KHRT ND News «

K-Heart Sports – 05/26/23

Posted on May 26, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/26/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Pairings are set for the State Class B Softball Tournament which begins Thursday at the South Hill Complex here in Minot

High School Girls Softball
Class B

State Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

First Round (Thu 6/1)
#2 Renville County vs Thompson, 11 am
#3 Kindred-Richland vs Central McLean, 35 min after
#1 Beulah vs Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 4 pm
#4 Hillsboro-Central Valley vs #5 May-Port-CG, 35 min after

The single elimination tournament runs through Saturday, Jun 3rd>

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MINOT, ND – WDA Tournaments began yesterday.

High School Baseball
Class A

WDA Tournament – Jamestown

First Round
#3 Bismarck Legacy def. #6 Williston, 9-3
#7 Bismarck Century def. #2 Dickinson, 10-3
#5 Mandan def. #4 Minot High, 7-3
#1 Jamestown def. #8 Bismarck High, 4-0

Today’s schedule

Loser Out
#2 Dickinson vs #6 Williston, 11 am
#4 Minot High vs #8 Bismarck High, 1:30 pm
Semifinal
#3 Bismarck Legacy vs #7 Bismarck Century, 4 pm
#1 Jamestown vs #5 Mandan, 6:30 pm

—————

High School Girls Softball
Class A

WDA Tournament – Dickinson

First Round

#1 Minot High def. #8 Bismarck Legacy, 11-0
#5 Bismarck Century def. #4 Bismarck High, 8-4
#2 Jamestown def. #7 Williston, 5-0
#3 Dickinson def. #6 Mandan, 5-0

Today’s schedule

Loser Out
#4 Bismarck High vs #8 Bismarck Legacy, 12 pm
#6 Mandan vs #7 Williston, 2 pm
Semifinal
#1 Minot High vs #5 Bismarck Century, 4 pm
#2 Jamestown vs #3 Dickinson, 6 pm

—————

High School Girls Soccer

WDA Tournament – Bismarck St. Mary’s

State Qualifier
#5 Jamestown def. #4 Bismarck Legacy, 2-1 2OT
#3 Mandan def. #7 Bismarck Century, 6-2
Championship
#1 Minot High def. #2 Bismarck High, 2-1 (Majettes 5th consecutive WDA Tournament title)

—————

High School Girls Tennis

West Region Team Dual Tournament – Mandan

First Round

#1 Minot High def. #8 Bismarck St. Mary’s, 5-0
#4 Bismarck Century def. #5 Mandan, 3-2
#2 Bismarck Legacy def. #7 Williston, 4-1
#3 Bismarck High def. #6 Dickinson, 4-1

Loser Out
#5 Mandan def. #8 Bismarck St. Mary’s, 3-2
#6 Dickinson def. #7 Williston, 3-2
Semifinal
#1 Minot High def. #4 Bismarck Century, 5-0
#2 Bismarck Legacy def. #3 Bismarck High, 3-2

State Qualifier
#4 Bismarck Century def. #6 Dickinson, 3-2
#3 Bismarck High def. #5 Mandan, 3-2
Championship
#1 Minot High def. #2 Bismarck Legacy, 4-1 (Majettes remain undefeated 15-0)

The individual tournament is scheduled for today and Saturday

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MINOT, ND – Bottineau picked up another win in boys golf yesterday.

High School Boys Golf
Class B

Velva Invitational
1. Bottineau, 324
2. Bishop Ryan, 351
3. Rugby, 360
4. South Prairie, 370
5. Dunseith, 392
6. Garrison, 408

Medalist: Max Palmer of Bottineau, 75

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL-HONOR

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State second baseman Derek Kay grabbed another honor after a standout season on the diamond for the Beavers. Kay, a senior from Prior Lake, Minnesota has been named to the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Central Region 2nd Team, his second regional postseason award as he was named to the NCBWA All-Central Region Team last week. Kay also was a 1st Team All-NSIC selection at second base this season. The honor is the first time Kay has been recognized by the D2CCA as an All-Region performer in his second season with Minot State. Playing in all 48 games for the Beavers this season, Kay hit .355, which was third-highest on the team. He hit 15 home runs, which was second on the team, led Minot State with 59 RBIs, and stolen a team-high 16 bases. He also had 11 doubles and 5 triples, giving him 7 triples for his two-year career which ranks him No. 2 all-time in that category. His 59 RBIs ranks No. 2 all-time for a single season, as do his 5 triples. Along with having a huge offensive impact, Kay also was a star in the field at second base as he had 91 putouts and a team-high 84 assists with just 7 errors all season for a .962 fielding percentage.

K-Heart Sports – 05/25/23

Posted on May 25, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/25/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Renville County and Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark are headed to the State Class B Softball Tournament.

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 3 Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

Championship
#1 Renville County def. #2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 8-0
Loser Out
#3 Bottineau def. #4 Ray, 9-8
State Qualifier
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. #3 Bottineau, 8-5
———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 4 Tournament

Championship
#1 Beulah def. #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 13-0
Loser Out
#3 Central McLean def. #2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 3-2
State Qualifier
#3 Central McLean def. #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 6-3

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 5 Tournament – Cando

Championship
#1 North Star def. #2 Rugby, 10-2

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MINOT, ND – The WDA Tournaments for baseball, softball, girls soccer, and girls tennis begin today.

High School Baseball
Class A

WDA Tournament – Jamestown

First Round
#3 Bismarck Legacy vs #6 Williston, 11 am
#2 Dickinson vs #7 Bismarck Century, 1:30 pm
#4 Minot High vs #5 Mandan, 4 pm
#1 Jamestown vs #8 Bismarck High, 6:30 pm

—————

High School Girls Softball
Class A

WDA Tournament – Dickinson

First Round
#1 Minot High vs #8 Bismarck Legacy, 12 pm
#4 Bismarck High vs #5 Bismarck Century, 2 pm
#2 Jamestown vs #7 Williston, 4 pm
#3 Dickinson vs #6 Mandan, 6 pm

—————

High School Girls Soccer

WDA Tournament – Bismarck St. Mary’s

State Qualifier
#4 Bismarck Legacy vs #5 Jamestown, 4 pm
#3 Mandan vs #7 Bismarck Century, 6 pm
Championship
#1 Minot High vs #2 Bismarck High, 8 pm

—————

High School Girls Tennis

West Region Team Dual Tournament – Mandan

First Round – 10 am
#1 Minot High vs #8 Bismarck St. Mary’s
#4 Bismarck Century vs #5 Mandan
#2 Bismarck Legacy vs #7 Williston
#3 Bismarck High vs #6 Dickinson

Semifinal/Loser Out – 1 pm
Championship/State Qualifiers – 4 pm

The individual tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday

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The State Track & Field meet begins today at the MDU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck. Opening ceremonies are at 3 pm with completition to follow. The State Meet runs through Saturday.

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TWINS-GIANTS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Edouard Julien returned to the leadoff spot and hit a home run, knocked in two runs and scored twice to lead Minnesota to a 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants Wednesday, ending the Twins’ three-game losing streak. Joe Ryan gave up six hits, struck out four and allowed a run in season-low five innings in picking up his seventh win in eight decisions. Four relievers finished up on a day San Francisco left 15 runners on base and went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Brock Stewart, Jovani Moran, José De León and Jhoan Duran combined for four innings of scoreless relief in handing the Giants their first loss in four games. Duran threw three pitches of 104 mph or higher, including a 104.6 mph four-seam fastball that Wilmer Flores fouled off in the ninth inning, the fastest pitch by a Minnesota pitcher since Statcast began tracking in 2015. It tied for the eighth-fastest pitch in the majors during that span. Three of the Twins’ seven runs yielded by Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani (3-4) in five innings were unearned. The 33-year-old right-hander was the victim of a season-high three errors and hit a batter who came around to score.

UP NEXT
Minnesota hosts Toronto for a three-game series, starting Friday. RHP Louie Varland (2-0, 4.18 ERA) is expected to start Friday.

K-Heart Sports – 05/24/23

Posted on May 24, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/24/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Bishop Ryan and Des Lacs-Burlington are each headed to the State Class B Baseball Tournament.

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 5 Tournament – Cando

Semifinal
#1 North Star def. #3 Bottineau, 7-3
Loser Out
#2 Rugby def. #4 Northern Lights, 10-0
Semifinal
#2 Rugby def. #3 Bottineau, 10-3

Today’s schedule

Championship
#1 North Star vs #2 Rugby, 3 pm (if North Star loses, a second championship follows by 30 minutes)

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 6 Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

Semifinal
#2 Surrey def. #3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 10-9
Championship
#1 Bishop Ryan def. #2 Surrey, 13-9

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 7 Tournament – Burlington

Championship
#2 Renville County def. #1 Des Lacs-Burlington, 5-3
2nd Championship
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington def. #2 Renville County, 11-6

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 3 Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

Semifinal
#1 Renville County def. #4 Ray, 23-3
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. #3 Bottineau, 4-3
Loser Out
#3 Bottineau def. #9 Rugby, 14-4
#4 Ray def. #7 Bishop Ryan, 9-4

Today’s schedule

Championship
#1 Renville County vs #2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 4 pm (KC Diamond)
Loser Out
#3 Bottineau vs #4 Ray, 4 pm (Eagles Diamond)
State Qualifier
RC/DLB-L&C loser vs Bottineau/Ray winner, 6 pm (KC Diamond)

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 4 Tournament

Semifinal
#1 Beulah def. #4 Wilton-Wing, 20-5
#7 Washburn-Center-Stanton def. #3 Central McLean, 12-5
Loser Out
#5 Harvey-Wells County def. #8 Garrison, 11-0
#2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. #6 Heart River, 13-3
#3 Central McLean def #5 Harvey-Wells County, 15-4
#2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. #4 Wilton-Wing, 11-10

Today’s schedule

Championship
#1 Beulah vs #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 3 pm (Diamond 1)
Loser Out
#2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose vs #3 Central McLean, 3 pm (Diamond 2)
State Qualifier
Beulah/WCS loser vs VDA/CM winner, 5 pm (Diamond 1)

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MINOT, ND – Golf and soccer were also on the local sports schedule Tuesday.

High School Boys Golf
Class A

Williston Invite
1. Bismarck Century, 296
2. Minot high, 309
3. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 313
4. Bismarck Legacy, 319
5. Jamestown, 319
6. Williston, 329
7. Mandan, 332
8. Bismarck High, 346
9. Dickinson, 357
10. Minot North, 371
11. Watford City, 386

Medalist: Quinn Shillingstad of Bismarck St. Mary’s, 72

Class B

Harvey-Wells County Invite
1. Bottineau, 343
2. Havey-Wells County, 348
T3. Rugby, 354
T3. Northern Lights, 354
5. Bishop Ryan, 362
6. Our Redeemer’s, 389
7. Glenburn, 427
8. Harvey-Wells County 2, 439
9. Central McLean, 500

Medalists: Jordan Anderson of Glenburn / Max Palmer of Bottineau, 75

High School Girls Soccer

WDA Tournament Play In
#4 Bismarck Legacy def. #9 Williston, 10-0
#5 Jamestown def. #8 Dickinson, 5-0
#7 Bismarck Century def. #6 Bismarck St. Mary’s, 4-0

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SCHEELS ALL-STAR SOFTBALL SERIES

MINOT, ND – The rosters are set for the annual Scheels Softball All-Star Series, which is presented by the North Dakota

Softball All-Stars Organization. The top North Dakota senior high school softball players will play on June 5 in West Fargo and June 6 in Bismarck. Coaches nominate and vote on the rosters. Games will be played at West Fargo Sheyenne high school starting at 4:30 on June 5, and at Bismarck Legacy June 6 with a skills competition at 4:00 PM and a game at 6:00.

West All-Stars:

Renville County: Ellie Braaten
Beulah: Brecken Bieber, Taylor Christensen
Velva/Drake-Anamoose: Olivia Passa, Berkley Selzler
Bottineau: Delani Tweed
Dickinson: Baylee Berg
Bismarck Century: Garbriella Bird
Minot High: Kirsten Galloway
Bismarck High: Caitlyn Dannenfelzer
Central McLean: Daisy Sparrow
Des Lacs-Burlington: Kaelyn Bachmeier
Bismarck Legacy: Megan Weisbeck

Coaches: Kyle Christensen, Beulah / Katie Kulzer Yetterboe, Washburn-Center-Stanton

East All-Stars:

Central Cass: Tori Richter, Catie Sinner
Valley City: Jada Nelson, Grace Undem
Fargo Shanley: Azahna Luschen
West Fargo Sheyenne: Autumn McGough, Kyra Narum
West Fargo: Mara Lick, Emma Johnson
Grand Forks Red River: Elizabeth Nuelle
Thompson: Olivia Dick
Hillsboro-Central Valley: Serrina Klose
Fargo Davies: Avery Mohr

Coaches: Anthony Myer, Northern Cass / Michael Finch, Fargo Shanley

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Following a 30-win season that saw the Beavers advance to the NSIC Tournament, five Minot State players earned honors for their all-around efforts as student-athletes. Seniors Jaycie Rostad and Leo Watson, along with juniors Taryn Bennett, Izzy Penner, and Gabi Dawyduk all were named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for their standout performance both on the field and in the classroom for the Beavers. To be eligible for the All-District Team, a player must be in their second year with their respective Minot State team, must be a starter or major contributor for the team who has played in at least half of the team’s games, and must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

Rostad is a senior catcher and Corporate Fitness and Wellness Management major from Minot, North Dakota who hit .327 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs in 24 games this spring. Bennett is a first baseman and Exercise Science and Rehabilitation major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota who hit .274 with 1 home run and 19 RBIs in 51 games this spring. Watson is a shortstop and English Education major from Orangevale, California who hit .301 with 1 home run and 21 RBIs in 48 games this spring. Penner is an outfielder and Communication Sciences and Disorders major from Blumenort, Manitoba who hit .271 with 12 RBIs in 40 games this spring. Dawyduk is a pitcher and designated player and Communication Sciences and Disorders major from Winnipeg, Manitoba who hit .318 with 15 RBIs and was 3-1 with one save pitching in 16 games this spring. Each is now eligible to be named a CSC Academic All-American. The CSC Academic All-Americans will be named the first week of June.

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Coming off a stellar season that saw him lead Minot State’s prolific offense in runs batted in and stolen bases, Beaver second baseman Derek Kay was honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) as he was named to the Second Team All-Central Region Team. The honor is the first for Kay, a senior from Prior Lake, Minnesota in his second season with Minot State. Playing in all 48 games for the Beavers this season, Kay hit .355, which was third-highest on the team. He hit 15 home runs, which was second on the team, led Minot State with 59 RBIs, and stolen a team-high 16 bases. He also had 11 doubles and 5 triples, giving him 7 triples for his two-year career which ranks him No. 2 all-time in that category. His 59 RBIs ranks No. 2 all-time for a single season, as do his 5 triples. Along with having a huge offensive impact, Kay also was a star in the field at second base as he had 91 putouts and a team-high 84 assists with just 7 errors all season for a .962 fielding percentage.

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

PUEBLO, Colo. (MSU) – A stellar year of competition wraps up this weekend and Minot State’s Leif Nelson looks to add one more memorable moment for the Beavers. Nelson heads to Colorado for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, and the 2022 All-American from Devils Lake, North Dakota is poised to make history as he attempts to become Minot State’s NCAA National Champion. Nelson will compete in the javelin at nationals on Saturday, May 27, with the action beginning at 2:45 p.m. (MT). He heads into the championships with the fifth-best throw in the country this spring as he turned in an all-time Minot State record effort of 237 feet, 2 inches. That mark has him just 10 feet, 9 inches behind the national leader, Dejan Mileusnic from Fresno Pacific. A legitimate national title contender, Nelson also is in great position to bring home All-American honors for the second straight season with a strong performance Saturday. While the Beavers have yet to win an NCAA National Championship, they have earned All-American honors several times in track and field with Kirk Capdeville earning the program’s top NCAA finish as he was 5th in the 2014 outdoor pole vault. As for claiming national titles, the Beavers last individual national championship came in 2007 when Genevieve Binsfeld won the NAIA National Championship in the indoor 3,000 meters. The last men’s national champion was recent Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Travis Hanson who won the 2003 NAIA indoor triple jump National Championship.

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TWINS-GIANTS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 for their seventh win in eight games. Michael Conforto doubled to spark a slow-developing sixth-inning rally and hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh for the Giants against Twins reliever Jorge López. Giants starter Alex Cobb improved to 4-1 by finishing seven innings for the third time in four starts this month. He worked around a two-run home run by Byron Buxton in the first inning and a solo shot by Michael Taylor in the fifth that gave the Twins a 3-0 lead. The Twins, who have been in first place in the AL Central for 53 of 55 days this season, lost for the sixth time in eight games. They have six or fewer hits in 10 of their 20 games in May.

UP NEXT
Giants RHP Anthony DeSclafani (3-3, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale this afternoon, opposite Twins RHP Joe Ryan (6-1, 2.25 ERA). Ryan, a San Francisco native, has completed at least six innings in all nine starts and allowed a total of five earned runs over his last five turns.

K-Heart Sports – 05/23/23

Posted on May 23, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/22/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Region Tournaments for Class B baseball and softball continue today.

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 3 Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

First Round
#1 Renville County def. #9 Rugby, 15-5
#3 Bottineau def. #6 Tioga, 12-0
#4 Ray def. #5 Glenburn, 16-3
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. #7 Bishop Ryan, 23-4
Loser Out
#9 Rugby def. #5 Glenburn, 20-7
#7 Bishop Ryan def. #6 Tioga, 10-8

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#1 Renville County vs #4 Ray, 4 pm (KC Diamond)
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark vs #3 Bottineau, 4 pm (Eagles Diamond)
Loser Out
#9 Rugby vs DLB/L&C/Bottinau loser, 6 pm (KC Diamond)
#7 Bishop Ryan vs RC/Ray loser, 6 pm (Eagles Diamond)

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 4 Tournament – Wilton

First Round
#1 Beulah def. #8 Garrison, 24-0
#4 Wilton-Wing def. #5 Harvey-Wells County, 8-2
#7 Washburn-Center-Stanton def. #2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 5-2
#3 Central McLean def. #6 Heart River, 11-5

Today’s schedule

Semfinal
#1 Beulah vs #4 Wilton-Wing, 1 pm (Diamond 1)
#3 Central McLean vs #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 1:30 (Diamond 2)
Loser Out
#8 Garrison vs #5 Harvey-Wells County, 3 pm (Diamond 1)
#6 Heart River vs #2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 3:30 pm (Diamond 2)
Garrison/H-WC winner vs Central McLean/WCS loser, 5 pm (Diamond 1)
Heart River/VDA winner vs Beulah/WW loser, 5:30 pm (Diamond 2)

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 5 Tournament – Cando

Second Round
#3 Bottineau def. #2 Rugby, 10-2
#1 North Star def. #4 Northern Lights, 10-0
Loser Out
#2 Rugby def. #5 Harvey-Wells County, 10-0
#4 Northern Lights def. #6 Dunseith, 12-2

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#1 North Star vs #3 Bottineau, 1 pm
Loser Out
#2 Rugby vs #4 Northern Lights, 3 pm
Semifinal
NS/Bottineau loser vs Rugby/NL winner, 5 pm

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 6 Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

First Round
#1 Bishop Ryan def. #4 Garrison, 8-4
#2 Surrey def. #3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 13-5
Loser Out
#3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. #4 Garrison, 13-5
Semifinal
#1 Bishop Ryan def. #2 Surrey, 9-8

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#2 Surrey vs #3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 5 pm
Championship
#1 Bishop Ryan vs Surrey/VDA winner, 7 pm (if Ryan loses, a second championship is Thursday at 5pm)

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 7 Tournament – Burlington

Semifinal
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington def. #3 Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 7-3
Loser Out
#2 Renville County def. #4 Tioga, 12-7
Semifinal
#2 Renville County def. #3 Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 9-0

Today’s schedule

Championship
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington vs #2 Renville County, 3 pm (if DLB loses, a second champion follows by 30 minutes)
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MINOT, ND – Play in games for the WDA baseball and softball tournaments were held yesterday. Winners advanced to the quarterfinals on Thursday. Baseball will be in Jamestown while softball is in Dickinson. The play in match for the West Region Girls Tennis Tournament was also held. Winner plays #1 Minot High on Thursday. The girls tennis tournament will be in Mandan.

High School Baseball
Class A
WDA Tournament Play In
#7 Bismarck Century def. #10 Watford City, 12-1
#8 Bismarck High def. #9 Bismarck St. Mary’s, 9-0

High School Girls Softball
Class A
WDA Tournament Play In
#7 Williston def. #10 Turtle Mountain, 23-0
#8 Bismarck Legacy def. #9 Watford City, 24-0

High School Girls Tennis
WDA Tournament Play In
#8 Bismarck St. Mary’s def. #9 Jamestown, 5-0

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MINOT, ND – The Souris Valley Golf Course in Minot was host to the WDA Invite on Monday.

High School Boys Golf
Class A

WDA Invite – Souris Valley Golf Course in Minot
1. Bismarck Century, 307
2. Minot High, 312
3. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 316
4. Jamestown, 319
5. Williston, 326
6. Mandan, 330
7. Bismarck Legacy, 330
8. Watford City, 350
9. Bismarck High, 359
10. Dickinson, 370
11. Minot North, 385

Medalist: Brock Jones of Minot High, 70

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TWINS-GIANTS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer and the first four San Francisco Giants batters scored in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. San Francisco has won six of seven and at 23-24 is one game under .500 for the first time since the Giants were 5-6. Lamonte Wade Jr. walked on eight pitches and Mike Yastrzemski on five, and J.D. Davis doubled on the 15th pitch from Bailey Ober for the go-ahead run. Conforto hit a belt-high 1-0 fastball into the visitors bullpen in left-center for his ninth home run this season. Minnesota struck out 16 times, matching a season high. Twins batters lead the major leagues with 474 strikeouts.Bailey Ober settled down after the first with four scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and three walks over five innings in his first loss since Sept. 21 at Kansas City.

UP NEXT
RHP Alex Cobb (3-1, 1.94 ERA) starts Tuesday for the Giants, looking to bounce back from his shortest start of the season in which he went just 3 1/3 innings. The Twins will counter with RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.64), winless since April 30.

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NFL DRAFT-GREEN BAY

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NFL draft will be in Green Bay in 2025. The league announced the 2025 draft’s location on Monday during its spring meetings. The draft and related activities will take place inside and around Lambeau Field and Titletown, the collection of shops and restaurants surrounding the stadium. With an expected 250,000 visitors, the draft will be the largest event ever held in Green Bay, which has a population of 107,000. “We’re the smallest market in the National Football League by a wide margin, but we’re a big community,” said Ed Policy, chief operating officer and general counsel for the Packers. “I think it’s very fair to say that no other community on the planet has as close of a nexus to the past, present and future of the game of football than Green Bay.”

Next year’s draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. After being held at various New York locations from 1965-2014, the draft has made stops in Chicago (2015-16), Philadelphia (2017), Dallas (2018), Nashville (2019), Las Vegas (2022) and Kansas City (2023). More than 2.2 million people have attended draft festivities since 2015. This year’s draft brought more than 312,000 fans to Kansas City. Now it’s preparing to head to the league’s smallest market. The Packers first applied to host in 2016, and the NFL pushed them to answer questions about hotel space and transportation infrastructure. “The beauty as you’ve seen in the draft is that there’s not a real barrier to hosting it,” said Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president for major events. “We can work through weather. If it can be in Green Bay — no offense, Ed — we can be anywhere.”

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NFL-SUPER BOWL

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Super Bowl will return to the Bay Area in 2026 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers. NFL owners approved the site at their spring meetings. This will be the third time for the big game in the Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara when Denver beat Carolina. The 49ers won Super Bowl 19 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto when they beat Miami after the 1984 season. The 2026 game will be Super Bowl 60. The next Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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NFL-FLEX SCHEDULING

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — NFL owners have approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video. The rule covers Weeks 13-17, and teams would have their games moved only with at least 28 days’ notice. The league could push a Thursday night matchup in that range to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game. The mechanism is currently in place for Sunday night and Monday night games. The flexible scheduling for Thursday night games was approved on a trial basis for 2023 only. Owners also approved at their spring meetings a rule allowing teams to play an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game.

K-Heart Sports – 05/22/23

Posted on May 22, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/22/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Region Tournaments for Class B baseball and softball continue today.

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 3 Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

First Round
#1 Renville County vs #9 Rugby, 2 pm (KC Diamond)
#3 Bottineau vs #6 Tioga, 2 pm (Eagles Diamond)
#4 Ray vs #5 Glenburn, 4 pm (KC)
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark vs #7 Bishop Ryan, 4 pm (Eagles)
Loser Out
RC/Rugby loser vs Ray/Glenburn loser, 6 pm (KC)
DLB/L&C/Ryan loser vs Bottineau/Tioga loser, 6 pm (Eagles)

Play continues Tuesday with championship set for Wednesday at 4 pm.

———-

Region 4 Tournament

First Round – Wilton
#1 Beulah vs #8 Garrison, 1 pm (Diamond #1)
#4 Wilton-Wing vs #5 Harvey-Wells County, 1:30 pm (Diamond #2)
#2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose vs #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 3 pm (Diamond #1)
#3 Central McLean vs #6 Heart River, 3:30 pm (Diamond #2)

Play continues Tuesday with championship set for Wednesday at 3 pm.

———-

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 5 Tournament – Cando

Second Round
#2 Rugby vs #3 Bottineau, 11 am
#1 North Star vs #4 Northern Lights, 1 pm
Loser Out
#5 Harvey-Wells County vs Rugby/Bottiineau loser, 3 pm
#6 Dunseith vs North Star/Northern Lights loser, 5 pm

Play continues Tuesday with the championship set for Wednesday at 3 pm.

———-

Region 6 Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

First Round
#1 Bishop Ryan vs #4 Garrison, 1 pm
#2 Surrey vs #3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 3 pm
Loser Out
Ryan/Garrison losers vs Surrey/V-D-A loser, 5 pm
Semifinal
Ryan/Garrison winner vs Surrey/V-D-A winner, 5 pm

Play continues Tuesday with a second semifinal and then the championship at 7 pm. If needed a second championship would be played Thursday at 5 pm.

———-

Region 7 Tournament – Burlington

First Round (Sat 5/20)
#4 Tioga def. #5 Stanley, 4-0
Second Round (Sat 5/20)
#3 Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. #2 Renville County, 11-5
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington def. #4 Tioga, 12-4
Loser Out (Sat 5/20)
#2 Renville County def. #5 Stanley, 12-0

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington vs #3 Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 11 am
Loser Out
#2 Renville County vs #4 Tioga, 30 min after
Semifinal
DLB/KBBC loser vs RC/Tioga winner, 30 min after

The championship is set for Tuesday at 3 pm. If needed, a second champion would follow by 30 minutes.

——————————————————

MINOT, ND – Play in game for the WDA baseball and softball tournaments will be held today. Winners advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday. Baseball will be in Jamestown while softball is in Dickinson.

