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MoreStory Related Articles Stacey Bradley takes aim on the 10th hole at Perche Creek Mini Golf Course on Saturday. Bradley and her family spent the day in Columbia because her brother’s baseball team was playing in the Show-Me State Games. |
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Steve McCown emerged from the umpires’ locker room and sauntered out onto University Field. He took his position a few feet behind third base, his legs straddling the baseline. McCown adjusted his cap and slid his feet across the dirt. He was ready. Too bad the players, stadium workers, those 465 in attendance and his two fellow umpires had been waiting for McCown for 90 minutes. Travel complications had delayed his arrival. Saturday’s game between No. 16 Missouri and No. 9 Oklahoma, an 8-3 Sooner victory,Bayern Munich shirt, was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The start was first pushed back to 2:30. Then it was 3:15. Before the game officially began at 3:30,Manchester City shirt, the crowd sarcastically applauded the umpire’s arrival. Missouri players treated the delay casually. “We did as much as we could to not think about it,” center fielder Leanne Bowers said. “We did a little stretching and lied down in the dugout for awhile.” Some fans wandered over to the Missouri Relays track meet at adjoining Walton Stadium in the interim. Many stayed in their seats and talked. “The nice thing is we had an absolutely gorgeous day,” Missouri coach Ty Singleton said. “We’re at the ballpark. It’s kind of tough to beat the sun.” The game had at first proved to be worth the wait for Missouri. The Tigers and Sooners were tied 2-2 entering the sixth inning before Missouri collapsed. A six-run Oklahoma sixth put things out of reach for the Tigers, quickly transforming a close game into an OU runaway. One play in particular spurred the Tigers’ demise. With one run in and none out, Oklahoma’s Kristin Vesely came to the plate with the bases loaded. Missouri looked to be out of trouble when Vesely grounded back to pitcher Jen Bruck. But Bruck threw wild to home plate,Inter Milan shirt, then forgot to cover when catcher Kathy Masterson tried to get an Oklahoma runner out. Three runs scored and Vesely advanced to third. Oklahoma (35-6,Lyon shirt, 3-0 Big 12) sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning. Saturday’s loss was the first at home for Missouri (27-5, 1-2) this season. It came on the heels of a 2-1 loss at Southern Illinois-Carbondale Thursday. Despite the setback, the Tigers are off to the best start of any team in the 30-year history of Missouri softball. The teams play again at noon today. |
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KANSAS CITY — So many hits. So few runs. In their most inefficient effort of what’s shaping up to be a third straight 100-loss season, the Kansas City Royals collected 15 hits Sunday, including two home runs. But out of all that they managed to score only four runs. The surging Oakland Athletics were grateful to escape with a 6-4 victory and get out of town with a split of their four-game series. “How many double plays did they turn?” Royals manager Buddy Bell asked with a shake of his head. Three, he was told. “It seemed like we hit into one every inning.” Nick Swisher had a two-run home run and Jay Payton a two-run double for the A’s, who have won eight of their past 10 games to stay atop the AL West. Their August record of 14-4 is second-best in the majors behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers. But it was a bad day for the A’s in one important sense. Earlier Sunday, they put closer Huston Street on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin muscle he suffered while pitching on Friday night. Huston, whose 29 saves were sixth in the AL, was scheduled for an MRI on today. “He’s a big part of our team,” said Justin Duchscherer,Inter Milan shirt, who pitched the ninth and gave up Mark Grudzielanek’s inside-the-park home run. “We’re going to miss him. But we can’t do anything about it but go out there and do the best we can when we have to pitch.” It’s the 14th time the A’s have used the disabled list this year, their most since they also used it 14 times in 1998. “It’s nice to go out there with all our weapons. We haven’t had that all season,” manager Ken Macha said. Kirk Saarloos (6-6) survived six shaky innings for his third straight victory. He gave up nine singles, a double and Reggie Sanders’ solo home run. He also had 12 groundball outs. “When that ball’s down and sinking good, they hit it into the ground,” Macha