KHRT ND News «

K-Heart Sports – 07/23/23

Posted on Jul 23, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – SATURDAY – 07/22/23

MINOT, ND – The West Region Class A Legion Baseball Tournament finished on Saturday.

American Legion Baseball
Class A

West Region Tournament – Mandan

State Qualifier
#6 Watford City Walleye def. #5 Mandan A’s, 12-5
#4 Bismarck Capitals def. #3 Bismarck Reps, 12-4
Championship
#2 Dickinson Volunteers def. #1 Bismarck Senators, 6-5

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MINOT HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots lost the first of a two-game home series to the Duluth Huskies on Saturday 19-14. Duluth scored each of the first six innings. Minot scored the final 8 runs of the game, but couldn’t overcome the quick start by the Huskies. The Tots will try to earn the split of the series tonight at 5:35 pm at Corbett Field.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Christian Vásquez drove in the tying run and Michael A. Taylor followed with an RBI single, all in the seventh inning, as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Saturday night. Jordan Balazovic (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh inning and earned his first big league victory. Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17 save of the season. Trailing 2-1 with two runners on in the seventh, Vásquez hit what he thought was a go-ahead three-run homer off reliever Gregory Santos. But, the ball hit the top of the left-field wall and was ruled a double, scoring Byron Buxton. Later in the inning, Taylor put the Twins ahead, hitting a sharp single to center after trying unsuccessfully to bunt earlier in the at-bat. His hit four pitches later drove in Kyle Farmer. Twins starter Sonny Gray allowed seven hits and two runs in six innings. He struck out four and allowed one walk. Carlos Correa reached base four times for Minnesota, including an RBI double in the third. The Twins have now won seven of nine games since the All-Star break and have maintained their hold on first place in the AL Central.

UP NEXT

RHP Lucas Giolito (6-6, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago in the series finale Sunday. The White Sox are winless in his two starts against the Twins this year. Minnesota will send RHP Bailey Ober (6-4, 2.74) to the mound. He will face the White Sox for the first time this season.

K-Heart Sports – 07/21/23

Posted on Jul 21, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 07/21/23

MINOT, ND – It took both championship game, but Burlington is headed to the State Class B Legion Baseball Tournament next week in Carrington. Meanwhile, the West Region Class A Legion Baseball Tournament began on Thursday in Mandan.

American Legion Baseball
Class A

West Region Tournament – Mandan

First Round
#1 Bismarck Senators def. #8 Williston Oilers, 5-3
#5 Mandan A’s def. #4 Bismarck Capitals, 8-7
#2 Dickinson Volunteers def. #10 Beulah Cyclones, 12-9
#3 Bismarck Reps def. #6 Watford City Walleye, 10-0

Today’s schedule

Loser Out
#6 Watford City Walleye vs #10 Beulah Cyclones, 11 am
#4 Bismarck Capitals vs #8 Williston Oilers, 1:30 pm
Semifinal
#1 Bismarck Senators vs #5 Mandan A’s, 4 pm
#2 Dickinson Volunteers vs #3 Bismarck Reps, 6:30 pm

———-

American Legion Baseball
Class B

District 2 Tournament – Burlington
Championship
#3 Renville County def. #1 Burlington, 23-4
2nd Championship
#1 Burlington def. #3 Renville County, 8-4

———-

District 3 Tournament – Rugby
Championship
#1 Cando def. #4 Rugby,7-3

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MINOT HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Dakota Dustup rivalry between Bismarck and Minot was renewed last night at Corbett Field. The Larks had won the first six meetings, but the Hot Tots took the last two. Last night Bismarck notched another win 12-8 over the Tots. Minot trailed 10-2 entering the final two inning and tried to mount a rally by scoring 3 runs in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th. Jack Smith (1-3) takes the loss for the Tots pitching 2 innings and giving up 5 earned runs on 7 hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Andrew Hansen (2-1) gets the win after 5 innings and surrendering 2 earned runs on 4 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. The Larks and Hot Tots play again tonight in Bismarck.

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NORTHWOODS LEAGUE-ALL STARS

BISMARCK, N.D. — The Northwoods League has announced their All-Star rosters ahead of the 2023 Great Plains All-Star Game that will be held at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark in Bismarck on August 1 at 7:05 p.m. the Minot Hot Tots in their inaugural season had one player selected to participate, Drew Woodcox, OF, who’s batting .333 this season. The Bismarck Larks will have five players representing the Great Plains West in the All-Star game:

Nick Oakley, 2B: .393 Batting Average this season
Ben Rosengard, SS: .301 Batting Average this season
Jackson Beaman, OF: 10 Home Runs this season (T-1st in the Northwoods League)
Jack Herring, OF: .355 Batting Average this season
Brad Helton, RHP: 30 Strikeouts this season

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TWINS-MARINERS

SEATTLE (AP) — George Kirby matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 5-0 on Thursday. Teoscar Hernández and Mike Ford homered as Seattle earned a split of the four-game set, but the afternoon belonged to Seattle’s All-Star pitcher. Kirby retired 11 of his first 12 batters and didn’t allow a hit until Matt Wallner dribbled a single just inside the bag at third base with two outs in the fourth. Kirby (9-8) allowed four hits, and the 10 strikeouts matched his outing against Miami last month. Pablo López went to a full count on four of his first seven batters and needed 36 pitches to get through the frame. López (5-6) settled down after the rocky beginning, but Hernández got the better of him again when he led off the fourth with his 16th homer. López allowed six hits and struck out seven, but the high pitch count early on had the Twins going to their bullpen by the sixth.

UP NEXT
RHP Joe Ryan (8-6, 3.77 ERA) gets the start as Minnesota begins a series at home against the Chicago White Sox and Lance Lynn (6-8, 6.06 ERA) tonight. Ryan threw 5 1/3 innings and got a no-decision in his last start against Oakland.

K-Heart Sports – 07/20/23

Posted on Jul 20, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – THURSDAY – 07/20/23

MINOT, ND – It’s championship day for the District 2 and District 3 American Legion baseball tournaments. Renville County is trying to 3-peat as district champs today.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Minot Vistas def. Bismarck Governors, 4-1
Minot Vistas def. Bismarck Governors, 2-0

Class A
West Region Tournament Play In
Williston Oilers def. Minot Metros, 14-8
Beulah Cyclones def. Jamestown Blues, 2-1

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Class B

District 2 Tournament – Burlington
Loser Out
#2 Surrey def. #4 Kenmare, 7-1
Semifinal
#1 Burlington def. #3 Renville County, 9-5
#3 Renville County def. #2 Surrey, 6-4

Today’s schedule
Championship
#1 Burlington vs #3 Renville County, 1 pm
(if RC wins, a 2nd championship follows at 3:30 pm)

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District 3 Tournament – Rugby

Semifinal
#1 Cando def. #6 Rolla, 6-5 (8)
Loser Out
#4 Rugby def. #2 Bottineau, 5-0
Semifinal
#4 Rugby def. #6 Rolla, 7-2

Today’s schedule

Championship
#1 Cando vs #4 Rugby, 4 pm
(if Rugby wins, a 2nd champion follows by 30 minutes)

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MINOT HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots earned a split of their two-game home series against St. Cloud by shutting out the Rox 7-0 last night. Paxton Miller gets the win pitching 5 shutout innings surrendering 5 hits, 7 walks and 3 strikeouts. Tyler Hemmesch gets the loss for St. Cloud going 4 innings and giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. The Hot Tots have won 3 of their last 4. That includes a sweep of their two-game series with Bismarck last weekend. Minot will host the Larks tonight at 6:35 pm

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TWINS-MARINERS

SEATTLE (AP) — Max Kepler scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the eighth inning and Minnesota pitchers struck out 14 in the Twins’ 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Kepler scored from third when a pitch from reliever Andrés Muñoz (2-3) got past catcher Tom Murphy, breaking a 3-3 tie. Kepler also hit a solo homer in the fifth inning off Luis Castillo, and has a six-game hitting streak. Ryan Jeffers put the Twins ahead with a second-inning single, and rookie Edouard Julien and Kepler made it 3-0 with home runs in the fifth inning. Julien had two hits, and now has six multi-hit performances in his past seven games. The Mariners tied it with a pair of homers of their own. Tom Murphy connected off Twins starter Kenta Maeda in the sixth inning, and Eugenio Suárez tied it with a two-run shot in the seventh off Griffin Jax. Alex Kirillof hit a two-run homer in the ninth against Devin Sweet, in the 26-year-old pitcher’s major league debut.

UP NEXT
RHP Pablo López (5-5, 4.24 ERA) was set to pitch this afternoon for Minnesota against RHP George Kirby (8-8, 3.43 ERA) in the series finale.

K-Heart Sports – 07/19/23

Posted on Jul 19, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – WEDNESDAY – 07/19/23

MINOT, ND – Hazen is headed to the State Class B Legion Baseball Tournament in Carrington next week.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Mandan Chiefs def. Williston Keybirds, 6-0
Mandan Chiefs def. Williston Keybirds, 5-2

Dickinson Roughriders def. Bismarck Governors, 11-10 (10)
Bismarck Governors def. Dickinson Roughriders, 11-8

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Class B

District 1 Tournament – Hazen

Semifinal
#2 Washburn def. #5 Belfield, 6-4
Championship
#1 Hazen def. #2 Washburn, 3-1

———-

District 2 Tournament – Burlington

Loser Out
#6 Ray def. #7 Tioga, 5-1
Second Round
#3 Renville County def. #2 Surrey, 9-4
Loser Out
#4 Kenmare def. #6 Ray, 18-8
#2 Surrey def. #5 Crosby, 17-0

Today’s schedule

Loser Out
#2 Surrey vs #4 Kenmare, 11 am
Semifiinal
#1 Burlington vs #3 Renville County, 1:30 pm
Surrey/Kenmare winner vs Burlington/RC loser, 4 pm

———-

District 3 Tournament – Rugby

Second Round
#1 Cando def. #4 Rugby, 6-3
#6 Rolla def. #2 Bottineau, 5-2
Loser Out
#4 Rugby def. #3 Velva, 5-0
#2 Bottineau def. #5 Devils Lake, 7-5

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#1 Cando vs #6 Rolla, 12 pm
Loser Out
#2 Bottineau vs #4 Rugby, 2 pm
Semifinal
Cando/Rolla loser vs Bottineau/Rugby winner, 4 pm

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MINOT HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – St. Cloud scored 7 times in the 3rd inning and the Rox held on to defeat the Minot Hot Tots 11-4 last night at Corbett Field. Minot scored 3 in the 1st inning on a bases clearing double by Max Lucas and added one in the 3rd. The Rox used five pitchers on the night with Gavin Jacobsen getting the win. He pitched the 2nd and 3rd innings giving up one earned run on 2 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Minot used four pitchers and starter Grant Faris took the loss as he pitched 2 innings and surrendered 5 earned runs on 2 hits with 4 walks and one strikeout. The Hot Tots and Rox meet again tonight at 6:35 pm at Corbett Field here in Minot.