High School Baseball

Class A Play In
#10 Watford City at #7 Bismarck Century, 2 pm
#9 Bismarck St. Mary’s at #8 Bismarck High, 5 pm

High School Girls Softball

Class A Play In
#10 Turtle Mountain at #7 Williston, 5 pm
#9 Watford City at #8 Bismarck Legacy, 5 pm

—————————————————–

TWINS-ANGELS

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine in six innings, Mickey Moniak delivered his second big hit of the series and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2. Ohtani did not get a decision despite allowing only one run and two hits. It was the fourth time in 10 starts this season the two-way superstar has had nine or more strikeouts. Moniak, who had a tying triple Friday night, came through with a two-run double in the seventh to give the Halos a 3-1 advantage. Alex Kirilloff homered and Carlos Correa had an RBI double for the Twins, who dropped four of six on their Southern California road trip.

UP NEXT
RHP Bailey Ober (3-0, 1.78 ERA) makes his third straight start against an interleague opponent in the opener of a three-game series at home against San Francisco tonight at Target Field in Minneapolis.

K-Heart Sports – 05/19/23

Posted on May 19, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/19/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – It’s that time of the year when regular season and post season intersect

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Mandan def. Dickinson, 9-7

Bismarck Century def. Watford City, 25-10
Bismarck Century def. Watford City, 27-6

Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 11-10
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 23-11

West Fargo def. Jamestown, 29-14
Jamestown def. West Fargo, 13-1

Class B

Beulah def. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 11-0

Region 3 Tournament – Play In
#9 Rugby def. #8 Stanley, 16-4
#7 Bishop Ryan def. #10 Divide County, 31-11

Region 4 Tournament – Play In
#8 Garrison def. #9 Max-South Prairie, 22-21
#7 Washburn-Center-Stanton def. #10 Hazen, 8-7
#6 Heart River def. #11 Nedrose, 14-3

High School Baseball

Class A

Minot High def. Watford City, 7-0
Minot High def. Watford City, 17-1

Bismarck Century def. Mandan, 10-0
Mandan def. Bismarck Century, 11-3

Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Jamestown, 2-0
Jamestown def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 11-1

Class B

Shiloh Christian def. Bishop Ryan, 9-4
Bishop Ryan def. Shiloh Christian, 2-1

Hettinger-Scranton def. Hazen, 12-0

Heart River def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 4-3

Region 6 Tournament – Play In
#4 Garrison def. #5 Central McLean, 5-1
#3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. #6 South Prairie-Max, 20-5

Region 5 Tournament – First Round
#3 Bottineau def. #6 Dunseith, 20-6

High School Girls Tennis
Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 6-3 (Majettes 12-0/8-0 WDA)
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Jamestown, 9-0

——————————————————–

NHL-HISTORIC LENGTH

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk beat Frederik Andersen in the final seconds of the fourth overtime to lift the Florida Panthers past the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 early Friday to open their Eastern Conference final series. Tkachuk took a feed from Sam Bennett after Florida had won a battle for the puck as Carolina tried to clear the puck. He then whipped a shot from the right circle past Andersen with 12.7 seconds left for the winner. It marked the longest game in history for either team, as well as the sixth-longest game in NHL history. The game lasted 5 hours and 44 minutes of real time — 139:47 of hockey time.

K-Heart Sports – 05/18/23

Posted on May 18, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/18/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Class B boys golf was on the schedule yesterday.

High School Boys Golf
Class B

Rugby Invitational – Rugby
1. Bottineau, 337
2. Westhope-Newburg, 365
3. Harvey-Wells County, 370
T4. Our Redeemer’s, 375
T4. Rugby 2, 375
6. Rugby 1, 380
7. Northern Lights, 384
8. Dunseith, 423
9. South Prairie, 428

Medalist: Max Palmer of Bottineau, 75

High School Baseball
Class A
Mandan def. Dickinson, 1-0

High School Girls Softball
Class A
Dickinson def. Mandan, 17-4

————————————————————–

MINOT, ND – Pairings are set for Class B region softball tournaments in the area:

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Region 3 Tournament

Play-In (Today 5/18)
#9 Rugby at #8 Stanley
#10 Divide County at #7 Bishop Ryan
#11 New Town at #6 Tioga

First Round (Mon 5/22) – South Hill Complex in Minot
#1 Renville County vs Rugby/Stanley winner, 2 pm (KC Diamond)
#3 Bottineau vs Tioga/New Town winner, 2 pm (Eagles Diamond)
#4 Ray vs #5 Glenburn, 4 pm (KC)
#2 Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark vs Bishop Ryan/DC winner, 4 pm (Eagles)
Loser Out
Renville County game loser vs Ray/Glenburn loser, 6 pm (KC)
DLB/L&C game loser vs Bottineau game loser, 6 pm (Eagles)

Play continues Tuesday with championship set for Wednesday at 4 pm.

———-

Region 4 Tournament

Play-In (Today 5/18)
#9 Max-South Prairie at #8 Garrison, 3:30 pm
#10 Hazen at #7 Washburn-Center-Stanton, 4 pm
#11 Nedrose-Surrey at #6 Heart River, 5:30 pm

First Round (Mon 5/22) – Wilton
#1 Beulah vs Garrison/Max-SP winner, 1 pm (Diamond #1)
#4 Wilton-Wing vs #5 Harvey-Wells County, 1:30 pm (Diamond #2)
#2 Velva-Drake-Anamoose vs W-C-S/Hazen winner, 3 pm (Diamond #1)
#3 Central McLean vs Heart River/Nedrose winner, 3:30 pm (Diamond #2)

Play continues Tuesday with championship set for Wednesday at 3 pm.

—————————————————-

MINOT, ND – Pairings are also set for Class B region baseball tournaments in the area.

High School Baseball
Class B

Region 5 Tournament

First Round (Today 5/18)
#6 Dunseith at #3 Bottineau, 4:30 pm
#5 Harvey-Wells County at #4 Northern Lights (in Rolette), 4:30 pm

Second Round (Mon 5/22) – Cando
#2 Rugby vs Bottineau/Dunseith winner, 11 am
#1 North Star vs Harvey-WC/Norther Lights winner, 1 pm
Loser Out (Mon 5/22)
Harvey-WC/Northern Lights loser vs Rugby game loser, 3 pm
Bottineau/Dunseith loser vs North Star game loser, 5 pm

Play continues Tuesday with the championship set for Wednesday at 3 pm.

———-

Region 6 Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

Play-In (Today 5/18)
#4 Garrison vs #5 Central McLean, 5 pm
#3 Velva-Drake-Anamoose vs #6 South Prairie-Max, 7 pm

First Round (Mon 5/22) – Corbett Field in Minot
#1 Bishop Ryan vs Garrison/Central McLean winner, 1 pm
#2 Surrey vs VDA/SP-Max winner, 3 pm
Loser Out (Mon 5/22)
losers of the first two games, 5 pm
Semifinal (Mon 5/22)
winners of the first two games, 7 pm

Play continues Tuesday with a second semifinal and then the championship at 7 pm. If needed a second championship would be played Thursday at 5 pm.

———-

Region 7 Tournament – Burlington

First Round (Sat 5/20)
#4 Tioga vs #5 Stanley, 10 am
Second Round (Sat 5/20)
#2 Renville County vs #3 Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 30 min after
#1 Des Lacs-Burlington vs Tioga/Stanley winner, 30 min after
Loser Out (Sat 5/20)
Tioga/Stanley loser vs RC/KBBC loser, 30 min after

Play resumes Monday with the championship set for Tuesday at 3 pm. If needed, a second champion would follow by 30 minutes.

——————————————————

MINOT, ND – The third coaches softball polls of the season have been released.

Class A Coaches Softball Poll

Team (First Place Votes) Ranking Last Poll

1. Minot High (9) 1
2. Jamestown 2
3. West Fargo (1) 5
4. West Fargo Sheyenne 3
5. Grand Forks Red River 6
6. Dickinson 4
7. Bismarck High 7
8. Williston 8
9. Fargo North T9
1O. Bismarck Legacy T9

Class B Coaches Softball Poll

Team (First Place Votes) Ranking Last Poll

1. Beulah (7) 1
2. Central Cass (5) 2
3. Renville County (1) 3
4. Kindred-Richland 4
5. Thompson 8
6. Velva-Drake-Anamoose 5
7. Hillsboro-Central Valley 7
8. May-Port-CG 6
9. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark 9
T10. Grafton 10
T10. Bottineau NR

———————————————————–

TWINS-DODGERS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Outman hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo homered for the Twins, who dropped two of the three in a matchup of division leaders. Gallo left the game with two outs in the ninth after taking a foul ball off his leg. The Dodgers trailed 3-2 in the seventh before scoring five runs all with two outs. Will Smith tied it after Emilio Pagan walked Miguel Vargas with the bases loaded and Outman put them on top when he drove a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center. Minnesota center fielder Nick Gordon fractured his right shin after he a fouled a pitch off his leg in the fifth inning. Second baseman Jorge Polanco left in the seventh due to a hamstring strain and Gallo suffered a bruised shin after taking a foul ball of his leg in the ninth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gordon will be out at least a month. Gordon finished his at-bat, but struck out. Minnesota’s Sonny Gray came into the game leading the majors with a 1.39 ERA but struggled in four innings. The right-hander faced constant traffic in his four innings of work. He allowed two runs on five hits and walked three. He also struck out four.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Joe Ryan (6-1, 2.16 ERA), who has recorded double-digit strikeouts in three of his eight starts, gets the call in the opener of a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

K-Heart Sports – 05/17/23

Posted on May 17, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/17/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot High girls soccer team clinched a state tournament berth and captured the regular season WDA conference title last night. The Majettes improve to 12-0-1 overall, 7-0-1 in the WDA. They have outscored opponents 53-6.

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Jamestown, 3-0
Mandan def. Williston, 6-0
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Dickinson, 2-1

High School Boys Golf
Class A

Mandan Invite
1. Minot High, 300
2. Bismarck Century, 304
3. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 315
4. Bismarck Legacy, 320
5. Mandan, 323
6. Williston, 335
7. Bismarck High, 337
8. Jamestown, 338
9. Dickinson, 355
10. Minot North, 372
11. Watford City, 389

Medalist: Kasen Rostad of Minot High, 68

High School Girls Tennis
Minot High def. Williston, 9-0 (Majettes 11-0 overall)
Mandan def. Jamestown, 9-0
Bismarck High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 9-0

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Minot High def. Turtle Mountain, 13-1 (Majettes top the WDA standings 28-1 overall/16-1 WDA)
Minot High def. Turtle Mountain, 30-0

Bismarck High def. Williston, 6-2
Bismarck High def. Williston, 15-5

Bismarck Century def. Mandan, 12-9

Jamestown def. Watford City, 25-7
Jamestown def. Watford City, 27-0

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Nedrose, 26-2

Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. Bishop Ryan, 46-16
Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. Bishop Ryan, 15-3

Washburn-Center-Stanton def. Hazen, 17-4

High School Baseball
Class A

Mandan def. Williston, 3-2
Mandan def. Williston, 12-6

BIsmarck Century def. Bismarck High, 14-1
Bismarck Century def. Bismarck High, 5-3

Dickinson def. Watford City, 12-3
Dickinson def. Watford City, 12-2

Class B

Bishop Ryan def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 7-4
Bishop Ryan def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 11-1

Surrey def. Garrison, 10-1
Surrey def. Garrison, 18-0

Central McLean def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 5-3

Hazen def. Beulah, 2-1
Hazen def. Beulah, 7-3

Region 7 Play-In
Stanley def. Berthold, 13-8
Ray def. Tioga, 4-0

High School Boys Track & Field
Class B

Hazen Last Chance Meet – Hazen
1. Hazen, 76
2. Shiloh Christian, 71
T3. Central McLean, 67
T3. Southern McLean, 67
5. New Town, 66
6. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 64
7. Garrison, 58
8. Beulah, 52
9. Standing Rock, 46
10. Linton-HMB, 43
11. Kidder County, 37
12. Minot High, 26
13. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion, 25
14. Parshall, 24
T15. South Border, 6
T15. Center-Stanton, 6
17. Strasburg, 2
18. White Shield, 1

High School Girls Track & Field
Class B

Hazen Last Chance Meet – Hazen
1. Beulah, 146
2. Central McLean, 97
3. Shiloh Christian, 81
4. Southern McLean, 73
5. Hazen, 68
6. South Border, 39
7. Linton-HMB, 34
8. Garrison, 24
9. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 23
T10. Kidder County, 22
T10. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion, 22
12. New Town, 21
13. Standing Rock, 16
14. Center-Stanton, 11
15. Nedrose, 10
16. Parshall, 5
17. Minot High, 4
18. Strasburg, 2

————————————————————

NORTHWOODS LEAGUE-SOFTBALL

MINOT, ND – Even as the Minot Hot Tots are preparing for your inaugural season to begin, the Northwoods League has announced that they are adding more teams, but not baseball. The Northwoods League has announced the launch of a new women’s summer collegiate softball league. The league, which is set to debut in the summer of 2024, will provide female college athletes with an opportunity to compete at a high level during their offseason. Initially, the new league will be comprised of teams from across the Northwoods League’s footprint. Team locations will be announced at a future date. The teams will play a 40-game schedule, with games starting in June and running through the beginning of August. Meanwhile, the Hot Tots will open the season on Memorial Day at Corbett Field hosting St. Cloud. Minot will play 36 home games at Corbett this summer with the regular season running through August 12th.

—————————————————————–

TWINS-DODGERS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bailey Ober allowed one run in six innings, Kyle Farmer homered and drove in three runs, and the Minnesota Twins defeated Los Angeles 5-1 Tuesday night as Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw took the mound three days after the death of his mother. Kershaw struck out seven in four innings, but faced constant traffic. He allowed seven hits, one walk and hit a batter. Ober (3-0) allowed one run on six hits and struck out six. The Twins got their leadoff batter aboard four times and converted that into runs three times. Farmer extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single in the first inning. The third baseman then extended the lead to four runs in the ninth with a two-run shot to left-center. Willi Castro had two hits, including an RBI single in the fourth, and had two stolen bases for the AL Central-leading Twins, who have won five of their last seven games.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.39 ERA) leads the majors in ERA and is off to the best start of his 11-year big-league career.
Dodgers: RHP Dustin May (4-1, 2.68 ERA) has gone at least five innings in all seven starts this season.

K-Heart Sports – 05/16/23

Posted on May 16, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/16/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Monday’s scores

High School Baseball
Class A

Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-0
Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 3-0

Jamestown def. Williston, 9-7
Jamestown def. Williston, 11-1

Dickinson def. Bismarck High, 4-3
Dickinson def. Bismarck High, 12-5

Class B

Renville County def. Berthold, 13-9

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Garrison, 5-4
Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Garrison, 4-0

North Star def. Bottineau, 9-2

Hazen def. Heart River, 13-3
Hazen def. Heart River, 8-5

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Dickinson def. Bismarck Legacy, 8-0
Dickinson def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-0

Class B

Bottineau def. Divide County, 26-2

Central McLean def. Max-South Prairie, 15-3
Central McLean ties Max-South Prairie, 7-7

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Wilton-Wing, 10-2

Heart River def. Garrison, 18-8
Heart River def. Garrison, 18-0

Washburn-Center-Stanton def. Nedrose, 10-0

Harvey-Wells County def. Carrington, 16-9

High School Girls Soccer
Bismarck High def. Bismarck Legacy, 2-0

High School Girls Tennis
Bismarck Legacy def. Jamestown, 9-0

High School Boys Track & Field
Class B

Panther Booster Meet – Rugby
1. Rugby, 125
2. Harvey-Wells County, 84.5
3. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 64
T4. Bishop Ryan, 63
T4. Bottineau, 63
6. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 62
7. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 53
8. Stanley, 51
9. Kenmare-Bowbells, 37
10. Nedrose, 28
11. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 21.5
12. Williams County, 20
13. Beulah, 18
14. Divide County, 15
15. Max-South Prairie, 7
16. Surrey, 6
17. Glenburn, 5
18. Dunseith, 3

High School Girls Track & Field
Class A

WDA Last Chance Meet – Minot
1. Bismarck High, 134
2. Minot High, 117
3. Bismarck Century, 103.5
4. Bismarck Legacy, 97
5. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 72
6. Mandan, 62
T7. Watford City, 47
T7. Dickinson, 47
9. Williston, 36.5

Class B

Panther Booster Meet – Rugby
1. Rugby, 175.5
2. Bottineau, 102
3. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 73
4. Bishop Ryan, 57
5. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 51.5
6. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 44
7. Harvey-Wells County, 42
8. Beulah, 41
T9. Stanley, 32
T9. Nedrose, 32
11. Surrey, 23
12. Williams County, 18.5
13. Kenmare-Bowbells, 18
14. Glenburn, 13
15. Westhope-Newburg, 4
16. Dunseith, 0.5

———————————————————–

TWINS-DODGERS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Taylor scored on a bases-loaded walk in the 12th inning, Max Muncy homered twice to move back into the Major League lead, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 9-8 for their sixth straight win. Trayce Thompson drew a walk on a full count with the bases loaded and a full count off Jorge López (1-1) to give Los Angeles the victory. Will Smith also went deep as the Dodgers. Los Angeles led 6-3 thru seven innings before the game saw three ties and three lead changes in the final five frames. Minnesota’s Trevor Larnach hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning. Jorge Polanco had three hits, including a solo shot. Christian Vázquez also had three hits for the AL Central-leading Twins, who have dropped 11 straight to the Dodgers.

Minnesota trailed 6-3 in the eighth before Larnach tied it on a 2-2 fastball from Yency Almonte to right-center. David Peralta had an RBI in the bottom of the eighth to put the Dodgers back on top at 7-6, but the Twins answered in the ninth to knot it again and send it to extra innings. Correa drew a leadoff walk and scored on Byron Buxton’s double into the left-center gap. Vázquez’s walk in the 10th gave Minnesota its first lead of the game at 8-7. It was short lived as J.D. Martinez had a one-out RBI base hit in the bottom of the inning.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (2-0, 1.85 ERA) is 1-0 in four previous interleague starts. Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.36 ERA) pitched a perfect game through seven innings and struck out 13 the last time he faced Minnesota on April 13, 2022.

K-Heart Sports – 05/14/23

Posted on May 15, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/14/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Saturday scores

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Bismarck Legacy def. Turtle Mountain, 16-5
Bismarck Legacy def. Turtle Mountain, 17-0

Midseason Madness – Fargo
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. West Fargo Horace
Pembina County North def. New Town, 19-2
Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Grafton, 18-8
Hankinson def. Tioga, 2-1
Kindred-Richland def. Bottineau, 13-3
Wilton-Wing def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 13-9
Washburn-Center-Stanton def. Stanley, 14-4
Bismarck High def. West Fargo Horace, 17-11
Carrington def. New Town, 18-6
Renville County def. Grafton, 19-9
West Fargo Sheyenne def. Williston, 10-0
May-Port-CG def. Bottineau, 12-1
Heart River def. Tioga, 5-4
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Glenburn, 10-1
Minot High def. Grand Forks Central, 23-8
Pembina County North def. Washburn-Center-Stanton, 19-8
Renville County def. Thompson, 12-11
Grand Forks Red River def. Williston, 15-5
Beulah def. Northern Cass, 12-0
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Heart River, 12-0
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Harvey-Wells County, 11-1
West Fargo Sheyenne def. Bismarck High, 6-4
Grand Forks Central def, Hankinson, 14-11
May-Port-CG def. Wilton-Wing, 12-0
Langdon Area- Edmore-Munich def. Glenburn, 27-9
Carrington def. Nedrose, 14-4
West Fargo Horace def. Harvey-Wells County, 14-4

High School Baseball
Class A
Bismarck High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 4-2

High School Girls Soccer
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 4-0

High School Girls Tennis
Mandan Tournament
1. Minot High, 68
2. Bismarck Century, 38
3. Mandan, 36
4. Dickinson, 30
5. Bismarck High, 24
6. Williston, 18
7. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 18
8. Jamestown, 0
———————————————————–

BISMARCK, ND – St. Cloud State won the Northern Sun Conference baseball tournament in Bismarck over the weekend.

College Baseball
NSIC Tournament – Bismarck/Mandan

Semifinal
#4 St. Cloud State def. #2 Minnesota State-Mankato, 7-3
Loser Out
#1 Augustana University def. #3 Minnesota-Crookston, 6-5
#2 Minnesota State-Mankato def. #1 Augustana University, 6-1

Championship
#2 Minnesota State-Mankato def. #4 St. Cloud State, 6-5
Second Championship
#4 St. Cloud State def. #2 Minnesota State-Mankato, 13-7

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

ST. PAUL, Minn. (MSU) – Minot State’s Leif Nelson and Nathan Trujillo-Aragon lived up to expectations Saturday at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Nelson came into the meet as the man to beat in the javelin and proved unbeatable as he claimed his first NSIC title in the event. Meanwhile, Trujillo-Aragon clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 400-meter hurdle prelims on Friday and then beat that, and the rest of the field, Saturday for an NSIC title in that event. While they led the way for the Minot State men, they had help from NSIC runner-up champions and teammates Jakob Braunstein and Chase Snyder as the Beavers finished 9th with 41 team points. Snyder was 2nd in the shot put Friday while Braunstein gave the Beavers a one-two finish in the javelin finishing 2nd to his teammate, Nelson, in the event. Nelson won his first title with a throw of 198 feet, 1 inch, and Braunstein was runner-up with a throw of 186-2. Trujillo-Aragon won his 400 hurdles title with a career-best time of 54.23 seconds. All four earned NSIC All-Conference honors for their performances on the weekend. Adding to the Beavers team total with top-eight finishes were Jacob Jensen, who finished 7th in the men’s 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 53.46 seconds, Charles Hardcastle, who was 8th on Friday in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:33.65, and Trujillo-Aragon, who added a 7th-place finish to his day Saturday in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.94, a new NCAA Division II-era school record. On the women’s side, Summer Krebsbach led the way Saturday as she finished 23rd in the 100-meter dash in 12.69 seconds, and Jessica Martinez was 27th in the 5,000 meters in 18:58.28. The Minot State women did not score as a team. Minnesota State won both the women’s and men’s team titles as the Maverick women scored 272.4 points and the men scored 207 team points.

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NDSU MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State men’s track & field team won its 13th straight conference title on the final day of the Summit League Outdoor Championships Saturday at the Terrence Dahl and Donna Beres Track Complex on campus. The Bison men have now won 14 of the 15 outdoor team trophies since joining The Summit League in 2008. NDSU totaled 239 points, beating second-place South Dakota State (205) and third-place South Dakota (159).

NDSU’s Trevor Otterdahl won the discus on Saturday for his third event title of the meet, and he became the first men’s athlete in league history to be named the Outdoor Championships Field MVP in back-to-back seasons.

Jacob Levin won the 400m dash, 200m dash, and ran on NDSU’s title-winning 4x400m relay to earn Championships Track MVP honors. He clocked a lifetime-best 46.61 in the 400m to stand at No. 3 on the NDSU all-time list.

Senior Jacob Rodin brought home the 800m title in a school record, meet record, and facility record of 1:47.58.

Josh Knutson placed second in the 400m hurdles in 52.24 – a personal-best that ranks third in school history.

Cullen Curl was the runner-up in 47.73 in the 400m dash, as the Bison men took a 1-2-5 finish behind Levin. Isaac Huntington was fifth in 48.66.

Knutson, Curl, Levin and Rodin ran away with the Summit League 4x400m title in 3:10.80.

Dante White placed second in the 100m dash in 10.48.

Zach Johnson took third in the 5,000m in 14:30.07 to lead a 3-5-6-8 finish by the Bison men. Jacob Knodle was fifth, Hunter Klimek placed sixth, and Jake Arason came in eighth.

Freshman Jarod White took third in the pole vault, clearing 16-10.25 (5.14m) to tie his outdoor PR.

Brock Johnsen (14.56) and Logan Mathieu (14.57) placed third and fourth in the 110m hurdles.

The NDSU men finished 4-5-6 in the discus behind Otterdahl’s title with Cam Landis fourth, Levi Rockey fifth, and Clayton Hannula sixth.

Keiser Freetly took fifth in the 800m in a career-best 1:51.27.

Mathieu, Johnsen, Huntington and Dante White finished fifth in the 4x100m relay in 41.26.

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NDSU WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State women’s track & field team won its 14th outdoor conference title in 15 tries Saturday, bringing home the trophy on the final day of the Summit League Outdoor Championships at the Terrence Dahl and Donna Beres Track Complex on campus. The Bison women stormed back into the team race with a spirited effort on Saturday afternoon, finishing with 254 points for the win. South Dakota finished second with 240 points, and South Dakota State was third with 120.

NDSU clinched the team title on the second-to-last event with 17 points in the 5,000m. Kaleesa Houston kicked to a second-place finish, Reagan Baesler took third, and Grace Link placed sixth in the event to seal the victory.

A Bison sweep of the top three places in the triple jump vaulted NDSU into the lead in the team standings after trailing South Dakota for much of the meet. Alissa Melvin captured the title with a mark of 40-11.75 (12.49m), Jodi Lipp was second, and Grace Emineth took third.

After winning the heptathlon on Friday, Nell Graham sparked the Bison with a conference title in the 400m dash on Saturday, running a lifetime-best 53.93. She also placed fifth in the 400m hurdles final.

Senior Terezia Bolibruch claimed the Summit League title in the 100m hurdles in 13.45, leading a dominant showing in the hurdle events. The Bison women finished 1-2-4-5 in the 100m hurdles with Salmata Korgho second in 13.57, Sydney Arndt fourth, and Bailee Dierks fifth.

NDSU rolled to a 2-4-5-6 finish in the 400m hurdles, led by Bailee Dierks in second. Angel Pratt finished fourth, Graham was fifth, and Korgho took sixth.

The Bison women racked up more crucial points in the 1500m with a 2-3-4-7 finish spearheaded by Baesler in 4:26.16 and Link in 4:26.17. Erin Valgardson placed fourth, and Aleah Miller was seventh.

Kendra Kelley (23.69) and Jasmine Williams (24.46) placed second and third, respectively, in the 200m dash. In the 100m, Kelley took third and Williams was sixth.

Arndt, Kelley, Williams and Pratt took second in the 4x100m relay in 46.34. Graham, Kelley, Dierks and Pratt were the conference runners-up in the 4x400m relay.

Freshman Adison Kapitzke took fourth in the discus, throwing 143-4 (43.69m). Merrideth Spiers was seventh for the Bison.

Grace Link took fifth in the 800m, giving her three top-six finishes on the day. Pratt placed sixth in the 400m dash in 55.80.

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TWINS-CUBS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Kirilloff hit two of Minnesota’s season-high five home runs to lead the Twins to an 11-1 win against the Chicago Cubs. Joey Gallo, Jorge Polanco and Carlos Correa also homered for the Twins, who gave more than enough run support to starter Joe Ryan. Ryan struck out 10 in six scoreless innings, including striking out the side in the sixth. Cubs right-hander Hayden Wesneski surrendered four of the Twins’ home runs.

