K-HEART SPORTS – 04/07/23 – 0700
MINOT, ND – High school softball was played yesterday in the air-suppoorted dome at Minot State. Outdoor baseball was played in Watford City while track and field was held in the ARC in Williston.
High School Girls Softball
Class B
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Tioga, 19-9
Renville County def. Glenburn, 17-1
Class B
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Tioga, 19-9
Renville County def. Glenburn, 17-1
High School Baseball
Watford City def. Heart River, 13-3
Watford City def. Heart River, 7-3
High School Boys Track & Field
ASB Rescue Invite – Williston
1. Bismarck Legacy, 156.5
2. Bismarck High, 139.5
3. Minot High, 113
4. Mandan, 44.5
5. Watford City, 30
6. Dickinson, 27.5
7. Williston, 18
8. Hettinger County, 10
High School Girls Track & Field
ASB Rescue Invite – Williston
1. Minot High, 156
2. Bismarck Legacy, 82.33
3. Bismarck High, 81.33
4. Dickinson, 67
5. Watford City, 48
6. Mandan, 45.5
7. Bismarck Century, 19.5
8. Hettinger County, 19.33
9. Williston, 4
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MSU SOFTBALL
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – It will be a tale of two very different teams as Minot State is back in action hosting NSIC doubleheaders this weekend in the air-supported dome on the MSU campus. Game times have been adjusted with first pitch on Friday at 10 a.m. against visiting Augustana, the two-time defending NSIC regular-season champs, then the Beavers hosts Wayne State on Saturday with action starting at 8 a.m. The games were moved ahead to allow the University of Mary to play both Wayne State, on Friday starting at 2:30 p.m., and Augustana, on Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m., inside “The Bubble.”
The Beavers big focus will be on Friday’s 10 a.m. doubleheader against the Vikings (18-9 overall, 5-1 NSIC), who are battling once again for the league crown. Augustana is an offensive juggernaut and leads the NSIC in batting average (.332), home runs (34), runs scored (182), and RBIs (168), which means a key to victory for Minot State will be limiting the Vikings offensive chances. If the Beavers (16-12, 3-3) slow down Augustana’s offense, then Minot State has a chance offensively itself as Augustana’s pitchers are 10th in the NSIC with a 4.56 ERA and foes hit .293 against the Vikings. And, Minot State heads into the weekend with momentum after a gutsy 3-1 upset of St. Cloud State on Sunday in the Beavers last action.
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MSU BASEBALL
FAYETTE, Iowa (MSU) – It’s becoming an all-too-familiar phrase: The Minot State baseball team is back on the road. The Beavers head out for yet another series away from home, this time traveling to Upper Iowa for a doubleheader starting at noon on Friday, then a single game Saturday at noon. After a brief break to celebrate Easter, the Beavers then wrap up their most recent road trip with a mid-week doubleheader at Wayne State on Wednesday starting at noon.
With 25 games away from home under their belt – and none yet at Corbett Field in Minot – the Beavers (16-9 overall, 7-6 NSIC) look to shake out of a recent slump as Minot State has dropped 5 of its last 7 contests. Despite a few recent setbacks, Minot State remains one of the power-house offensive programs in the NSIC as they are hitting .320, which is third best in the league, and are second in the NSIC in home runs with 43. Pitching-wise, the Beavers also are one of the top teams as their 5.13 ERA is sixth-best in the league, and the staff’s 207 strikeouts are fifth-most in the conference. The big difference has been timely hitting for the Beavers in their most recent losses with 46 runners left on base in the five setbacks. With the offense still clicking, and pitching still strong, it’s only a matter of a few timely base hits falling to get the Beavers on a roll. That could start at Upper Iowa (10-15, 6-8) as the Peacocks’ pitching staff is 11th in the league in ERA at 6.90 and opponents are hitting .291 against them. While that should benefit the Beaver batters, the Minot State pitching staff will face an offense from Upper Iowa that is 14th in the NSIC in batting average at .256 and averages just 5.76 runs per game, giving Minot State the opportunity, with solid all-around play, to start a win streak.
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WILD-PENGUINS
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tristan Jarry stopped 27 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins kept pace in the race for one of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. The Penguins bounced back from a miserable performance in a loss to New Jersey by putting together three complete periods, a rarity for most of the last three months. Kris Letang, Rickard Rakell, Jason Zucker and Jeff Carter scored for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury fell to 4-4 all-time against Pittsburgh, where he won three Stanley Cups before leaving in 2017. The Wild lost in regulation for just the third time in their last 24 games. Minnesota’s bid to chase down first-place Colorado in the Central Division took a hit when the Wild struggled to generate much traffic in front of Jarry until they fell too far behind. Fleury stopped 27 shots while falling to 4-4 all-time against the team for which he played from 2003-17. Marcus Johansson scored on the two-man advantage midway through the third period to spoil Jarry’s bid for a shutout, but couldn’t stop Minnesota from losing in regulation for just the third time in its last 24 games. The Wild host St. Louis on Saturday.
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THE MASTERS
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Brooks Koepka is in a three-way share of the lead at the Masters with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. Koepka is trying to regain his reputation as a major player. Right now he gets attention as a surprise defector to Saudi-based LIV Golf. All he cares about his having healthy legs. He opened with a 65. Rahm was even more spectacular in his round of 65. That’s because he four-putted for double bogey on the first hole. He followed with seven birdies and an eagle. Hovland played bogey-free. Tiger Woods limped his way to a 74 and was nine back. Fargo-native Tom Hoge shot a 74 and sits at +2. Hoge won the Par-3 contest on Wednesday with a hole-in-one.