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TWINS-MARINERS

SEATTLE (AP) — Alex Kirilloff was a double shy of the cycle, Bailey Ober was sharp after a difficult first inning, and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Seattle Mariners 10-3 on Tuesday night. Minnesota (49-47) stays 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central standings, winning its last four of five. Seattle (47-47) has dropped three of five since the All-Star break. Ober (6-4) allowed three runs on six hits in the first inning alone, including a two-run homer, but was efficient for the final five innings, allowing just one more hit. Ober struck out five while walking none and now has six consecutive quality starts. Kirilloff recorded his third straight multihit game. He hit a two-run homer in the third to take a 4-3 lead, then tripled off the leaping glove of Jarred Kelenic in the fourth and later scored on Max Kepler’s double. He added a single in the eighth, leaving only a double to complete the cycle. Bryan Woo (1-2) had his shortest outing since his debut on June 3, lasting only 3 1/3 innings on 87 pitches. The rookie was on an impressive streak, allowing no more than two runs in his last six starts before Minnesota tacked on seven runs on eight hits.

UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Kenta Maeda (2-5, 5.50 ERA) faces Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (6-7, 2.96) tonight.

K-Heart Sports – 07/18/23

Posted on Jul 18, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – TUESDAY – 07/18/23

MINOT, ND – District 2 and District 3 in Class B Legion Baseball began their tournaments on Monday. District 1 held second day action on Monday.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Bismarck Governors def. Williston Keybirds, 5-4
Bismarck Governors def. Williston Keybirds, 8-0

Fargo Post 2 def. Dickinson Roughriders, 4-2
Fargo Post 2 def. Dickinson Roughriders, 5-3

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Class B

District 1 Tournament – Hazen

Loser Out
#3 Hettinger def. #4 Garrison, 12-6
#5 Belfield def. #6 Bismarck Scarlets, 14-5
Semifinal
#1 Hazen def. #2 Washburn, 3-2
Loser Out
#5 Belfield def. #3 Hettinger, 3-2

Today’s schedule

Semifinal
#2 Washburn vs #5 Belfield, 12 pm
Championship
#1 Hazen vs Washburn/Belfield winner, 3 pm (if Hazen loses, a 2nd championship is Wednesday at 3 pm)

———-

District 2 Tournament – Burlington

First Round
#4 Kenmare def. #5 Crosby, 11-3
#2 Surrey def. #7 Tioga, 16-0
#3 Renville County def. #6 Ray, 14-4
Second Round
#1 Burlington def. #4 Kenmare, 10-0

Today’s schedule

Loser Out
#6 Ray vs #7 Tioga, 10 am
Second Round
#2 Surrey vs #3 Renville County, 12:30 pm
Loser Out
#4 Kenmare vs Ray/Tioga winner, 3 pm
#5 Crosby vs Surrey/RC loser, 5:30 pm

———-

District 3 Tournament – Rugby

First Round
#4 Rugby def. #5 Devils Lake, 14-4
#2 Bottineau def. #7 Harvey, 12-1
#6 Rolla def. #3 Velva, 11-1
Loser Out
#3 Velva def. #7 Harvey, 11-1

Today’s schedule

Second Round
#1 Cando vs #4 Rugby, 11 am
#2 Bottineau vs #6 Rolla, 1 pm
Loser Out
#3 Velva vs Cando/Rugby loser, 3 pm
#5 Devils Lake vs Bottineau/Rolla

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TWINS-MARINERS

SEATTLE (AP) — Frustrated and shut down by All-Star Sonny Gray for the first four innings, the Seattle Mariners changed their approach to solve one of the top pitchers in the American League. Jarred Kelenic’s two-run single capped Seattle’s big fifth inning against Gray, and Eugenio Suárez added a two-run homer in the seventh as the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6 on Monday night. The Mariners overcame a shaky first few innings on the mound from Logan Gilbert to hand Gray his second straight loss and snap the Twins’ three-game win streak coming out of the All-Star break. Minnesota made it interesting in the ninth when Max Kepler hit a three-run homer with two outs off reliever Ty Adcock to pull within 7-6. Seattle closer Paul Sewald entered and struck out Ryan Jeffers for his 19th save. Gray (4-4) wasn’t able to get through the sixth and his outing ended after a wild pitch that allowed Cal Raleigh to score from third. Gray allowed five runs, five hits, walked four and struck out five. In his last start before the break, he was knocked around for six runs by Baltimore.

UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Bailey Ober (5-4, 2.61 ERA) has pitched at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer in his past five starts. In his last two, Ober has allowed one earned run in 13 innings with 13 strikeouts.
Mariners: Rookie RHP Bryan Woo (1-1, 3.63) makes his first start after the All-Star break. Woo threw six innings in each of his final two starts before the break and allowed a total of three earned runs.

K-Heart Sports – 07/17/23

Posted on Jul 17, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – MONDAY – 07/17/23

MINOT, ND – The Minot Vistas scored twice in the 8th inning and defeated Duluth 5-3 as they finished play at the Detroit Lakes Tournament in Minnesota. It was a good weekend for the Vistas as they recorded a 3-1 record at the tournament. Their only loss came in their opening game on Friday against Anoko MN 8-3. Minot bounced back to defeat Hillsboro-Central Valley 12-2. On Saturday, the Vistas defeated West St. Paul MN 12-2. Minot returns to conference play on Wednesday in Bismarck against the Governors.

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – After getting their first win in the Dakota Dustup rivalry, 19-13, at home on Saturday the Minot Hot Tots completed the sweep of Bismarck with a 9-6 win on Sunday in Bismarck. Gage Yost gets the win for Minot pitching 5 innings and allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Murphy Bostick takes the loss for the Larks pitching 5 innings and giving up 7 runs (6 earned) on 6 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. The Hot Tots are off today and then begin a two-game home series hosting St. Cloud on Tuesday.

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SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

MINOT, ND – The 2023 North Dakota Junior Olympics Girls Fastpitch State Tournament finished on Sunday here in Minot.

10 & Under – Class C Championship
Bottineau Crush def. Williston Boom, 6-3

10 & Under Class B Championship
Diamond Academy def. Jamestown Outlaws (Blue), 15-13

12 & Under Class C Championship
Hillsboro 12U def. Dickinson Diamond 12U Orange, 15-12

12 & Under Class B Championship
Dickinson Diamonds 12U White def. West Fargo United 12U, 17-0

14 & Under Class C Championship
Jamestown Outlaws def. West Fargo United 14U, 8-2

14 & Under Class B Championship
Diamond Academy def. Minot Storm 14U Blue, 8-0

16 & Under Class B Championship
Diamond Academy def Dickinson Diamonds 16U, 8-1

18 & Under Class C Championship
Baseload Power def. May-Port-CG Patriots, 8-5

18 & Under Class B Championship
River City Wolfpack def. West Fargo United 18U, 6-5

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TWINS-A’S

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Alex Kirilloff homered in the fifth inning and hit a three-run double in the seventh, rallying the Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics and a series sweep Sunday. Christian Vázquez also connected for the Twins, who hadn’t won three straight in Oakland since July 1997. Jordan Diaz homered and drove in two runs for the last-place A’s. Losers of seven straight, Oakland (25-70) has been swept 13 times this season. Jorge López (3-2) retired four batters for the win. Jhoan Duran earned his 15th save, getting Tony Kemp to line out to center field for the final out with the potential tying run at second base. Twins starter Joe Ryan had seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings but allowed five hits and three runs.

UP NEXT
RHP Sonny Gray (4-3, 2.89 ERA) faces the Mariners in Seattle tonight, six days after pitching there in the All-Star Game. Gray has five wins in 14 career starts against the Mariners.

K-Heart Sports – 07/14/23

Posted on Jul 14, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 07/14/23

MINOT, ND – The Minot Metros hosted the Bismarck Reps on Thursday. The Metros got a walk-off win in game two of the doubleheader after scoring 5 times in the bottom of the 9th.

American Legion Baseball

Class A
Bismarck Reps def. Minot Metros, 4-3
Minot Metros def. Bismarck Reps, 7-6

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots played a day-night doubleheader in Willmar, MN as part of a 4-game series. in game one Minot led 4-2 entering the bottom of the 5th when the Stingers scored 3 times, then added 5 runs in the 6th and 2 in the 7th to secure a 12-8. in the nightcap, Willmar put up 9 runs in the 7th inning in defeating the Hot Tots 14-3. They’ll finish the series tonight as the Stingers go for the sweep. Minot has lost five in a row. The Hot Tots return home to host Bismarck on Saturday night.

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SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

MINOT, ND – It will be a busy weekend of softball in the Magic City. 86 teams from North Dakota and Minnesota converge on Minot for the North Dakota Junior Olympic Fastpitch State Tournament. Teams range from ages 10 and under to 18 and under. Games will be played at the South Hill Complex and the Sertoma Complex on North Hill. This is the first time Minot has hosted the tournament since 2019.

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NISSLEY-HALL OF FAME EXHIBIT

BISMARCK, N.D. – Bismarck Century graduate Logan Nissley will have her high school jersey hung in the Ring of Honor exhibit in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, in recognition of her outstanding play in the 2022-23 season. The Patriot stand-out was a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year and was named 2023 North Dakota Miss Basketball. Nissley will be playing college basketball at the University of Nebraska this fall.