K-Heart Sports – 05/13/23

Posted on May 13, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/13/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Rain caused problems with the sports schedule on Friday. Early games were played, but later afternoon and evening games were cancelled at the Midseason Madness Softball event in Fargo. Hopefully weather cooperates today as 32 games are scheduled on the eight fields at the North Fargo complex. Rain also caused matches to be cancelled at the East-West Crossover for girl’s tennis. The individual portion of the event today is also cancelled.

High School Girls Softball

Midseason Madness – Fargo
Minot High def. Grand Forks Red River, 16-3
Bottineau def. Grafton, 13-10
Wilton-Wing def. Fargo Shanley, 20-10
West Fargo Horace def. Turtle Mountain, 8-7
Northern Cass def. Harvey-Wells County, 14-4
Renville County def. Kindred-Richland, 11-1

High School Girls Tennis

East-West Crossover – Fargo
Minot High def. Fargo North, 5-0
Minot High def. Fargo Shanley, 5-0
Valley City def. Mandan, 5-0
Fargo North def. Jamestown, 5-0
Fargo South def. Jamestown, 5-0

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BISMARCK, ND – The Northern Sun Conference baseball tournament was postponed on Friday. Play is scheduled to resume today.

College Baseball
NSIC Tournament – Bismarck/Mandan

Semifinal
#2 Minnesota State-Mankato vs #4 St. Cloud State, 10:30 am (Mandan)
Loser Out
#1 Augustana University vs #3 Minnesota-Crookston, 30 min after (Mandan)
Aug/Crookston winner vs semifinal loser, 30 min after (Mandan)

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

ST. PAUL, Minn. (MSU) – Minot State’s reigning indoor shot-put champion earn All-NSIC honors once again, this time in the outdoor shot put with a runner-up finish. Chase Snyder led the way for the Beavers on Friday, finishing 2nd in the men’s shot put with a throw of 52 feet, 10 inches at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Concordia, St. Paul. Tyler Hiatt from Sioux Falls won the event with a throw of 56 feet, 8 inches.

That helped the Minot State men to score 9 team points and put them in 10th place after Friday’s competition at Sea Foam Stadium. Wayne State led the men’s team standings with 47 points, while Minnesota State, Mankato leads the women’s team title race with 100.4 points. The Minot State women did not score any team points in Friday’s events. The NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships conclude today.

While Snyder finished second, Minot State hurdler Nathan Trujillo-Aragon finished first, albeit in the 400-meter hurdle prelims, sending him into the finals with the meet’s top time 55.03 seconds. Doing double duty, Trujillo-Aragon also qualified for the 110-meter hurdle finals as he was fifth in the prelims in 14.96 seconds. Trujillo-Aragon’s time was a new NCAA Division II-era school record and broke his own record of 15.15 he ran earlier this spring. Adding to the Beavers point total on the men’s side was Charles Hardcastle who finished 8th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9 minutes, 33.65 seconds. And poised to add to the Minot State scoring are Jacob Jensen and Nicholas Merillana who each qualified for the men’s 1,500-meter finals as Jensen was 9th in the prelims in 3:57.22, and Merillana was 12th in 3:59.12. On the women’s side, Nicole Reeves led the way for Minot State as she finished 15th in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 12:11.93.

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MINOT STATE-ASSISTANT A.D.

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State’s Director of Athletics Kevin Forde is pleased to introduce the newest member of the Beaver Athletics administrative team. Jordan Quinlan joins the Minot State staff starting Monday, May 15, as the Beavers new Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Life and as MSU’s Senior Woman Administrator. Quinlan joins the Beavers after spending the last three seasons as the assistant women’s soccer coach at NSIC rival Northern State. While serving as the assistant coach for the Wolves soccer program, Quinlan handled many of the duties directly related to compliance for the team including planning training sessions, coordinating team travel, organizing visits for recruits, monitoring weekly participation hours for the team, overseeing academic progress for players, and coordinating fund-raising events. Prior to her time at Northern State, Quinlan spent a year as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri, and also spent a season as the assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College where she was part of the staff that led the Reivers to third place at the NJCAA National Championships in 2018. She also spent a season as an assistant women’s soccer coach at Northwest Missouri State where she earned her Master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Quinlan graduated from the University of Missouri in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

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TWINS-CUBS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rookie Matt Mervis crushed a tying RBI double in a seventh-inning breakthrough for the Chicago Cubs to rally past the Minnesota Twins 6-2. Mervis made his major league debut a week ago. Yan Gomes had the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh, Christopher Morel tacked on a two-run home run in the ninth and Drew Smyly pitched six strong innings for the Cubs to open a nine-game road trip. Gray, whose 1.39 ERA is the best in baseball among qualified pitchers, gave the Twins another stellar turn with nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings with four hits and one run allowed. Manager Rocco Baldelli gave the ball to Jovani Moran to finish the sixth by retiring Ian Happ — who had three hits — and Cody Bellinger, but Griffin Jax (2-5) stumbled in the seventh and lost the lead on four straight one-out hits. The Twins (21-18) had only four hits and have scored just 30 runs in 10 games this month. They’ve still been in first place in the AL Central for all but two days this season, but this was their fourth game in May with four hits or fewer.

UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 3.93 ERA) pitches this afternoon. He has allowed just one run in each of his last three starts. Twins: RHP Joe Ryan (5-1, 2.45 ERA) takes the mound for the middle game of the series. He has finished six or more innings in all seven turns, allowing two or fewer runs in five of them.

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VIKINGS-SMITH TRADE

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns’ defensive line has gone from disappointing to perhaps dominant. Cleveland, which has spent the offseason upgrading a unit that underperformed in 2022, agreed Friday night to acquire three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press. The Browns are sending fifth-round picks in 2024 and 2025 to the Vikings for Smith, a sixth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-rounder in 2026, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams had not announced the swap. In Cleveland, Smith will be paired up front with All-Pro end Myles Garrett, one of the NFL’s best edge rushers. Shortly after news of the trade broke, the Browns posted a photo of a smiling Garrett without any caption.

The 30-year-old Smith had 10 sacks last season, his first with Minnesota, and has 54 1/2 since breaking in with Baltimore in 2015. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Vikings before last season, with $11.5 million guaranteed. After going 7-10 last season, the Browns made revamping their defense a priority. They’ve done so with the signings of free agent tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and safety Juan Thornhill. Smith should give the Browns two players capable of disrupting the pocket and another weapon for new coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Smith enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in 2022 with the Vikings after a back injury in 2021 limited him to one game with Green Bay. Smith had 8 1/2 of his sacks over the first seven games, though, and his pressure rate dropped off significantly over the second half of the schedule. The only game he missed was the meaningless regular-season finale, but a nagging knee injury limited his impact. With a scheduled salary cap hit of more than $15 million, Smith became an obvious candidate for release or trade for the cap-strapped Vikings. Smith even posted a message on Twitter in March that had strong farewell vibes and thanked the entire organization for an “amazing season and experience.” Two months later, the departure finally came — saving the Vikings more than $12 million in cap space. The Vikings ran a 3-4 scheme for their base defense, with Smith and Danielle Hunter at the outside linebacker spots, but Schwartz’s 4-3 system will make Smith more of a traditional defensive end. He played in a 3-4 over three seasons with the Packers, too.

K-Heart Sports – 05/12/23

Posted on May 12, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/12/23 – 0700

BISMARCK, ND — The Minot State Beavers fell 8-7 in a 10-inning matchup to the Winona State Warriors on Thursday in an elimination game at the NSIC Tournament. Junior Cameron Bagshaw (0-1) came out of the bullpen for Minot State (29-19 overall) and took the loss. Junior Austin Loeb was a bright spot for the Beavers, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing 2.2 shutout innings, allowing one hit, with two walks and two strikeouts. In the batter’s box, the Beavers were led by junior Mark Ossanna who went 3-for-4 on the day with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Senior Derek Kay put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI. Junior Martin Rodriquez also contributed for Minot State, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.

The Beavers got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning. Minot State got an RBI single from Rodriquez, scoring Ossanna from second base. After the Warriors rallied to tie the ballgame at one, the Beavers came back to retake the lead in the fourth inning. Minot State brought home a pair, with one run driven in by senior Matt Malone’s single, which brought the Beavers lead to 3-1. Minot State’s lead had evaporated once the seventh inning arrived and turned into a 4-3 Winona State advantage when the Beavers evened up the game at four. The Beavers pushed across a run on Kay’s two-out RBI double. The Warriors broke the tie and took the lead in the 10th inning, when Minot State got back on the scoreboard. The Beavers put up three runs, two coming on home runs from both Kay and Ossanna, bringing the score to 8-7 in favor of Winona State but the Beavers were unable to get any closer. The loss eliminated Minot State from the NSIC Tournament and ends the Beavers season.

College Baseball
NSIC Tournament – Bismarck/Mandan

Loser Out
#8 Wayne State def. #5 Southwest Minnesota State 7-6 (15)
#7 Winona State def. #6 Minot State, 8-7 (10)
Winners Bracket
#4 St. Cloud State def. #1 Augustana University, 10-1
#2 Minnesota State-Mankato def. #3 Minnesota-Crookston, 5-3
Loser Out
#1 Augustana University def. #7 Winona State, 7-2
#3 Minnesota-Crookston def. #8 Wayne State, 7-5

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#2 Minnesota State-Mankato vs #4 St. Cloud State, 12 pm (Mandan)
Loser Out
#1 Augustana University vs #3 Minnesota-Crookston, 3:30 pm (Mandan)
Aug/Crookston winner vs semifinal loser, 45 after (Mandan)

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MINOT, ND – Thursday scores:

High School Baseball
Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Tioga, 10-0
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Tioga, 21-2

Renville County def. Stanley, 15-0
Renville County def. Stanley, 12-2

Surrey def. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 8-5

Central McLean def. South Prairie-Max, 23-22
Central McLean def. South Prairie-Max, 12-2

Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. New Town, 10-0

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Mandan def. Bismarck Legacy, 18-1
Mandan def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-3

Jamestown def. Williston, 11-1
Jamestown def Williston, 5-0

Bismarck High def. Bismarck Century, 5-3
Bismarck Century def. Bismarck High, 6-4

Class B

Beulah def. South Prairie-Max, 16-0
South Prairie-Max def. Beulah, 9-7

Central McLean def. Hazen, 20-4
Hazen def. Central McLean, 13-9

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s 4-0
Mandan def. Bismarck Legacy, 2-1
Bismarck High def. Bismarck Century, 1-0

High School Girls Tennis
Minot High def. Jamestown, 9-0
Bismarck Legacy def. Williston, 8-1

High School Boys Track & Field

Parshall Varsity Meet – Parshall
1. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 89
2. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 83.5
3. Bishop Ryan, 80.5
T4. Stanley, 74.5
T4. Central McLean, 74.5
6. New Town, 65
7. Nedrose, 61
8. Garrison, 60
9. Parshall, 29
10. Divide County, 24
11. Williams County, 17
12. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 13.5
13. Williston Trinity Christian, 11
14. Max-South Prairie, 10
15. Trenton, 8.5
16. Glenburn, 8
17. White Shield, 2

High School Girls Track & Field

Parshall Varsity Meet – Parshall
1. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 108.5
2. Central McLean, 107.5
3. Stanley, 77
4. Bishop Ryan, 68.5
5. Nedrose, 67.5
6. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 59
7. Williams County, 47
8. Trenton, 33
9. New Town, 32
10. Garrison, 29
11. Parshall, 24
12. Divide County, 15
13. Max-South Prairie, 12
14. Kenmare-Bowbells, 7
15. Williston Trinity Christian, 5
16. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 3
17. Glenburn, 2

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TWINS-PADRES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a two-run double in the seventh inning, and the Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres 5-3. Kyle Farmer homered as Minnesota earned its second straight victory after a stretch of five losses in seven games. Emilio Pagán got three outs for the win, and Jorge López pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. Farmer also was plunked by Yu Darvish in the second in his second game back after a hit-by-pitch caused a laceration and the adjustment of four teeth. San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. homered on the first pitch of the game.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.35 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game home series today against the Chicago Cubs. Chicago is scheduled to start LHP Drew Smyly (3-1, 3.05 ERA).

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TWINS-MAHLE SURGERY

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins pitcher Tyler Mahle will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. He’ll have elbow reconstruction surgery after an MRI showed issues with the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The 28-year-old Mahle was pulled from his start on April 27 after showing diminished velocity. He expressed optimism after the game and said he didn’t expect to miss time, but he was later diagnosed with an impingement before more testing. The surgery will be done in the next two weeks. Mahle is on a one-year, $7.5 million contract with Minnesota and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

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VIKINGS-DEFENSE

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Akayleb Evans was placed in the concussion protocol three times last season, a frustrating and humbling theme of his rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings. For as much as they could have used him down the stretch at cornerback, the Vikings decided, Evans needed the downtime more. He went on season-ending injured reserve after the last one on Dec. 4. “I understand they want to be safe. I have a lot more life to live after football, so it was the smart thing to do,” Evans said last week.

Following another season of passive and leaky pass coverage, the Vikings have their secondary again under construction. The greatest upgrade potential actually lies in their draft class from the previous year. Injuries kept the collective contributions from Evans, cornerback Andrew Booth and safety Lewis Cine — three of their first five picks in 2022 — to a bare minimum. If these three players can stay healthy all season and prove their worth as NFL -caliber defenders, or even if just one or two of them make those strides, the Vikings might have a fighting chance to keep opposing quarterbacks from carving them up as frequently as they did last season. With a pay cut for Harrison Smith and the return of Camryn Bynum, the safety positions are set. That reduces the pressure on Cine in his recovery from a badly broken leg after the first-round draft pick out of Georgia was hurt on special teams in the fourth game of the season.

The departure of Patrick Peterson, though, gave the development of Booth and Evans a heightened urgency. The signing of Byron Murphy in free agency from Arizona gave the Vikings an established starter, but Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan also went elsewhere to further deplete the depth chart. The Vikings signed veteran Joejuan Williams and drafted Mekhi Blackmon from USC in the third round last month to add to the mix, but major roles for Booth and Evans are there for the taking. “They played in spurts last season, and you saw the potential and we saw on draft day,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “This sport isn’t about flashes or one play. It’s about showing consistency over a lot of plays. That is also a challenge that every young player has, and we are going to help them to get them to the best ability they can. We’re really excited about what they have and what they are coming back with.”

For Evans, a fourth-round pick out of Missouri, adjusting his tackling style will be the top priority for his second season. He was also recently fitted for a new custom helmet to help prevent a concussion recurrence. “Not every tackle has to be as hard as I can, so just being smart about that,” Evans said. “Whenever I do go in to make a tackle, just being smart to keep my head out of it, being intentional about it. So I’ve been working really hard at that.” Evans played in 10 games before he was shut down, but spending time with the eight-time Pro Bowl pick Peterson was probably just as valuable. “I was able to show some flashes of what I can do last year, but I feel like this year is about taking over for sure. I also see myself as a leader. I’ve usually been the quiet guy, but I feel like Pat P really set a good example of how to lead in your own way,” Evans said.

The Vikings are installing a different system favoring more man-to-man coverage under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, which helps mitigate the impact of the lost time for Evans and Booth in their rookie seasons. Booth, the second-round pick out of Clemson, played in only six games. He tore the lateral meniscus in his knee in his first start and eventually had surgery. That was after he missed practice and game time with hernia, ankle and quadriceps injuries. The learning process for him revolved around the trainer’s room with injury prevention and treatment. “Your body is what’s going to get you through this, and that’s what’s going to provide my longevity,” Booth said. “They say our bodies are like Ferraris, so you’ve got to treat it a certain way.”

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VIKINGS-SCHEDULE

MINNEAPOLIS – The NFL released the schedules for the 2023-24 season last night. The Minnesota Vikings will open the season at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at noon on Sept. 10. That game will feature the debut of Hankinson ND-native Cody Mauch, who was drafted by the Bucs in the second round.

The full Vikings schedule:

Sept. 10 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sept. 14 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles
Sept. 24 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers
Oct. 1 on the road against the Carolina Panthers
Oct. 8 at home against the Kansas City Chiefs
Oct. 15 on the road against the Chicago Bears
Oct. 23 at home against the San Francisco 49ers
Oct. 29 on the road against the Green Bay Packers
Nov. 5 on the road against the Atlanta Falcons
Nov. 12 at home against the New Orleans Saints
Nov. 19 on the road against the Denver Broncos
Nov. 27 at home against the Chicago Bears
Week 13: Bye week
Dec. 10 on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders
TBD on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals
Dec. 24 at home against the Detriot Lions
Dec. 31 at home against the Green Bay Packers
TBD on the road against the Detroit Lions

K-Heart Sports – 05/11/23

Posted on May 11, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/11/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Northern Sun Conference Baseball Tournament began on Wednesday with games played at Veteran’s Memorial Ballpark in Mandan and Bismarck Municipal Stadium.

College Baseball

NSIC Tournament – Bismarck/Mandan

First Round

#1 Augustana University def. #8 Wayne State, 6-5

#4 St. Cloud State def. #5 Southwest Minnesota State, 10-3

#2 Minnesota State-Mankato def. #7 Winona State 10-1

#3 Minnesota-Crookston def. #6 Minot State, 7-3

Today’s schedule

Loser Out

#5 Southwest Minnesota State vs #8 Wayne State, 11 am (Mandan)

#6 Minot State vs #7 Winona State, 11 am (Bismarck)

Winners Bracket

#1 Augustana University vs #4 St. Cloud State, 2:30 pm (Bismarck)

#2 Minnesota State-Mankato vs #3 Minnesota-Crookston, 2:30 pm (Mandan)

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MINOT, ND – Wednesday scores:

High School Baseball

Class A

Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck Century, 12-9

Class B

Ray def. Berthold, 10-0

Berthold def. Ray, 5-0

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MINOT, ND – The second high school softball coaches polls have Minot High still atop the Class A poll while there is a new #1 in Class B. Polls are voted on by the North Dakota high school softball coaches.

Class A Coaches Poll

Rank Team (First Place Votes) Previous Rank

1. Minot High (7) 1

2. Jamestown (1) 5

3. West Fargo Sheyenne (2) 2

4. Dickinson (1) 4

5. West Fargo (1) 3

6. Grand Forks Red River 6

7. Bismarck High 8

8. Williston 7

T9. Bismarck Legacy 9

T9. Fargo North NR

Class B Coaches Poll

Rank Team (First Place Votes) Previous Rank

1. Beulah (7) 2

2. Central Cass (3) 1

3. Renville County (2) T3

4. Kindred-Richland T3

5. Velva-Drake-Anamoose 5

6. May-Port-CG 6

7. Hillsboro-Central Valley 7

8. Thompson 8

9. Des Lacs-Burlington-Lewis & Clark 9

10. Grafton 10

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MSU FOOTBALL-GUTIERREZ

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMOT) – Former Minot State football player Sebastian Gutierrez signed with the Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs Wednesday. ESPN reported the transaction and Guterriez confirmed the news on his personal social media channels. After stops in Denver and New England camps, Gutierrez dressed for one game with the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 season. The offensive lineman played two snaps on special teams in the game. The Raiders waived Gutierrez on May 2. Over the weekend, Gutierrez tried out at Kansas City’s rookie minicamp and the team signed him. Gutierrez will now participate in the Chiefs’ organized team activities and minicamp.

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MINOTAUROS-HONORS

MINOT, ND – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced its All-Division teams and honors for the 2022-23 season. The divisional teams and honors represent the four divisions in the NAHL: Central, East, Midwest, and South Divisions, as voted upon and selected by the league’s 29 head coaches and league office.

Minot Minotauros forwards Chase LaPinta and Hunter Longhi were named to the All-Central Division Team. LaPinta was also named the Central Division Rookie of the Year. The Tauros were swept by the Austin Bruins in the first round of the Robertson Cup Playoffs.

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TWINS-PADRES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Kirilloff’s single in the 11th inning scored automatic runner Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins pulled out a 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres. Carlos Correa was intentionally walked with Kepler on second and Kirilloff pulled a pitch from Domingo Tapia down the right-field line to help Minnesota snap a three-game losing streak. Griffin Jax escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 11th to secure the win for the Twins after both teams scored their automatic runners in the 10th. Kepler homered, doubled and scored three runs for Minnesota. Juan Soto homered for San Diego, which has lost three of four. Josh Hader blew his second save in 13 chances this season.

UP NEXT

RHP Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.19 ERA) starts the afternoon series finale for San Diego, while Minnesota sends RHP Bailey Ober (2-0, 0.98) to the mound. Darvish has allowed more than one earned run just twice in his six starts. Ober has allowed two runs in 18 1/3 innings since taking the rotation spot of the injured Kenta Maeda.

Prior to Wednesday’s game the Twins reinstated infielder Kyle Farmer from the injured list four weeks after he was hit by a pitch in the face and needed oral surgery. Third baseman Jose Miranda was sent to Triple-A St. Paul to make room for Farmer. Farmer missed 24 games while recovering from the errant 92 mph fastball that caused a laceration around his lower lip and knocked four teeth out of alignment. Farmer played shortstop and second base before his injury. The demotion of Miranda likely means he’ll fill in at third base as well.

K-Heart Sports – 05/10/23

Posted on May 10, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/10/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Tuesday was a full day of spring sports:

High School Baseball
Class A

Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Minot High, 7-6
Minot High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 3-1

Williston def. Watford City, 10-0
Williston def. Watford City, 12-2

Dickinson def. Bismarck High, 4-0

Jamestown def. Mandan, 17-2
Jamestown def. Mandan, 13-2

Class B

Berthold def. Stanley, 5-4

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Garrison, 13-1
Garrison def. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 2-1

Surrey def. South Prairie-Max, 10-0
Surrey def. South Prairie-Max, 20-0

Renville County def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 8-5
Renville County def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 10-8

Bottineau def. Rugby, 7-6 (9)

Hazen def. Hettinger-Scranton, 3-0
Hazen def. Hettinger-Scranton, 6-5

Beulah def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 4-2
Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton def. Beulah, 11-6

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Minot High def. Bismarck Century, 21-11
Minot High leads Bismarck Century, 3-1 suspended

Mandan def. Williston, 14-13
Williston def. Mandan, 14-13

Bismarck High def. Watford City, 18-1
Bismarck High def. Watford City, 14-3

Jamestown def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-0
Jamestown def. Bismarck Legacy, 12-1

Dickinson def. Turtle Mountain, 21-0
Dickinson def. Turtle Mountain, 17-1

Class B
Washburn-Center-Stanton def. Max-South Prairie, 9-6

Bottineau def. Bishop Ryan, 11-3

Rugby def. New Town, 15-3

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Heart River, 8-6

Beulah def. Heart River, 9-3

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Bismarck Century, 2-0
Dickinson def. Williston, 2-0
Bismarck High def. Jamestown, 2-1

High School Girls Tennis
Dickinson def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 7-2
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 5-1 (rain shortened)
Bismarck Century def. Mandan, 8-1

High School Boys Golf
Class A

Dickinson Invite
1. Minot High, 300
2. Bismarck Century, 308
3. Bismarck High, 321
4. Bismarck Legacy, 324
5. Jamestown, 334
6. Williston, 336
7. Mandan, 348
8. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 353
9. Dickinson, 362
10. Watford City, 370
11. Minot North, 373
12. Turtle Mountain, 389

Medalist: Kasen Rostad of Minot High, 68

High School Boys Track & Field

Mandan Quadrangle Invite
1. Mandan, 310
2. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 110
3. Grant County-Flasher, 108
4. New Salem-Almont, 33

CNDC Outdoor Meet – Fessenden
1. Rugby, 180
2. Benson County, 115
3. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 109
4. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 101
5. Harvey-Wells County, 92
6. Surrey, 29
7. Northern Lights, 26
T8. Dunseith, 6
T8. Glenburn, 6
10. Rolette, 5

High School Girls Track & Field

Mandan Quadrangle Invite
1. Mandan, 252
2. New Salem-Almont, 100
3. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 82
4. Grant County-Flasher, 68

CNDC Outdoor Meet – Fessenden
1. Rugby, 223.66
2. Benson County, 91
3. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 87
4. Surrey, 80
5. Harvey-Wells County, 69
6. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 66
7. Rolette, 30.33
8. Glenburn, 18
9. Northern Lights, 14

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UND FOOTBALL-FREUND

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – University of North Dakota head football coach Bubba Schweigert announced Tuesday morning that Danny Freund has been elevated to associate head coach. Freund just completed his 12th season at his alma mater and his fourth season as offensive coordinator. Coach Freund has a wide range of experience, not only serving as the offensive coordinator the past four seasons but also spending time with the wide receivers (2014-18), quarterbacks (2013) and running backs (2011-12). During his time as the offensive coordinator, the Fighting Hawks have reached the FCS Playoffs three out of the last four seasons. During his time on staff, Freund has coached seven players that have reached All-America status and three players that have earned MVFC First-Team selections. He has also helped three players (Travis Toivonen, Matt Waletzko and Tyler Hoosman) reach the NFL.

Last season, Freund’s offense ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 2 in the MVFC in completion percentage, with UND QB’s completing 67.1 percent of their passes. The Hawks were also efficient in the red zone, scoring 91.5 percent of the time when in the red zone, a mark which ranked No. 6 in the country. The Fighting Hawks also chewed up the clock in 2022, averaging 33:23 minutes of offense per game to lead the MVFC and rank No. 8 in the FCS. Freund coached his first 1,000-yard rusher in a single season last year in Hoosman, who piled up 1,023 yards to rank No. 3 in UND’s Division I history. The Northern Iowa transfer had six 100-yard rushing games in 2022, including a season-high 147 yards rushing in the 48-31 win over Missouri State. Under Freund’s direction, quarterback Tommy Schuster has already cemented his place in North Dakota history as the all-time record holder for passing yards in a career (6,819), all-time completions (635) and Division I touchdown passes thrown (44). Schuster is 15 touchdown passes away from breaking the all-time record. His career completion percentage of 66.3 sits No. 3 all-time and he has averaged 20-or-more completions per game in each of the last two seasons.

Prior to his coaching career, Freund went 16-6 as a two-year starter for the Fighting Sioux, finishing his career as the program’s most accurate passer. His 68.9 career completion percentage still tops the charts, and he owns the top single-season completion mark of 71.9, which he set as a senior in 2008. He threw for 5,239 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career, which rank No. 5 and No. 3, respectively, on the all-time career lists at UND. North Dakota will begin the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2, hosting Drake at 3 p.m. inside the Alerus Center.

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NDSU FOOTBALL-SCHEDULE

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – North Dakota State and The Citadel have signed a home-and-home contract for two football games to be played during the 2025 and 2027 seasons. The teams will meet in the 2025 season-opener Aug. 30 in Charleston, S.C., at Johnson Hagood Stadium. NDSU will host The Citadel on Sept. 18, 2027, at the Fargodome. North Dakota State has not played The Citadel, which is a member of the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs have qualified for the FCS playoffs five times in program history including back-to-back second round appearances in 2015 and 2016.

With a road game in Nashville against Tennessee State in Week 2, the Bison will open the 2025 season with back-to-back road games for the fourth time as a Division I program and the first time since 2014 when NDSU won at Iowa State (34-14) and Weber State (24-7). NDSU is scheduled to host St. Thomas in a non-conference game Nov. 22 during a bye in the 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule. The Bison have one remaining non-conference date in 2025, which is a 12-game calendar year for the Football Championship Subdivision.

