We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Category: Sports

FHSU women’s track slides up a spot in national rankings

Posted on

NEW ORLEANS – After a strong showing at their lone home meet of the season, the Fort Hays State women’s track and field team improved one place from their previous ranking in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches’ poll released Tuesday (April 3). The Tigers captured 71.84 points in the latest edition to slide up one spot from last week’s ranking at No. 12.

FHSU’s 71.84 total points were tabulated from the computer-based system within the poll. The Tigers are one of only just two MIAA programs who received a mention in the rankings alongside just No. 3 Pittsburg State.

At the Alex Francis Classic this past Friday, the Tigers earned seven provisional marks. Kelly Wycoff led the way with two provisional marks in both her 200-meter (24.33) and 100-meter (11.69). Amber Forbes claimed first place in the 100-meter to earn her provisional at 11.65.

In track events, Selam Ball earned her provisional after vaulting 12 feet, 3 ¼ inches, to take first in her event, while Rohey Singhateh claimed the top spot in the long jump at 18 feet, 5 ¾ inches. Madison Wolf continues to dominate the javelin as she earned a provisional at 148 feet, 3 inches.

Below are the latest USTFCCCA rankings.

Rank Institution Points
1 West Texas 170.39
2 Angelo State 146.52
3 Pittsburg State 132.90
4 SF State 118.72
5 Alaska Anchorage 113.20
6 Azusa Pacific 112.31
7 Grand Valley State 95.54
8 UC-Colorado Springs 84.05
9 Fresno State 82.54
10 Missouri Southern 72.20
11 Fort Hays State 71.84
12 Saint Augustine’s 67.53
13 Texas A&M-Commerce 65.75
14 New Mexico Highlands 61.71
15 Concordia (Ore.) 61.06
16 Walsh 59.45
17 Wayne State (Neb.) 59.38
18 Cal State LA 58.74
19 Cal State San Marcos 57.71
20 Colorado Mines 56.40
21 Chico State 55.14
22 Academy of Art 53.08
23 Ashland 52.13
24 UC San Diego 49.02
25 Simon Fraser 48.69

Interview: Lance Krannawitter, new Hays High assistant principal/A.D.

Posted on

Hays High School will have a new assistant principal and athletic director as of July 1. Lance Krannawitter has accepted an offer to take that role. He currently is the Communications Director for USD 315 Colby and serves as the school’s athletics director. Prior to his current position, Krannawitter had been a principal or assistant principal from 2008 through 2016 in the Colby school district at the grade school, middle school and high school levels.

In June, Krannawitter will move to Hays with his wife and son, a freshman. His daughter is a senior who will graduate in May and head to college at the University of Kansas.

Interview with Lance Krannawitter

His move to the Hays school district gets Krannawitter closer to his parents in Russell and allows the opportunity to further an education career that has spent time in three different countries. As a United States Peace Corps volunteer, he spent two years in Tanzania, East Africa teaching English and agriculture to high school students. Krannawitter also spent a year in South Korea teaching English as a Second Language.

Krannawitter is a Hoxie high school graduate and earned two degrees from Fort Hays State University. He also completed two leadership programs at FHSU.

Liriano pitches Tigers to win over Royals

Posted on

DETROIT (AP) – Francisco Liriano pitched into the seventh inning in his Detroit debut and Victor Martinez drove in three runs to give the Tigers their first win of the season, 6-1 over the Kansas City Royals on a chilly Monday.

The temperature was in the mid-30s at Comerica Park for a matchup between the last two winless teams in the American League. Some fans came dressed in Michigan winter gear – the Wolverines played Villanova hours later in the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.

Liriano (1-0) allowed a run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old lefty, signed as a free agent in February, struck out three and walked two while throwing 94 pitches.

The Tigers scored four runs in the fifth, with Martinez delivering a two-run single off Jason Hammel (0-1).

Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Drew Butera, but Detroit tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single by Miguel Cabrera.

The Tigers broke open the game in the fifth. With one out, Leonys Martin singled and Jeimer Candelario doubled. After an intentional walk to Cabrera loaded the bases, Nicholas Castellanos hit a soft line drive to left for a run-scoring single.

Then Martinez added his two-run single, and James McCann’s grounder brought Castellanos home and made it 5-1.