K-Heart Sports – 07/13/23

Posted on Jul 13, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – THURSDAY – 07/13/23

MINOT, ND – For the second day in a row, the Minot Vistas scored a walk-off win as they scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to take game one of their doubleheaders.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Minot Vistas def. Fargo Post 400, 6-5
Fargo Post 400 def. Minot Vistas, 4-1

Bismarck Governors def. Grand Forks Royals, 8-0
Bismarck Governors def. Grand Forks Royals, 6-4

Class A
Bismarck Reps def. Jamestown, 10-0
Bismarck Reps def. Jamestown, 11-0

Class B
Surrey def. Crosby, 15-4
Surrey def. Crosby, 10-1

Renville County def. Rugby,

Hazen def. Hettinger, 9-5
Hazen def. Hettinger, 10-0

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – It was another heartbreating loss for the Minot Hot Tots as they began a 4-game series in Willmar last night. The game was tied at 12 when the Stingers scored a run in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Tots couldn’t respond in the 9th and Willmar scores a 13-12 win. Ryan Recio hit a 2 run homer in the 3rd inning and an RBI triple in the 4th for Minot. Drew Woodcox hit a grand slam in the 7th inning to tie the game at 12-12. Today they’ll play a split day-night doubleheader. The Tots will send Jack Smith (1-1), 3.81 ERA) to the mound for the 1 pm game against Chris Rofe (3-0, 1.27 ERA).

K-Heart Sports – 07/12/23

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – WEDNESDAY – 07/12/23

MINOT, ND – The 47th Annual Lions All-Star Basketball series finished last night at Fargo Davies High School. The Class A girls earned a split of this year’s series with a 97-88 overtime win. Bergan Kinnebrew of Bismarck Century led the way scoring 27 points while Mirily Simon of West Fargo added 24. The Class B All-Stars were led by Westhope-Newburg’s Ellie Braaten with 20 points. The Class B boys also earned a split with a 107-100 win last night. Carson Yale of Des Lacs-Burlington led the scoring with 16 points, while Tyson Enget of Powers Lake and Ayden Stainbrook of North Border each added 13. The Class was led by Connor Kraft of Fargo Shanley and Zach Kraft of Grand Forks Red River with 16 points a piece. Minot’s Darik Dissette at 15. The format next year will most likely change with North Dakota moving to a 3-class basketball system.

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MINOT, ND – It two extra innings, but Kellan Burke hit an RBI double in the bottom of the 9th inning and the Minot Vistas scored a walk-off win in the first game of their double-header against Jamestown on Tuesday.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Minot Vistas def. Jamestown Eagles, 3-2 (9)
Jamestown Eagles def. Minot Vistas, 3-2 (8)

Class A
Beulah def. Minot Metros, 8-3

Class B
Hazen def. Bismarck Capitals, 9-5
Hazen def. Bismarck Capitals, 5-3

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots were swept by the MoonDogs last night to finish a two-game series in Mankato. The MoonDogs scored early and often in winning 18-2. John Lundgren got the win pitching 6 innings and surrendering 2 earned runs on 6 hits with not walks and 6 strikeouts. Saul Soto takes the loss for Minot giving up 5 earned runs on 6 hits over 4 innings. He recorded 1 strikeout and gave up 3 walks. Gavin Bennett and Thomas Rollauer each tallied RBI singles in the 5th inning for Minot’s only runs of the night. The Hot Tots begin a 4 game series in Willmar tonight.

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MSU WOMEN’S HOCKEY-SCHEDULE

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Coming off a stellar season that saw the Beavers get within a goal of a national title, the Minot State women’s hockey team is preparing for another run at the championship by playing the best in the nation this coming season. The Beavers announced their 2023-24 schedule today, a slate that with an early-season rematch of the ACHA Division I National Championship game as Minot State hosts Liberty (Va.) in the Beavers home debut at Maysa Arena on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14. Puck drops at 3:45 p.m. both days. The title-tilt rematch comes after the Beavers open the season on the road as Minot State plays an exhibition game each at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) on Sept. 22 and at the University of Regina on Sept. 23, then opens the season in earnest in Nebraska playing at Midland on Sept. 29 and 30.

Lake Superior State (Mich.) makes its Maysa Arena debut the weekend after the reigning ACHA Division I champion Flames visit as the Beavers host the 4th-year Lakers on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21. Puck drops at 3:45 p.m. both days. The Beavers then play 10 straight against National Tournament qualifiers, starting with a busy week with games at Indiana Tech on Oct. 26-27 and then games at Adrian (Mich.) on Oct. 28-29. Back home at the Maysa Arena for four in a row, Minot State hosts Maryville (Mo.) on Friday and Saturday, November 3-4, then Midland on Friday and Saturday, November 10-11. Puck drops at 3:45 p.m. for all four games. The Beavers then hit the road to renew their in-state rivalry with Jamestown, playing the Jimmies on Nov. 18-19 before closing out the 2023 home slate hosting another in-state rival in Division 2 Dakota College of Bottineau on Saturday, December 2, at Maysa Arena at 3:45 p.m. After playing on Dec. 3 at Bottineau, the Beavers play twice more at Jamestown, on Dec. 8-9, before taking a month off for Christmas and New Year’s.

Back in action after the winter break, Minot State will host Jamestown for the first time this season on Saturday and Sunday, January 13 and 14, with puck-drop Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Beavers then continue their brief homestand by hosting Midland on Friday and Saturday, January 19-20, with puck drop both days at 7:30 p.m. Minot State then heads East for the Women’s Midwest College Hockey (WMCH) All-Star Game, playing at Maryville on January 25, at McKendree (Ill.) on January 26, and at Lindenwood (Mo.) on January 27 prior to the All-Star Game, which is scheduled for Sunday, January 28. February finds Minot State back at the Maysa Arena to close out the regular season as first-year Lake Region State College (N.D.) visits on Wednesday, February 7, for a 7:30 p.m. game, then Division 2 Assiniboine Community College – which has won 2 of the last 3 ACHA Division 2 National Titles – plays the Beavers on Saturday and Sunday, February 10 and 11. Puck drop is at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Beavers then finish the home slate and regular season hosting Jamestown on Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17, with both games starting at 3:45 p.m.

Postseason play gets underway with Liberty hosting the WMCH Tournament on Feb. 22-24 in Lynchburg, Virginia, then the 2024 ACHA Division I Women’s National Tournament will be March 13-17 in St. Louis, Missouri.
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MLB DRAFT-FEENEY

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – Junior right-handed pitcher Cade Feeney has been selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 388th pick in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday afternoon. Feeney started all 41 games he appeared in on the mound over three seasons at NDSU. The Bismarck, N.D., native totaled 196 strikeouts over 229.2 innings. His 196 strikeouts and 229.2 innings pitched are both slotted sixth in NDSU history. Feeney ranks third in Bison history in wins after compiling a 21-9 overall record on the mound and is one of only four pitchers in NDSU history to win at least 20 games. Feeney tossed a career-high 78 strikeouts over 80.2 innings last season. He tallied a 5-1 mark on the hill in Summit League play and led the conference with a 2.03 ERA. Feeney, who was selected to the All-Summit League First Team in 2021 and 2023, went on to earn a team-high six wins and compiled a 6-5 overall record in his junior season. Additionally, Feeney joins his brother, Dalton Feeney, as an MLB Draft pick after he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 40th round in 2016 and played at North Carolina State from 2017-21.

Feeney becomes the 13th NDSU player selected in the MLB Draft dating back to 1968 when John Renhowe was picked in the 28th round by the Oakland Athletics. He is also only the eighth Bison pitcher to be picked in the draft. NDSU has had seven players selected since 2013, including Jonah Tong, who was picked in the seventh round by the New York Mets last season. Tong was drafted out of Bill Crothers Secondary School after signing his National Letter of Intent with NDSU.

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MLB-ALL STAR GAME

SEATTLE (AP) — Shining brightly in the Emerald City, the National League snapped a losing streak that lasted more than a decade. An unheralded catcher from Colorado delivered the big blow. Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the NL snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League on Tuesday night. The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City, and Díaz became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award.

Both of the Minnesota Twins All-Stars got in the game as Sonny Gray pitched the third inning surrendering a walk and recording two strikeouts. Pablo Lopez pitched the 9th inning giving up two hits and getting two strikeouts.

K-Heart Sports – 07/11/23

Posted on Jul 11, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – TUESDAY – 07/11/23

MINOT, ND – The 2023 Lions All-Star Basketball series began last night at Bismarck High. The girls were up first and Class B wins for the third straight time over Class A, 85-77. Rylen Burgess of Cavalier led the way for Class B with 14 points, including four made 3’s. Ellie Braaten of Westhope-Newburg and Mykell Heidlebaugh of Rugby each tallied 13 points. Braaten made four 3’s and Heidlebaugh mad three. Bergen Kinnebrew of Bismarck Century scored a game-high 22 points for Class A.

The boys hit the court next and Class A outlasts Class B, 106-94. North Dakota Mr. Basketball and Minot High graduate Darik Dissette leads Class A with 23 points. Ayden Stainbrook of North Border leads Class B by making seven 3’s for 21 points and Carson Yale of Des Lacs-Burlington added 16. The teams will finish the series tonight at Fargo Davies High School.

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Vistas and Metros were both in action on Monday.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Minot Vistas def. Williston Keybirds, 11-9
Minot Vistas def. Wllisston Keybirds, 8-1

Class A
Fargo Post 400 def. Minot Metros, 10-9
Fargo Post 400 def. Minot Metros, 10-4

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots began a 6-game roadtrip with the first of two in Mankato last night. The MoonDogs broke a 7-7 tie in the 8th inning by scoring a run to take the lead. Minot couldn’t answer in the 9th and Mankato get the 8-7 win. The Hot Tots scored their runs late by putting up 3 in the 7th and 4 in the 8th inning. Grant Garza gets the win by pitching the last 1 1/3 innings. Grant Faris takes the loss for Minot pitching one inning. Faris was one of five pitchers the Hot Tots used on the night. The teams will play again tonight in Mankato before Minot moves to Willmar for a four-game series later this week.