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TWINS-PADRES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The San Diego Padres used savvy baserunning and three Minnesota errors to score twice in the seventh inning and beat the Twins 6-1. Michael Wacha picked up his first win in five starts with six innings and one run allowed. Juan Soto had a season-high four hits with two doubles and a walk and Manny Machado tacked on a three-run homer in the ninth for the Padres. They are 18-3 in games when they get three runs or more. Austin Nola’s sacrifice squeeze bunt scored Ha-Seong Kim with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.

The Twins (19-17), who lead the American League Central by two games over Cleveland, have scored six runs in their last four games. They had 28 hits in 58 innings on a 2-4 road trip last week to drop to last in MLB in batting average at .220. Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill held them to one hit in the 2-0 loss Sunday. The Twins started the fourth with back-to-back walks. Jose Miranda, who went 2 for 21 on the road trip, drove in one run with a one-out double down the left-field line. But Wacha got the next two outs to strand runners at second and third. Joey Gallo’s hitless streak reached 25 straight at-bats until he singled in the seventh, when the Twins had runners at the corners with one out. Steven Wilson entered to strike out Max Kepler and Carlos Correa to prompt boos from the crowd of 16,882 at Target Field. “I’d boo myself too, with the amount of money I’m making if I’m playing like that,” Correa said.

UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Seth Lugo (3-2, 3.21) pitches today.
Twins: RHP Pablo López (2-2, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for the middle game of the series.

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KAPP-OBIT

Former Minnesota Vikings and Cal quarterback Joe Kapp has died at the age of 85. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Kapp led the Vikings to their first Super Bowl appearance and Cal to its last Rose Bowl. He also played in Canada and is the only QB to lead his team to a Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and Grey Cup. Kapp also coached at Cal for five seasons.

Kapp helped the Vikings make the playoffs before losing to Baltimore in 1968 and then threw 19 TD passes and led Minnesota to a 12-2 record the following year when he finished second in MVP voting. He ran and threw a TD pass against Cleveland to lead Minnesota to a 27-7 victory in the 1969 NFL title game. The Vikings then lost the last Super Bowl before the merger to Kansas City. Always a team-first player, Kapp was voted Most Valuable Player by the Vikings that season but refused to accept it on his stance that all 40 players on the roster were equally valuable. He coined the mantra “40 for 60,” referencing every player giving his best for all 60 minutes of the game.

“Men like Joe Kapp are the cornerstones the Minnesota Vikings franchise was built upon,” Vikings owner Mark Wilf said. “Joe’s toughness and competitive spirit defined the Vikings teams of his era, and his tenacity and leadership were respected by teammates and opponents alike.”

Kapp was survived by his second wife, Jennifer Kapp; four children and six grandchildren. His first wife, Marcia Kapp, died in 2005.

K-Heart Sports – 05/09/23

Posted on May 9, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/09/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Monday’s scores:

High School Baseball
Class B

Bishop Ryan def. Central McLean, 16-1
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

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

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

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

High School Girls Track & Field
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

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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.

K-Heart Sports – 05/06/23

Posted on May 6, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/06/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Friday scores from the area:

High School Baseball
Class A

Minot High def. Mandan, 1-0
Mandan def. Minot High, 8-4

Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 5-2
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 4-3

Bismarck Century def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 7-4
Bismarck Century def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 16-0

Jamestown def. Watford City, 15-0
Jamestown def. Watford City, 8-3

Class B

Bottineau def. Turtle Mountain, 4-0
Bottineau def. Turtle Mountain, 8-0

Renville County def. Tioga, 7-2

Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. Berthold, 15-5

Surrey def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 4-0
Surrey def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 8-2

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Minot High def. Bismarck High, 10-0
Minot High def. Bismarck High, 13-2

West Fargo def. Bismarck Legacy, 7-6
West Fargo def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-2

Jamestown def. Little Falls MN, 11-0
Jamestown def. Zimmerman MN, 14-4

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Rugby, 28-11

Bottineau def. Tioga, 8-1

Central McLean def. Heart River, 7-3

Bishop Ryan def. New Town, 28-10

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Bismarck High, 6-1
Mandan ties Bismarck Legacy, 0-0
Jamestown def. Williston, 3-0
Bismarck St. Mary’s ties Bismarck Century, 0-0

High School Girls Tennis
Bismarck Legacy def. West Fargo Sheyenne, 5-4
Bismarck Century def. Fargo Davies, 3-2
Bismarck Century def. Fargo North, 5-0

High School Boys Track & Field
Class B

Hunter Seifert/Shiloh Twilight Meet – Bismarck
1. Shiloh Christian, 132.5
2. Harvey-Wells County, 100
3. Standing Rock, 96
4. Southern McLean, 78
5. Carrington, 70
6. Barnes County North, 50
7. Kidder County, 48
8. Stanley, 37.5
9. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 26
10. Williams County, 22
11. McIntosh, 19
12. Beulah, 15
13. South Border, 5
14. White Shield, 2

High School Girls Track & Field
Class B

Hunter Seifert/Shiloh Twilight Meet – Bismarck
1. Carrington, 133.5
2. Shiloh Christian, 119
3. Harvey-Wells County, 83.5
4. Beulah, 82
5. Southern McLean, 79
T6. Stanley, 31
T6. Kidder County, 31
8. Standing Rock, 27
T9. South Border, 21
T9. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan, 21
T11. McIntosh, 20
T11. Williams County, 20
13. Kenmare-Bowbells, 13
14. White Shield, 5
15. Barnes County North, 4

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

BEMIDJI, Minn. (MSU) – The Minot State baseball team started its final regular-season weekend with a sweep of host Bemidji State, winning the Battle of the Beavers and punching a ticket to next week’s NSIC Tournament. Pitcher Craig Schmich led the way in the opener, a 6-1 Minot State win, then Gunnar Kozlowitz powered the offense in an 8-6 comeback win in the nightcap. Minot State (28-17 overall, 19-14 NSIC) wraps up the regular season with a final game at Bemidji State at 10 am today, then heads to Bismarck for the NSIC Tournament starting on Wednesday.

GAME 1 | Minot State 6, Bemidji State 1

Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz collected four hits to help power the Minot State Beavers past the Bemidji State Beavers 6-1 on Friday. Junior Craig Schmich (5-4) started on the mound and picked up the win for Minot State. The right-hander went six innings, giving up one run on eight hits, allowing two walks and striking out four. In addition to his four hits, Kozlowitz had a home run and three RBI to lead the Beavers. Junior Cameron Carr put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Mark Ossanna also contributed for Minot State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.

The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Kozlowitz put Minot State on the board with a two-out solo home run off junior Will Lavin. The Bemidji State Beavers failed to push any runs across before the Beavers built on their lead in the third inning. Minot State put together a three-run frame, culminating in a run-scoring single from Carr, which brought the score to 4-0 in favor of the Beavers. Bemidji State narrowed Minot State’s lead to 4-1 before the Beavers stretched the advantage to 6-1 in the sixth inning. The Beavers recorded two runs when a single from Kozlowitz brought home sophomore Dalin Ludlow and junior Shane Kary. The score remained 6-1 for the rest of the game, as Minot State coasted to the win.

GAME 2 | Minot State 8, Bemidji State 6

The Minot State Beavers rallied from down 6-4 in the sixth inning to take down the Bemidji State Beavers 8-6 on Friday. Sophomore Jonah Prokott (3-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went three innings, giving up one run on four hits, allowing no walks and striking out four. Senior Garrett Nicholson also pitched well, going two shutout innings while allowing three hits, walking none and striking out three. At the plate, the Beavers were led by junior Gunnar Kozlowitz, who went 3-for-5 on the day with a home run, a walk and three RBI. Senior Carter Paine furnished a standout performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. Senior Matt Malone also chipped in for Minot State, putting together three hits in five trips to the plate while adding a double and an RBI.

The Beavers got on the scoreboard first, starting in the third inning. Minot State scored three times, all of them coming across on a three-run homer off the bat of Kozlowitz. The Bemidji State Beavers then rallied to score five runs and take a 5-3 lead before the Beavers got back on the board in the fifth. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Malone, which brought the score to 5-4 in favor of the Bemidji State Beavers. Bemidji State built their lead to 6-4 before the Minot State offense got back to work, overtaking the Bemidji State Beavers to grab an 8-6 advantage in the seventh. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a one-run bit-by-pitch to junior Mark Ossanna. The score remained 8-6 for the rest of the game, as Minot State held on for the win.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

CLEVELAND (AP) — Max Kepler hit a two-run homer and Bailey Ober pitched seven innings in a combined three-hitter, sending the Minnesota Twins to a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Ober gave up three hits and a walk while striking out six, lowering his season ERA to 0.98 over three starts. Jorge López worked a clean eighth and Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Guardians starter Peyton Battenfield did not allow a baserunner until Christian Vázquez singled with two outs in the sixth. Kepler followed with a 440-foot blast to right field, driving in the only runs of the ballgame. The Twins have homered in a franchise-record 17 consecutive games. Kepler has 15 home runs at Progressive Field since 2016, the most by a visiting player. Battenfield worked a season-high seven innings, giving up two hits, in his fifth big-league appearance. The righty struck out seven without issuing a walk, only permitting two hard-hit balls to Vázquez and Kepler. Byron Buxton of the Twins went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts, ending his eight-game hitting streak. He also had reached base multiple times in a career-high six straight. Minnesota leads the AL Central by 4 1/2 games over the Guardians, who have lost nine of their last 13 and are a season-low four games below .500. The teams will meet 12 more times this season.

UP NEXT
Twins RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 0.77 ERA) takes on Guardians LHP Logan Allen (1-1, 2.45 ERA) in the second game of the three-game series. Gray tied the franchise record for the lowest ERA in March/April, allowing three runs in 35 innings.

K-Heart Sports – 05/05/23

Posted on May 5, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/05/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Thursday scores from the area:

High School Baseball
Class A

Dickinson def. Williston, 17-1
Dickinson def. Williston, 10-0

Class B

Bishop Ryan def. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 9-8
Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Bishop Ryan, 7-6

Bottineau def. Dunseith, 20-5

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Stanley, 16-0
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Stanley, 9-0

Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. Ray, 18-0

Hazen def. Heart River, 9-3
Hazen def. Heart River, 8-6

Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton def. Hettinger, 4-3

North Star def. Harvey-Wells County, 18-0

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Minot High def. Mandan, 23-2
Minot High def. Mandan, 6-4

Dickinson def. Williston, 4-3
Dickinson def. Williston, 12-4

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Bishop Ryan, 22-4

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Washburn, 10-0

High School Girls Soccer
Bismarck Century ties Williston, 0-0

High School Girls Tennis
Minot High def. Dickinson, 7-2
Bismarck High def. Jamestown, 9-0
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck Century, 6-3
Mandan def. Williston, 6-3

High School Boys Track & Field
Class B

Hanneman Memorial Meet – Rugby
1. Rugby, 183
2. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 102
3. Harvey-Wells County, 96.5
4. Benson County, 89.5
5. Linton-HMB, 59
6. Beulah, 46
7. Bottineau, 37
8. Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 36
9. North Star, 24
10. Northern Lights, 18
11. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 8
12. Rolette, 6

Northwest Conference Meet – Stanley
1. New Town, 89
2. Nedrose, 77
3. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 76
4. Stanley, 73
5. Bishop Ryan, 61
6. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 59.5
7. Kenmare-Bowbells, 53
8. Garrison, 37
9. Divide County, 35
10. Parshall, 27.5
11. Max-South Prairie, 24
12. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 22
13. Williams County, 21

High School Girls Track & Field
Class B

Hanneman Memorial Meet – Rugby
1. Rugby, 188.5
2. Beulah, 100
3. Harvey-Wells County, 74
4. Bottineau, 69
5. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 66
6. Linton-HMB, 47
7. Benson County, 44
8. Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 38.5
9. Rolette, 33
10. North Star, 29
11. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 9
12. Northern Lights, 5

Northwest Conference Meet – Stanley
1. Bishop Ryan, 137.33
2. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 111.66
3. Surrey, 79
4. Williams County, 76.5
5. Nedrose, 61
6. Kenmare-Bowbells, 52.5
7. Stanley, 41
8. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 26
9. Parshall, 21
10. Garrison, 20
11. New Town, 19
12. Divide County, 11
13. Trenton, 9
14. Glenburn, 7
15. Max-South Prairie, 6

High School Boys Golf
Class B

Region 4 Qualifier – Dunseith
1. Northern Lights, 335
2. Bottineau, 337
3. Harvey-Wells County, 352
4. Westhope-Newburg, 360
5. Rugby, 372
6. Our Redeemer’s, 374
7. Glenburn, 376
T8. Dunseith, 399
T8. Bishop Ryan, 399

Medalist: Max Palmer of Bottineau, 76

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

ROCHESTER, Minn. (MSU) – Freshman Azalya Lopez and junior Evey Evans combined to throw a shutout on Thursday as the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons blanked the Minot State Beavers 3-0 in an elimination game at the NSIC Tournament on Thursday morning. Freshman Kierra Fournier (6-9) got the ball to start for Minot State and took the loss. The right-hander went four innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on four hits, allowing one walk and striking out three. Freshman Paige Kellogg led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 1-for-2 in the ballgame with a walk. Lopez helped herself with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to snap a scoreless tie, then Jordey Brown-Smith doubled in two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to give the Dragons their 3-0 lead. Minot State went a total of 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The Beavers last got a runner on third in the seventh, when sophomore Hannah Murray made it 60 feet away from scoring with one out. The loss ends the season for the Beavers (30-23 overall).

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Correa drove in a run during Minnesota’s five-run 12th inning, and he and Byron Buxton homered to lift the Twins over the Chicago White Sox 7-3 Thursday and avoid a three-game sweep. The AL Central-leading Twins had lost three of four. Correa spurred Minnesota to victory hours after downplaying remarks from Chicago reliever Keynan Middleton, who called Correa “a cheater” in reference to his time with the Houston Astros. Eloy Jiménez homered for the White Sox, who ended a three-game winning streak. Chicago shortstop Elvis Andrus misplayed Jose Miranda’s leadoff grounder in the 12th and Trevor Larnach scooted in from second to give Minnesota the lead for good. Nick Gordon and Correa added RBIs later in the inning and Jorge Polanco broke the game open with a two-run double. Emilio Pagán (2-0) worked the 11th to get the win. Alex Colomé (0-1), the fifth Chicago reliever, took the loss. The White Sox had just one hit in the final six innings while stranding nine runners.

UP NEXT
The Twins travel to Cleveland today, where they’ll send RHP Bailey Ober (1-0, 1.59) against likely starter RHP Peyton Battenfield (0-2, 4.67). The Twins lead the Guardians by 3.5 games in the AL Central standings.

K-Heart Sports – 05/04/23

Posted on May 4, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/04/23 – 0700

FARGO, ND – The North Dakota High School Softball Coaches Poll was released Wednesday. All head high school coaches

have an opportunity to vote on the polls that will be released weekly during the 2023 regular season.

Class A Softball Poll
(First place votes)

1. Minot High (8)
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (1)
3. West Fargo High (1)
4. Dickinson High
5. Jamestown (1)
6. Grand Forks Red River
7. Williston
8. Bismarck High (1)
9. Bismarck Legacy
T10. Valley City
T10. Fargo Davies

Class B Softball Poll
(First place votes)

1. Central Cass (11)
2. Beulah (5)
T3. Renville County (1)
T3. Kindred-Richland
5. Velva-Drake-Anamoose
6. May-Port-CG
7. Hillsboro-Central Valley
8. Thompson
9. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark
10. Grafton

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

ROCHESTER, Minn. (MSU) – The No. 7-seed Minot State Beavers needed 11 innings to finish the job, but pulled off the 3-2 extra-innings win, walking it off on a single off the bat of freshman Paige Kellogg to claim victory over the No. 10-seed Bemidji State Beavers on Wednesday in the first round of the NSIC Tournament. Sophomore Reegan Floyd (11-10) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went three innings, giving up one run on three hits, allowing no walks and striking out three. Freshman Kierra Fournier also made an impact in the circle for the Beavers, starting the ballgame and throwing eight innings, giving up one run on six hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts. Freshman Sara Van Wickler led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a double and a triple. Kellogg put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 3-for-6 with an RBI. Senior Leo Watson also contributed, going 1-for-5 for Minot State with an RBI. Trailing 1-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the seventh inning. Van Wickler came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board on a Watson sacrifice fly. Bemidji State then broke the tied and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th before Minot State scored two runs in the bottom half of the 11th to grab the win, tying it on an RBI single by Courtney Chatburn, then walking it off on an RBI single off the bat of Kellogg.

With the win, Minot State (30-21 overall) advanced to play No. 2-seed Minnesota Duluth in a winner’s-bracket game. The Beavers were not able to notch a run against Minnesota Duluth junior pitcher Lauren Dixon and were shutout 2-0 by the Bulldogs. Freshman Kierra Fournier (5-8) started and took the loss in the circle for Minot State (30-22 overall). Freshman Calley Olson was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going four shutout innings while allowing four hits, walking one and striking out one. In the batter’s box, the Beavers were paced by junior Izzy Penner, who went 1-for-3 on the day. Minot State managed two chances with runners on third in the shutout, going a total of 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. The Beavers last got a runner on third in the second, when freshman Paige Kellogg made it 60 feet away from scoring with one out.

The Beavers look to bounce back from the loss today when the face Minnesota State Moorhead in a 10 a.m. elimination game. The winner advances to another elimination game at 2 p.m. this afternoon.

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – Once again, javelin thrower Jakob Braunstein had a big day and led the way for the Minot State track and field teams. Winning his third straight meet title, Braunstein turned in a new personal-best throw of 206 feet even on Wednesday for the victory at the Marauders-Mystics Tune-up, and once again bested the NCAA Division II national provisional qualifying standard. Improving by more than 13 feet on his previous best mark, Braunstein launched himself into the Top 20 in the nation and currently ranks No. 17 in the event this spring.

While he led the way for the Beavers, Chase Snyder added wins in the shot put and discus, and Nathan Trujillo-Aragon won the men’s 110-meter hurdles, while Damian Nino and Casey McMahon each were second in the 400 and 800 meters, respectively, for Minot State. Snyder won the shot with a throw of 51 feet, 4.25 inches and bested the discus field with a mark of 155-7 while Trujillo-Aragon won the hurdles in 15.19 seconds, Nino was second in the 400 in 50.98, and McMahon second in the 800 in 2:02.51. On the women’s side, Summer Krebsbach led the way as she was third in the 100-meter dash in 12.86 seconds. The Tune-up was the Beavers final tune-up before the NSIC Outdoor Championships held May 11-13 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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MINOT STATE FOOTBALL-CFL DRAFT

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – While many Beavers who walk across the stage next week during graduation will wonder what the future holds, for Minot State football player Troy Kowal, his next step was announced Tuesday night. Kowal, a Professional Communication major who began his career in the classroom and on the gridiron for the Beavers in the fall of 2017, was selected with the 70th pick by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League during the CFL’s 2023 Draft on Tuesday night, making him the second Beaver in the last two years to move on to play professional football. Sebastian Gutierrez signed as an undrafted free agent last spring with the NFL’s Denver Broncos, and after spending time on practice squads in the NFL played in one game with the Las Vegas Raiders.

As for playing in the CFL, Kowal follows in the footsteps of former Beaver offensive lineman Dalton Houghton, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2018, and defensive end Dexter Ross, the last Beaver drafted by the CFL, picked 49th in 2006 by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A native of High River, Alberta, Kowal’s potential first pro game will be May 27, a preseason contest at Saskatchewan, followed by another preseason game at home in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 1. The season opener for the Lions and Kowal would be a homecoming for the soon-to-be Minot State grad, playing at the Calgary Stampede on June 8 – about 40 miles away from High River. Kowal joins a title contended as the Lions were 12-6 last season and advanced to the West Division final, a game shy of the Grey Cup.

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UND MEN’S BASKETBALL

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – The North Dakota men’s basketball team added Zach Kraft from Grand Forks Red River High School to their roster for next season. The RRHS product scored 1,309 points in his career and was named EDC All-Conference twice, North Dakota Senior Athlete of the Year Runner-Up, a Mr. Basketball Finalist in North Dakota, Second team All-State, EDC Athlete of the Year and a member of the All-State Tournament Team. He led the Roughriders to a state runner up finish this spring.

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NDSU WRESTLING-KISH LEAVING

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – Roger Kish, head coach of the North Dakota State wrestling program for the past 12 seasons, was named head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday. Kish had a 109-69 record in dual meets as the Bison head coach including a 50-30 record in conference duals. Kish spent 14 years with the Bison including two seasons as an assistant coach under Bucky Maughan prior to taking the head coaching position ahead of the 2011-12 season. North Dakota State went 11-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12 Conference last season. The Bison earned their highest ranking in school history at No. 15 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the Intermat rankings. NDSU placed fifth at the 2023 Big 12 championships and 24th at the NCAA Division I national championships with All-America performances from Jared Franek (4th, 157 pounds) and Michael Caliendo (7th, 165 pounds). Kish’s teams had 54 NCAA championship qualifiers in his 12 seasons as head coach including 21 over his last four seasons. He had six wrestlers advance to earn All-America honors including Trent Sprenkle (2013, 125/5th), Steven Monk (2014, 165/3rd), Kurtis Julson (2015, 174/8th) and Hayden Zillmer (2015, 184/6th). Kish directed the Bison to a pair of NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference championships (2014, 2015) and two WWC regular season titles (2013, 2015). He was a three-time WWC Coach of the Year.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

CHICAGO (AP) — Eloy Jiménez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 6-4 for their third straight victory. Luis Robert Jr. homered as Chicago secured its first series win of the season. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal each had three hits and Keynan Middleton worked the ninth for his first save of the season. The White Sox will try for a three-game series sweep this afternoon. They dropped 10 in a row before their win streak. Carlos Correa had two RBIs for Minnesota, and Nick Gordon homered for the second straight day. Louie Varland made his second start of the season for Minnesota, stepping into the rotation after Tyler Mahle was sidelined by an elbow injury. The rookie right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The big blow was Robert’s first homer since April 11, a three-run drive to center in the first. The slugging center fielder hit just .129 (9 for 70) in his previous 20 games.

UP NEXT
Right-handers Pablo López (2-2, 4.00 ERA) and Lucas Giolito (1-2, 4.15 ERA) start the series finale. López is 1-2 with a 7.31 ERA in his last three starts for Minnesota. Giolito pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball for Chicago in a no-decision against Tampa Bay last week.

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VIKINGS-COUSINS

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The absence of a contract extension for Kirk Cousins in Minnesota could well spell the end of his time as quarterback of the Vikings, who have won only one game in the NFL playoffs since their groundbreaking signing five years ago. Despite the depth of his desire to finish his career with Minnesota, Cousins would be about the last player in the league to feel defeated or slighted. Betting on himself, after all, has been the story of his entire football career. Assuming there’s no new deal done in the meantime, Cousins will for the fourth time as a pro play the season on an expiring contract. That’s a rare scenario for an established starter at this premium position around which every NFL team revolves its roster construction and, thus, salary cap strategy. “In this league, there should never be entitlement,” Cousins said. “You’ve always got to go play, and teams can do whatever they want to do. That’s their prerogative.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after the team’s voluntary workout, his first public comments since the Vikings lost in the first round of the playoffs in January, Cousins sounded as confident, determined and relaxed as ever. “I do think I have a lot of good football ahead of me, so I’ve got to go out there and earn that. I feel positive about the future looking forward,” said Cousins, who agreed in March to change bonus language in his existing deal that saved the Vikings $16 million in cap charges for this year.

Harkening back to his time at Holland Christian High School in Michigan, Cousins recalled answering questions from the hometown newspaper about his lack of college scholarship offers. After developing into a Big Ten standout at Michigan State, he was a fourth-round draft pick by Washington in 2012. He became the full-time starter in 2015, the final season of his rookie contract. Then he played 2016 and 2017 on one-year — albeit expensive — deals after the team put the franchise tag on him. Finally, Cousins hit free agency in 2018 and got an $84 million, fully guaranteed contract from the Vikings. They’ve extended him twice since then, but a third remains to be seen. So as Cousins approaches his age-35 season, he’s in prove-it mode yet again. “It’s more the norm than the exception. I think the exception is that you have something penciled in for future years. Most of our locker room has no idea what’s coming in three or fourth months, let alone three or four years, or next year,” Cousins said. “So I feel like I’m one of the guys, if you will, like we’re all in this together.”

Cousins is the perfect example of quarterback value in the NFL. He’s in his 12th year, with career earnings from salaries and bonuses that will pass $231 million by the end of the season, yet the commitments from the Commanders and the Vikings have been merely temporary and tentative. “I think it’s part of what makes this league great, because everybody has an edge, everybody’s working, everybody’s got something to prove,” Cousins said. The Vikings didn’t bring in anybody to challenge him, re-signing backup Nick Mullens and drafting a developmental quarterback in the fifth round: BYU’s Jaren Hall. If Cousins thrives this year and the Vikings do, too, they could well get a new deal done before he hits the open market again. Still, the possibility of this being his last year in purple is real. “I don’t think you go there. I just think it’s healthiest to be present,” Cousins said. That means taking advantage of the knowledge base from his first season in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system and using it to create more momentum over the spring and summer entering 2023. “It’s nothing to make you think, ‘Oh, we can just show up, second year, it’ll click.’ I think it’s important to still have an edge in your work,” Cousins said. “But you can also take some encouragement in the fact that time on task together is good. Having somebody in my helmet for the second year in a row I’m really encouraged by, because there had always been that change.”

K-Heart Sports – 05/03/23

Posted on May 3, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/03/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot High girls’ softball team lost their first game of the season on Tuesday.