Martinez added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Hammel allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. He had the second-lowest run support among qualifying AL pitchers last season, and this game was more of the same.

Detroit lost its season opener Friday after the Tigers had the winning run taken away by a replay review against Pittsburgh. On Monday, they initially appeared to have turned a game-ending double play, but that was also overturned by a review. Detroit was nonetheless able to close out the victory without incident.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 1B Lucas Duda left the game in the seventh with right hamstring tightness.

Tigers: OF Victor Reyes, who left Sunday night’s game against Pittsburgh with a lacerated forearm, did not play Monday.

UP NEXT

Detroit LHP Matthew Boyd (6-11, 5.27 ERA last year) takes the mound Tuesday against Royals RHP Jakob Junis (9-3, 4.30). Boyd went 4-0 with a 3.42 ERA in spring training.

NW Kansas schools earn statewide sportsmanship awards from KSHSSA

Posted on

KSHSSA

The Kansas State High School Activities Association, through its member schools, defines sportsmanship as those qualities of behavior that are characterized by generosity and genuine concern for others. Further, an awareness is expected of the impact of an individual’s influence on the behavior of others.

The excitement of a basketball game can create concerns for fans, students and officials.

Citizenship/Sportsmanship Rule 52 addresses this by stating: “Win with character and lose with dignity.”

Outstanding sportsmanship is acknowledged each year by presenting sportsmanship certificates, plaques and medals. All 128 high school teams participating in KSHSAA State Basketball Tournaments may qualify for an award. A “rating” system is used allowing schools to compete against a “standard of excellence,” rather than competing against one another.

Schools whose teams did not advance to the semifinal rounds were eligible to receive a certificate if they met the qualifying standards of sportsmanship. Schools participating all three days of the tournament were eligible to receive a plaque for their school and medals for cheerleaders.

A special sportsmanship committee appointed by the KSHSAA evaluated and rated the cheerleaders, school cheering section, adult and non-high school followers, team and coach of each school. The following northwest Kansas schools qualified for sportsmanship awards at the KSHSAA State Basketball Tournaments:

• Quinter: Toby Countryman, principal
• Sharon Springs/Wallace County: Connie Bergquist, principal
• Osborne: Tom Conway, principal
• Plainville: Jeremy Krob, principal
• Thomas More Prep-Marian: Chad Meitner, principal
• Phillipsburg: Todd Bowman, principal

Click here for a complete listing of honorees

Hays High baseball sweeps Russell in season opener

Posted on

The Hays High baseball team opened the 2018 season with a doubleheader sweep on Russell Thursday. The Indians won game one 10-2 and took game two 22-8.

Game 1; Hays 10, Russell 2
In the first game Russell jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring a pair of runs on a Kyle Farmer double off of Indian starter Trey Riggs. But Riggs recorded three straight strikeouts to end the first.

The Indians would bounce back and scored at least one-run over the final six innings to pick up the 10-2 win.

Down 2-1 the Indians tied the game at 2 on a Riggs walk with the bases loaded. Cody Petersen broke the tie with an RBI single and then the Indians took advantage of an error and fielder’s choice to take a 4-2 lead.

Hays High took advantage nine errors, scoring eight unearned runs in the game.

Trey Riggs earned the win, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out nine over four innings.

Game 1; Hays 22, Russell 8
The Indians offense exploded with 11 runs in the first inning and 10 more in the fourth on their way to a 22-8 win in game two.

Hays scored their first three runs of the game on walks with the bases loaded. The Indians also scored on four passed balls and another walk in the inning to take an 11-0 lead.

Russell scored a run on two separate errors in the bottom of the first and added two more on a two-run Cole Schmidtberger single to cut the Indian lead to 11-4.

Russell tacked on three more in the second and closed within four before the Indians scored 10 runs in the fourth. Hays collected seven walks and Dawson Harmon tripled home three runs in the inning.

Palmer Hutchison earned the win, allowed seven runs, just one earned over three innings. He struck four and walked three.

Dawson Harman was two-for-two at the plate with four RBI’s and three runs scored.

The Indians are 2-0 on the season and will host Dodge City on Tuesday.

Hays High softball drops two at Maize

Posted on

The Hays High softball team went 0-2 at the Miaze Triangular Thursday falling 11-0 in a matchup with Goddard and 13-3 against the host Maize.