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MLB-HOMERUN DERBY

SEATTLE (AP) — Of course a Junior had to do something special in Seattle. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, matching Vladimir Sr.’s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. As far as who might win a head-to-head swing-off, well, that depends. In a ballpark made famous by the Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. a generation earlier, Guerrero beat Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final round. He was 8 when his father won the crown in San Francisco. Guerrero totaled 5 1/2 miles of homers — 29,390 feet to be exact. He defeated Julio Rodríguez 21-20 in the semifinals after the Mariners star hit a record 41 in the first round in front of his hometown fans. Batting against Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Guerrero was the last semifinalist to swing and the first finalist, setting a final round record for homers to top the mark Pete Alonso set when he beat Guerrero 23-22 in 2019. Arozarena had the most overall homers over the three rounds, 82 to Guerrero’s 72, and the most distance at 33,077 feet. Arozarena overcame Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox 35-22 in the semifinals. Robert hit the longest drive of the night, a 484-foot shot to left in the second round. That topped the high of 476 feet by Barry Bonds in the 2001 derby in Seattle.

K-Heart Sports – 07/10/23

Posted on Jul 10, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – MONDAY – 07/10/23

MINOT, ND – The Burlington Bulldogs played in the Legion Baseball Tournament in Williston this weekend. In yesterday’s semifinal Braden Nelson had 10 strikeouts as Burlington defeats Froid MT, 2-0. In the championship, the Bulldogs surrendered 8 runs in the 5th inning as the Williston Oilers won 12-4. Jake Schaefer took the loss pitching 4 2/3 inning and surrendering 11 runs (7 earned) on 12 hits with no walks and 2 strikeouts.

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots seem to be finding their stride in the second half of the season. After their first series win last week sweeping the Minnesota Mud Puppies in a two-game series, the Tots split their series with the La Crosse Loggers this weekend. The Loggers won 14-5 on Saturday, but Minot got a walk-off win yesterday 5-4. Ryan Recio got a hit driving in Nic Peper in the bottom of the 9th inning for the win. Gavin Schmitt (3-1) gets the win pitching the final two innings. Hot Tots starter Rawley Hector went 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Minot is now 3-3 in the second half of the season. They’ll hit the road for a long trip to MInnesota. The Tots play 2 games in Mankato starting tonight and then 4 games in Willmar Wednesday through Friday.

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TWINS-ORIOLES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Santander hit two of Baltimore’s six homers and the Orioles completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 15-2 victory on Sunday. Aaron Hicks added a three-run homer against his former team in the Orioles’ seven-run fifth. Austin Hays, Ramón Urías and Adley Rutschman also went deep for Baltimore. After scoring seven runs in the fifth, the Orioles’ offense continued to roll in the sixth with six more runs. Baltimore closed the first half of the season on a five-game winning streak after losing four straight. Baltimore headed into the break with a 54-35 record, two games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the American League East. The loss dropped the Twins to 45-46, a half game back of Cleveland in the AL Central. Former Twin Kyle Gibson (9-6) was sharp against his old club. The right-hander struck out 11 and allowed just three hits in seven innings, two of them to Edouard Julien. The Twins second baseman drove in the game’s first run with a double in the first and hit a solo homer in the sixth. Baltimore chased Twins starter Joe Ryan (8-6) from the game after just 4 2/3 innings. Ryan finished with a season-high 10 strikeouts, including the first eight outs he recorded. But he ran into trouble in the fifth before getting pulled after 98 pitches.

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MLB DRAFT-TWINS

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Twins selected Walker Jenkins with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft. The 18-year old Jenkins is committed to play at the University of North Carolina this fall. He was ranked fourth on MLB’s 2023 prospect rankings. MLB’s scouting report said Jenkins was the best high-schooler in the draft. They say Jenkins, at his 6-foot-3 frame, is built to hit for power. Jenkins hit .480 in the spring, his senior season. He was a career .388 hitter in high school. Perfect Game, a resource for amateur baseball events, calls Jenkins a “premium athlete with highest level upside.” With the 34th overall pick, the Twins selected 17-year-old pitcher Charlee Soto out of Reborn Christian High School in Florida. Perfect Game says the 6-foot-5 pitcher has a “long and lean build with plenty of athleticism and a ton of room to project.” At 49, the Twins took second baseman Luke Keaschall from Arizona State University.

K-Heart Sports – 07/08/23

Posted on Jul 8, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – SATURDAY – 07/08/23

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots scored their first series win last night defeating the Minnesota Mud Puppies 9-4, sweeping the two games at Corbett Field. Trevyn Badger (1-4) gets his first win on the year as he pitches 6 shutout innings, giving up only 2 hits, striking out 7 and giving up 4 walks. Isaac Roers (0-2) takes the loss as he was pulled after 3 1/3 innings, surrendering 9 runs (6 earned) on 10 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Damone Hale got the scoring started for the Hot Tots with a 2-run homer to right field in the 2nd inning. The Tots would add 2 more in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th inning. Minot will try to extend the winning streak as they host the La Crosse Loggers tonight in the first of two games at Corbett Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Friday:

American Legion Baseball

Class B
Burlington def. Froid MT, 13-3
Burlington def. Froid MT, 5-2

Hazen def. Garrison, 6-5
Hazen def. Garrison, 18-5

Ray def. Crosby, 11-6

Crosby def. Tioga, 9-4

Surrey def. Velva, 6-0

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TAUROS-MAIN CAMP

MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros coaches continue to evaluate young talent as their Main Camp continues at Maysa Arena. Sessions are free and open to the public. Main Camp concludes today with the All-Star game at 10 am.

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TWINS-ORIOLES

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Long before Félix Bautista’s strong finish on the mound for Baltimore, Cedric Mullins went over the wall to make another defiant catch. Byron Buxton could hardly believe it. Ramón Urías drove in the automatic runner with a first-pitch double off Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran in the 10th inning, and the Orioles outlasted the Twins 3-1 on Friday night after Mullins got them going. Bautista (4-1) pitched two hitless innings with three strikeouts for the Orioles, after Aaron Hicks added a sacrifice fly that drove in Urías. Bautista has 84 strikeouts in 42 innings. Mullins thwarted a three-run homer by Buxton in the fourth inning. Mullins raced back and snagged the ball about a foot over the center field wall, causing an incredulous Buxton to rip his helmet off with both hands and slam it on the dirt. He swung his arms out wide in a “How could you do that to me?” fashion, flashing a smile as Mullins made the same motion back to him.

UP NEXT
RHP Tyler Wells (6-4, 3.19 ERA) starts this afternoon for the Orioles. He was drafted by the Twins in the 15th round in 2016 and selected by the Orioles in the Rule 5 major league draft in 2020. RHP Sonny Gray (4-2, 2.50 ERA), the Twins lone All-Star, takes the mound for the matinee.

K-Heart Sports – 07/07/23

Posted on Jul 7, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 07/07/23

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots scored a 8-5 win at Corbett Field last night against the Minnesota Mud Puppies. Jack Smith gets the win pitching 5 innings and giving up 4 rums (3 earned) on 3 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. Saul Soto gets the save by pitching the final inning and 2/3. Jacob Mrosko takes the loss for Minnesota as he gives up 7 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings on 8 hits with 2 walks surrendered and 5 strikeouts. The Hot Tots go for the sweep of the two-game series tonight at 7:05 pm at Corbett Field.

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Thursday:

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Dickinson Roughriders def Grand Forks Royals, 6-4
Dickinson Roughriders def. Grand Forks Royals, 7-2

Class B
Hazen def. Washburn, 6-2
Hazen def. Washburn, 13-3

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TAUROS-MAIN CAMP

MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros coaches continue to evaluate young talent as their Main Camp continues at Maysa Arena. Sessions are free and open to the public. Today is day three and the session runs from 10 am to 1:45 pm with the Prospects game at 7 pm tonight. Main Camp concludes tomorrow with the All-Star game at 10 am.

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TAUROS-COACH

MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros have announced that Tyler Ebner has joined the staff as an Assistant Coach. Former Minotauros Assistant Coach Kyle Sharkey has departed to take a role as an Assistant Coach in the Southern Professional Hockey League. Sharkey had just completed his first season of coaching after joining the Tauros prior to last season and now returns to the professional level where he played for four seasons prior to his coaching career. Ebner played 87 games in the North American Hockey League for the Coulee Region Chill (now the Chippewa Steel) from 2016-2018. Over his two seasons he posted 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. He then went on to play at NCAA D-III Gustavus Adolphus College where in 76 games over four seasons he posted 35 points. After finishing school Ebner moved immediately into coaching for NCAA D-III SUNY-Fredonia.

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LIONS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL

MINOT, ND – Teams continue to prepare for the 47th Annual Lions All-Star Basketball Series. Games will be played Monday at Bismarck High School and Tuesday at Fargo South High School. It’s Class A versus Class B with the girls game at 6 pm each night and the boys to follow at 8 pm. Local players for the girls game include Amya Gourneau of Turtle Mountain for Class A. Kendyl Hagaer and Mykell Heidlebaugh of Rugby and Ellie Braaten of Westhope-Newburg are part of the Class B Team. Mr. Basketball Darik Dissette of Minot High will lead the Class A boys along with Houston Davis and Parker Wallette of Turtle Mountain. The Class B boys roster includes Brady Feller of Bishop Ryan, Carson Yale of Des Lacs-Burlington, Tyson Enget of Powers Lake-Burke Central, Connor Kerzmann of Garrison, and Tate Grossman of Harvey-Wells County.

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NDSU-SHAHID

FARGO, ND (NDSU) – Former North Dakota State men’s basketball standout Vinnie Shahid has signed a contract to play his fourth professional season in Italy. Shahid joins Pallacanestro Varese, located in northern Italy and competing in the country’s top league – Serie A. He has captured back-to-back Player of the Year awards in Iceland and France. Shahid played his rookie season in Luxembourg in 2020-21, before earning Player of the Year honors in the French NM1 league in 2021-22, averaging 21.0 points and 3.9 assists. For his third professional season in 2022-23, Shahid led the Icelandic league with 26.4 points and 8.7 assists per game for Thor Thorlákshöfn, winning Player of the Year once again.

Shahid played for NDSU from 2018-20 after spending two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College. He was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year and Summit League Tournament MVP as a junior in 2019, then claimed first team All-Summit League honors and Tournament MVP for the second time in 2020. Shahid totaled 608 points for NDSU in the 2019-20 season – becoming the sixth Bison ever to top 600 points in a year – and averaged 20.9 points and 3.6 assists in league play.

