⚾️ concluded it's week in Eastern Kentucky but did not get a hospitable opening game, losing 15-3. They had a decisive answer in store for Friday, winning 8-1 with four of the runs coming from Bennett Hostetler's time at the plate including a 3-run shot in the 9th inning. They didn't let up in the rubber-match as Cade Feeney followed Evan Sankey's example with a one-run-allowed performance on the mound while the bats kept it going for a 6-1 win. That win was the 38th of the season, good enough for second most in school history!
They and the prodigious track & field performers will take their shots at longer seasons in Omaha & College Station beginning Wednesday.
As the 🏈 season continued to conclude NDSU was once again well-represented on All-American honor lists. Cordell Volson, Garrett Wegner & Christian Watson were on the all-eligible list while Hunter Luepke made the sophomores. Grey Zabel & Eli Mostaert were freshman All-Americans. The Fall will be here before we know it and then we'll get to see what they do as encores!
Moorhead State had an inactive week but managed to generate some great news anyway! Nadir Yusuf (10K) & Chris Cook (High Jump) qualified for the D2 national competition to be held Thursday through Saturday in Michigan. Each will arrive with top-12 rankings, including a top 5 spot for Cook!
It was a similarly light week as ⚾️ saw it's season come to an end at St. Mary's, 6-1 in comeback fashion of the undesirable variety.
Away from the diamond both the men & women of track & field traveled across the country to continue their seasons and potentially qualify for the big time. From that pool of competitors arose three who will travel to Greensboro for the national meet Thursday through Saturday - Josie Herrmann (800 & 1500), Cayle Hovland (Discus & Shotput) and Jesse Middendorf (800).
Fargo's championship aspirations crashed to the ice this week after a Friday night loss, 7-1, put them one game from elimination.
They rallied on Saturday, staying within a goal of Chicago for the majority of the game but a third period that saw shot after shot by Fargo get blocked finished with the other team celebrating the 3-1, cup-clinching victory.
Even with the way that the season ended it was another tremendous one for the Bolts, especially considering how far they fell in the closing weeks of the regular season! 7-1 is more than a "puck luck" outcome but yesterday's game could very well have been their's if the disk had deflected slightly differently a time or two.
Two series, one road trip
3 wins, 3 losses
That's the basic breakdown of the season so far.
How about a little more though?
The Birds came two runs shy of returning home with back-to-back series victories but the offense on Sunday in Kansas City did not cooperate. It came after they managed to cross the four-run threshold in an 8-4 win in the middle game against KC. So their average of four runs/game has held steady through six. Now they'll get that many at home against Chicago & Houston starting Tuesday.
It seems like a stretch to think that they'll manage a 50% success rate if they are only able to score four runs most nights, but maybe their pitching can be that good... It's possible, but I don't think probable.
What is probable is that there is more information worth considering within each of the games but in a 100 game season letting around 15 go by before drawing any major conclusions seems prudent.
So feel free to chime in if you have thoughts about them or one of the other topics but that'll do it for now!
As the high school regular seasons also wound down the camera caught some great moments this week between North & South (softball), Sheyenne & Davies and Shanley & West Fargo (soccer). Now come the long-awaited Spring tournaments!
Some of which have already begun
Moorhead's boys track & field won the 8AAA team meet while the ND East region meet was held in Grand Forks, with many familiar names on the awards list:
Fargo closed out May against the Twin Cities with a statement effort! Jamus Neal put some distance between himself and the other contenders for the quarterback job with a rushing & a thrown touchdown in the first half to put them ahead 14-0 into the break. He doubled-up on each in the third quarter, as well as throwing a second two-point conversion to Jon Baune to make it a 29-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter. Dev Alger relieved Neal and tacked on another 7 points to Nate Soto. Neal finished the day with 142 yards through the air and 99 on the ground. Soto was the leading receiver with 3 catches for 79 yards and two scores.
In pitching the shutout the defense wrangled two interceptions while getting to the quarterback five times.
It was a total team effort as they head into the Memorial Day break!
The ⚽️ club had the home-opener for the men's team and the season-opener for the women's. Each showed room for improvement, losing 4-0 to Med City & Rochester respectively.
There will be a photographer in attendance for the first of two home double-headers next Saturday.
Comments