Game 1: Hays 0, Goddard 11
In game one the Lions held the Indians hitless while scoring in four-of-five innings in an 11-0 win.

Indians starter Jaysa Wichers suffered the loss. She allowed 11 runs on 12 hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Game 2: Hays 3, Maize 13
In game two the host Maize started the game with a seven-run first inning on their way to a 13-3 win.

Hays’ Kaitlyn Brown allowed 13 runs, just seven earned, on 12 hits and suffered the loss.

Brown was three-for-three at the plate and Jaysa Wichers and Mackenzie Fagan each drove in a run in the loss.

The Indians drop to 3-3 on the season and will travel to Dodge City on Thursday, April 5th.

Ninth Inning Rally Comes Up Just Short for Tiger Baseball Against Emporia State

Posted on

EMPORIA, Kan. – A ninth-inning rally came up just short for the Fort Hays State baseball team Thursday evening (March 29) against Emporia State, falling 7-5. The Tigers fell behind 5-0 before rallying for five runs in the final two innings, but a two-run home run for the Hornets in the eighth inning made all the difference.

The Tigers dip to 11-20 overall and 3-14 in MIAA play while the Hornets are now 16-12 on the year and 7-8 in league action.

Fort Hays State struggled offensively against Hornet starter Seth Holman, collecting just four hits over the first eight innings. After Emporia State took a 5-0 lead by the fifth inning, the Tigers pushed across their first run in the top of the eighth after Marcus Altman led off with a double down the left field line. After moving to third on a groundout, the sophomore came in to score on an RBI groundout off the bat of Jason Nicholson.

The Hornets stretched the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the eighth when Bryce Fischer lifted a two-run home run over the fence in right. Down to their final three outs, the Tigers took advantage when ESU went to the bullpen in the top of the ninth.

Alex Weiss led things off with a double to right before Ryan Grasser worked a walk two batters later. Jordan Wilkerson helped the Tigers close within 7-2 with a single to right center, plating Weiss. After a passed ball allowed Wilkerson and Grasser to move up one base, the pair came around to score when Bryce Baumwart pushed a single down the right field line. Marcus Altman followed with a third-consecutive single, forcing the Hornets to make another pitching change.

Bryce Whitchurch kept things rolling with a single through the right side, scoring Baumwart and helping the Tigers close within two with just one out, 7-5. After a strikeout it came down to the Tigers’ best hitter in Addison Kaasch. The junior sent a liner toward right field, but the first baseman swiped it out of the air to bring the game to a close.

Ben Ramberg (2-4) took the loss after allowing five runs over 4.2 innings of work, striking out four and allowing six hits. Roger Kruse came on retire all but one hitter he faced, giving up just one hit through two scoreless innings.

Weiss finished the day 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored, while Altman was 2-for-4 with a run.

The Tigers will look to even the series on Friday (March 30) when the teams battle in game two at 5 p.m. in Emporia.

Schneider’s hat trick propels Hays High

Posted on


By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

MCPHERSON, Kan.-Savannah Schneider pulled off her first hat trick of the season and propelled the Hays High Lady Indians to a 3-1 win over Augusta in the 7th Place game of the 12th Annual McPherson Invitational. Schneider got the scoring started early with a shot that found the back of the net in the 3rd minute. The score would remain 1-0 before the final goal of the first half gave Hays High a 2-0 lead in the 14th minute.

Augusta scored the first goal of the second half off of a corner kick in the 53rd minute. The score stayed at 2-1 until Schneider capped off the hat trick with a goal in the 71st minute. With the win the Lady Indians improve to 2-2 on the season and will have their first home match on Tuesday when they host Dodge City.

SILAS HIBBS INTERVIEW

Davidson hits 3 of White Sox’s 6 homers in 14-7 rout of KC

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Matt Davidson became the fourth player in major league history to homer three times on opening day, the White Sox went deep six times total and Chicago routed the Kansas City Royals 14-7 on Thursday to spoil their 50th anniversary celebration.

Tim Anderson also homered twice and Jose Abreu went deep for the White Sox, who picked up James Shields (1-0) in a big way after the former Royals ace surrendered four runs in the first inning.

Shields wound up lasting six innings, holding Kansas City without a hit after that shaky first.

Of the four players with three-homer opening days, three have done it against the Royals, while the six homers by Chicago on opening day matched the big league record set by the Mets in 1988.