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NDSU-KREUSER

FARGO, ND (NDSU) – Former North Dakota State men’s basketball standout Rocky Kreuser has signed a contract to play his second professional season in Belgium. Kreuser will join the Antwerp Giants for the upcoming season, following an impressive rookie campaign in Germany where he averaged 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Nürnberg Falcons in the Pro A league. Kreuser shot 52 percent overall for the season. Kreuser was named to the All-Summit League first team in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022. He played in a school record 158 games during his career, becoming only the second player in NDSU history to accumulate more than 1,600 points, 800 rebounds, and 100 blocks as a Bison.

K-Heart Sports – 07/06/23

Posted on Jul 6, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – THURSDAY – 07/06/23

MINOT, ND – In Class B Legion Baseball, Renville County defeated Velva 9-2. Kellan Henry pitched a complete game giving up the 2 runs, none earned, on 5 hits, with 3 walks and 11 strikeouts. Lance Selzler takes the loss for Velva after pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts. Each team scored 2 runs in the 5th inning. Renville County added 2 more in the sixth and then 5 in the 7th to secure the win. Renville County improves to 11-4 on the season.

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MINOT HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Dakota Dustup rivalry continued in Bismarck last night. The Larks led 5-1 after one inning and never retreated as they win 8-4. Brooks Byers gets the win for Bismarck pitching 6 innings and giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits, with 6 walks and 4 strikeouts. Paxton Miller takes the loss for the Tots as he lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowing 7 runs (6 earned), on 6 hits, with 6 walks and 4 strikeouts. At the plate, Drew Woodcox was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI for Minot. Jack Herring went 2 for 3 with 3 RBI for the Larks. Bismarck has won all six meetings with Minot as they improve to 18-18 on the year. The Hot Tots drop to 7-27. Minot begins a 2-game home series against the Minnesota Mud Puppies tonight at 6:35 pm at Corbett Field.

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TWINS-ROYALS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins gave up a lot to get Pablo López. He made it look as if he was well worth the price Wednesday night. López pitched his first career shutout, a four-hitter complete with a career-high 12 strikeouts in the Twins’ 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. López (5-5) retired 15 straight from the third to the eighth inning, including a stretch with six consecutive strikeouts, to help the Twins post a three-game sweep. The 27-year-old right-hander, who came to Minnesota this season from Miami in a trade for Major League batting leader Luis Arraez, had the Twins’ second shutout from a starter in less than two weeks after Joe Ryan spun one for the club’s first in five years. The last time the Twins had multiple shutouts in one season was 2011, done by Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano. López was walk-free in his first scoreless appearance since he beat the Royals on opening day. After a six-pitch ninth, on the heels of a seven-pitch eighth, López was doused with ice water and donned the team’s celebratory fishing vest that normally fetes home run hitters in the dugout. López threw 76 of his 100 pitches for strikes. According to Sportradar, only six pitchers in the Majors this season hit the 100-pitch mark with a higher strike percentage.

UP NEXT
After an off day, RHP Bailey Ober (5-4, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound Friday night to start a three-game series against Baltimore. LHP Cole Irvin (1-3, 6.32 ERA) pitches for the Orioles.

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WOLVES-REID

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Naz Reid might well have found a bigger role had he hit the open market. Staying in Minnesota just felt right. The Timberwolves had no interest in letting him leave, even with all that precious salary cap space committed to their big men. “I started my career here. I wanted to continue my career here. I’ve gotten better each and every year here as well, so it only made sense,” Reid said. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else.” After eschewing unrestricted free agency for a three-year, $42 million contract with the Wolves last week, Reid participated in a news conference on Wednesday at the Southside Village Boys and Girls Club in Minneapolis, one of his favorite places to volunteer.

With almost $90 million — two-thirds of the $136 million salary cap — earmarked for three natural post players in 2023-24, Reid will start the season as a backup behind Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns as the Wolves hit the reset button on their against-the-grain experiment with playing the two big men in the same starting lineup. Towns missed 52 games last season with a severe calf strain, so Reid was forced into heavier rotation after appearing to be an afterthought at the start. He averaged 11.5 points and shot 53.7% from the floor in 68 games in 2022-23, both career bests, and in four games when his playing time topped 30 minutes he averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds. After he sustained a broken left wrist during the final week of the regular season, Reid was clearly missed in Minnesota’s first-round playoff series loss to eventual NBA champion Denver. “Everybody has that feeling in a contract year: ‘What’s going to happen?’” said Reid, who was undrafted out of LSU in 2019. “I stuck to my roots. They believed in me, and I believed in the program as well. We came together and got the deal done.”

The Wolves put the final stamp on their earlier declaration they’re building their roster around All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards by giving him a $207 million maximum contract extension earlier this week. Because of cap and age, let alone production and fit, the Towns-Gobert pairing is unlikely to last anywhere near as long as the duration of Edwards’ new deal. That makes the 23-year-old Reid all the more attractive to keep around. I can’t tell you how many times throughout this process his teammates were calling and saying, ‘Let’s get Naz done.’ I’m telling them, ‘Let’s get Naz done,’” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said.

The Timberwolves have also enhanced their depth by reaching agreements to retain restricted free agent shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and sign small forward Troy Brown Jr. and shooting guard Shake Milton, but locking up Reid set the tone for the summer. “Naz has such a versatile game. His skill, it opens up just so much lineup flexibility with our team, whether he backs up at the 4 or backs up at the 5,” coach Chris Finch said. “Heck, we might even try to play them all three together, just because there’s so much skill there — and the size.”

K-Heart Sports – 06/28/23

Posted on Jun 28, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – WEDNESDAY – 06/28/23

MINOT, ND – The Bismarck Larks hold the upper hand in the Dakota Dustup rivalry. The Larks scored three times in the the top of the first inning and never looked back, defeating the Minot Hot Tots 10-4 last night at Corbett field here in Minot. Bismarck scores 10 runs on 11 hits, while Minot’s 4 runs came on 7 hits. Bismarck has won all four games against the Hot Tots this season. Carter Rost (2-1) gets the win for the Larks pitching 6 innings and surrendering 2 runs (both earned) on 4 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts. Trevyn Badger (0-4) takes the loss for Minot giving up 8 runs (all earned) on 8 hits, with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts over 4 innings of work. Minot drops to 5-21 while Bismarck improves to 13-15. The Tots begin a two-game home series against the Mankato Moondogs tonight at 6:35 pm.

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Tuesday:

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Bismarck Governors def. Mandan Chiefs, 11-3

Class A
Bismarck Senators def. Mandan A’s, 3-2

Williston Oilers def. Bismarck Reps, 12-9
Bismarck Reps def. Williston Oilers, 8-5

Bismarck Capitals def. Watford City Walleye, 3-2
Watford City Walleye def. Bismarck Capitals, 8-6

Class B
Cando def. Velva, 3-1
Cando def. Velva, 8-3

Hazen def. Belfield-South Heart, 6-4
Hazen def. Belfield-South Heart, 10-0

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NDSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (NDSU) – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team will open the 2023-24 season against Creighton at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Monday, Nov. 6. This will mark only the third time NDSU will play at the Sanford Pentagon in program history after the Bison went 1-1 in the 2020-21 Summit League Tournament. This will be the 12th all-time meeting between NDSU and Creighton dating back to 1981 with the Bluejays leading the series, 10-1. Creighton, who posted a 22-9 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, won the most recent meeting in 2019, 70-59, in Omaha, Neb. NDSU finished last 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. The full 2023-24 schedule will be announced at a later date.

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TWINS-BRAVES

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two of Atlanta’s five homers — all in the first two innings — and the power-hitting Braves beat Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Tuesday night. Acuña sparked the barrage of long balls by hitting Ryan’s first pitch into the Braves’ bullpen in right field. Thanks to a productive June, the Braves lead the majors with 146 homers. Beginning the night, the Los Angeles Dodgers were second with 124. Atlanta hit five homers in its first 10 at-bats and has 54 this month, only two shy of the franchise record for any month set with 56 in June 2019. Ryan (8-5), coming off a 6-0 win over Boston on Thursday, had allowed only two homers in four June starts, and eight for the season. The Braves ended the right-hander’s momentum early. Ryan allowed nine hits and six runs in three innings in his shortest start of the season. The five homers allowed matched his career high set on July 9, 2022, at San Diego.

UP NEXT
The Braves will recall LHP Kolby Allard to face RHP Kenta Maeda (1-4, 6.86) in today’s final game of the series. Allard will be making his first start in the majors since starting 17 games for Texas in 2021. Allard has a 2.70 ERA in two starts for Triple-A Gwinnett this season.

K-Heart Sports – 06/27/23

Posted on Jun 27, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – TUESDAY – 06/27/23

MINOT, ND – The Dakota Dustup rivalry between the Minot Hot Tots and Bismarck Larks resumed last night in Bismarck. The Larks scored one in the third inning, added four in the fourth, and one more in the sixth as they won 6-1. The Hot Tots only run came in the seventh inning. Bismarck scored their six runs on 12 hits. Minot tallied 6 hits. Rawley Hector takes the loss pitchinig 4 innings and giving up 5 runs (all earned) on 8 hits, walking none and striking out 7. Jonny Lowe gets the win for Bismarck as he goes 6 innings giving up no runs on 4 hits, walked 5 and struck out 8. The Larks improve to 12-15 on the year while the Hot Tots fall to 5-20. The two teams play again tonight moving to Corbett Field here in Minot. First pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm. Bismarck has won all three meetings with the Hot Tots this year.

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MINOT, ND – Legion baseball scores:

American Legion Baseball
Class AA
Mandan Chiefs def. Dickinson Roughriders, 8-5
Mandan Chiefs def. Dickinson Roughriders, 7-3

Class A
Minot Metros def. Crosby (Class B), 7-6

Mandan A’s def. Williston Oilers, 11-7
Williston Oilers def. Mandan A’s, 16-7

Class B
Burlington def. Surrey, 2-1

Washburn def. Crosby, 15-1

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MSU BASEBALL-HONOR

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State first baseman Gunnar Kozlowitz has earned his second award for his defensive efforts. The junior from Littleton, Colorado was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region All-Defensive Team, after putting up an outstanding .996 field percentage this past season for the Beavers. Kozlowitz also was named to the NSIC All-Defensive Team this spring as he had 244 putouts at first base with 13 assists and just one error all season for that .996 fielding percentage. The Beavers first baseman also earned First Team All-NSIC honors and was named to the ABCA Central Region Second Team this season. Kozlowitz led Minot State with a .410 batting average this spring, and his 16 home runs and 16 doubles also were team highs. Playing in 46 of the Beavers’ 48 games, he also was second on the team with 53 RBIs.