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Minot High def. Jamestown, 12-7
Jamestown def. Minot High, 14-11

Williston def. Bismarck Legacy, 19-11
Bismarck Legacy def. Williston, 14-12

Bismarck High def. Dickinson, 4-2
Dickinson def. Bismarck High, 23-6

Mandan def. Watford City, 11-1
Mandan def. Watford City, 20-9

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Bottineau, 11-3

Renville County def. Bishop Ryan, 16-0

Tioga def. Rugby, 10-6

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Harvey-Wells County, 16-0

High School Baseball
Class A

Minot High def. Bismarck High, 13-12
Minot High def. Bismarck High, 10-0

Dickinson def. Bismarck Century, 11-2
Dickinson def. Bismarck Century, 9-6

Mandan def. Watford City, 21-3
Mandan def. Watford City, 16-2

Jamestown def. Bismarck Legacy, 7-2
Bismarck Legacy def. Jamestown, 3-1

Williston def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 6-0
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Williston, 6-3

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Berthold, 13-0
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Berthold, 12-0

North Star def. Rugby, 1-0 (8)

Bottineau def. Northern Lights, 19-6

Hazen def. Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton, 9-8 (8)

High School Boys Golf
Class A

Minot Invite
1. Minot High 308
2. Bismarck Century, 325
3. Mandan, 326
4. Jamestown 334
5. Williston, 338
6. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 344
7. Bismarck Legacy, 348
8. Bismarck High, 363
9. Dickison, 365
10. Turtle Mountain, 433

Medalist: Jayce Johnson of Mandan, 70

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 3-1
Mandan def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 3-0
Jamestown def. Bismarck Century, 3-0
Bismarck High def. Dickinson, 7-1

High School Girls Tennis
Minot High def. Bismarck Century, 8-1
Bismarck Legacy def. Dickinson, 5-4
Bismarck High def. Mandan, 8-1

High School Girls Track & Field
Class A

DHS Jack Carlson Invite – Dickinson
1. Mandan, 101
T2. Minot High, 84
T2. Dickinson, 84
4. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 60
5. Watford City, 59
6. Williston, 18

BPS Twilight Meet – Bismarck
1. Bismarck High, 220.5
2. Bismarck Century, 209
3. Bismarck Legacy, 157.5

Class B

Peace Garden Invite – St. John
1. Rugby, 224.5
2. Benson County, 98.5
3. Bottineau, 93
4. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 67
5. Rolette, 62
6. Surrey, 57
7. North Star, 55
8. Northern Lights, 21
9. Glenburn, 13

Southern McLean Invite – Washburn
1. Southern McLean, 174
2. Hazen, 151
3. Shiloh Christian, 144.5
4. Central McLean, 92
5. Standing Rock, 30.5
6. Garrison, 26
7. Center-Stanton, 23

High School Boys Track & Field
Class A

DHS Jack Carlson Invite – Dickinson
1. Minot High, 178
2. Mandan, 80
3. Dickinson, 64
4. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 42
5. Watford City, 37
6. Williston, 20

BPS Twilight Meet – Bismarck
1. Bismarck Century, 247.5
2. Bismarck High, 223
3. Bismarck Legacy, 125.5

Class B

Peace Garden Invite – St. John
1. Rugby, 177
2. Benson County, 144
3. Bottineau, 101
4. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 84.5
5. North Star, 46
6. Northern Lights, 25
7. Glenburn, 16.5
8. Surrey, 12
9. Dunseith, 11
10. Rolette, 10

Southern McLean Invite – Washburn
1. Southern McLean, 139
2. Central McLean, 119
3. Hazen, 114
4. Garrison, 111
5. Standing Rock, 100
6. Shiloh Christian, 88
7. Center-Stanton, 13
8. White Shield, 5

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

MINOT, ND (MSU) – The Minot State baseball mixed it up with visiting Southwest Minnesota State in an NSIC doubleheader that went back and forth all afternoon. In the end, it was the Mustangs who hung on late for a pair of wins, fending off a last at-bat Beaver charge for an 8-7 win in the opener, then scoring in the top of the ninth for a 15-14 win in the nightcap. The home finale for the Beavers at Corbett Field, Minot State (26-17 overall, 17-14 NSIC) now wraps up the regular season with a three-game series at Bemidji State on Friday and Saturday needing one victory to punch its ticket to the NSIC Tournament next week in Bismarck.

GAME 1 | Southwest Minnesota State 8, Minot State 7

Senior Derek Kay collected four RBIs, but the Minot State Beavers fell to the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs 8-7 on Tuesday. Senior Dominick Parkhurst (4-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Minot State. Junior Noah Balandran was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going one shutout inning while allowing one hit. Kay went 2-for-4 with a home run in addition to his four RBIs for the Beavers. Sophomore Dalin Ludlow put together a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Martin Rodriquez also contributed for Minot State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a double. The Beavers were trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz’s run-scoring single highlighted a two-run inning for Minot State. The Beavers deficit grew to 7-2 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the fifth inning. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Kay, which tightened the Mustangs lead to 7-3. Southwest Minnesota State expanded their lead to 8-3 before the Minot State offense got back in action, reducing that lead to 8-7 in the seventh. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a three-run home run off the bat of Kay. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.

GAME 2 | Southwest Minnesota State 15, Minot State 14

The Minot State Beavers took a 12-10 lead into the eighth inning, but could not hang on and fell 15-14 to the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Tuesday. Junior Craig Schmich (4-4) came out of the bullpen for Minot State and took the loss. Sophomore Jonah Prokott was a bright spot for the Beavers, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing two shutout innings, allowing no hits, with two walks and four strikeouts. At the plate, the Beavers were paced by senior Matt Malone, who went 5-for-5 on the day with two doubles, a walk and four RBI. Junior Cameron Carr put together a standout performance at the plate as well, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Junior Javier Gutierrez also chipped in for Minot State, putting together four hits in six trips to the plate while adding an RBI. The Beavers lost despite scoring in six different innings in the ballgame, last holding the lead in the eighth inning at 12-10. Minot State started strong with a four-run first inning. The big hit for the Beavers in the inning was a two-run double off the bat of Malone.

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

ROCHESTER, Minn. (MSU) – It’s tournament time and Minot State looks to be one of those teams no one wants to play. The Beavers (29-21 overall) roll into the 2023 NSIC Softball Tournament as the No. 7 seed, and while that fact might not seem scary to opponents, Minot State has beaten every team in the tournament field except Minnesota Duluth this spring. That means every Minot State opponent should be weary as the Beavers plan to continue that upset trend this week in Rochester, Minnesota starting with their opening game this morning at 10 a.m. against 10th-seeded Bemidji State (23-25). While the two did not face off in NSIC play – their doubleheader in early April was canceled because of a winter storm – the Beavers played head-to-head in February in MSU’s Bubble Invite 2, a thriller that went extra innings with Abbey Kelley providing the walk-off game winner for Minot State in a 6-5 victory. Bemidji State comes in hitting .254 on the season, which ranks 14th in the NSIC, and with 14 home runs, the same number of long balls as Minot State, which is 9th in the NSIC with its .285 batting average. In the circle, Minot State is 7th in ERA at 3.80 and opponent batting average at 2.96, while Bemidji State is No. 10 in ERA at 4.31 and 12th in batting average as foes hit .316 against the Beavers.

Making their first postseason appearance since the 2017 season, Bemidji State is led by sophomore infielder Mariah Stevenson (.331) and sophomore outfielder Alexa Christenson (.313) on offense, and they have combined for four home runs and 45 RBIs this season. Stevenson was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in Bemidji State’s loss to Minot State while Christenson was hitless. Senior righty Kyla Damerow (12-12) and junior lefty Stella Dolan (10-12) have been the top two arms in the circle as Damerow has a 3.26 ERA and 57 strikeouts, while Dolan has a 4.55 ERA and 92 strikeouts this season. Both threw in the game against Minot State in February with Dolan striking out two in six innings, while Damerow was the hard-luck loser, giving up two unearned runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Minot State’s offense has been led by freshman infielder Paige Kellogg, who leads the team with a .333 average and 4 home runs, junior pitcher and designated player Gabi Dawyduk, who is hitting .330, senior shortstop Leo Watson, who is hitting .313 with 20 RBIs, and junior third baseman Brooklyn Morrison, who is hitting .272 with team-highs of 4 home runs and 36 RBIs. In the circle, sophomore righty Reegan Floyd (10-10) leads the team in ERA (3.46) and strikeouts (98), while freshman righty Calley Olson has made an instant impact leading the team with her 11-3 record. Olson also is No. 2 on the Minot State roster in ERA (3.89) and Ks (53).

The first of two games today, the winner advances to meet Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m. in a winner’s bracket matchup. The Bulldogs (36-11) are the only team Minot State has not yet beaten in the tournament field as Minnesota Duluth won 2-0 and 11-0 against the Beavers. The loser of this morning’s game heads to a loser-out game at 4 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined. Play continues in the double-elimination tournament with games Thursday and Friday, and the NSIC Championship game is slated for Noon on Saturday.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Benintendi robbed Carlos Correa of a homer and hit a game-ending single in the 10th inning, sending the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Hanser Alberto opened the 10th on second as the automatic runner and advanced on Elvis Andrus’ sacrifice. After Tim Anderson bounced to shortstop, Benintendi lined a clean single into left against Caleb Thielbar. Eloy Jiménez homered and Michael Kopech pitched six effective innings as the White Sox earned their second straight win after a 10-game losing streak. Kopech got some help from Benintendi, who made a leaping grab in left on Correa’s drive in the first. Minnesota wasted another stellar performance by Joe Ryan, who pitched six scoreless innings. Nick Gordon hit his first homer of the season, and Trevor Larnach had a sacrifice fly. The AL Central-leading Twins had won six of eight. Ryan allowed one hit, struck out seven and walked two, lowering his ERA to 2.37. The right-hander is 8-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 70 Ks in 62 2/3 innings over 10 starts dating to last season.

UP NEXT
White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (2-1, 4.15 ERA) takes the mound tonight. He is 0-1 with a 7.07 ERA in his last three starts. Right-hander Louie Varland (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is expected to make his second start of the season for the Twins, stepping into the rotation after Tyler Mahle was sidelined by an elbow injury.

K-Heart Sports – 05/02/23

Posted on May 2, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/02/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – A big regular season doubleheader in Class B Region 7 baseball was played on Monday as Des Lacs-Burlington took on Renville County. The Lakers scored five times in the bottom of the 7th with Drew Roedocker getting the walk-off hit to win it. The offense continued for the Lakers in game two as they scored 7 time in the 1st inning.

High School Baseball
Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Renville County, 8-7
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Renville County, 10-0

Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. South Prairie-Max, 15-1
Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. South Prairie-Max, 15-4

Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. Stanley, 11-0

Rugby def. Harvey-Wells County, 17-0

High School Girls Softball
Class B

Bishop Ryan def. Divide County, 21-0
Rugby def. Bishop Ryan, 16-15
Rugby def. Divide County, 35-18

High School Girls Tennis
Williston def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 6-3

High School Boys Track & Field

Nedrose Invite
1. Carrington, 97
2. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 86
T3. New Town, 81
T3. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 81
5. Bishop Ryan, 67
6. Nedrose, 61
7. Stanley, 51
8. Kenmare-Bowbells, 38
9. Parshall, 31
10. Surrey, 30
11. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 28
12. Max-South Prairie, 21
13. Divide County, 17
14. Williams County, 8

Bottineau Invitational
1. Rugby, 123
2. Bottineau, 82
3. Northern Lights, 72
4. Turtle Mountain, 61.5
5. Carrington, 55
6. North Star, 53
7. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 44
8. Benson County, 43
9. Dunseith, 24.5
10. Rolette, 12

High School Girls Track & Field

Nedrose Invite
1. Carrington, 198
2. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 98
3. Surrey, 69
T4. Williams County, 58
T4. Bishop Ryan, 58
6. Kenmare-Bowbells, 55
7. Nedrose, 42.5
8. New Town, 35
9. Stanley, 28
10. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 16.5
T11. Parshall, 16
T11. Trenton, 16
13. Max-South Prairie, 11
14. Divide County, 9

Bottineau Invitational
1. Bottineau, 121
2. Benson County, 120
3. Rugby, 104
4. Carrington, 96
5. Northern Lights, 79
6. Westhope-Newburg, 26
7. North Star, 21
8. Rolette, 11
9. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 5

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WARE-TRANSFER

MINOT, ND – Former Bismarck Century standout Lauren Ware has announced where she will continue her college basketball career. Ware will transfer from Arizona to Texas A&M. She sat out last season due to a knee injury and surgery. Ware entered the transfer portal back in late March. She averaged 4.8 points per game over her two full seasons with the Wildcats, including playing in the National Championship Game back in 2021. Ware has 3 years of eligibility left. The Aggies went 9-20 last season and 2-14 in SEC.

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UND-HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Bill Chaves and UND Letterwinners Association President Michael Mathison announced Monday the UND Letterwinners Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The group will be honored on Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Alerus Center. Cary Eades (1978-82, men’s hockey), Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson (2010-13, women’s hockey), Monique-Lamoureux-Morando (2010-13, women’s hockey), Dale Lennon (1999-07, football), Jim Martinson (1984-86, wrestling), Stephanie (Pfeiffer) Dehann (2000, 02-04, soccer) and Al Thompson (1984-86, men’s golf) will be inducted as individuals, while the 2003 football team will be enshrined in the team category. Additionally, current Fargo Davies High School Track and Field Coach Rory Beil will receive the Tom Clifford Award, and major benefactors Keith and Jo Streyle will be recognized with the Honorary Letterwinner Award. The 48th annual Athletics Hall of Fame event will take place with a dinner and induction ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Class of 2023 will also be recognized that coming Saturday during UND’s football contest against in-state rival North Dakota State at the Alerus Center. This year’s seven inductees bring the total number of individuals in UND’s Letterwinners Athletics Hall of Fame to 279, with a team total at 46.

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WILD-END OF SEASON

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek, whose participation in the first-round NHL playoff series loss to Dallas was limited to just one shift, was trying to play with a broken left leg that he wound up having surgery to fix. Eriksson Ek revealed Monday that he suffered a fractured fibula, the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg, from a shot he blocked April 6 at Pittsburgh. Eriksson Ek missed the last four regular-season games and the first two games of the series against the Stars before being cleared April 21 for Game 3. His return lasted only 19 seconds, and he had the procedure after that. “I was skating for I don’t know how many days before,” Eriksson Ek said. “I felt good, and then just first shift, yeah, it didn’t hold up.” The Stars eliminated the Wild in Game 6 with a 4-1 win Friday. Eriksson Ek would have potentially returned at some point had the Wild advanced. The presence of the seventh-year veteran was particularly missed on the power play and penalty kill units that struggled against the Stars. “It is just so hard to sit and just watch. I think that’s harder than actually being out there. Being with the guys, that’s what you want to do. You want to be out there to try to do your best to help the team,” Eriksson Ek said. “You play a whole season and then right before playoffs you get hurt.”

Wild center Ryan Hartman, who was held out of Game 2, also said Monday he was playing with a knee injury that might require offseason surgery. Defenseman Matt Dumba said he missed the third period of Game 6 because of a collision that caused his head to hit hard on the glass. After Dumba told linemate Jonas Brodin he wasn’t feeling well, his close friend told him he wasn’t going to let him go back in the game after the second intermission. “Just having that kind of friend that looks out for you like that, he’s a good dude,” Dumba said. “We’ve played some awesome hockey together.” The timing was particularly painful for Dumba, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer on a team with a tight salary cap situation and might not be re-signed. “My heart is definitely here,” Dumba said. “I want to win here, but I really don’t know what lies ahead.”

K-Heart Sports – 05/01/23

Posted on May 1, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 05/01/23 – 0700

MANKATO, Minn. (MSU) – A day after officially punching its playoff ticket, the Minot State softball team tuned up with a dominating win to start an NSIC doubleheader with Concordia, St. Paul played in the dome on the Minnesota State, Mankato campus. The Beavers used a six-run rally in the opener to ice a 9-1 win in six innings, then just missed on the sweep as the Golden Bears broke a tie late and scored a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

GAME 1 | Minot State 9, Concordia-Saint Paul 1

Minot State received contributions from every part of their lineup, as all nine starters reached base safely, helping the Beavers put nine runs on the board and beat the Concordia, Saint Paul Golden Bears 9-1 on Sunday. Freshman Kierra Fournier (5-7) got the win for Minot State. The right-hander went four innings, giving up one run on four hits, allowing one walk and striking out two. Junior Gabi Dawyduk started the ballgame and went two shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking one and striking out one. Freshman Paige Kellogg led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 1-for-2 in the ballgame with a home run, two walks and two RBI. Senior Jaycie Rostad put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Junior Brooklyn Morrison also chipped in with three walks and an RBI.

The Beavers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Minot State got on the board thanks to junior Lexi Barduson’s RBI double. The Beavers then held the Golden Bears scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Minot State scored twice on Kellogg’s two-run homer, which brought the Beavers lead to 3-0. Concordia, Saint Paul narrowed Minot State’s lead to 3-1 before the Beavers stretched the advantage to 9-1 in the sixth inning. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring six runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Rostad. The score remained 9-1 for the rest of the game, as Minot State coasted to the win.

GAME 2 | Concordia-Saint Paul 5, Minot State 3

Senior Courtney Chatburn collected three hits, but the Minot State Beavers fell to the Concordia, Saint Paul Golden Bears 5-3 on Sunday. Freshman Calley Olson (11-3) came out of the bullpen for Minot State and took the loss. Sophomore Reegan Floyd was a bright spot for the Beavers, starting the ballgame and throwing four innings, giving up three runs, zero earned, on six hits, with one walk and one strikeout. Chatburn’s three-hit day led the Beavers offensively. Sophomore Abbey Kelley compiled a standout performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Trailing 3-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the fourth inning. Minot State put together a three-run frame, culminating in a run-scoring single from Kelley. Concordia, Saint Paul then scored two times over the remaining three innings to break the tie and grab the 5-3 win.

The regular-season finale for both teams, the Beavers (29-21 overall, 16-12 NSIC) will be back in action on Wednesday in Rochester, Minnesota at the NSIC Tournament. Minot State is scheduled to open the postseason at 10 a.m. as the No. 7 seed and will play No. 10-seed Bemidji State. The winner of Wednesday’s 10 a.m. advances to play in the winner’s bracket at 2 p.m. and the loser will play an elimination game at 4 p.m.

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

MINOT, ND (MSU) – Junior Martin Rodriquez and senior Matt Malone each collected three hits to help propel the Minot State Beavers over the Mary Marauders 9-7 on Sunday in NSIC baseball. Junior Gage Yost (4-2) started on the mound and picked up the win for Minot State (26-15 overall, 17-12 NSIC). The right-hander went seven innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out five. In addition to his three hits, Malone had an RBI to lead the Beavers. Rodriquez added a home run and two RBI to his three-hit performance as well. Junior Shane Kary also chipped in for Minot State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a double and two RBI. Minot State is back in action on Tuesday, closing out its home schedule at Corbett Field hosting Southwest Minnesota State in a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m.

Trailing 2-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the second inning. Junior Mark Ossanna came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. The Beavers kept the Marauders off the board before tying it up in the third. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of senior Derek Kay, which brought the score level at 2-2. That 2-2 tie turned into a 6-2 Minot State lead in the fourth. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Kary. Minot State held the Marauders scoreless before their offense got things rolling the next inning. The Beavers scored twice on Rodriquez’s two-run homer, bringing the score to 8-2 in favor of Minot State. Mary got within 8-3 until the Beavers scored again in the sixth inning to stretch its lead to 9-3. Minot State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Kay. Mary put four runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Beavers still held on for the 9-7 win.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S GOLF

SMITHVILLE, Mo. (MSU) – The Minot State women held their ground over the final round to finish ninth at the NSIC Women’s Golf Championship which concluded Sunday at the Paradise Pointe Golf Club in Missouri. The Beavers shot a team total of 357 on Sunday to finish at 183-over 1,047 (340-350-357) for the three-day event. Augustana won the team title with a 54-hole total of 68-over 932, besting second-place Winona State by nine shots. Taylor Cormier led the way for the Minot State ladies, who played well as a group, as Cormier finished 34th with a 54-hole total of 42-over 258 (88-81-89), one shot better than teammate Jaci Jones, who was 35th at 43-over 259 (84-85-90), and four better than fellow teammate Holly Knudsen, who tied for 36th at 46-over 262 (83-89-90). Zoe Banack was next for Minot State as the Beavers bunched their scores well. Banack was 42nd at 52-over 268 (85-95-88). Averi Bradley rounded out the scores for the Beavers as she tied for 59th at 81-over 297 (93-105-99). Concordia, St. Paul’s Isabelle Dory was the individual NSIC champion as she shot a 6-over 222 for the three-day tournament, winning the title by seven strokes. The NSIC Championships wraps up the season for the Minot State women’s golf team.

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NDSU-NFL DRAFT

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday and four other Bison players signed with NFL clubs as undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the draft Saturday. Mauch, the 48th overall pick, is the seventh-highest draft pick in Bison football history. He is the third straight offensive lineman drafted out of NDSU joining right tackle Cordell Volson (2022, Bengals) and left tackle Dillon Radunz (2021,Titans). NDSU’s undrafted free agent signees included tight end Noah Gindorff with the Seattle Seahawks, left guard Nash Jensen with the Carolina Panthers, fullback Hunter Luepke with the Dallas Cowboys, and defensive end Spencer Waege with the San Francisco 49ers. This is the fifth straight year North Dakota State has had at least one NFL draft pick. NDSU had a Top 50 pick each of the last two seasons including wide receiver Christian Watson in 2022 (34th, Packers) and quarterback Trey Lance in 2021 (3rd, 49ers).

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UND-NFL DRAFT

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – UND Graduate running back Tyler Hoosman has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a priority free agent, the organization announced on Saturday night. Hoosman is one of 18 undrafted free agents that agreed to terms with the Chargers after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft. Hoosman had a sensational 2022 season at North Dakota after transferring from Northern Iowa. In one season, Hoosman put his name in the UND Division I record book, coming in at No. 9 in career rushing yards (1,023) and tied for No. 8 in career rushing touchdowns (12). His rushing yardage last season also sits No. 3 in UND’s Division I history for yards rushed in a single season. Last season, he ranked third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for rushing yards (1,023) and was also third in rushing yards per game with 85.2. The Northern Iowa transfer finished his year with six 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 147 yards in the 48-31 win over Missouri State. At the conclusion of the season, Hoosman garnered second team All-MVFC accolades and was named to the first team MVFC All-Academic Team. Hoosman joins Matt Waletzko (2018-21) in the NFL, as Waletzko is currently with the Dallas Cowboys.

UND wide receiver Garett Maag was invited to the New York Giants camp. The Inver Grove Heights, MN-native had 36 receptions for 477 yards and five touchdowns, all marks which were No. 2 on the team.

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U-MARY-NFL DRAFT

BISMARCK, ND – University of Mary wide receiver Danny Kittner has been invited to the Chicago Bears camp. Kittner led the country with 1,723 receiving yards, and caught 18 touchdown passes in 2021. The 5’10” 187 lb senior finished his UMary career with a historic stat line of 291 total catches (UMary All-Time Record), 3,651 total receiving yards (UMary All-Time Record), 29 total receiving TDs (4th All-Time). The Gilbert, Arizona native was named twice to the D2CCA All-Super Region 4 First Team, making him the first Marauders NCAA-era scholar-athlete to earn regional first-team honors in back-to-back seasons.

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TWINS-ROYALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton hit a three-run homer as part of a seven-run third inning, Sonny Gray kept rolling with six strong innings and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4. Gray allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven batters. Continuing his historic start, Gray tied Ervin Santana in 2017 for the lowest ERA in the month of April in Twins history. Gray owns the fourth-lowest ERA in Twins/Senators history since 1913 through six starts to a season, trailing Walter Johnson (0.23 in 1913), Eddie Matteson (0.55 in 1918) and Santana (0.66 in 2017). Minnesota won three of the four games against Kansas City. Brady Singer lasted just 2 2/3 innings for the Royals, surrendering eight runs on five hits and three walks. The Royals’ 21 losses in April tie the club record for losses in any calendar month.

UP NEXT
The Twins start a six-game road trip with three games against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Joe Ryan (5-0, 2.81) starts the first game Tuesday with RHP Michael Kopech (0-3, 7.01) scheduled for Chicago.

K-Heart Sports – 04/30/23

Posted on Apr 30, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/30/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Saturday scores.

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Dickinson Jamboree
Minot High def. Beulah, 12-0
Minot High def. Jamestown, 9-1
Dickinson def. Central Cass, 16-3
Dickinson def. Bismarck High, 19-7
Beulah def. Jamestown, 6-5
Central Cass def. Bismarck High, 16-9

Class B

Class B Jamboree – South Hill Complex in Minot
Renville County def. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 10-0
Divide County def. New Town, 22-11
Bottineau def. Rugby, 12-0
Stanley def. New Town, 19-7
Renville County def. Rugby, 22-4
Renville County def. Divide County, 25-7

High School Baseball
Class A

Bismarck High def. Mandan, 4-3
Mandan def. Bismarck High, 6-2

Class B

Rugby def. Renville County, 5-2

Beulah def. Rugby, 4-3

Renville County def. Beulah, 10-2

High School Girls Tennis
Bismarck High def. Dickinson, 5-4

High School Boys Track & Field

BPS Elite 90 – Bismarck
1. Bimarck Century, 153.5
2. Bismarck High, 124
3. Bismarck Legacy, 116.5
4. Williston, 53
5. Minot High, 48
6. Bowman County, 44
7. Mandan, 35
T8. Hillsboro-Central Valley, 33
T8. Dickinson, 33
10. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 28
11. Watford City, 23
12. Harvey-Wells County, 16
13. May-Port CG, 8
14. Grant County-Flasher, 7
T15. Thompson, 4
T15. Central McLean, 4
T15. Southern McLean, 4
T15. Shiloh Christian, 4
T19. Northern Cass, 1
T19. Kidder County, 1
T19. Hettinger County, 1

Mariya Tate Memorial – Rugby High School
1. Rugby, 109
2. Carrington, 84
3. Devils Lake, 69
4. New Town, 47
5. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 39
6. Benson County, 35
7. Garrison, 32
8. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 29
9. Powers Lake-Burke Central, 27
10. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 26
10. Harvey-Wells County, 26
12. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 24
13. Drayton-Valley-Edinburg, 23
14. North Star, 19
15. Bishop Ryan, 18
16. Stanley, 17
17. Kenmare-Bowbells, 16
18. Grafton, 15
19. Nedrose, 14
20. Bottineau, 13
21. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 12
22. Linton-HMB, 11
23. Glenburn, 8
T24. Southern McLean, 5
T24. Nelson County, 5
26. Surrey, 4
27. Kidder County, 3
T28. Rolette, 2
T28. Williams County, 2
30. Hatton-Northwood, 1

High School Girls Track & Field

BPS Elite 90 – Bismarck
1. Minot High, 125
T2. Bismarck Century, 76
T2. Bismarck Legacy, 76
4. Bismarck High, 74
5. Dickinson, 58.5
6. Mandan, 55.5
7. Bowman County, 41
8. Williston, 40.5
9. Watford City, 29
10. Central McLean, 28.5
11. Shiloh Christian, 28
12. May-Port CG, 24
13. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 20
14. Grant County-Flasher, 18
15. Kidder County, 16
16. Hettinger County, 10
17. Griggs-Midkota, 9
18. Southern McLean, 7
19. LaMoure-Litch-Marion, 3
20. Hillsboro-Central Valley, 2

Mariya Tate Memorial – Rugby High School
1. Carrington, 92.5
2. Rugby, 78
3. Bottineau, 75
4. Hatton-Northwood, 63
5. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 52
6. Bishop Ryan, 39
7. Devils Lake, 37
8. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 36
9. Velva-Drake-Anamoose, 35
10. Benson County, 30.5
11. Linton-HMB, 30
12. Grafton, 29
13. Drayton-Valley-Edinburg, 26
T14. Surrey, 20
T14. Kenmare-Bowbells, 20
16. Harvey-Wells County, 19
17. Garrison, 14
18. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 12
19. Stanley, 10
20. Nedrose, 9
21. Rolette, 6
22. North Star, 5

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

MINOT, ND (MSU) – The University of Mary won the in-state battle with Minot State on Saturday, sweeping an NSIC doubleheader from the Beavers at Corbett Field, and putting a damper on “Senior Day.” Minot State honored the playing careers of seniors Brant Bagshaw, Dominick Parkhurst, Austin Loeb, Tyler Wiltshire, Matt Malone, and Garrett Nicholson, but the Marauders ended up with the wins as Mary took the opener 14-7 and the nightcap 10-3. Minot State (25-15 overall, 16-12 NSIC) in a single game today at Corbett Field at Noon to wrap up the weekend.