said. In a day of frustration for the Royals, Saarloos’ last inning was easily the most exasperating of all. After Mark Teahen led off with a single and Emil Brown grounded into a double play,Paris Saint Germain shirt, Sanders, Ryan Shealy,Napoli shirt, Paul Bako and Joey Gathright all had solid singles. Sanders scored on Bako’s hit, but then Bako was caught between second and third following Gathright’s single and became an easy putout. “Five hits in one inning and they only get one run,” Macha said. “A little bit of a baserunning mistake wound up being key there.” Andres Blanco and David DeJesus then singled leading off the seventh against reliever Joe Kennedy. But Grudzielanek grounded into the Royals’ third double play in three innings and Teahen hit a weak grounder to second,Real Madrid shirt, leaving the Royals with only one run despite getting six straight singles. “We had them against the ropes a few times but the double plays killed us. Absolutely killed us,” said Grudzielanek, whose inside-the-parker was his first and No. 90 in the Royals 37-year history. “We had a ground ball pitcher. We were probably a little overly aggressive with him. We should have been a little more selective.” Runelvys Hernandez (3-8) went 42/3 innings and was charged with four runs and four hits. He walked four and struck out two. The A’s loaded the bases in the first and got a sacrifice fly from Eric Chavez before Payton’s two-run double. Mark Kotsay’s sacrifice fly made it 4-0 in the third. Grudzielanek’s ball sliced away from Bradley and then kept rolling along the wall away from him. Was Grudzielanek thinking home run? “With my wheels right now, the way I feel? No,” he said. |
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Offensive superstars often determine the outcome of important matches, but for Columbia College on Friday, the defense made the difference. The Cougars upset Illinois-Springfield 2-1 at Owens Stadium to repeat as American Midwest Conference champions. The winning goal came from an unlikely source. Jared Cross,l.a.galaxy shirt, a junior defender, scored his first goal of the season in the 53rd minute. His 35-yard shot from the right side went past goalkeeper Zach Hoette and found the upper left corner of the net. “The angle I had on the goal was not the best for a cross,Inter Milan shirt, and as a defender my accuracy isn’t great,” Cross said. “But,Napoli shirt, as soon as I kicked it I knew it was going to go in.” The Cougars,Newcastle United shirt, No. 22 in NAIA, stopped four Prairie Star shots in the final 37 minutes. Illinois-Springfield (10-4, 4-1) was No. 11 entering the game. “This is as big as it gets in regular season play,” Cougars coach John Klein said. “We’ve never had a win as big as this as long as I’ve been here. It’s big on many levels.” Winning the AMC title ensures the Cougars (12-3, 7-0) one of the top two spots in the six-team NAIA Region V Tournament. The Cougars will receive a bye in the first round and host a semifinal match at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13. The Region V winners advance to the national tournament. The Cougars outshot the Prairie Stars 20-10. Goalkeeper Steve Williams let up a quick Prairie Star score in the second minute when he was unable to reach Jesse Elmore’s high shot. “The first goal was really too early to get worried about,” Klein said. “We hadn’t seen what they had. It was a bit of a wake up call.” Two minutes later, the Cougars responded. Stephen McMullen beat two Prairie Stars defenders in the box after receiving a Morten Crosby pass. McMullen shot a low ball into the left corner. Despite taking 12 Cougars’ shots in the first half, the teams were tied at halftime. “It came down to a ton of 50/50 balls,” UIS coach Joe Eck said. “Columbia is a very tough team, and they simply played better than we did.” Cross said the Cougars’ determination won the game. “The closer the game, the more intense. Overall, on the entire team I couldn’t point out one player on every single play that quit. It was a 100 percent team effort and that’s what it takes to win big games.” |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. It took Roush Fenway Racing less than a month to put together a major portion of Carl Edwards’ sponsorship package. Fastenal agreed Thursday to sponsor Edwards, a Columbia native, for 17 races in the Sprint Cup Series beginning next season. The deal came a little more than three weeks after Edwards ended his free agency by agreeing to a long-term deal with Roush. The team had been unable to shop sponsorship until Edwards agreed to return to the organization. MoreStory