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RODIN-HONOR

MINOT, ND – Kenmare-native Jacob Rodin has been honored again by the Summit League. Rodin has been honored as the Summit League Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. He is the first NDSU Bison to take home the honor outdoors since the creation of the award in 2010. Rodin’s accomplishments in his senior season include breaking a 36-year-old meet record in the 800m (1:47.58) to win the league outdoor title. He also ran a leg of the 4x400m relay that clocked a 3:10.80 to take home NDSU’s third-consecutive league title. Rodin qualified for his second consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships and took the final qualifying spot after he finished third in his quarterfinal heat at the West Prelims. Rodin finished 17th in the 800m for honorable mention All-America at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

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UND HOCKEY-LIVANAVAGE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UND) – Incoming freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage has been named to the World Junior Summer Showcase roster, as announced by USA Hockey on Thursday. The World Junior Summer Showcase, which will also include players from Finland and Sweden, serves as an evaluation for athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held Dec. 26, 2023, through Jan. 5, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Livanavage will come to North Dakota following three seasons with Chicago (USHL), starring along the blue line. The Phoenix, Ariz., native tallied 90 points in 152 career games in a Steel uniform while finishing with a +42 rating and reaching the postseason in all three years.

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TWINS-BRAVES

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit the go-ahead homer off Sonny Gray in the seventh, Spencer Strider allowed three hits in seven innings while striking out 10 and the Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota 4-1 in the Twins’ first visit to Atlanta in seven years. Ronald Acuña Jr. added a two-run homer in a three-run seventh. Joey Gallo’s 13th homer gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second. Strider (9-2) won his fifth consecutive decision, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the 11th time in 36 starts, including five this season. He has allowed one run in each of his last two starts after giving up a combined 13 runs in back-to-back games.

UP NEXT
Braves RHP Bryce Elder (5-1, 2.40) starts tonight against Twins RHP Joe Ryan (8-4, 2.98).

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TWINS-INJURY UPDATE

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – RHP José De León will need a second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. De León was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday after hurting his elbow while warming up a day earlier. Minnesota recalled RHP Josh Winder from Triple-A St. Paul. … 2B Jorge Polanco (left knee inflammation) has started baseball activities, including taking grounders and hitting in a cage.

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WOLVES-REID

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have kept center Naz Reid off the market by agreeing to terms on a three-year, $42 million contract that comes with a player option after two seasons. The deal, which was struck Sunday night, was confirmed Monday by Reid’s agents, Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management. Reid was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this weekend following a breakout year on both ends of the court for the Timberwolves, who already have made major investments in big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns yet still valued Reid’s upside enough to make him a well-paid backup.

Undrafted out of LSU in 2019, the 6-foot-9 Reid has become one of the most popular players inside and outside the team for his steady development, even-keeled demeanor and ferocious dunks. He averaged 11.5 points and shot 53.7% from the floor in 68 games in 2022-23, both career bests. When Towns missed 52 games with a strained calf, Reid proved his value while his status in the rotation was elevated. In four games when his playing time topped 30 minutes, Reid averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds. After he suffered a broken left wrist during the final week of the regular season, Reid was clearly missed in Minnesota’s first-round playoff series loss to eventual NBA champion Denver. The Timberwolves had his Bird Rights and thus were able to pay him more than any other team could have offered in free agency when the NBA’s negotiating period opens on Friday night, but consistent playing time was Reid’s highest priority.

K-Heart Sports – 06/23/23

Posted on Jun 23, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 06/23/23

MINOT, ND – The North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association have named their year end award winners in high school sports.

HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE TEAM – Grand Forks Red River basketball

Grand Forks Red River claimed its first Class A girls basketball state championship since 1988. The Roughriders, the No. 4 seed from the East Region entering the state tournament defeated Bismarck century 61-48 in the title game.

Other finalists: Beulah softball / Northern Cass volleyball

HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE – Kelsie Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne

Belquist set the new overall state record in the 200-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles and the Class B state record in the 400-meter dash. She ran the 300-meter hurdles in 41.48 seconds, the 10th fastest time in the nation for high school girls. In volleyball, Belquist was named to the All-State team helping the Rockets to their first state tournament appearance. She also helped the Rockets win 3rd place at the Region 4 Basketball Tournament.

Other finalists: Jocelyn Schiller, Grand Forks Red River / Logan Nissley, Bismarck Century

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS COACH – Kent Ripplinger, Grand Forks Red River basketball

Ripplinger led Red River to the program’s first state championship in 35 years after reaching the title game for the first time in 31 years. Ripplinger win the title in his 13th season as head coach after spending 13 years as an assistant coach at Red River. The Roughriders had been to 18 state tournaments since 2000 but never made the final in that span.

Other finalists: Kyle Christensen, Beulah softball / Casey Berry, Dickinson gymnastics

HIGH SCHOOL MALE TEAM – Thompson baseball

Thompson, playing in the program’s sixth Class B state title game in the last eight school years, defeated LaMoure-Litchville/Marion 9-0 to win their second consecutive title.

Other finalists: Central Cass basketball / Fargo Shanley football

HIGH SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE – Landon Carter, Cavalier

Carter is a 5-sport athlete. He was named Sr. Athlete of the Year in 9-Man football (45 rec, 1,010 yds, 10 TD; 9 INT on defense), Carter broke the Cavalier all-time receptions record and career yards record; All-state hockey player for Grafton/PR (Led state with 30 goals, also added 16 assists for 46 pts which ranked 7th in the state…Spoilers finished 8-13-1 on the year; he also played basketball in the winter; and then played baseball for Pembina County North and golfs for Cavalier.

Other finalists: Payton Hochhalter, Jamestown / Tyson Enget, Powers Lake / Jeremiah Sem, Fargo North

HIGH SCHOOL MALE COACH – Travis Hoeg, Fargo North basketball

After taking over as the head coach on an interim basis in the middle of the 2021-22 season (finished 6th in EDC), Hoeg led the Spartans to the state title this past winter. North, playing in its first state championship game since 2006, defeated Grand Forks Red River 92-83 in the championship game.

Other finalists: Larry Sandy, Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison football / Nate Soulis, Thompson baseball / Troy Mattern, Fargo Shanley football

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Thursday:

American Legion Baseball
Class AA

Jamestown def. Mandan Chiefs, 11-8
Mandan Chiefs def. Jamestown, 6-4

Dickinson Roughriders def. Linton, 15-0
Dickinson Roughriders def. Linton, 11-0

Battle of Omaha Tournament – pool play
Minot Vistaas def. Gershoff Auto, 14-0 (5)

Class B
Garrison def. Hazen, 15-11
Hazen def. Garrison, 3-2

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HOT TOTS-STINGERS

MINOT, ND – The rivalry known as the Dakota Dust Up began last night as the Bismarck Larks hosted the Minot Hot Tots. Minot led 7-5, but gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Larks win 11-7. The teams will play again tonight, this time in Minot with a 7:05 pm first pitch at Corbett Field.

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TWINS-RED SOX

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Ryan pitched a three-hitter for Minnesota’s first complete-game shutout in five years, Byron Buxton became the first player in at least nine seasons to hit a pair of 460-foot home runs in a game and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Thursday. Ryan (8-4) pitched his first complete game in 47 big league starts, striking out nine, walking none and facing no more than four batters in an inning. He had not pitched a complete game since 2018 for Cal State, Stanislaus. He pitched Minnesota’s first complete game since José Berríos’ six-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on June 7, 2018, and first complete-game shutout since José Berríos’ three-hitter at Baltimore on April 1, 2018. Ryan threw a career-high 112 pitches, 83 for strikes. He mixed 75 fastballs averaging 92.5 mph with 35 splitters, one slider and one sweeper. Buxton hit a 466-foot home run in the first inning and a 465-foot drive in the third, his ninth multi-homer game and first since June 10 last year. He is the first player with two 460-foot homers since Statcast started tracking in 2015. Buxton is 5 for 11 with three homers and a double in his last three games after going 1 for 34 with 17 strikeouts in his prior 10 games. He has 13 home runs this season. Minnesota got back to .500 at 38-38 and leads the AL Central.

UP NEXT
A nine-game trip begins today at Detroit. Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (0-4, 9.00) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL after recovering from a right triceps strain that has sidelined him since April 27. LHP Joey Wentz (1-7, 6.82) is to start for Detroit.

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TWINS-KEUCHEL

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel has agreed to a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. The 35-year-old left-hander was 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA in 14 starts last year with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers on Sept. 4 and had been a free agent. Keuchel, a two-time All-Star and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, is 101-91 with a 3.98 ERA in 257 starts and 11 relief appearances. He’s been working with performance coaches at Driveline Baseball in Kent, Washington. “We’re glad to have him in the organization and to give him an opportunity to go out there and pitch and show all the things that he’s been working on, because I’ve heard he’s been working on a few things,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said before Thursday’s game against Boston. Minnesota does not have a left-handed starter in its rotation. Signed to a $55.5 million, three-year deal with the White Sox in December 2019, Keuchel was 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA for the White Sox in 2020 and finished fifth in Cy Young voting. He slumped to 9-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 2021 and had a 7.88 ERA in eight starts last year, then was designated for assignment on May 28 and released two days later.

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WOLVES-DRAFT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – After trading two future second-round picks to San Antonio to move into the 33rd spot, the Timberwolves will receive Leonard Miller, a 6-foot-10 forward from Canada who played with the G League Ignite last season. Miller averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds in 24 games. With their own pick at No. 53 overall, the Timberwolves went with UCLA guard Jaylen Clark. He had surgery in March to repair an Achilles injury.

K-Heart Sports – 06/22/23

Posted on Jun 22, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – THURSDAY – 06/22/23

MINOT, ND – The North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association have named their year end award winners in college sports.