GAME 1 | Mary 14, Minot State 7

An outstanding offensive output was not enough for Minot State on Saturday. The Beavers scored seven runs, but could not hold the Mary Marauders at bay, and were defeated 14-7. Junior Craig Schmich (4-3) started and took the loss on the mound for Minot State. Junior Mark Ossanna led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 1-for-4 in the ballgame with a home run and three RBI. Junior Javier Gutierrez compiled a standout performance at the plate as well, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. Senior Derek Kay also helped out, going 2-for-4 for Minot State with a double and two RBI. The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with runs in the bottom of the first inning. Minot State managed to push across two runs in the inning. The Beavers then held the Marauders scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Minot State pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Kay that brought home senior Tyler Wiltshire and sophomore Dalin Ludlow, which brought the score to 4-0 in favor of the Beavers. Minot State’s lead had disappeared by the time the sixth inning arrived and turned into a 13-4 Mary advantage, when the Beavers cut that deficit to 13-5. The Beavers picked up a run on Gutierrez’s leadoff home run off junior Parker Wakelyn. The Marauders expanded their lead to 14-5 before the Minot State offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the seventh. The Beavers scored twice on Ossanna’s two-run homer, tightening the Mary lead to 14-7. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.

GAME 2 | Mary 10, Minot State 3

Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz put together a stellar showing at the plate Saturday, hitting two home runs, but the Minot State Beavers fell to the Mary Marauders 10-3. Junior Trevyn Badger (2-2) got the ball to start for Minot State and took the loss. The right-hander went 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, two earned, on five hits, allowing one walk and striking out four. Kozlowitz went 3-for-4 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with three RBIs. The Beavers were trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Kozlowitz put Minot State on the board with a two-out solo home run off junior Halen Knoll. The Beavers deficit expanded to 5-1 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the sixth inning. Minot State scored twice on Kozlowitz’s two-run homer, which brought the score to 5-3 in favor of the Marauders. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as Mary added five runs to their tally on the way to a 10-3 final.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S SOFTBALL

MANKATO, Minn. (MSU) -The Minot State Beavers scored the win they needed to advance to the next week’s NSIC Softball Tournament, splitting on the road Saturday in an NSIC doubleheader with host Minnesota State, Mankato. After a near-miss in the opener, a 1-0 win by the Mavericks, the Beavers rallied as Brooklyn Morrison’s two-run double highlighted a three-run rally, part of a dominant 5-0 win by Minot State (28-20 overall, 15-11 NSIC). Minot State wraps up the regular season today playing Concordia, St. Paul in a final NSIC doubleheader hosted by the Golden Bears at the Dome on the Mankato campus.

GAME 1 | Minnesota State 1, Minot State 0

The Minot State Beavers were not able to record a run against Minnesota State pitcher junior McKayla Armbruster on Saturday despite totaling seven hits and were shut out 1-0 by the Mavericks. Freshman Kierra Fournier (4-7) got the ball to start for Minot State and took the loss. The right-hander went 6.1 innings, giving up one run on seven hits, allowing four walks and striking out five. Junior Gabi Dawyduk led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a double. Junior Lexi Barduson provided a standout performance as well, going 2-for-3 with a double. Minot State managed one chance with runners on third in the shutout, going a total of 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. The Beavers last got a runner on third in the sixth, when Dawyduk made it 60 feet away from scoring with one out.

GAME 2 | Minot State 5, Minnesota State 0

Sophomore Reegan Floyd was dealing on Saturday, tossing a shutout to lead the Minot State Beavers past the Minnesota State Mavericks 5-0. Floyd (10-10) went the distance for Minot State, giving up eight hits, walking one and striking out 10. Junior Brooklyn Morrison led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a double and two RBI. Senior Leo Watson put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Junior Gabi Dawyduk also chipped in, going 1-for-4 for Minot State with a double. The Beavers took the lead for good in the third, scoring for the first time in the inning. Minot State scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Morrison. The Beavers also added runs in the sixth inning when they scored two times.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S GOLF

SMITHVILLE, Mo. (MSU) – Minot State’s Taylor Cormier made a big charge up the leaderboard for the Beavers on Saturday, climbing 11 spots in the standings after the second round of the NSIC Women’s Golf Championship. Cormier’s efforts put her in a tie for 32nd but weren’t enough to propel the Beavers up the team standings as Minot State slipped to ninth overall shooting 10 strokes higher in the second round at Paradise Pointe Golf Club for a 36-hole total of 114-over 690 (340-350). The tournament concludes Sunday with a final 18 holes. Cormier climbed 11 spots and is now tied with teammate Jaci Jones in 32nd. Jones moved up two spots herself as each are tied at 25-over 169 as Cormier (88-81) shot a 9-over 81 on Saturday and Jones (84-85) carded a 13-over 85. Holly Knudsen was next for the Beavers as she is tied for 35th at 28-over 172 (83-89), then came Zoe Banack, who is tied for 45th at 36-over 180 (85-95), and Averi Bradley, who is 58th at 54-over 198 (93-105). Concordia, St. Paul’s Isabella Dory carded the first sub-par round by any player for the tournament on Saturday, shooting a 1-under 71 to move into the individual tournament lead by five shots at even-par 144 (73-71) after 36 holes. Augustana leads the team title race by nine shots as the Vikings climbed into first place with a two-day 37-over 613.

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

MOORHEAD, Minn. (MSU) – A pair of wins and a new school record for hurdler Nathan Trujillo-Aragon led the way for the Minot State track and field teams Saturday at the Ron Masanz Classic meet hosted by Minnesota State Moorhead.
Trujillo-Aragon swept the men’s hurdle titles, winning the 110-meter hurdles in a new NCAA Division II-era school-record time of 15.15 seconds on Saturday, the eighth-fastest time in the event in the NSIC this spring, then he added a victory in the 400-meter hurdles in 56.55 seconds. He broke his own school record of 15.32 in the 110 hurdles which he ran in 2021. While Trujillo-Aragon led the way with his two hurdle wins, Sidra Sadowsky added a victory for the women’s team in the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 47.10 seconds, which ranks as the No. 2 time in the Beavers D-II era, as well. Just a couple of the standout performances on the day for the Minot State track and field teams, which also got a pair of event wins from Chase Snyder in the discus (152 feet, 10 inches) and shot put (50-4.75), and wins from javelin thrower Jakob Braunstein (192-3), and distance runner Charles Hardcastle who won the men’s 3,000 steeplechase in 9:40.61. And on the women’s side, Jessica Martinez turned in a career-best in the women’s 5,000 meters, finishing second on the day in 18:30.86. The Minot State track and field teams have one more regular-season meet left this spring before next month’s NSIC Championships, competing Friday at Dickinson State.

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TWINS-ROYALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jhoan Duran’s wild pitch allowed Edward Olivares to score the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning, and the Kansas City Royals ended a nine-game losing streak at Target Field with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Olivares doubled twice and walked on four pitches from Duran (0-1) leading off the ninth. Olivares stole second, and Michael Massey walked for the first time in 81 plate appearances this season when Duran committed a pitch-clock violation with a full count. Nicky Lopez sacrificed and Olivares bounced a 1-0 curveball off the mitt of catcher Ryan Jeffers, the ball bouncing to the warning track in front of the first-base dugout. Kansas City (7-21) won for just the third time in 15 games as Scott Barlow hung on for his fourth save. Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco singled with one out, Byron Buxton took a called third strike and Trevor Larnach hit a game-ending comebacker. The Royals had not won at Minnesota since last May 28. Minnesota went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners, matching its season high. The AL Central-leading Twins had won five of their previous six games.

UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Sonny Gray (3-0, 0.62) looks to extend his strong start in today’s series finale. Kansas City plans to start RHP Brady Singer (2-2, 6.67).

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TWINS-TRADE

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pitcher Trevor Megill was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for cash and a player to be named. Megill, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 0-0 with a 13.03 ERA in seven games this season for Triple-A St. Paul. He was designated for assignment Tuesday to open a roster spot for right-hander Brock Stewart. Megill was 4-3 with a 4.80 ERA in 39 appearances for the Twins last season and 1-2 with a 8.37 ERA in 28 games for the 2021 Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee said it will assign Megill to Triple-A Nashville. He is the older brother of New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill. In addition, the Brewers transferred outfielder Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder) to the 60-day injured list.

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VIKINGS-DRAFT

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Throughout the draft process, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah heard from people in the organization that saw LSU’s Jay Ward as a potential NFL starter at three spots in the secondary. Ward’s selection by Minnesota is no accident, with versatility emphasized to retool the defense under new coordinator Brian Flores. The Vikings started the third day of the NFL draft by selecting Ward, who played cornerback, safety and nickel for the Tigers, in the fourth round. Minnesota followed with LSU defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy in the fifth round. “It’s a big part of, obviously, what I’ve looked for in the past,” Adofo-Mensah said of seeking versatility, “But especially in (Flores’) defense, he is so good at optimizing people’s skill sets, and he will match personnel. He will match different schemes. And giving him weapons to do so is ultimately my job, and I’m happy to do so for him.”

Despite winning the NFC North in the first year under Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings ranked 31st in the NFL in total defense, allowing 388.7 yards per game. The 25.1 points per game they surrendered were 28th in the league. Through the air, Minnesota gave up the second-most yards (265.5 passing yards per game). Enter Flores, Pittsburgh’s senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022, who was hired to replace Ed Donatell as coordinator. “He is built on being multiple and the idea of having an aggressive scheme, the idea of having a scheme that can dictate to the offense,” assistant director of player personnel Chisom Opara said of Flores. “Part of that is having players that can play multiple roles, so you don’t develop tendencies.”

Ward was the second straight defensive back selected by the Vikings, who had taken USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon in the third round Friday. Adofo-Mensah said Blackmon, too, can play inside and out. Ward, at 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, played in 46 career games for LSU, totaling 164 tackles and six interceptions. He also produced two blocked field goals on special teams. “His versatility and experience in multiple positions, even some going from nickel to second in the same game, was very attractive to us,” vice president of football operations Demitrius Washington said of Ward. “We actually plan on using him in a similar role as far as playing in the secondary.” Roy, 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, is listed as a defensive tackle but said he could play anywhere on the line. He had 99 tackles, 13 1/2 for loss, and four sacks in 35 college games for the Tigers.

EASING THE TRANSITION

After taking two USC Trojans in first-round receiver Jordan Addison and Blackmon, the Vikings doubled up on LSU Tigers with their first two selections Saturday. “It’s certainly nothing that you plan on before the draft,” Opara said. “The human dynamic of being a 20-something-year-old going in a new city, dealing with the pressures and the ups-and-downs of trying to make your way in the NFL. I really do think there’s something cool about having somebody to go through it with.” Ward also played for Minnesota defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, who was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at LSU in 2021. “I love coach Jones,” Ward said. “It was always bigger than on the field with him and we had a close relationship at LSU. We were tight and I’m glad I can reunite with him and he can keep molding me to be a better player.”

APPARENT HEIR

Quarterback Kirk Cousins will turn 35 before the regular season begins and his contract expires after the season. Behind Cousins, Minnesota has just journeyman Nick Mullens. The Vikings looked to the future by drafting BYU quarterback Jaren Hall in the fifth round. “You talk about the things we look for at the quarterback position — ability to make good decisions, throw the football accurately, deal with conflict when it comes his way, and then sometimes try to make a play outside the framework of the play call — and he does all those things at a really good level,” Adofo-Mensah said. A two-year starter, Hall had 52 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and had a career passer efficiency rating of 65.2%, which is tied with Hall of Famer Steve Young for fourth in school history. He added 657 rushing yards over the past two seasons.

IN THE RUNNING

Minnesota finished the draft by taking Alabama-Birmingham running back DeWayne McBride in the seventh round. McBride, 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, led the nation in rushing last season with 1,713 yards and was second with 19 rushing touchdowns, while being named a third-team All-American. “My dad always told me, ‘Never let one man take you down,’” McBride said. “I just hate getting tackled.” The Vikings still have Dalvin Cook on the roster, but he takes up a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023 with two more years remaining after this season.

K-Heart Sports – 04/29/23

Posted on Apr 29, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/29/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Lots of softball played on Friday, including here in Minot with the Class B Jamboree at the South Hill Complex.

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Williston def. Turtle Mountain, 16-0
Williston def. Turtle Mountain, 16-5

Dickinson Jamboree
Minot High def. Bismarck Century, 23-6
Minot High def. Central Cass, 10-0
Beulah def. Dickinson, 8-2
Dickinson def. Jamestown, 11-0
Beulah def. Bismarck Century, 6-2
Jamestown def. Central Cass, 15-10

Class B

Class B Jamboree – South Hill Complex in Minot
Bottineau def. Ray, 10-6
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Ray, 14-4
Stanley def. Rugby, 20-5
Bottineau def. Glenburn, 7-0
Renville County def. Tioga, 19-3
Bishop Ryan def. Stanley, 18-15

High School Baseball
Class A

Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 4-3
Minot High def. Bismarck Legacy, 12-3

Williston def. Dickinson, 10-4
Williston def. Dickinson, 5-4

Bismarck Century def. Bismarck High, 5-4
Bismarck Century def. Bismarck High, 11-2

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 12-2
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 8-2

Bottineau def. Harvey-Wells County, 5-2

Rugby def. North Star, 3-1

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Williston, 5-0
Mandan def. Bismarck Century, 4-0
Jamestown def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 3-1
Bismarck High def. Bismarck Legacy, 3-2

High School Girls Tennis
Bismarck High def. Williston, 7-2

NAHL Hockey
Robertson Cup Playoffs – First Round
Austin Bruins def. Minot Minotauros, 3-0 (Bruins win series 3-0)

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S GOLF

SMITHVILLE, Mo. (MSU) – The Minot State women played their way into the middle of the pack on the first day of the NSIC Women’s Golf Championship at the Paradise Pointe Golf Club in Missouri. Turning in a team total of 52-over 340 on Friday, the Beavers sit in eighth place after the first of three rounds at the Championship. Winona State leads the team title chase by five shots after the Warriors shot a 12-over 300 on Friday. Day two of the Championship is today, and the 54-hole event concludes on Sunday. Leading the way for Minot State’s team effort was Holly Knudsen who is tied for 31st after the opening 18 holes as she shot an 11-over 83. One shot back of her is teammate Jaci Jones who is 34th at 12-over 84, then came Zoe Banack who is tied for 35th at 13-over 85. Taylor Cormier was next for Minot State as she shot a 16-over 88 and is tied for 43rd, and rounding out the Beavers scores was Averi Bradley who is tied 53rd after a 21-over 93. Winona State’s Carly Moon leads the individual tournament title race by one shot as she carded an even-par 72 on Friday for the first-round lead.

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MAUCH-NFL DRAFT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second year in a row, a North Dakota native has been selected in the National Football League Draft. Hankinson’s Cody Mauch was taken 48th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft Friday night. Mauch is the third NDSU offensive lineman to be drafted in as many years. Cordell Volson of Balfour, was taken in the 4th round in 2022 by the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2021, Dillon Radunz was picked by the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round. Mauch is the 45th Bison to be drafted into the NFL.

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WILD-STARS

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Roope Hintz scored his fifth goal of the series, Jake Oettinger stonewalled his home-state team again, and the Stars eliminated the Minnesota Wild with a 4-1 win in Game 6 of their first-round NHL playoff series. Wyatt Johnston and Mason Marchment scored in the second period when the Stars outshot the Wild 18-5. Oettinger made 22 saves as the Stars advanced to face the Colorado-Seattle winner. Freddy Gaudreau scored with 7:07 left to prevent Oettinger from posting a second shutout in the series. Max Domi added an empty-net goal for Dallas. Minnesota hasn’t advanced in the postseason in eight years. Filip Gustavsson, starting a fourth consecutive game for the first time in his first season with Minnesota, stopped 23 shots in two periods. Marc-Andre Fleury, who was in net for a 7-3 loss at Dallas in Game 2, took over in the third. The Wild fell to 5-14 on home ice in the playoffs since the last time they advanced, a first-round win over St. Louis in 2015. They are 4-13 in franchise history in postseason series.

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TWINS-ROYALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Jose Miranda homered as the Minnesota Twins stayed hot at the plate with an 8-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning, but Jorge López struck out Nick Pratto for his second save. Salvador Perez had three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs for the Royals. Pratto added three singles and two RBIs, and Edward Olivares doubled twice, tripled and scored three runs. The Twins have scored 33 runs in their last five games after starting the season in an offensive slump. The three homers gave Minnesota 36 on the season, second-most in the American League behind the Rays. Minnesota right-hander Pablo López (2-2) struggled for the second straight outing but still pitched into the seventh for the third time in six starts this year. He allowed six earned runs while striking out seven.

UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 3.96 ERA) faces Minnesota this afternoon. Keller took the loss against the Twins on April 2 in Kansas City but is 2-0 in three road starts this season. Twins: Ober (1-0, 1.59) made his 2023 debut on Sunday, pitching into the sixth inning in a win over Washington.

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VIKINGS-DRAFT DAY TWO

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — After taking USC wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round of the NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings had a long wait before they were back on the clock. The wait was long, the distance wasn’t. Minnesota eventually selected Addison’s teammate and Trojans cornerback Mekhi Blackmon with the final pick of the third round Friday night. “I know they’re competitive,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “I talked to their coaches there about how their practices are. They’re both incredibly instinctive players and they’re going to make everybody else around them better.”

Minnesota began the second day of the draft without a second-round pick from the trade they made last November with Detroit to acquire tight end T.J. Hockenson. The Vikings had the 87th overall selection, in the third round, before trading down with the San Francisco 49ers. In exchange for No. 87, Minnesota received the 102nd pick, a compensatory selection for San Francisco, to draft Blackmon. The team also added the 164th pick (fifth round) and No. 222 (seventh). “I was waiting all night,” Blackmon said. “I thought it would come earlier. You guys traded back. I kind of anticipated I was probably going to come to you guys, just praying and wishing I would.”

Addison added to an already strong receiving group with star Justin Jefferson, Hockenson and K.J. Osborn. Blackmon addresses one of Minnesota’s biggest needs. The 24-year-old cornerback enters a Vikings’ secondary that lost veteran Patrick Peterson in free agency, along with Cameron Dantzler, Duke Shelley and Kris Boyd. Minnesota signed Byron Murphy in free agency and has 2022 cornerback draft picks in Andrew Booth and Akayleb Evans. “Excited about that group,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Ultimately, they’re unknowns and that’s what football is; taking chances and seeing what they are. I think we got great coaches and a great process to develop them.” Blackmon, who is 6-foot and 175 pounds, was a third-team All-American and first-team all-conference last year, leading the Pac-12 with 12 passes defended and tallying three interceptions with 66 tackles in 14 games. It was his lone season with USC after transferring from Colorado. “There’s a skill to know when to look for the ball,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Not everybody has it, he does. Somebody who’s aggressive in the run game, just somebody we’re really happy we got where we did.”

Blackmon said he loved the facilities and coaches when he visited Minnesota during a top-30 visit. Addison and the Minnesota Vikings hit it off during his pre-draft visit, which ended a vow from coach Kevin O’Connell that they would take him with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft if the USC wide receiver was still available. “Once Minnesota came up, I just kept checking my phone,” Addison said. But surely other teams made the same easy, empty promise? “Yeah, they said that, but they didn’t stick to their word, so I’m glad to be a Viking,” said Addison, who was the fourth consecutive wide receiver to come off the board Thursday. “This is where I’m supposed to be at. They believe in me, and I’m just glad to be here.”

The synergy is strong between Addison and the Vikings, who have as rich of a lineage at wide receiver as any team in the NFL — with Cris Carter and Randy Moss in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Justin Jefferson well on his way. He’s also a native of Maryland like former Vikings standout Stefon Diggs, whose route-running skill was must-watch video for Addison as an eager teenager. “Just the way he ran routes and his mindset about everything just kind of shifted my perspective because I was a quarterback at first,” Addison said. “That’s when I switched my position to receiver in high school, and then I never looked back.” Listed at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds by the NFL, Addison on the small side for his position. He’ll have to prove he can consistently beat man-to-man press coverage that will be much tougher than he faced with the Trojans in the Pac-12 last year or in the ACC at Pittsburgh in his first two college seasons. “That’s something that a lot of people tried to do, just eyeing me up from the first point, but I just tried to use that as their weakness. Some people just tried to get overaggressive, and I just used that to my advantage,” Addison said Friday at his introductory news conference.

K-Heart Sports – 04/28/23

Posted on Apr 28, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/28/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – High school softball teams converged on the air-supported dome on the Minot State campus for the second Battle of the Bubble.

High School Girls Softball
Class A

Dickinson def. Bismarck Legacy, 15-1
Dickinson def. Bismarck Legacy, 13-3

Bismarck High def. Mandan, 11-1
Bismarck High def. Mandan, 22-21

Jamestown def. Bismarck Century, 10-6
Jamestown def. Bismarck Century, 17-2

Class B

Battle at the Bubble II
Northern Cass def. Divide County, 14-2
Velva def. Max-South Prairie, 13-0
Velva def. Northern Cass, 14-4
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. New Town, 23-1

High School Baseball
Class A

Bismarck Legacy def. Watford City, 14-0
Bismarck Legacy def. Watford City, 9-0

Bismarck Century def. Moorhead MN, 4-2
Moorhead MN def. Bismarck Century, 5-1

Class B

Bishop Ryan def. South Prairie-Max, 11-1

High School Girls Tennis
Minot def. Mandan, 7-2
Bismarck Century def. Jamestown, 9-0
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 9-0

High School Boys Track & Field
Mandan MAR Club Invite
1. Bismarck Legacy, 151
2. Bismarck High, 143.33
3. Bismarck Century, 112.33
4. Minot High, 110.33
5. Mandan, 61
6. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 46
7. Williston, 27
8. Watford City, 36
9. Dickinson, 20

High School Girls Track & Field
Bismarck Public Schools Meet
1. Bismarck High, 171.5
2. Minot High, 121
3. Mandan, 99.5
4. Bismarck Legacy, 92
5. Bismarck Century, 67
6. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 60
7. Dickinson, 45
8. Williston, 34
9. Watford City, 32

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

CROOKSTON, Minn. (MSU) – The bats broke out in game two on Thursday, led by Javier Gutierrez who hit a pair of home runs to help lead the Minot State Beavers as they split an NSIC baseball doubleheader at Minnesota Crookston. After two solo homers gave the host Golden Eagles the first-game win, 2-1, the Beavers rallied hitting four homers, including two by Gutierrez, to cruise to a 13-3 victory in the split. Minot State (25-13 overall, 16-10 NSIC) now returns home to host the University of Mary on Saturday and Sunday at Corbett Field. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for 1:30 p.m. with a single game Sunday starting at Noon.

GAME 1 | Minnesota-Crookston 2, Minot State 1

The Minot State Beavers took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning but could not hang on and fell 2-1 to the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Thursday. Senior Bryant Bagshaw (6-2) started and took the loss on the mound for Minot State. Junior Brent Riddle led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a double. Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz compiled a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. The Beavers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Riddle came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. The Beavers were unable to hold the lead, as Minnesota Crookston hit two solo home runs in the sixth inning to grab the 2-1 win.

GAME 2 | Minot State 13, Minnesota-Crookston 3

Junior Javier Gutierrez put together an outstanding showing at the plate Thursday, hitting two home runs to help propel the Minot State Beavers past the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles 13-3. Sophomore Jonah Prokott (2-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went 2.1 shutout innings without giving up a hit, allowing three walks and striking out three. Senior Garrett Nicholson also made an impact on the mound for the Beavers, throwing one scoreless inning while allowing no hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. Gutierrez went 3-for-3 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with two RBIs. Junior Cameron Carr added to Gutierrez’s awesome power-hitting performance by going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Senior Derek Kay also helped out for the Beavers, going 2-for-5 with two triples and an RBI. The Beavers scored in seven different innings on the way to the win. Minot State broke a scoreless tie and took the lead for good at 1-0 in the first inning. The Beavers added three runs in the second inning highlighted by Derrick Winn’s two-run home run. Minnesota Crookston cut the lead to 4-2 but Gutierrez hit a solo home run in a two-run third, and Kay’s RBI triple highlighted a three-run fourth inning as Minot State pushed its lead to 9-2. Gutierrez’s second home run made it 10-3 in the fifth, and the Beavers added a run in the seventh and two more in the ninth in the win.

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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S GOLF

SMITHVILLE, Mo. (MSU) – It’s the ladies Championship turn. The Minot State women’s golf team hits the course for three days of action at the Paradise Pointe Golf Club in Missouri at the NSIC Championships on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Last time out, the Beavers finished fourth at the Augustana Spring Invitational led by Holly Knudsen who shot a career-low 76 and had her first collegiate Top-5 finish as she tied for third. Part of a season that’s seen plenty of low rounds by the ladies, including a career-low 76 for Taylor Cormier at the Southwest Minnesota State Spring Invite back in March. Along with shooting career-best rounds, Cormier and Knudsen lead the way with the top two season averages at 83.2 strokes per round, and 84.5 strokes per round, respectively, for Minot State. Minot State looks to improve upon last spring’s ninth-place finish at the NSIC Championships. The Beavers best finish at the Championships came in 2019 when Minot State finished third led by Alexandra Demko who earned Second-Team All-NSIC honors that season.

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TWINS-ROYALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa homered back-to-back for the Minnesota Twins, who routed the Kansas City Royals 7-1. Buxton and Correa teed off on Royals veteran right-hander Zack Greinke in the fourth inning. Twins starter Tyler Mahle allowed one run, which was a solo homer by Vinnie Pasquantino in the top of the fourth. Mahle exited after four innings and 66 pitches with right posterior elbow soreness. Reliever Brock Stewart got the win with two scoreless innings. Mahle didn’t sound too worried after the game, calling it “just inflammation,” but said he didn’t know yet whether he’d make his next start. The 39-year-old Greinke fell to 0-4 on the season and his ERA jumped to 6.10 after allowing seven runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Minnesota has now homered in 10 straight games, with a total of 17 during that stretch.

UP NEXT
RHP Jordan Lyles (0-4, 4.88 ERA) gets the start today for Kansas City, while RHP Pablo López (1-2, 3.00) starts for Minnesota. Lyles faced the Twins in his first start of the season, allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 2-0 loss. Lopez was on the other side of Lyles in that game against the Royals and allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 shutout innings to earn the win.

Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda had an MRI on his right elbow, which showed a muscle strain and inflammation. Maeda, who exited Wednesday’s game with an elbow injury after allowing 10 runs in three innings, did not have any structural damage to his elbow. He’ll likely land on the injured list.

