K-HEART SPORTS – 05/09/23 – 0700
MINOT, ND – Monday’s scores:
High School Baseball
Class B
Class B
Bishop Ryan def. Central McLean, 16-1
Bishop Ryan def. Central McLean, 18-5
Bishop Ryan def. Central McLean, 18-5
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 6-0
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 5-4
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 5-4
North Star def. Bottineau, 9-1
Rugby def. Dunseith, 10-0
High School Girls Softball
Class B
Glenburn def. Rugby, 11-8
Harvey-Wells County def. Hazen, 8-7
Hazen def. Harvey-Wells County, 10-9
Hazen def. Harvey-Wells County, 10-9
High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Mandan, 3-0
High School Boys Golf
Class B
Wildwood Invite – Minot
1. Stanley, 346
2. Des Lacs-Burlington (Red), 356
3. South Prairie, 368
4. New Town-Parshall, 394
5. Divide County, 395
1. Stanley, 346
2. Des Lacs-Burlington (Red), 356
3. South Prairie, 368
4. New Town-Parshall, 394
5. Divide County, 395
Medalist: Tyler Gjelstad of Stanley, 82
High School Boys Track & Field
Class B
Central McLean Cougar Invite – Underwood
1. Nedrose, 111
2. Standing Rock, 104
T3. Central McLean, 101
T3. Southern McLean, 101
5. Kenmare-Bowbells, 67
6. Linton-HMB, 59
7. New Salem-Almont, 33
8. Max-South Prairie, 25
9. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 22
10. Kidder County, 19
11. Strasburg, 12
T12. White Shield, 5
T12. South Border, 5
1. Nedrose, 111
2. Standing Rock, 104
T3. Central McLean, 101
T3. Southern McLean, 101
5. Kenmare-Bowbells, 67
6. Linton-HMB, 59
7. New Salem-Almont, 33
8. Max-South Prairie, 25
9. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 22
10. Kidder County, 19
11. Strasburg, 12
T12. White Shield, 5
T12. South Border, 5
High School Girls Track & Field
Class B
Class B
Central McLean Cougar Invite – Underwood
1. Central McLean, 142
2. Southern McLean, 95.5
3. New Salem-Almont, 78
4. Kenmare-Bowbells, 72
5. Linton-HMB, 59
6. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 40
7. Nedrose, 39
8. South Border, 36
9. Standing Rock, 30
10. Max-South Prairie, 21
11. Kidder County, 11.5
12. Strasburg, 9
1. Central McLean, 142
2. Southern McLean, 95.5
3. New Salem-Almont, 78
4. Kenmare-Bowbells, 72
5. Linton-HMB, 59
6. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 40
7. Nedrose, 39
8. South Border, 36
9. Standing Rock, 30
10. Max-South Prairie, 21
11. Kidder County, 11.5
12. Strasburg, 9
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MSU BASEBALL
BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – They’ve battled on the diamond all season long to earn a berth in the postseason, and now the Minot State baseball team is ready to make its run at the NSIC Baseball Tournament. Following a challenging season that saw the Beavers (29-17) play just 11 games at home, Minot State hits the road but doesn’t have to travel far as they head to Bismarck for the eight-team, double-elimination tournament that begins Wednesday. Heading in as the sixth seed with a 29-17 overall record, the Beavers open the tournament playing third-seeded Minnesota Crookston (36-18) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Municipal Ballpark.
The Golden Eagles have put together a historic season, setting school records for wins (36) and conference victories (26) along with records for runs with their NSIC best 445 runs, and home runs with 82. But head-to-head with Minot State, the teams split their regular-season doubleheader as the Golden Eagles hit two solo home runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 2-1 win in the opener before the Beavers rolled to a 13-3 victory in the nightcap. Offense proved to be a key for Minot State that day and has been big all season long as the Beavers set their own single-season school records with 86 home runs – which leads the NSIC and is 9th-best in the nation – hits with 500 and RBIs with 350.