COLLEGE MALE TEAM – University of Jamestown basketball

The Jimmies finished 27-7 overall and made the NAIA Round of 16 at the national tournament before losing to Indiana Institute of Technology in Kansas City. They were GPAC regular-season champs and runner-up in the GPAC Tournament. The Jimmies tallied the 4th most wins all-time in program history in a season and finished #11 in the NAIA Coaches Poll.

Other finalists: Mayville State basketball / North Dakota State College of Science football

COLLEGE MALE ATHLETE – Cody Mauch, NDSU football

The Hankinson, ND native was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 2nd round, 48th overall. Mauch started all 15 games at left tackle for a 12-3 Bison team that advanced to the NCAA Division I FCS championship game for the 10th time in 12 years. Mauch recieved several honors including All-America first team by AP, Stats Perform, AFCA, FCS Athletic Directors Association, HERO Sports, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele

Other finalists: Mason Walters, University of Jamestown basketball / Grant Nelson, NDSU basketball

COLLEGE MALE COACH – Brandon McGruder, Mayville State University basketball

McGruder was promoted to interm head coach midway through the season. With McGruder at the helm during the 2022-23 season, the Mayville State men’s basketball team became the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) conference champions with a record of 12-2 in the conference and a 25-6 win-loss record overall. The Comets won the conference tournament, which gave them an automatic bid into national tournament play. McGruder was named the NSAA Coach of the Year for 2022-23.

Other finalists: Jamison Dietrich, Bismarck State track & field / Eric Issendorf, North Dakota State College of Science football

COLLEGE FEMALE TEAM – University of Jamestown volleyball

The second-ranked Jimmies capped off a season for the ages, defeating No. 4 Corban (Ore.) in five sets to win the 2022 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship. Founded in 1883, the University of Jamestown began sponsoring intercollegiate athletics not long after the turn of the century. In the 120-plus years that followed Jimmie teams had amassed numerous conference, postseason, and regional championships, but never a national title.

Other finalists: North Dakota State College of Science softball / Bismarck State volleyball

COLLEGE FEMALE ATHLETE – Kaitlyn McColly, Dickinson State track & field

The sophomore became the first athlete in Dickinson State history to bring home a national championship in the Women’s Heptathlon after she won the event at the NAIA National Outdoor Championships in Marion, Ind. She won the title with 4,922 points which was 92 point more than 2nd place. Of the 8 events, McColly was top 8 in 7 of them. She was 1st in the 100-hurdles, 3rd in Long Jump & 800, 6th in High Jump, 7th in 200 and 8th in Javelin. 13th in Shot Put. McColly was named the Midwest Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Other finalists: Kalli Hegerle, University of Jamestown volleyball / Anna Holen, University of Jamestown volleyball

COLLEGE FEMALE COACH – Jon Hegerly, University of Jamestown volleyball

In his 14th year at the helm of the Jimmie volleyball program, Hegerly led them to their first NAIA National championship. In 2022, in what was to be a “rebuilding year,” the Jimmies exceeded all expectations advancing to their 4th straight NAIA Semifinal en route to the programs first ever NAIA National Title. Hegerly has compiled an impressive 372-116 (.776) record as head of the Jimmies.

Other finalists: Mike Oehlke, North Dakota State College of Science softall / Kyle Kuether, Bismarck State volleyball

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Wednesday:

American Legion Baseball
Class B

Velva def Harvey, 14-2
Velva def. Havey, 8-7

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HOT TOTS-STINGERS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots completed their four-game home series against Willmar last night at Corbett Field. The Tots led 3-2 entering the 9th inning, but the Stingers scored twice in the 9th and go on to win 4-3. The Stinger win the series and improve to 18-4 on the year. Minot drops to 5-17. The Hot Tots rivalry with Bismarck kicks in starting today as they teams play the first of four games. Games against the Larks tonight and Monday are in Bismarck, while games on Friday and Tuesday are here in Minot.

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TWINS-RED SOX

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Farmer hit a game-winning single that scored automatic runner Willi Castro from third base and the Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in 10 innings on Wednesday night. Farmer’s line drive fell in front of Jarren Duran, who was playing shallow in center field, scoring Castro and snapping Minnesota’s three-game losing streak. Michael A Taylor dropped a sacrifice bunt that moved Castro to third base, setting up the potential winning run. Max Kepler homered for the second straight game for the Twins and added an RBI single. Minnesota had lost five of its last six games. Reliever Jovani Moran (1-2) earned the win for the Twins, stranding Boston’s automatic runner at second. He intentionally walked pinch hitter Adam Duvall, and struck out two in the inning. Kaleb Ort (1-1) took the loss for the Red Sox, who had their six-game winning streak halted.

UP NEXT
RHP Joe Ryan (7-4, 3.30 ERA) starts today for Minnesota in the finale of the four-game series. The Red Sox are expected to recall LHP Brandon Walter from Triple-A, but Cora said after the game that Justin Garza will serve as an opener. The 26-year old Walter would be making his Major League debut.

K-Heart Sports – 06/21/23

Posted on Jun 21, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – WEDNESDAY – 06/21/23

MINOT, ND – The North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has named the winners of the Non-School categories and the Dakota Award at their year end awards. The Dakota Award goes to a North Dakota athlete that excels outside of the state.

NON-SCHOOL TEAM – Minot State Men’s Hockey

The top-ranked Beavers defeated No. 3-ranked Adrian College 1-0 in the ACHA Division 1 Men’s Hockey national championship game, their third title in program history. The other two came in 2013 and 2019. The Beavers finished the season with a record of 35-3 under head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk.

Other finalists: F-M RedHawks / Fargo Force.

NON-SCHOOL ATHLETE – Johnny Witzke, University of Mary Hockey

Witzke, named to the ACHA M2 All-American team for the second year in a row as a defenseman, totaled 48 points in 42 games, including 18 goals. The 24-year-old was whistled for just 12 penalty minutes, had two game-winning goals and was named the ACHA M2 West Region Player of the Year for the Marauders, who finished with a record of 36-8-2. Witzke will return next season for the Marauders.

Other finalists: Julia Araujo, a wrestler at Bismarck High School / Leo Pina from the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks / Cole Knuble from the Fargo Force hockey team

NON-SCHOOL COACH – Chris Coste, F-M Redhawks

Coste led his hometown RedHawks to their first American Association championship. The Fargo South High grad, and 2008 World Series champion with the Philadelphia Phillies, guided the RedHawks to a 64-36 record. Down 8-3 in the decisive fifth game of the championship series to the Milwaukee Milkmen, the RedHawks rallied for a 9-8, 10-inning victory to claim their first American Association title since joining the league in 2011.

Other finalists: Wyatt Waselenchuk, Minot State hockey

DAKOTA AWARD – Bitta Curl

Britta Curl, a 2018 Bismarck St. Mary’s High School grad, has been chosen for the Dakota Award. Curl captained the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team to the NCAA Division I championship last season. She finished second on the team in points (42) and tied for the team lead in goals (19). She has another year of eligibility remaining with the Badgers. Curl also was on Team USA, which won the Gold Medal at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship.

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Tuesday:

American Legion Baseball

Class A

Williston Oilers def. Minot Metros, 8-1

Williston Oilers def. Minot Metros, 11-6

Class B

Burlington def. Kenmare, 9-1

Kenmare def. Burlington, 22-15

Hazen def. Bismarck Capitals, 11-8

Bismarck Capitals def. Hazen, 9-3

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HOT TOTS-STINGERS

MINOT, ND – A split day-night doubleheader saw the Willmar Stingers defeat the Minot Hot Tots 12-2 in both games. In game one, Willmar scores 12 runs on 16 hits while Minot tallied two runs on 10 hits. Duncan Lutz takes the loss pitching 2 1/3 innings and surrendering 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits with one stikeout and three walks. Nate Zyzda gets the win for the Stingers going 6 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts and one walk.

In game two, Willmar’s 12 runs came on 15 hits. The Hot Tots scored two runs on 8 hits. Tommy White gets the loss after pitching 1 2/3 innings giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits, 4 strikouts and 3 walks. Michael Chevalier got the win for Willmar pitching 3 innings and surrendering two runs, both earned, on 4 hits, 5 strikeouts and two walks.

The Hot Tots fall to 5-16 on the season, while the Stingers improve to 17-4. They will finish their four game series at 6:35 pm tonight at Corbett Field.

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TWINS-RED SOX

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Added to the starting lineup late, Christian Arroyo had a career-high five hits and drove in four runs, while Kutter Crawford pitched five scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox in a 10-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Adam Duvall and Arroyo hit solo homers in the fourth to start the scoring, and Masataka Yoshida added a two-run shot in the eighth. Arroyo also hit a three-run double as part of a five-run seventh for Boston, which has outscored opponents 50-18 during a six-game win streak. Crawford (2-3) gave up just six hits and struck out five. Corey Kluber allowed four runs on three homers but pitched the final three innings for his first career save. Bailey Ober (4-4) surrendered three runs on eight hits in six innings for Minnesota, which has lost five of six and fell to a season-worst two games under .500 (36-38). The Twins started the day with a two-game lead over Cleveland in the American League Central. Byron Buxton, who snapped an 0-for-24 skid with a single in the second, hit a two-run homer in the eighth. Royce Lewis and Max Kepler added solo homers in the ninth.

UP NEXT

RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.37 ERA) will start tonight in the third of the four-game series. RHP Garrett Whitlock (4-2, 4.38) is scheduled for Boston. It will be the first start since Gray was seen arguing with Baldelli in the dugout on June 15 when he was lifted after four innings and 79 pitches with four walks.

K-Heart Sports – 06/20/23

Posted on Jun 20, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – TUESDAY – 06/20/23

MINOT, ND – The North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has named their Special Achievement Award winners. It is the Association’s highest honor. Nominees must receive at least 75% approval in voting by NSAPSSA members.

Larry Sandy, Velva football

Sandy retired after 36 seasons as a head football coach, 33 of them in Velva. With the Aggies, he compiled a record of 282-71 for a .799 winning percentage. During the Dakota Bowl era, no coach has won more state titles — the Aggies have the 10 state championships, the last a 22-20 comeback win over Central Cass last season, which completed an undefeated season with a 13-0 record. Sandy’s teams have finished undefeated six times — 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2022. They won eight titles in a span of 11 seasons from 2000-2010, winning back to back titles in 2000 and 2001 and four consecutive from 2003-2006. Back-to-back titles came again in 2009 and 2010. Sandy started his coaching career in South Dakota for two years before moving to Steele-Dawson in 1989 and Velva in 1990. His overall career record was 296-83.