Related Articles Fastenal has been associated with Edwards in some capacity since 1999 and has been the primary sponsor on his Nationwide Series car the last two seasons. “I’ve appreciated the long relationship that I’ve had with Fastenal,” Edwards said. “I’m proud that they believe so strongly in our team and program that they are making the commitment to sponsor us in the Sprint Cup Series.” Fastenal, a fastener distributor and supplier for the industrial and construction industry, also agreed to sponsor two additional Roush Fenway entries in a yet to be determined 2012 race. The deal would put three Fastenal-branded Fords on the track in a single event. “It’s hard to imagine a better driver,Birmingham shirt, or a better spokesperson for our company, than Carl Edwards,” said Fastenal vice president Cory Jansen. “Because of the phenomenal season Carl is having, we’ve probably had more brand exposure this year than we’ve had in the previous five years combined. “We’re looking forward to taking another huge step forward next season by presenting our brand to the tens of millions of fans who follow the Cup Series.” Aflac is currently Edwards’ primary sponsor, but the insurance company has not said yet if it will return next season. Edwards has won four Nationwide races this season and five overall in a Fastenal-sponsored car. In the Sprint Cup Series, he’s ranked fourth in the standings and has already clinched a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. |
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KANSAS CITY The scene Wednesday featuring guard Michael Dixon Jr. was all too familiar. With 18.1 seconds remaining and the Missouri men’s basketball team holding an 86-84 lead over Texas Tech in its first game of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center,Inter Milan shirt, Dixon was fouled and sent to the free-throw line. MoreStory Related Media Related Articles Dixon looked up at the basket. It was before this same basket, in this same building, at the same end of the court, that Dixon had a chance to secure a victory over Georgetown three months ago. In that game, he failed. But standing at the free-throw line in Wednesday nights game,Manchester City shirt, he made the first free throw to give Missouri a 3-point cushion. Then, after Texas Tech guard John Roberson missed a hurried layup, the ball bounced around between players. Missouris Marcus Denmon came up with it. He ran in circles, and for nearly 10 seconds, no Texas Tech player could catch him. Finally,South Africa football shirt, Texas Tech forward Mike Singletary fouled Denmon and sent him to the line, where Denmon made one more free throw to seal Missouris 88-84 victory. The sixth-seeded Tigers advance to play third-seeded Texas A&M in Thursday’s second round. Denmon led the Tigers with 20 points, five assists and five steals. Dixon had 17 points; guard Kim English scored 15. Missouri players said before the game that they were worried the Texas Tech players would come out with extra motivation because their coach, Pat Knight, was fired on Monday after three unsuccessful seasons with the Red Raiders. Within the game’s first 10 minutes,Lazio shirt, Texas Tech gained a seven-point lead and began making highlight reel-worthy plays including alley-oop dunks. After Texas Techs fast start, Missouri came back, and it appeared the Tigers would take over when they began the second half with an 8-0 run. However, Texas Tech never went away and was able to keep the game close until the final moments. |
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Aside from charting Missouri’s seven home runs,Inter Milan shirt, there was little suspense surrounding its two blowout wins Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers swept Iowa State in a doubleheader at University Field. They won 9-1 in Game 1 and 11-1 in Game 2. Both games ended in five innings because of the eight-run rule. The marketing staff’s search for a contestant to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the fifth-inning stretch of Game 2 was an exciting subplot. Marketing associate Stephanie Menio wanted Chris Bruck, father of Missouri pitcher Jen Bruck, for the job. Although he did well singing during the Tiger Classic March 19, he didn’t feel up to the task Wednesday. An elderly couple in attendance was slated to entertain the crowd instead, but they never got the chance. Erin Kalka (2-3), who got the win in Game 1, struck out Iowa State’s Jessica Quade to end the game in the top half. No stretch was needed. Missouri returned to form after losing three games in a row, including