Gunnar Kozlowitz has been a leader for a balanced offensive onslaught as he finished the regular-season No. 2 in the NSIC with his .414 batting average, leading the Beavers who also were No. 2 in the league in hitting with a .324 team average. Kozlowitz also shared the team lead in home runs with 15 as five Minot State players bashed double-digit dingers, and he was second in RBIs with 52. Adding to the Beavers offensive bite were Derek Kay (.362, 14 HR, 57 RBIs), Brent Riddle (.345, 10 HR, 37 RBIs), Javier Gutierrez (.326, 15 HR, 33 RBIs), and Mark Ossanna (.333, 13 HR, 42 RBIs), who each hit double-digit home runs, and Matt Malone (.358, 7 HR, 32 RBIs), Martin Rodriguez (.306, 2 HR, 21 RBIs), and Dalin Ludlow (.300, 2 HR, 22 RBIs) who hit .300 or better, giving Minot State a potent starting lineup.
As for Minnesota Crookston, the Golden Eagles offense was powered by the one-two punch of Mike Hallquist and Jake Hjelle who each hit .403, third best in the NSIC, and who were one-two in home runs and RBIs in the league as Hjelle hit 22 bombs and drove in 77 runs, and Hallquist had 19 dingers and 61 RBIs. But against Minot State pitching, that duo went a combined 3-for-12 with a solo home run and just one RBI. Silencing those hitters will be a key in Wednesday’s matchup, but who will be asked to take on that task on the mound might be a question mark for Minot State, which has gotten a balanced effort from all five of its starting pitchers Gage Yost (5.01 era, 4-2), Bryant Bagshaw (5.43, 6-2), Craig Schmich (5.51, 5-4), Trevyn Badger (5.94, 2-2), and Dominick Parkhurst (6.34, 4-1).
As for the Golden Eagles, their potential starter looks to be NSIC ERA-leader Alex Koep. The left-handed senior did not pitch against Minot State in the team’s doubleheader on April 27, so the Beavers will likely get their first look at him Wednesday. Koep led the NSIC with a 2.53 ERA as he went 7-1 on the season with 75 strikeouts in 57 innings.
The winner of Wednesday’s game moves into a quarterfinal match-up on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. with the winner of the second-seeded Minnesota State, Mankato (35-13) versus seventh-seeded Winona State (22-27) game. The loser plays in an elimination game Thursday at noon against the loser of the Mavericks versus Warriors match-up, and that winner would play a second elimination game Thursday evening.
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UND MEN’S BASKETBALL
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – The North Dakota Men’s Basketball team has added center Amar Kuljuhovic from Lake Land College, a junior college in Illinois. The big man played two seasons at Lake Land and in his second season averaged a double-double with 12 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. He was one of the top ten rebounders in the nation at the junior college level last season and named to the All-Region 24 team.
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NDSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – North Dakota State women’s basketball head coach Jory Collins has announced the addition of Grace Massaquoi to the 2023 signing class. Massaquoi joins the Bison after spending last season at North Dakota State College of Science. Massaquoi started 34 games for the Wildcats averaging 15.0 points per contest last season. The 5-10 forward reached double figures in 28 games, including seven 20-point performances. She also hauled in a team-high 9.1 rebounds and created 2.2 steals per contest. Massaquoi was named to the Mon-Dak All-Conference First Team and was an NJCAA All-American Third Team selection after helping NDSCS to a 30-5 overall record. Prior to NDSCS, Massaquoi attended Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minn. She reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau and was named the Conference Player of the Year. Massaquoi joins the Taryn Hamling, Miriley Simon, Avery Koenen and Abby Krzewinski in the 2023 signing class after the group signed back in November. NDSU finished the 2022-23 season winning its most games since 2004-05 with an 18-12 overall record. The Bison went on to make their first appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in program history against Oregon.