Yolmer Sanchez added a three-run single and Yoan Moncada drove in a pair of runs for the White Sox, who forced Royals manager Ned Yost to burn through nine pitchers.

Danny Duffy (0-1) breezed through three innings for Kansas City, but a trio of homers in a five-run fourth turned his day around. The left-hander survived the inning before hitting the clubhouse.

Despite a cold rain and steel-gray skies, the Royals looked early on as if they would reward the hardy fans who turned out to celebrate the start of their golden anniversary season.

Longtime third baseman Mike Moustakas, who signed a one-year deal during spring training, provided an RBI single in the first before new first baseman Lucas Duda hit a three-run homer to right.

Everything unraveled when the fourth inning began.

Abreu led off a homer binge with a two-run shot, Davidson followed with his first home run, and Anderson added his first two batters later. By the time Moncada added an RBI double off Duffy later in the fourth inning, Chicago had turned a four-run hole into a 5-4 advantage.

Davidson and Anderson went deep again in the fifth off Royals reliever Blaine Boyer, and Sanchez tacked on a bases-clearing single off Burch Smith with two outs in the seventh.

Davidson capped his big game with a three-run homer off Brian Flynn in the eighth, becoming the first White Sox player with a three-homer game since Dan Johnson in October 2012.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (left knee sprain), RHP Nate Karns (right elbow inflammation), INF Adalberto Mondesi (right shoulder impingement) and OF Bubba Starling (left oblique strain) were placed on the DL before the game. Perez is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, though Karns could be back soon.

White Sox: Hard-throwing LHP Carlos Rodon (left shoulder rehab) and C Kevan Smith (sprained left ankle) were placed on the DL retroactive to Monday.

MORE MOVES

The Royals also designated for assignment pitchers Wily Peralta and Ryan Zimmer, selected the contracts of INF Ryan Goins and RHP Blaine Boyer and recalled C Cam Gallagher from Triple-A Omaha. The White Sox selected the contract of LHP Hector Santiago.

UP NEXT

The teams are off Friday before resuming their series this weekend. The White Sox will send RHP Lucas Giolito the mound Saturday night while the Royals counter with RHP Ian Kennedy.

Tiger Softball Struggles to Find Timely Hits; Fall Twice to Missouri Southern

Posted on

JOPLIN, Mo. – Fort Hays State dropped both games of a conference doubleheader to Missouri Southern on Thursday (Mar. 29). The Lions won by scores of 6-1 and 3-1 as the games took place at Joplin High School. FHSU slipped to 9-27 overall, 5-9 in the MIAA, while MSSU ran its win streak to six games and pushed its record to 18-20 overall, 5-7 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Missouri Southern 6, Fort Hays State 1

The Tigers left 10 runners on base in a 6-1 loss to the Lions in the first contest of the day. The only run for the Tigers occurred in the second inning when they benefitted from a pair of Lion errors before Sara Breckbill scored on a wild pitch from third. That tied the game 1-1.

Missouri Southern pitcher Natalie Hamm was effectively wild to earn the win. She allowed six free passes to the Tigers, but was able to strike out 10. The Tigers struggled at the plate, scratching out only two hits. Grace Philop led off the game with a single and Terran Caldwell had a single to lead off the seventh inning.

Missouri Southern, on the other hand, was able to capitalize on location struggles from FHSU starting pitcher Sierra Rodriguez. A bases loaded walk plated the Lions’ first run of the game in the first. In the third, a free pass eventually led to a two-out, two-run double that gave MSSU a 3-1 lead.

While trailing, the Tigers elected to sacrifice bunt three times with one out and came up empty as the next batter recorded the final out of the inning each time. The Tigers left six base runners in scoring position for the game.

Missouri Southern opened up its lead to 6-1 with three runs in the fourth inning, thanks to five consecutive hits to open the inning.

Rodriguez took the loss in 3.0 innings of work. She allowed a pair of singles to open up the fourth before handing the ball to Megan Jamison in relief. Rodriguez finished with five runs allowed on seven hits and four walks with one strikeout. Jamison went on to allow one run in 2.0 innings of work, giving up five hits with a strikeout. Carrie Clarke also threw an inning, working a scoreless sixth inning with a strikeout.