a frustrating two-game sweep at the hands of visiting Oklahoma last weekend. Coach Ty Singleton said the team embarrassed itself against the Sooners. In both games, the Tigers played solid for most of the game, but proved susceptible to the big inning. On Wednesday,South Africa football shirt, right fielder Micaela Minner had an especially big afternoon, going a combined 2-for-3 with two home runs and two RBIs. Both her home runs came on the first pitch of her first at-bat of the game. “I get in there, first pitch, I look for it every time,” Minner said. She had struggled in her past four games and the No. 17 Tigers (29-6, 3-3 Big 12) went 1-3 in the span. They were still off to their best start, but this was their first slump of the year. Some famous song’s lyrics came to Minner’s mind when Cyclones (12-20, 0-6 Big 12) pitching intentionally walked her twice during the Tigers’ 10-run fourth inning in Game 2. “Intentionally getting walked is kinda like R-E-S-P-E-C-T …” Minner said. “I definitely felt comfortable today and felt … back in the zone.” Senior shortstop Heather Kunkel, who hit three home runs in the doubleheader,Sunderland shirt, said focus was the key for MU. “We just wanted it a lot more today,” Kunkel said. “We need to do a better job of coming out ready to play every day.” |
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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Ryan Shealy’s favorite thing about Kansas City is its location — about 500 miles away from Todd Helton. It’s nothing personal. The All-star first baseman of the Colorado Rockies is a good friend and Shealy’s mentor, as well as a career .333 hitter and the Rockies’ greatest player. Helton even took Shealy out to dinner when the Rockies and Royals played recently. But as long as Shealy and Helton were in Colorado at the same time, Shealy was never going to play more than a few games. “Every year I was in Colorado,Celtic shirt, I took something away from playing next to him,” Shealy said. “But at the same time,Sevilla shirt, it was frustrating.” So Shealy was elated when the Royals and Rockies worked out a four-player trade last summer that sent him to Kansas City, giving him an opportunity. In response, he hit .280 in 51 games and provided better defense at his position than the Royals have had in more than a decade. Just 27, he’s been one of the most consistent hitters this spring. “As a player, all you can ask for is an opportunity,Lyon shirt,” Shealy said. “And the Royals gave me an opportunity last year by trading for me. “I feel good. My body feels good. I’ve been comfortable here with the guys in this clubhouse. I was real fortunate to come here and play the last two months of last season. The staff and the guys have been great, very welcoming. I’m very excited.” The Royals are excited to have him. Mike Sweeney, perhaps the best right-handed hitter in Kansas City history, tried his best to play first base but finally proved he’s destined to be a designated hitter. The Royals’ need for a solid defensive first baseman who also supplies some power went unanswered until the deal was worked out with Colorado. “He showed us a lot last year, that he has a knack for driving in runs. He really understands how to hit, and he plays so very well at first base,” said manager Buddy Bell. “When people talk about our young team, Shealy’s name doesn’t come up as much as it should. He’s a guy we’re counting on for a long time.” Shealy had 10 doubles, a triple and seven home runs in his first extended big league action last tear. One of the things the Royals like best is that he does not try to hit a five-run home run every at-bat. “He just has a knack for understanding the situation and what he needs to do. He doesn’t overswing,” Bell said. “Usually big guys like that have a tendency to overswing.” It’s not that he can’t hit the long ball. His best power season in four-plus years in the minor leagues was a league-leading 29 home runs for Tulsa in 2004, when he also led the league with 99 RBIs. But not swinging for the fences every at-bat may be one of his best traits. “I try to pride myself on being able to do whatever the situation calls for,” Shealy said. “If that means shortening up and just a getting a single to drive in a run, so be it. If it means hitting the ball out of the park, so be it. Whatever the situation calls for,Inter Milan shirt, I want to be able to do it.” In the meantime, the Royals got good news Sunday on the injury front. Third baseman Alex Gordon’s sore shoulder was much improved and he told Bell he was ready to go after sitting out a few games. And right-hander Brian Bannister seemed to have no ill-effects after taking a shot to the back of his left knee during a “B” game against the Texas Rangers. |