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VIKINGS-DRAFT

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Jordan Addison could hardly have found a better place to break into the NFL than Minnesota, with Justin Jefferson in place to learn from. The Vikings selected the USC wide receiver with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, giving their superstar a viable sidekick after the jettisoning of veteran Adam Thielen — and passing on a top quarterback prospect who tumbled down the board. Addison was the fourth consecutive wide receiver taken after none went in the first 19 slots, following Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Ngjiba (Seahawks), TCU’s Quentin Johnston (Chargers) and Boston College’s Zay Flowers (Ravens). Addison a pre-draft visits with the Vikings, and by all accounts they hit it off. “They told me if I fall to them, they were going to make sure they grabbed me,” Addison said on a video conference call from the draft with reporters in Minnesota. His confidence stood out, but so did his desire. “You feel a hungry player that wants to be great,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. Addison, K.J. Osborn and tight end T.J. Hockenson will be counted on to keep Vikings opponents honest without tilting the coverages so much toward Jefferson, who led the NFL with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards and won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in 2022. We want to make people pay for that,” O’Connell said.

With uncertainty beyond this year at quarterback with Kirk Cousins on an expiring contract, the Vikings passed on Kentucky’s Will Levis, who was widely expected to be gone in the first half of the first round. Three of the first four picks — Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson — were quarterbacks, but clearly the Vikings — and other teams — didn’t consider Levis on that level. The Vikings have predicted a stronger season for Cousins in the second year of O’Connell’s system and consistently praised him — but only to the point of expressing confidence in him for 2023. Beyond this year, all bets are off. Bringing in Addison sure can’t hurt Cousins in his attempt to lead the Vikings to a second straight NFC North title and in his push for a new contract — whether with the Vikings or not.

The 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner for the nation’s top wide receiver at Pittsburgh, Addison transferred to USC for his final college season. He had 59 catches for 875 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 for the Trojans. In two years with the Panthers, Addison had 2,259 receiving yards. He pointed to his successful transition to USC as evidence he can quickly learn O’Connell’s pass-friendly system. “He gets his playmakers the ball,” Addison said. “They’re never in one spot.” Addison is only 6 feet and 175 pounds, one of the drawbacks of his profile, but he’s a polished route-runner who consistently gets open despite not having elite speed. He ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, just the 21st-ranked time among wide receivers. But “he’s one of those guys that typically gets the first blade of grass,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said.

After the departure of several key veteran players — Thielen and linebacker Eric Kendricks were released for salary cap space and cornerback Patrick Peterson and defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson free agents signed elsewhere for bigger contracts — the Vikings need some instant impact from this draft class. That’s a taller task starting with only five picks, and no second-rounder. Last year, in their first draft under Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings traded the 12th overall pick to Detroit and moved all the way down to No. 32 to net two additional second-day selections. The Lions took wide receiver Jameson Williams, a tantalizing prospect whose ACL rehabilitation limited his rookie season. The Vikings went with safety Lewis Cine, who broke his leg on special teams in Week 4 and played a total of two snaps on defense before his injury. Addison, assuming he stays healthy, is destined for a far bigger role. This guy’s consistently open,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He can make plays with the ball in his hand.”

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TIMBERWOLVES-SEASON WRAP

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves made a big move last summer — in more ways than one — to build off a breakthrough season, and the end result was a small impact in the NBA playoffs this spring. Injury absences were a major hindrance, but a return to fully healthy roster is entirely possible. The integration of top acquisition Rudy Gobert in a 7-footer pair with Karl-Anthony Towns was limited and clunky, but more time together for a talent-rich if awkwardly constructed lineup can only help. The most pertinent question, then, might be about maturity. Can the Timberwolves cultivate enough good habits to be a legitimate Western Conference contender and not just a one-round-and-done team?

“Our emotional control was really disappointing at times this year. It wasn’t just the young guys, too, which is even more disappointing,” general manager Tim Connelly said Thursday. “So I think that’s going to be a huge focus of this offseason, not just relative to acquiring new faces, but how do the guys who are here be a bit more mature when things don’t go their way.” The most publicized moment, of course, was in the April 9 game against New Orleans when Jaden McDaniels broke his hand by punching a wall out of frustration and Gobert took a swing at teammate Kyle Anderson during an argument in a timeout. Anthony Edwards also found some trouble Tuesday for swinging a folding chair on his way off the court following the series-ending loss in Denver. His outburst allegedly caused minor injuries to two arena employees. “We have to address some of this, some of the behaviors, for sure. A lot of it I think comes from a good place. They’re competitive. I don’t think they’re malicious or petulant or necessarily just trying to act out to be acting out,” coach Chris Finch said. “We have a lot of guys who have not necessarily won a lot in their career as young players, so handling failures as they come and the stakes are a little higher also exposes some flash points for us. They’re all growth opportunities, for sure.” The Wolves also led the league in ejections (nine), tied for the most fouled-out players (15) and had the second-highest total of personal fouls (1,768), according to Sportradar data.

Perhaps more implicating was the 9-15 record against the bottom four teams in each conference: Washington, Orlando, Charlotte and Detroit in the East; and Utah, Portland, Houston and San Antonio in the West. Continuing a trend that cost them their playoff series last year against Memphis, the Wolves lost 18 games in which they had a lead of 10-plus points. “We’re not where we should be, where we need to be yet in terms of winning habits,” Gobert said. “I think we can get there. I think we will get there, but those things take time and discipline.”

THE EXPERIMENT CONTINUES

The experiment of playing Towns as a stretch power forward with Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, at center barely got going. Towns missed most of training camp recovering from a throat infection that had him hospitalized on bed rest. Then he severely strained his calf muscle and missed 52 games. “They’re both really incredibly good basketball players,” Finch said. “With the skill level that KAT has, for sure, there’s no reason basketball-wise that it shouldn’t work.” Gobert and Towns will gobble up $77 million against the salary cap next season, which makes finding room for backup center Naz Reid a priority. Reid’s presence in the playoffs was dearly missed due to a broken wrist, and he will be an unrestricted free agent after a breakout year.

NEXT IN LINE

Edwards will be eligible for a maximum-value contract extension this summer, a five-year deal worth more than $200 million that Connelly said the Wolves would offer as soon as the negotiation period begins on June 30. McDaniels, who came from the same 2020 draft class as the first overall pick Edwards, made major strides in his third season as well and is the team’s best perimeter defender. “They’re going to be tied to the hip and they’re going to be as important to this team as anybody else is obviously,” Connelly said. “Both are excited about their long-term future here, and the minute we’re allowed to, those guys are going to have really, really nice offers with a lot of money in their inbox.”

STAYING PUT?

Connelly is the 10th boss of basketball operations, including interims, the Timberwolves have had in the last 15 years. After his first season, there’s already a question about his status because of the opening created when Washington fired general manager Tommy Sheppard. Connelly interviewed for the Wizards job four years ago before deciding to remain with Denver. The Baltimore native also broke into the NBA with the nearby Wizards as an intern who worked his way up to become a scout. Connelly spent eight seasons with the Nuggets. “I’m pretty committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves right now,” Connelly said. “I’m just worried about how we can get out of the first round.”

K-Heart Sports – 04/26/23

Posted on Apr 26, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/26/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot High girls softball team won a battle of undefeated teams yesterday.

High School Girls Softball

Class A

Minot High def. Dickinson, 5-3
Minot High def. Dickinson, 6-1

Williston def. Watford City, 13-1
Williston def. Watford City, 15-3

Bismarck Century def. Bismarck Legacy, 15-12
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck Century, 13-5

Bismarck High def. Turtle Mountain, 19-1
Bismarck High def. Turtle Mountain, 16-4

Class B

Tioga def. Bishop Ryan, 24-18

Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Glenburn, 20-3
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Glenburn, 31-3

Renville County def. Bottineau, 7-4

High School Baseball
Class A

Minot High def. Williston, 8-1
Minot High def. Williston, 6-4

Bismarck Century def. Watford City, 14-2
Bismarck Century def. Watford City, 7-2

Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 15-0
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 2-1

Bismarck High def. Mandan, 9-1
Mandan def. Bismarck High, 16-0

Jamestown def. Dickinson, 8-4
Dickinson def. Jamestown, 4-1

Class B

Des Lacs-Burlington def. Berthold, 12-1
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Berthold, 12-7

Renville County def. Ray, 23-2
Renville County def. Ray, 17-0

Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. Tioga, 25-17
Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central def. Tioga, 21-5

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High ties Mandan, 2-2
Bismarck Century def. Dickinson, 4-0
Jamestown ties Bismarck Legacy, 2-2
Bismarck High def. Williston, 6-0

High School Girls Tennis
Minot def. Bismarck High, 8-1
Bismarck Century def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 7-2
Bismarck Legacy def. Mandan, 7-2
Dickinson def. Williston, 7-2

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

MOORHEAD, Minn. (MSU) – The Minot State softball team inched closer to clinching a postseason berth with another strong day on the diamond, taking one of two on the road against one of the NSIC leaders in Minnesota State Moorhead. Brooklyn Morrison had an RBI double and a solo home run, helping spot the Beavers (27-19 overall, 14-10 NSIC) to a three-run lead as Minot State held on to win the day’s opener, 3-2 over the Dragons on Tuesday. The Dragons, in fourth place in the NSIC standings, bounced back to take the nightcap 5-1 as the team split their NSIC doubleheader. Minot State now wraps up the regular season on the road this weekend playing at Minnesota State, Mankato in a doubleheader on Saturday, and at Concordia, St. Paul in another twinbill on Sunday.

GAME 1 | Minot State 3, Minnesota State-Moorhead 2

Junior Brooklyn Morrison collected a pair of extra-base hits for Minot State in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons on Tuesday. Sophomore Reegan Floyd (9-10) got the win for Minot State. The right-hander went seven innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on five hits, allowing no walks and striking out two. Morrison’s two extra-base hits were the highlight of a 2-for-3 day, and included a double, a home run and two RBI. Junior Gabi Dawyduk put together a standout performance as well, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. The Beavers got on the scoreboard first, starting in the fourth inning. Minot State pushed across two runs in the frame, the big blow coming on an RBI double from Morrison. The Dragons failed to push any runs across before the Beavers built on their lead in the seventh inning. Minot State picked up a run on Morrison’s leadoff home run off of sophomore Avery Steffen, which brought the Beavers lead to 3-0. Minnesota State Moorhead put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Minot State still held on for the 3-2 win.

GAME 2 | Minnesota State-Moorhead 5, Minot State 1

The Minot State Beavers fell to the Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons by a final score of 5-1 in Tuesday’s second game. Junior Gabi Dawyduk (3-1) got the ball to start for Minot State and took the loss. Offensively, the Beavers were led by senior Courtney Chatburn, who went 2-for-3 on the day. Trailing 5-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the seventh inning. Junior Izzy Penner came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. The ballgame ended with that seventh-inning rally falling short.

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UND MEN’S BASKETBALL

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) –The North Dakota basketball team has announced the return of guard Tyree Ihenacho to their roster for the 2023-24 season Tuesday. Ihenacho spent the last two seasons at James Madison University, after spending his first season with the Fighting Hawks. He won Summit League Freshman of the year in 2020-21. The Prior Lake, Minn. native played in 23 games, with 22 starts in his freshman season. He averaged 8.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game en route to being named Freshman of the Year. Over the last two seasons at James Madison, he played in 39 games with 22 starts. He totaled 46 steals in those games with 152 total points for the Dukes.

The North Dakota basketball team announced the addition of forward Deng Mayar to their roster for the 2023-24 season Tuesday. Mayar joins the team after spending this past season at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. Mayar started all 30 games for Howard this past season, averaging almost 24 minutes per game and 11.5 points per game; shooting over 52% from the floor. He also averaged 7.2 rebounds per game, and nearly an assist per game. He racked up 32 steals and 11 blocks as well.

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TWINS-YANKEES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Ryan became the first five-game winner in the major leagues this season, Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach hit two-run homers in the sixth inning and the Minnesota Twins beat New York 6-2 to clinch their first season series against the Yankees since 2001. Ryan joined Jerry Koosman in 1979 as the only Twins pitchers to win their first five starts since the franchise moved to Minnesota for the 1961 season. Minnesota and New York each had eight hits but the Twins had seven extra-base hits. New York has lost three straight for the first time this season. The Twins have won four of six games against the Yankees this year heading into their last meeting on Wednesday, the best record for Minnesota against New York since going 4-2 in 2001. Nestor Cortes (3-1) surrendered four runs — three earned — in five innings for the Yankees, ending a streak of 16 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer.

UP NEXT
RHP Domingo Germán (1-2, 4.50 ERA) starts for New York and Kenta Maeda (0-3, 4.15) for Minnesota. Germán allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Twins on April 15, a game that included umpires allowing him to stay in after multiple sticky substance checks, which led to an ejection of Baldelli. Maeda’s previous start was cut after two innings after he was hit on an ankle by a comebacker.

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WOLVES-NUGGETS

DENVER (AP) — The top-seeded Denver Nuggets eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 112-109 win in Game 5 of their playoff series at Ball Arena on Tuesday night. The Nuggets got a triple-double from Nikola Jokic and 35 points from Jamal Murray to hand Michael Malone his 25th playoff win as Denver’s head coach. That surpasses the 24 wins Doug Moe won in the playoffs with the Nuggets. The Wolves were led by Anthony Edwards’ 29 points, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime hit the back of the iron. Karl-Anthony Towns added 26 points for the Wolves, Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 14 points. The Wolves, who avoided a sweep with an overtime win in Minneapolis on Sunday, jumped out to a 25-12 lead before the Nuggets began chipping away.

A disappointing season came to an end for the Wolves, who were banged up — Karl-Anthony Towns missed 52 games with a calf injury — and never really jelled like they had hoped after the monster trade for Gobert. “The defining characteristic of this team is that we’ve always played our best basketball when we were in desperation mode,” coach Chris Finch said. “It’s not how you want to live. Again, its all credit to us. We had many points during the season to let go of the rope or give up on the moment but we never ever did. So, I love that about our guys. They kept competing. But you know a more mature team doesn’t find itself in those situations as much and that’s a part of our growth.” Finch added that the Wolves “learned a lot, too, with the two bigs (Gobert and Towns) and everything going into the offseason, I felt like we learned a lot to be able to build around.”

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WILD-STARS

DALLAS (AP) — Tyler Seguin and Jason Robertson both had a power-play goal and an assist, Roope Hintz had three assists for the second game in a row and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 in Game 5. Jake Oettinger had 27 saves in his second career playoff shutout, and first by any goalie in this year’s playoffs. Seguin’s fourth power-play goal of the series came only 2:22 into the game, only eight seconds after Wild forward Marcus Foligno’s five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a knee-on-knee hit on Radek Faksa. The Stars will try to wrap up the series Friday night with Game 6 in Minnesota. Minnesota was 0 for 3 with a man-advantage in Game 5, with all of its power plays in the second period. Oettinger stopped nine shots on the first two Wild power plays in quick succession.

K-Heart Sports – 04/25/23

Posted on Apr 25, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/25/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot High girl’s soccer team continues to dominate. The Majettes improved to 5-0-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the WDA. The two goals by St. Mary’s yesterday where the first allowed all year as Minot has outscored their opponents 37-2.

High School Girls Soccer
Minot High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 6-2

High School Baseball
Class B
Surrey def. Des Lacs-Burlington, 8-5
Surrey def. Des Lacs-Burlington, 16-12

Rugby def. Bottineau, 3-2

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The Beavers got within 90 feet of tying the game before their comeback came up short Monday in NSIC baseball. Down a run, a leadoff, pinch-hit triple by Cameron Carr in the bottom of the ninth gave Minot State hope, but the Beavers couldn’t push home the tying run and fell 3-2 to visiting Minnesota Duluth at Corbett Field in the teams’ series final. Minot State looks to bounce back quickly as they head to Minnesota Crookston for a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Junior Cameron Bagshaw and junior Gage Yost each totaled five strikeouts with Bagshaw throwing two shutout innings without giving up a hit and walking one for Minot State. Yost’s (3-2) five strikeouts came in addition to his six innings of three-run ball where he allowed four hits while walking six. At the plate, the Beavers were paced by junior Mark Ossanna, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run, a walk and an RBI. The Beavers were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Ossanna put Minot State on the board with a leadoff home run off senior Hayden Brown. The Bulldogs broke the tie and re-took the lead heading into the sixth inning, when the Beavers got back on the scoreboard. Junior Javier Gutierrez came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State, which brought the score to 3-2 in favor of the Bulldogs. The Beavers were unable to get any closer, as neither team scored again in the ballgame.

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TWINS-YANKEES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched seven scoreless innings and Joey Gallo homered as the two former Yankees helped the Minnesota Twins to a 6-1 win against New York. Jorge Polanco added two hits and three RBIs for Minnesota. Polanco has hit safely in all four games this season after his start was delayed due to left knee inflammation in the spring. Gallo has three homers in six games since being activated from the injured list.The Twins have won three of the first five meetings with their longtime nemesis this year. The Yankees are 100-41 against Minnesota in the regular season since 2002, the best record for any team versus one opponent during that span. New York is also 16-2 against the Twins in the postseason during that stretch. Gray (3-0) gave up three hits and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to a big league-best 0.62. It’s the third-lowest ERA through a starting pitcher’s first five games of a season in Twins/Washington Senators history since 1913, trailing only Walter Johnson (0.24 in 1913) and Eddie Matteson (0.55 in 1918). The veteran right-hander went 15-16 with a 4.51 ERA in parts of two seasons for the Yankees. New York rookie Jhony Brito (2-2) had another tough outing against the Twins, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks. He threw 80 pitches in just 2 2/3 innings after he had his worst start against Minnesota in New York on April 13, giving up seven runs while getting just two outs.

UP NEXT
LHP Nestor Cortes (3-0, 3.09 ERA) starts today for New York. Minnesota will go with RHP Joe Ryan (4-0, 3.24). Cortes permitted three earned runs last time out, breaking a streak of nine straight starts with two earned runs allowed or fewer. He’s given up three or less in his past 16 starts. Ryan had 10 strikeouts and allowed one run in seven innings in a win at Yankee Stadium on April 13.

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RODGERS-JETS TRADE

NEW YORK (AP) – After six weeks of waiting, Aaron Rodgers is leaving behind his brilliant legacy in Green Bay and heading to the bright lights — and massive expectations — of the Big Apple. The New York Jets agreed on a deal Monday to acquire the four-time NFL MVP from the Packers, according to a person with knowledge of the trade. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the teams had not officially announced the deal. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at a pre-draft news conference that the deal hasn’t been finalized, but should be completed before the draft begins Thursday. “We were expecting it to be done very quickly, hopefully soon,” Gutekunst said. “A lot of things have been agreed upon. Some things to go through.”

The Jets will receive Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year from the Packers, according to another person with knowledge of the trade. In exchange, Green Bay will get the 13th overall selection, a second-rounder (No. 42) and a sixth-rounder this year and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that can become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of plays for New York this season. ESPN first reported the agreement on terms between the teams on a deal.

The 39-year-old Rodgers spent a few days in February contemplating his life and playing future during an isolation retreat in Oregon — while fans and reporters speculated about what he would decide. He emerged and deliberated some more before deciding on March 10 he intended to play again — and for the Jets. Rodgers made his intentions official during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and Sirius XM on March 15. That came after New York had sent a contingent that included owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to Rodgers’ home in Southern California in early March. And then he and the sports world waited — and waited — for the Packers and Jets to finally complete a deal. “We’ve been working on this for a while,” Gutekunst said. “To get beyond the draft I think would have been tough for both teams.”

Several weeks of negotiations appeared to be stalled at times, with fans — and the teams — wondering when or if the trade would be completed. “We’re anxious,” Johnson told reporters at the league’s annual meetings on March 28. “I guess, as we look forward, we’re optimistic. But we have a plan, so we’re willing to stick with our plan. And I don’t think anybody is hyperventilating at this point.” It took a while, but the sides were finally able to agree on compensation. And the deal puts the one-time Super Bowl champion in New York after Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021, struggled mightily in his first two seasons.

New York was 7-10 last season, finishing on a six-game losing streak that extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to a franchise-record 12 straight years. With the Jets, Rodgers reunites with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to try to jumpstart an offense that was among the NFL’s worst under coordinator Mike LaFleur, the younger brother of Matt, Rodgers’ coach in Green Bay the past four years. Rodgers joins some promising young playmakers on offense, such as wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, and running back Breece Hall. “There’s a lot of reasons why the Jets are attractive,” Rodgers said during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “But there’s one coach that has meant as much to me as any coach I’ve ever had. And he happens to be the coordinator there.” Saleh acknowledged a few times this offseason that the Jets were looking for a veteran quarterback to add to a team that features a top-five defense. And Johnson said he was “absolutely” on board with paying an established signal caller — “the missing piece,” he called it — if Douglas could get him. They ended up getting one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.

Rodgers said shortly after the season ended that he was making up his mind on whether he wanted to return to the Packers for a 19th season, retire or request a trade. Meanwhile, the Jets explored a few quarterback options, including meeting with free agent Derek Carr at their facility and then again at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. But after Carr agreed to terms to sign with New Orleans, it became even more apparent that New York would be all-in on Rodgers — as long as he wanted to play there. It’s reminiscent of the stunning trade the Jets made in 2008, when they acquired Brett Favre — who also turned 39 a few months later — from the Packers. And, coincidentally, clearing the way for Rodgers to start in Green Bay.

Rodgers was the league MVP in 2020 and 2021, but didn’t perform as well last season while playing with a broken right thumb and dealing with the absence of star wideout Davante Adams, who was traded to Las Vegas. He had his lowest passer rating as a starter (91.1) and threw 12 interceptions, his highest total since 2008. The Packers went 8-9 and missed the playoffs to end a string of three straight NFC North titles. Rodgers led the Packers to their most recent Super Bowl title in the 2010 season. Rodgers never got the Packers back to the Super Bowl, but he helped make them annual contenders. The Packers have lost in the NFC championship game four of the past nine seasons. “I’ve got nothing but love and appreciation for what Aaron has done for so many in our organization,” Matt LaFleur said last month during the NFL meetings in Phoenix. Rodgers’ departure marks a sea change for the Packers after they’ve had about three decades of Hall of Fame-level quarterback production in Favre and Rodgers. Next in line is Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round pick who has made only one career start.

Rodgers acknowledged the move caught him by surprise. He skipped the Packers’ 2021 mandatory minicamp in a standoff with team management before reporting to camp and producing a second straight MVP season. (He also won the award for 2011 and 2014.) But the sides had patched things up afterward. When he was asked last June at the Packers’ mandatory minicamp whether he expected to finish his career in Green Bay, Rodgers replied: “Yes. Definitely.” Then came a 2022 season that didn’t go according to plan. Rodgers now will be tasked with leading a franchise that hasn’t been in the Super Bowl since Joe Namath led the franchise to a victory in its only appearance in January 1969. And quarterback issues have often been among the key culprits in the struggles since. That has especially been the case during the Jets’ current playoff drought. Saleh said the Jets remain committed to developing Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021. But the 23-year-old will do so as a backup to Rodgers, who was Wilson’s idol while growing up in Utah. Wilson joked the day after the season ended that he’d welcome a veteran starter coming in to claim his job and said he plans to “make that dude’s life hell in practice every day.” Little did he know then “that dude” would be the quarterback he tried to emulate as a youngster — who’ll now be in New York trying bring the Jets to another long-awaited Super Bowl.

K-Heart Sports – 04/24/23

Posted on Apr 24, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/24/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND (MSU) – Matt Malone provided the dramatic end to a perfect day on the diamond for the Minot State baseball team, blasting a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Beavers a sweep of visiting Minnesota Duluth on Sunday at Corbett Field in NSIC action. Minot State (24-11 overall, 15-8 NSIC) took the nightcap 12-10 on Malone’s homer, and won the day’s first game 4-2. The two teams are back in action at Noon today playing the finale of their three-game series at Corbett Field.

GAME 1 | Minot State 4, Minnesota-Duluth 2

The Minot State Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Sunday. Junior Craig Schmich (4-2) started on the mound and picked up the win for Minot State. The right-hander went five innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on nine hits, allowing no walks and striking out five. Junior Austin Loeb also made an impact on the mound for the Beavers, throwing one shutout inning while allowing one hit, with no walks and three strikeouts. Sophomore Dalin Ludlow led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 3-for-3 in the ballgame. Junior Javier Gutierrez compiled a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Junior Brent Riddle also contributed, going 1-for-4 for Minot State with an RBI.

The Beavers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Riddle’s run-scoring single highlighted a two-run inning for Minot State. The Bulldogs then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 2-1 until the Beavers expanded their advantage in the fifth. Minot State brought home a pair, with one run driven in by Gutierrez’s single, which brought the score to 4-1 in favor of the Beavers. Minnesota Duluth put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Minot State still held on for the 4-2 win.

GAME 2 | Minot State 12, Minnesota-Duluth 10

The Minot State Beavers fought back from a seven-run deficit to win in thrilling fashion, rallying to secure a 12-10 walk-off victory in the 11th inning over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Sunday. Senior Bryant Bagshaw (6-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went two shutout innings without giving up a hit, no walks and striking out one. Sophomore Jonah Prokott also pitched well, going three innings, surrendering two runs, both earned, on two hits, walking one and striking out five. Junior Brent Riddle led the way offensively for the Beavers, going 4-for-5 in the ballgame with a double, a home run, a walk and two RBI. Junior Gunnar Kozlowitz put together a standout performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Senior Derek Kay also helped out, going 3-for-5 for Minot State with a home run, a walk and two RBI.

Trailing 3-0, the Beavers first put runs on the board in the first inning. Minot State got an RBI single from senior Matt Malone, scoring Riddle from third base. The Bulldogs expanded their lead to 8-1 before the Beavers offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the third. Minot State scored three runs, all of them coming on a three-run homer off the bat of Kozlowitz, scoring Riddle and Kay, which brought the score to 8-4 in favor of the Bulldogs. Minnesota Duluth built their lead to 10-4 before the Minot State offense got going, reducing that lead to 10-8 in the seventh. The Beavers bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run home run off the bat of Riddle. Minot State held the Bulldogs off the board before tying it up in the eighth. The Beavers scored twice on Kay’s two-run homer, tying the score at 10-10. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 11th, when Minot State walked it off on Malone’s one-out two-run home run off of freshman Henry Wilkinson.

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MINOT STATE WOMENS SOFTBALL

MINOT, ND (MSU) – The Minot State Beavers celebrated “Senior Day” with a dramatic sweep of visiting Upper Iowa on Sunday at “The Bubble” on the MSU campus. After honoring seniors Leo Watson and Jaycie Rostad, the Beavers (26-18 overall, 13-9 NSIC) took the opener 5-1, then got a walk-off, two-run home run from Abby Lohse for a 4-3 win in nine innings for the NSIC softball doubleheader sweep. Minot State is back in action Tuesday playing an NSIC doubleheader at Minnesota State Moorhead.

GAME 1 | Minot State 5, Upper Iowa 1

The Minot State Beavers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 5-1 win over the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Sunday. Junior Gabi Dawyduk (3-0) started in the circle and picked up the win for Minot State. The right-hander went five shutout innings while giving up two hits, allowing two walks and striking out two. Offensively, the Beavers were led by senior Leo Watson, who went 1-for-4 on the day with a double and two RBI. Senior Jaycie Rostad furnished a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.

