 pitch off closer Sergio Romo (3-1) that glanced off the top of the fence in left and bounced back into the outfield, easily scoring Troy Tulowitzki and then a hustling Carlos Gonzalez with the winning run.