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If the Rock Bridge girls’ basketball players can keep their momentum, they’ll eclipse last year’s poor performance. Undefeated, the Bruins extended their winning streak to six by beating California 45-27 Thursday night. It was Rock Bridge’s second home game of the season. Rock Bridge has posted as many wins as it had last season when they finished 6-20. Coach Kevin Giese said he expects the team to win a few more games before the end of the season. “Six is a good number for the fans,” Giese said. “It’s a good number for us, but it’s more for the fans than it is for us. We think we can continue this and keep going throughout the season.” Turnovers proved to be the most important statistic of the game. Rock Bridge turned the ball over four times in the first quarter. At the end of the quarter the Bruins found themselves behind 8-12. Momentum swung completely in Rock Bridge’s favor in the second half. The Bruins took better care of the ball and played better defense. The Bruins gave the ball away four times and forced 10 turnovers in the second half. “I think those turnovers come from the score,” Giese said. “Early in the game we were behind and the pressure was on us. The second half they were behind and the pressure kept mounting and mounting for them.” Inside play was a large part of the Rock Bridge offense. Sophomore forward Ashley Dressler led the Bruins’ scoring with 12 points, most of which were in the paint. “When it’s open they just pass it in because we call for the ball,” Dressler said. “They’re pretty good at getting it inside and we’re pretty good at finishing.” Pounding the ball inside to get easy baskets wasn’t the only reason Rock Bridge focused on playing half-court offense. Senior Rachel Jones said controlling the pace of the game helped the Bruins secure the win. “I think that had been our motto tonight,Valencia shirt,” Jones said. “Slow it down, slow it down. There’s no need to rush. We have 40 minutes in a ball game,Birmingham shirt, no need to make it go any faster than that.” Giese said he expects the rest of Rock Bridge’s opponents to be just about the same caliber as California. “They’re a very good team,Benfica shirt,” Giese said. “They have two really standout players. And sometimes when you have standout players like that some of the other players aren’t used to having as much of a load on their shoulders. But they’re as good as any other team on our schedule.” |
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ST. LOUIS — The dome was rocking with chants of “Let’s Go Bears,” and Chicago’s football team looked right at home in St. Louis. Especially high-stepping rookie Devin Hester. Hester set an NFL record with his fifth and sixth returns for touchdowns, a 94-yard kickoff runback in the second quarter and a 96-yarder in the final period Monday night. That sparked a 42-27 victory over the Rams. The NFC North champions (11-2) clinched a first-round bye for the playoffs as beleaguered quarterback Rex Grossman had a solid effort and the running attack dominated the second half. But it was Hester who made the thousands of Bears fans who traveled from Chicago rise from their seats. A second-round draft pick, he also has three punt return touchdowns and ran back a missed field goal 108 yards against the Giants to tie the longest play in NFL history. But he had returned only six kickoffs all year before his historic romps. He headed up the middle on the first,Napoli shirt, then swiftly cut to his left untouched and sped down the sideline, high-stepping like a drum major the last few yards while holding up the football for the raucous Bears fans. Hester outdid himself in the fourth quarter when it appeared the Rams might try an onside kick. The only Bear standing deep, he went straight up the center of the field,Birmingham shirt, again untouched, and turned around at the Rams 20 looking for pursuers. No one was there. Hester struggled to find a position in college at Miami, but he’s been a sensation with the ball in his hands on kick returns for the Bears. Carrying a 14-13 lead into the second half, the Bears outgained the Rams (5-8) 191 yards to 31 in the third quarter. They scored on Thomas Jones’ 30-yard run and Muhsin Muhammad’s superb fingertip catch of a 14-yard pass from Grossman,Inter Milan shirt, who probably quieted calls for his benching — particularly from the thousands of fans who outshouted Rams fans much of the evening. |