Game 2: Missouri Southern 3, Fort Hays State 1

Runners left on base turned into an issue once again for the Tigers in the second contest of the day. FHSU took an early 1-0 lead with a two-out bases loaded walk drawn by Sara Breckbill in the first inning, but struggled in every potential run scoring opportunity thereafter. FHSU stranded eight runners on base in the 3-1 loss to MSSU.

After leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, the Tigers saw baserunners reach scoring position in four of the following six innings. In three of those four situations, the Tigers had runners in scoring position with less than two outs, yet could not come up with timely hitting.

Erika Lutgen went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Lions and drove in all three of their runs. In the third inning, she drove in the game-tying run with a single up the middle. Two innings later, she plated two runs with two outs again on a single to center field to give MSSU the lead.

Tiger pitcher Hailey Chapman threw a complete game for FHSU allowing eight hits with a walk, while striking out six. Taurean Guzman picked up a complete-game win for the Lions, allowing six hits and two walks.

Fort Hays State looks to bounce back on Friday at Pittsburg State in a doubleheader beginning at 2 pm.

Royals make series of roster moves, including Perez to DL

Posted on

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Opening day is supposed to be a time when smiles come easy, when managers and players look to the long and daunting grind ahead with a profound sense of hope and optimism.

Royals skipper Ned Yost wasn’t having any of it.

He’d lost All-Star catcher Salvador Perez for up to six weeks because of a freak knee injury. One of the key pieces in his bullpen, Nate Karns, is headed to the disabled list with elbow inflammation. And two of the club’s top prospects expected to help sooner than later, infielder Adalberto Mondesi and outfielder Bubba Starling, are likewise headed to the disabled list.

The Royals were also forced to designate for assignment erstwhile top prospect Kyle Zimmer, a hard-throwing pitcher whose troubling injury history has prevented him from realizing his potential.

Throw in the fact that Yost prefers to get into the day-to-day grind, rather than sit through the pomp and circumstance of opening day, and he was in a particular grim mood Thursday.

“You kind of want to get into it, get into a routine,” he said. “Opening days are fun, especially your own opening day. Road opening days aren’t so fun. But you get through it and get to the point where you start playing every day. I’m looking forward to that.”

He was probably looking forward to it a bit more a few days ago.

Perez sustained a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Tuesday, when he was carrying a suitcase up some stairs in his home. Perez heard a pop and called trainer Nick Kenney, who in turn called Royals general manager Dayton Moore.

Moore made Kenney deliver the news twice. He didn’t believe it at first.

“Mentally when you enter an off day or come out of an off day,” Moore said, “you know the general health of your team. So Salvy was in great health, and he had an excellent spring on all fronts, so I didn’t see this coming at all.”

The five-time All-Star will not require surgery, but he will be sidelined at least a month and likely longer. That means Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher will share catching duties beginning with the Royals’ opener against the Chicago White on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.

Karns, a right-hander who hoped to earn a spot in the rotation, was instead headed for a crucial role in the bullpen. But stiffness in his elbow during his last two starts of spring training forced him to the DL with elbow inflammation, leaving the Royals’ pitching staff in a bit of flux.

“Entering spring training he was probably going to be a reliever for us, the vein of Mike Minor. Get to the 60- or 65-pitch mark and start to fatigue,” Yost said. “We’ll get him completely feeling good and when he comes back he’ll go back to the ‘pen.”

Mondesi is a slick-fielding infielder who spent time with the big league club last season, while Starling is a former first-round pick whose defense has masked his offensive shortcomings.

The open roster spots were filled by right-hander Blaine Boyer and infielder Ryan Goins, who had their contracts selected, and Gallagher, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals also designated for assignment veteran pitcher Wily Peralta, though it was Zimmer’s name that raise eyebrows. The club has long hoped that the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft would stay healthy long enough to contend for a spot in the big league roster.

Instead, he’s barely been healthy enough to find his way into a minor league rotation.

Moore said he’s hopeful that nobody will claim Zimmer, and the club can ultimately spend more time working on his rehab. But even if that happens, nobody is quite sure what his future holds.

“He just simply ran out of time. That’s one thing every player experiences, the clock is always running. There is always another young player on the horizon,” Moore said. “We weren’t in a position to stay longer with him while he was on the roster. Now we hope to keep him in the organization.”

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File