The Beavers put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Junior Izzy Penner came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. The Beavers then held the Peacocks scoreless before expanding their lead in the fourth inning. Minot State pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Watson that scored Rostad and junior Taryn Bennett, which brought the Beavers lead to 3-0. Minot State held Upper Iowa scoreless before expanding their lead to 5-0 the following inning. Rostad’s run-scoring single highlighted a two-run output in the frame for the Beavers. Upper Iowa put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Minot State still coasted to the 5-1 win.

GAME 2 | Minot State 4, Upper Iowa 3

The Minot State Beavers needed nine innings to finish the job, but secured the 4-3 extra-innings win, walking it off on sophomore Abby Lohse’s two-run home run off of junior Delaney Vetter to claim victory over the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Sunday. Freshman Calley Olson (11-2) got the win out of the bullpen for Minot State. The right-hander went four innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing no walks and striking out one. Offensively, the Beavers were led by Lohse, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Junior Brooklyn Morrison put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Junior Taryn Bennett also chipped in for Minot State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a double and a walk.

The Beavers were trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Minot State got an RBI single from sophomore Chesie McLaughlin, scoring Morrison from third base. The Beavers kept the Peacocks off the board before tying it up in the fifth. Lohse came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State, which evened the score at 2-2. Upper Iowa then broke the tie and took a 3-2 lead before Minot State scored two runs in the bottom half of the ninth to grab the win, walking it off on Lohse’s two-out, two-run home run off of Vetter.

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MINOT STATE MEN’S GOLF

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (MSU) – It was a tough final day for the Beavers who slipped to 10th as the NSIC Men’s Golf Championships concluded Sunday at the Adams Pointe Golf Club in Missouri. Minot State shot a team score of 336 for the final 18 holes and finished 10th at 109-over 973. Andrew Makarchuk led the way for Minot State as he finished tied for 34th at 24-over 240, shooting rounds of 83, 77, and 80. Zach Hendrickson was next for the Beavers as he was 42nd with a 30-over 246 for the 54-hole tournament (79-83-84), and teammates Aimery Barrault and Joshua Tu tied for 43rd at 31-over 247. Barrault shot rounds of 79, 86, and 82 while Tu turned in scores of 78, 79, and 90. Aaron Grandy rounded out the Minot State scores as he finished 49th at 38-over 254 (85-79-90).

Bemidji State hung on to claim the team title by one shot over Winona State as Bemidji State shot a 16-over 880 and Winona State turned in a 17-over 881. The Warriors’ Gabe Goodman was the individual tournament champion as his 3-under 213 gave him a six-shot victory.

The NSIC Championship was the final event of the season for the Minot State men’s golf team. The Beaver women’s golf team will be in action this coming weekend playing at their NSIC Championship at Paradise Point Golf Club in Smithville, Missouri on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

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MINOT STATE TRACK & FIELD

BISMARCK, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State hurdler Nathan Trujillo-Aragon and middle-distance runner Nicole Reeves led the way for the men’s and women’s track and field teams, respectively, on Sunday as each raced their way to victory. Also adding a win with and NCAA provisional qualifying mark was javelin thrower Jakob Braunstein for the Beavers. Braunstein claimed victory with a career-best effort of 192 feet, 10 inches, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark that ranks him No. 34 in the nation. Trujillo-Aragon turned in a season-best time in the men’s 110-meter hurdles of 15.36 seconds to win that event at the Al Bortke Open outdoor track and field meet hosted by the University of Mary, while Reeves won the women’s 800 meters in 2:23.68. Just two of the highlights on the day for the Beavers, who also got season-best performances from Chase Snyder, Damian Nino, Summer Krebsbach, Sidra Sadowsky, and Grace Loftus. Snyder was second in the men’s discus with a season-best throw of 153 feet, 5 inches, while Nino finished eighth in the men’s 100-meter dash with his best effort of the spring, a time of 11.30 seconds.

On the women’s side, Krebsbach ran her fastest 200 meters to finish seventh in 26.94. She also was fifth in the women’s 100 in 12.95. Sadowsky ran a season-best time of 1:00.63, finishing fourth in the 400 meters, and Loftus had a season-best mark of 12-5.75 in the long jump, finishing 10th. Adding some other top finishes on the day for Minot State were Grayson Bonilla, who was third in the men’s 5,000 meters in 16:71.01, and Jacob Jensen, who was fourth in the men’s 1,500 in 4:02.08. The next stop in the Beavers race toward the NSIC Championships in early May comes next Saturday as Minot State competes at the Ron Masanz Classic hosted by Minnesota State Moorhead.

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TWINS-NATIONALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jorge Polanco homered and Bailey Ober pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning, helping the Minnesota Twins beat the Washington Nationals 3-1. Michael A. Taylor also connected for Minnesota, which won for just the second time in eight games after a 10-4 start. Polanco had three hits, and Ryan Jeffers and Jose Miranda each had two. Washington finished with three hits after it had 15 in Saturday’s 10-4 win. Keibert Ruiz hit an RBI double in the first to account for the team’s only run.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.82 ERA) starts today as Minnesota opens a three-game home series with the Yankees. New York plans to start RHP Jhony Brito (2-1, 5.40 ERA).

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WILD-STARS

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tyler Seguin scored two power-play goals and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves to help the Dallas Stars bounce back from a lopsided loss and beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in Game 4 to even their first-round NHL playoff series. Evgenii Dadonov gave the Stars a two-goal lead early in the third period just 8 seconds after escaping the penalty box. John Klingberg against his former team to bring the Wild within one. But Seguin delivered again after Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno took another contested penalty. Game 5 is in Dallas on Tuesday night.

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WOLVES-NUGGETS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 114-108 in overtime in Game 4 to avoid elimination. Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota which held on after Denver scored the final 12 points of regulation to force overtime. Mike Conley had 19 points for the Timberwolves. Game 5 is Tuesday in Denver. Nikola Jokic tied a playoff career high with 43 points and added 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Kyle Anderson, who had 11 points off the bench, was declared out with a left eye/facial contusion after taking an errant hand to the face from Edwards in the fourth. Finch said Anderson will see an eye specialist.

K-Heart Sports – 04/22/23

Posted on Apr 22, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/22/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros are in Austin this weekend to begin the Robertson Cup Playoffs. Jackson Luther tallied the game winning goal at 4:35 of overtime as the Bruins defeat the Tauros 4-3. Austin led 1-0 after one period, but Minot would respond just 48-seconds into the second on a power play goal by Hunter Longhi. With just over a minute remaining in the period the Bruins tallied their second power play goal and led 2-1 after two. They would add another power play goal at 13:43 of the third to go ahead 3-1. The Tauros would rally late as Braden Fischer got a power play goal with 1:58 remaining. Chase LaPinta tallied a goal 31-second later and sent it to overtime. Noah Rupprecht made 26 saves for Minot, while Trent Wiemken made 31 saves. Game two in the best of five series is tonight in Austin. Game three is here in Minot next Friday.

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MINOT, ND – Thanks to the air-supported dome at Minot State, the Minot High girls softball team was able to play on Friday. The Majettes improve to 12-0 overall, 8-0 in the WDA.

High School Girls Softball
Class A
Minot High def. Watford City, 33-1

High School Girls Tennis
Williston def. Jamestown, 9-0

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MINOT STATE MEN’S GOLF

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (MSU) – Matching their low score from a month earlier at the Adams Pointe Golf Club, the Minot State men’s golf team finds itself in the midst of a wide-open race after the first round of the NSIC Men’s Golf Championship on Friday. The Beavers shot a 31-over 319 for the opening 18 holes of the 54-hole tournament and sit just five strokes back of both Minnesota Crookston and Upper Iowa, who are tied for seventh, and seven shots back of the University of Mary, which is sixth. Minot State is currently ninth after day one’s action. Bemidji State leads the tournament after an 8-over 296 and holds a four-stroke lead on Winona State, Concordia, St. Paul, and Minnesota State, Mankato, all of which are tied for second at 12-over 300.

While the Beavers are poised to climb in the team standings as the weekend continues, teammates Joshua Tu, Aimery Barrault, and Zach Hendrickson all are grouped within one shot of each other and ready to make a charge. Tu led the way for the Beavers as he shot a 6-over 78 on Friday and is tied for 25th, while Barrault and Hendrickson each carded 7-over 79s and are each tied for 27th. Andrew Makarchuk was next for Minot State as he shot an 11-over 83 and is tied for 41st, and Arron Grandy carded a 130-over 85 and is tied for 46th. Individually, Concordia, St. Paul’s Kurt Lambert leads the tournament field by one shot after day one as he turned in a 2-under 70. Minnesota State, Mankato’s Jack Klimek and Winona State’s Gabe Goodman are each one shot back of the lead as both turned in 1-under 71s on Friday. Day two of the three-day, 54-hole Championships is today at Adams Pointe Golf Club in Missouri.

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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – It’s “Senior Weekend” for the Beaver softball team, and despite the wintry weather this week Minot State will get to celebrate in the friendly, and warm, confines of the Air-Supported Dome on the MSU campus. The Beavers will honor seniors Leo Watson and Jaycie Rostad this weekend as Minot State takes on Winona State and Upper Iowa inside “The Bubble” in NSIC doubleheader action today and Sunday. First pitch today has been pushed back to 3 p.m. against the visiting Warriors (30-11 overall, 13-3 NSIC), who come in having just been ranked at No. 10 in the first NCAA Central Region poll released earlier this week. Sunday, first pitch is scheduled for Noon against the Peacocks (14-21, 6-11) with a “Senior Day” ceremony honoring Watson and Rostad slated for 11:30 a.m.

Minot State (23-17, 10-8) will be challenged both days as the Beavers have beaten Winona State once in the last 15 meetings, while Upper Iowa swept last season’s meetings to snap a seven-game Beaver win streak. Both days will be key for Minot State in its playoff chase, as well, as the Beavers sit in seventh in the NSIC standings with 10 games left, six following this weekend which all are on the road.

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MINOT STATE-ASSISTANT A.D.’S

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State’s Director of Athletics Kevin Forde is pleased to announce the addition of Janna McKechnie to the Beaver Athletics administration team, and the promotion of Ryan Beckner to a new role in the athletic department. McKechnie, a graduate of Minot State who has served the University for the past 12 years as the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, is the Beavers’ new Assistant Athletic Director for External Operations. Beckner, who joined the Minot State Athletic staff in May 2021 as the Coordinator of Athletic Operations takes over in his new role with the Beavers as the Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Operations.

Janna joined the Minot State Advancement team in 2011 and led alumni events in the state and around the country. As director of annual giving, Janna managed all faculty and staff giving. As the Director of External Operations, McKechnie will handle many of the same duties for Minot State Athletics, working in cooperation with the Minot State Booster Club while managing giving for Beaver Athletics and sponsorships. A Minot native, Janna attended both Minot High School and Minot State and played basketball for the Beavers in the early 2000s. Janna and her husband, Aaron, have two girls. Janna is active in the Minot Optimist Club, Longfellow PTA, and the Professional Communication department on campus.

Beckner previously coordinated the use of the Minot State Athletic facilities. In his new role, Ryan is responsible for internal operations including human resources, finances, facilities, event management, external vendors, camps, and equipment services. He will manage graduate staff, game contracts for the department, and all HR responsibilities as well as manage Minot State’s three athletic on-campus facilities. Prior to joining the Minot State Athletic team, Ryan worked as a New Business Sales Consultant for The Aspire Group at Army West Point Athletics for two years. While at Army he was a member of the sales team that set consecutive records for most football revenue generated in an Army football season. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Beckner joined the Beaver Athletic team from Illinois State University where he earned his Master’s in Kinesiology & Recreation – Sport Management. At ISU, Ryan was an Event and Game Operations Intern for Redbird Athletics and held graduate assistantships at Heartland Community College Athletics and the Illinois State University Dean of Students Office. At USM, Ryan was a student assistant for USM Facility & Event Management, as well as the Eagle Club, which is the fundraising division of the Southern Mississippi Athletic Department. He was also president of the Student Eagle Club, the largest student organization on campus, and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

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TWINS-NATIONALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joey Meneses hit his first homer of the season, Keibert Ruiz singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Washington Nationals rallied past the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on a chilly night. Joey Gallo’s solo homer was one of just five hits for the Twins, who have scored two or fewer runs in seven of their 20 games. Minnesota led 2-0 before Meneses went deep in the seventh to chase Twins starter Tyler Mahle. Lane Thomas and Ruiz had RBI singles in the eighth against losing pitcher Griffin Jax. Erasmo Ramírez picked up the win and Kyle Finnegan got the save for Washington. Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco was activated from the injured list and started, his first action this year. Polanco had been sidelined with inflammation in his left knee, a lingering effect of an injury that kept him out for the final month of last season.

UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 8.59 ERA) will take the mound for the second game of the series on Saturday. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his three starts this season.
Twins: After signing a four-year extension with the Twins on Friday, Pablo López (1-1, 1.73) will look to continue his hot start.

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WOLVES-NUGGETS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Jokic had his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Denver Nuggets fended off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-111 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series. Michael Porter Jr. pitched in 25 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray had 18 points and nine assists as Denver withstood another dashing performance by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. Edwards scored 36 points to raise his series total to 95. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points after totaling only 21 points over the first two games for the Wolves. The Wolves will try to avoid being swept as they host game 4 on Sunday evening.

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WILD-STARS

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored twice and Ryan Hartman had a three-point game as the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Zuccarello scored Minnesota’s first goal on a backhander and beat Stars goalie Jake Oettinger on a breakaway in the third period. Marcus Johansson, Marcus Foligno and Hartman added goals for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson, who did not play in Game 2, made 23 saves for the Wild. Luke Glendening scored for Dallas. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.

K-Heart Sports – 04/21/23

Posted on Apr 21, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/21/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Due to the weather, only a handful of games were played yesterday and most of them were indoors.

High School Girls Softball
Class B
Velva-Drake-Anamoose def. Garrison, 20-1

High School Girls Soccer
Mandan def. Jamestown, 2-0

High School Girls Tennis
Mandan def. Dickinson, 5-4
Bismarck Century def. Williston, 6-3

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MINOT STATE BASEBALL-SCHEDULE

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – After getting a bit of rest thanks to winter weather, the Minot State baseball team is ready to hit the diamond for another home weekend. The Beavers will host Minnesota Duluth in a three-game series pushed back to Sunday and Monday, April 23 and 24, with the teams playing a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Corbett Field, then meeting for a single-game Monday starting at Noon.

The series might also be a bit of a grudge match as the Beavers will look for revenge against a Bulldog team that eliminated Minot State from the NSIC Tournament last spring. Since then, the Beavers (22-11 overall, 13-8 NSIC) have continued to be a top team in the NSIC as Minot State is No. 2 in hitting with a .324 team batting average, and the Beavers lead the league in home runs with 65 on the season. Meanwhile, on the hill, Minot State has been just as strong as the Beavers staff is No. 6 in ERA at 5.81 and No. 4 in total strikeouts with 272. Conversely, things haven’t gone as well for Minnesota Duluth which, on the mound, is in the middle of the pack with a 6.43 ERA and 256 Ks, though the Bulldogs’ offense is 13th in the league hitting .273 and averaging just over 6 runs per game. That’s led to a 14-20 overall record and a 7-14 mark in league play, though the Bulldogs do have some momentum as they snapped a seven-game skid with a doubleheader sweep of Bemidji State, 7-5 and 11-1 on Tuesday.

Individual, sophomore infielder Ethan Cole (.369) and freshman catcher Michael Gabbard (.301) lead the Bulldogs offense as the only two players hitting over .300. Cole is the team’s big bopper leading Minnesota Duluth in average, home runs (6), and RBIs (27). On the hill, senior left-hander Brayden Buttweiler has been the top starter with a 3-1 record, a 3.04 ERA, and 36 Ks in 26 2/3 innings to lead the staff. For the Beavers, Gunnar Kozlowitz is among the league’s offensive leaders with his .389 batting average, which ranks No. 8 in the NSIC, but he is just one of seven Minot State players hitting over .300 – Derek Kay (.377), Mark Ossanna (.364), Brent Riddle (.352), Matt Malone (.347), Martin Rodriguez (.337), and Javier Gutierrez (.317). While Kozlowitz is a league leader in average, Kay and Guiterrez are tied for third in the NSIC with 12 home runs each, while Kay is No. 4 in the conference with 43 RBIs. That potent offense makes things easier for a solid pitching staff led by starters Bryant Bagshaw, who is 5-1 with a 4.32 ERA and 41 Ks in 41 2/3 innings, Trevyn Badger, who is 2-1 with a 4.60 ERA and 36 Ks in 31 1/3 innings, and Dominick Parkhurst, who is 4-0 with a 5.76 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 31 innings.

The weekend series is just the second of the season at home for the Beavers who will make a quick road trip to play a doubleheader Wednesday at Minnesota Crookston before hosting the University of Mary on April 29-30, then hosting Southwest Minnesota State on May 2.

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MINOT, ND – The North Dakota High School Activities Association has approved region tournament sites for next year, including the new three-class basketball system. (west sites listed)

High School Basketball

Class AA
West Region Girls & Boys – Feb 29, March 1-2 at Bismarck Event Center
Girls & Boys State Tournament – March 7-9 at Bismarck Event Center

Class A Girls
Region 3 Tournament – Feb 19, 20, 22 at Minot State Dome
Region 4 Tournament – Feb 19, 20, 22 at Beulah High School
State Qualifier games (Runner-up vs 3rd Place cross regions) – Feb 24 at Minot Auditorium
State Tournament – Feb 29, March 1-2 at Minot State Dome

Class B Girls

Region 3 Tournament – Feb 19, 20, 22 at Killdeer High School
Region 4 Tournament – Feb 19, 20, 22 at Minot Auditorium
State Qualifier games (Runner-up vs 3rd Placs cross regions) – Feb 24 at Minot Auditorium
State Tournament – Feb 29, March 1-2 at Jamestown Civic Center

Class A Boys
Region 3 Tournament – March 4, 5, 7 at Minot State Dome
Region 4 Tournament – March 4, 5, 7 at Killdeer High School
State Qualifier games (Runner-up vs 3rd Place cross regions) – March 9 at 4Bears Event Center in New Town
State Tournament – March 14-16 at Fargo Dome

Class B Boys
Region 3 Tournament – March 4, 5, 7 at Bismarck St. Mary’s
Region 4 Tournament – March 4, 5, 7 at 4Bears Event Center in New Town
State Qualifier games (Runner-up vs 3rd Place cross regions) – March 9 at 4Bears Event Center in New Town
State Tournament – March 14-16 at Minot State Dome

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TWINS-RED SOX

BOSTON (AP) — Kenta Maeda was coming out of the game. But first, he wanted to get the out. The Twins right-hander took a 111 mph line drive off his left ankle in the second inning of Thursday’s 11-5 loss to the Red Sox. He steadied himself with his hands, then pounced on the ball to get Boston batter Jarren Duran for the third out. Maeda then collapsed onto his back and rolled onto his side. “I am not surprised to see him, on one leg” making the play, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You get nervous when guys are doing that and their leg might be broken. Honestly, I’d prefer he not damage himself trying to do that. But he is highly competitive, and he’s not going to stop playing until that leg stops moving.” The Twins training staff rushed out to attend to Maeda, who was able to walk off the field on his own after a few minutes. The team said Maeda had a left ankle bruise and X-rays were negative. Baldelli said he hadn’t decided what to do with his rotation, but the Twins play 10 more games before their first off day on May 1. The play ended the second inning. Emilio Pagan came in to start the third and gave up six runs in the inning, including Duran’s two-run double off the Green Monster.

UP NEXT
Washington Nationals (5-13, fifth in the NL East) vs. Minnesota Twins (11-8, first in the AL Central)
Nationals: Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.52 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, nine strikeouts); Twins: Tyler Mahle (1-2, 4.11 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 18 strikeouts)

K-Heart Sports – 04/20/23

Posted on Apr 20, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 04/20/23 – 0700

CROOKSTON, Minn. (MSU) -The Minot State Beavers came up with their third last at-bat win in four days, rallying to beat host Minnesota Crookston in the opener of an NSIC softball doubleheader on Wednesday and earn a road split. The Beavers (23-17 overall, 10-8 NSIC) took the opener 3-1 thanks to a pair of runs in the top of the seventh but couldn’t complete the sweep as the Golden Eagles took the nightcap 7-4. The Minot State softball team now returns home to host Winona State on Saturday in another NSIC doubleheader, then entertains Upper Iowa on Sunday for “Senior Day.”

GAME 1 | Minot State 3, Minnesota-Crookston 1

The Minot State Beavers responded with a last at-bat rally, snapping a tie score in exciting fashion, securing a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Wednesday. Sophomore Reegan Floyd (8-9) got the win for Minot State. The right-hander went seven innings, giving up one run on three hits, allowing one walk and striking out four. Offensively, the Beavers were led by junior Izzy Penner, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a double. Freshman Taylor Smith put together a standout day at the dish as well, going 1-for-1 with a double. Freshman Sara Van Wickler also chipped in for Minot State, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate. The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Senior Leo Watson came across to score the lone run of the inning for Minot State and get them on the board. After the Golden Eagles rallied to tie the ballgame at one, the Beavers came back to retake the lead in the seventh inning. Minot State managed to push across two runs in the inning, which brought the Beavers lead to 3-1. The score remained 3-1 for the rest of the game, as Minot State held on for the win.

GAME 2 | Minnesota Crookston 7, Minot State 4

The Minot State Beavers got three hits from senior Leo Watson in a 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Wednesday. Freshman Calley Olson (10-2) started and took the loss in the circle for Minot State. Junior Gabi Dawyduk was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going two innings, surrendering two runs, zero earned, on two hits. Watson’s three-hit day led the Beavers offensively. Sophomore Chesie McLaughlin compiled a standout day at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Junior Izzy Penner also contributed for Minot State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a double. The Beavers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring runs in the top of the first inning. Minot State managed to push across two runs in the inning. The Golden Eagles then rallied to score seven runs and take a 7-2 lead before the Beavers got back on the board in the seventh. Watson’s run-scoring single highlighted an inning where Minot State scored twice, which tightened the Golden Eagles lead to 7-4. The ballgame ended with that seventh-inning rally falling short.

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LIONS ALL-STAR ROSTERS

MINOT, ND – Rosters have been released for the North Dakota Lions All-Star Basketball Series. The series features the standout senior high school basketball players from the state, with the teams split between Class A and Class B. Games will be played July 10th at Bismarck High School and July 11th at Fargo Davies High School.

Class A Boys:

Houston Davis, Turtle Mountain
Zac Kraft, Red River
Alex Dvorak, Dickinson
Anthony Doppler, Century
Ray Brown, Fargo Davies
Darik Dissette, Minot
Reis Rowekamp, Red River
Vuciri Hakim, Shanley
Parker Wallette, Turtle Mountain
Ethan Manock, Wahpeton
William Ware, Bismarck Century
Ryan Erikson, Century

Coaches: Travis Hoeg, Fargo North and Kirby Krefting, Red River

Class B Boys:

Landon Koenig, May-Port-CG
Brady Feller, Bishop Ryan
Talan Batke, Hazen
Trey Hatfield, Oak Grove
Tyson Enget, Powers Lake-Burke Central
Tate Grossman, Harvey-Wells County
Connor Kerzmann, Garrison
Carson Yale, Des Lacs-Burlington
Sam Kobbervig, Central Cass
Mark Fassett, Jr, Warwick
Ayden Stainbrook, North Border
Jay Wanzek, Shiloh Christian

Coaches: Matt Norman, Central Cass and Brad Miller, Shiloh Christian

Class A Girls:

Amya Gourneau, Turtle Mountain
Emily Ash, Dickinson
Arden Faulkner, Fargo North
Maya Metcalf, Sheyenne
McKenna Koolmo, Wahpeton
Chloe Pfau, West Fargo
Bergan Kinnebrew, Bismarck Century
Alyssa Eckroth, Bismarck Legacy
Ella Falk, Jamestown
Peyton Neumiller, Bismarck
Miriley Simon, West Fargo
Brooke Eggermont, Valley City

Coaches: Kent Ripplinger, Red River and Kenyon Wingenbach, Sheyenne

Class B Girls:

Klaire Cotton, Central Cass
Olivia Dick, Thompson
Kennedy Harter, Kidder County
Kendyl Hager, Rugby
Ellie Braaten, Westhope-Newberg
Kacie Burner, Kindred
Hailey Quam, Shiloh Christian
Halle Crockett, Northern Cass
Rylen Burgess, Cavalier
Decontee Smith, Central Cass
Ellie Powell, Bowman County
Mykell Heidlebaugh, Rugby

Coaches: Jay Bachman, Central Cass and Jason Brend, Thompson

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RICHTER RESIGNS

LINTON, N.D. (KFYR) – One of the top volleyball coaches in the state is resigning to watch her children play sports. Jaime Richter of Linton-HMB has 539 wins in 19 seasons of leading the Lions. Richter has three boys all playing football in the fall, plus her daughter JayCee is playing volleyball and basketball at Valley City State. Linton-HMB has played in the last three Class-B state championship matches. The Lions won the title in 2020 and 2021. Richter’s teams won seven Region Three championships as well. Kadie Anderson has been promoted to take over for Jaime as the head coach at Linton-HMB.

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TWINS-RED SOX

BOSTON (AP) — Joey Gallo hit a three-run homer in his return from the injured list, and Trevor Larnach and Edouard Julien also homered to help lift the Minnesota Twins to a 10-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Joe Ryan allowed three runs and six hits with three strikeouts and one walk in six innings for the win. Brent Headrick earned the save in his major league debut. He gave up one run and one hit in three innings. Gallo missed 10 games with a right intercostal strain. Larnach had a three-run homer and had four RBIs overall. Corey Kluber gave up seven runs and six hits in five innings in the loss. Kiké Hernandez homered for Boston.

UP NEXT Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (0-2, 4.09 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale today. He’ll face the Red Sox for the third time in his career, and second time at Fenway Park. RHP Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.5) is scheduled to start for Boston. It’ll be his third career start against Minnesota.

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WOLVES-NUGGETS

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 40 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 13 of his 16 in the fourth quarter, powering the Denver Nuggets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-113 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the NBA playoff series. Nikola Jokic added 27 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who blew an early 21-point lead and trailed 89-87 heading into the fourth quarter. Anthony Edwards had 41 points for the Wolves, who shot a sizzling 81% in the third quarter to erase a 64-59 halftime deficit. The series shifts to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday night.

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WILD-STARS

DALLAS (AP) — Roope Hintz scored a short-hander on Dallas’ first shot and added two more goals after that, Evgenii Dadonov scored twice and the Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 7-3 to even the first-round series at a game each. Hintz, who also had an assist, secured the hat trick with a power-play goal with just under eight minutes left, when Miro Heiskanen got his fourth assist of the game. Captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin also had power-play goals for the Stars. The Dallas scoring onslaught came against three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Marc-André Fleury, who got the start even after 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson made his playoff debut with a franchise-record 51 saves in the series opener the Wild won 3-2 in double overtime. The 38-year-old Fleury had 24 saves in his 168th career playoff game. He had been 8-3-1 over his final 12 starts of the regular season. Game 3 is Friday night in Minnesota.