Dan Carr, Linton basketball

Carr retired after 41 seasons in Linton, finishing his career as the state’s all-time winningest high school basketball coach. In 44 seasons of coaching, Carr piled up 801 victories and led the Lions to three state Class B championships. He was inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015 and the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Carr’s teams won 11 region championships. In 1984 and 1985, Linton won back-to-back state titles, beating Newburg both times, and 81-62 win over the Eagles in 1984 and a 72-70 decision the following season. Linton defeated Dakota Prairie 82-63 in the 2009 state championship game. In 1997, Linton lost 72-61 to Mayville-Portland in the final.

Dan Smrekar, Bismarck St. Mary’s football

Smrekar was synonymous with Saints football over the years. He retired after 49 years at St. Mary’s. After serving as an assistant football coach for four seasons, Smrekar was the head coach for 45 years. He coached the Saints to 295 wins and eight state championships and was named coach of the year six times. He was inducted into the NDHSAA Hall of Fame in 2010. Smrekar also served as St. Mary’s athletic director for 35 years and the football field at the school was named after him. St. Mary’s won Class A state titles in 1988, 1991 and 1994. From 2013-2020, the Saints won five Class AA championships, including four in five seasons (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017). They won the title again in 2020. The Saints also finished as state runners-up in 2018 and 2021.

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Vistas swept West Fargo on Monday.

American Legion Baseball
Class AA

Minot Vistas def. West Fargo, 5-4
Minot Vistas def. West Fargo, 6-2

Mandan Chiefs def. Williston Keybirds, 1-0 (8)
Williston Keybirds def. Mandan Chiefs, 2-1

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots are back home and began a four-game series against Willmar Stingers last night. It didn’t look good for the Hot Tots who trailed 7-0 as they came to bat in the seventh inning. Minot would score nine runs in the seventh and took the lead. The Stingers responded by tying it at 9-9 in the eighth, but the Tots pushed a run across in the bottom of the inning and held on to defeat the team with the best record in the Northwoods League 10-9. Minot improves their record to 5-14, while Willmar drops to 15-4. The teams play a split double-header today with game one at 9:05 am and game two at 6:35 pm. Duncan Lutz (0-1, 12.15 ERA) is schedule to start the morning game for Minot against Nate Zyzda (0-1, 9.90 ERA) for the Stingers.

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BISMARCK, ND – Four runners from Bismarck Legacy High School won two national championships over the weekend at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. Nathan Mathern, Talen Farland, Reece Snow, and Dylan McGlothlin won the 4×200-meter relay on Friday and followed it up with a win in the 4×100-meter relay on Sunday in a time of 41.42 seconds. Four students from Bismarck High School also ran in the 4x100m relay at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. Deegan Staudinger, Jeran McNichols, Drew Henriksen and Hudson Schroeder recorded a time of 42.57 seconds, taking fourth place in the event.

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TWINS-RED SOX

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Verdugo tripled and drove in four runs, James Paxton pitched 6 1/3 effective innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-3 on Monday night for their fifth straight win. Triston Casas hit a two-run homer and Jarren Duran added three doubles for Boston, which has outscored opponents 40-14 during the win streak. Paxton (3-1) gave up three hits and a walk while striking out seven. Over his past four games, the tall left-hander has given up six earned runs in 24 1/3 innings with 32 strikeouts. Pablo López (3-4) allowed five runs — four earned — in 5 2/3 innings for Minnesota, which has lost four of five but remains two games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central despite falling under .500 (36-37) for the second time this season. Twins catcher Christian Vázquez hit a three-run homer against his former team, his first in 48 games in his first season in Minnesota.

UP NEXT
RHP Bailey Ober (4-3, 2.65 ERA) is scheduled to start today for Minnesota, with Boston countering with RHP Kutter Crawford (1-3, 4.20).

K-Heart Sports – 06/16/23

Posted on Jun 16, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/16/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – One of the top football prospects in North Dakota is staying home to play football in college. Bishop Ryan offensive tackle Coy Okeson announced on social media that he has committed to North Dakota State. The 6’5, 275lb Okeson chose the Bison over FBS schools like Nebraska and Wyoming. He is the fourth in-state recruit to commit to the Bison classs of 2024 joining Isiah St. Romain of Williston, Nate Tastad of Rolette and Peder Haugo of Fargo.

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Vistas were at home for only the second time this season.

American Legion Baseball
Class AA

Bismarck Governors def. Minot Vistas, 8-6 (8)
Minot Vistas def. Bismarck Governors, 9-3

Fargo Post 2 def. Mandan Chiefs, 11-1
Fargo Post 2 def. Mandan Chiefs, 6-3

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots began a four game roadtrip in Mankato last night. The MoonDogs scored four runs in the seventh inning and won 4-1. The Hot Tots only run came in the ninth inning. Minot had their chances as they left 12 runners on base. Duncan Lutz takes the loss as he worked 1 1/3 innings in relief of Jack Smith giving up four runs on two hits with 3 walks and a strikeout. Smith went five innings for Minot giving up 5 hits, walking one and striking out two. The two teams will play again tonight in Mankato.

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TWINS-TIGERS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Javier Báez and Spencer Torkelson each had two hits and drove in two runs to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 8-4 on Thursday night for just their second victory in 13 games. Matt Vierling was 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI for the Tigers. They have scored at least five runs in a season-high five straight games. Matthew Boyd (4-5) survived a four-run second inning for the victory. He walked one and struck out eight over six innings. Donovan Solano homered for the Twins. They had won four of their previous five. Twins starter Sonny Gray labored through four innings, including a 35-pitch fourth that spelled the end of his night. Reliever Jovani Moran (0-2) replaced Gray and gave up three runs in the fifth.

UP NEXT
RHP Joe Ryan (7-3) is set to start for Minnesota against Detroit tonight. He’s coming off a no-decision in Toronto, when he gave up three earned runs over six innings. Detroit hasn’t announced a starter, though Hinch confirmed after the game that Friday would be a bullpen game for the Tigers staff.

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VIKINGS-COUSIN

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings reported for minicamp this week with a dress-up theme — sports jerseys — that came with a contest to award the most creative player. The assignment generated by quarterback Kirk Cousins spread through the entire organization, with roughly two-thirds of all staff wearing one to work on Tuesday — some current, some throwback, some random choices in between. “All Kirk’s idea,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “That was his whole deal, and the guys took it and ran with it.” Cousins chose a Georgetown-era Allen Iverson jersey. An assistant coach who wanted to needle his boss, whom O’Connell declined to name, found a replica of the head coach’s jersey from his college career at San Diego State. New Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, in a head-to-toe Vancouver Grizzlies uniform featuring former point guard Mike Bibby, was declared the winner. Bibby happens to be Murphy’s uncle.

Cousins has been taking small groups of teammates out for dinners this spring, too, including one outing to a Chili’s restaurant near Vikings headquarters that fit right in with the quirky-yet-wholesome dad brand he’s presented to the public throughout his career. “When you spend time with your teammates, when you ask questions, when you get to know them, when you care about them, it just changes the way you pull for them and the way you pull for each other, the way you work together,” Cousins said. “During the season, even during training camp, it’s difficult to find the time to do that.”

The Vikings cleared $9 million from their salary cap last week by releasing running back Dalvin Cook, the ultimate move in what has amounted to a major offseason makeover. Dumping locker room leaders and longtime standouts such as Cook, wide receiver Adam Thielen and linebacker Eric Kendricks has on one hand been a jarring turn for a 13-win team and on the other hand made good sense in the context of data-based decision-making and maximum flexibility the front office under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has stated as guiding roster-crafting principles. The Vikings also traded edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland for two late-round draft picks.

O’Connell said this week he’s “well aware” of the resulting leadership void created by those decisions and has thus challenged some of the younger standouts on the team to help fill it. “It just has a natural progression, and you always have the next group of guys that are ready to step up and take on a bigger role — not just on the field but certainly in the locker room,” Cousins said. Having started his sixth season in Minnesota while playing the most important position on the field, Cousins would naturally gravitate to these efforts. The fact that he did not have his contract extended this offseason has made his team-building efforts all the more notable — and perhaps noble, too.

The Vikings under Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have essentially placed Cousins into yet another prove-it year, without any promise he’ll be able to remain in purple beyond this season per his stated preference. Cousins, speaking to reporters on Wednesday after the conclusion of minicamp, acknowledged as much. “I think we’ll probably talk about the contract next March,” Cousins said, “and until then just focus on this season and the job to do right now.”

K-Heart Sports – 06/15/23

Posted on Jun 15, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/15/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND (MINOTAUROSHOCKEY.COM) – The Minot Minotauros added 10 new faces to the organization during the 2023 NAHL Draft on Wednesday. Tauros Head Coach/General Manager Cody Campbell opted to target experience with six of the selections being 2003 birth years and just one year of eligibility. By virtue of their 31-27-2 record last season the Tauros owned the 16th of 32 slots in each round.

In the first round the Tauros selected Neepawa Titans forward Hayden Stocks. The Edmonton, Alberta, native has played junior each of the last two seasons in Canada and has 98 points over that span. Last season for Neepawa he posted 31 goals and 22 assists and will look to build on those numbers heading into his final season of junior.

The Tauros went into the second round with two picks starting the day and used the first of those to select forward Colby Bear. The big forward (6’2” 201 lbs.) played for the Battlefords North Stars in the SJHL for the last two seasons. Over 94 games he posted 22 goals and 37 assists, 40 of those 59 points came last season for the Stars. He then added four goals and three helpers in 13 playoff games. Technically the Tauros selected Peteris Purmalis four picks later in the second round but that selection was immediately traded to the Minnesota Wilderness for a tender for next season. The deal had been agreed to prior to the pick.

With the 16th pick in third round the Tauros looked to Finland and added their first defenseman of the draft in Matias Myllykoski. Myllykoski has played two seasons of junior in Finland for a pair of storied programs first Jokerit and then Kiekko-Espoo. Over 61 games he had 7 goals and 17 assists. Then with the 24th pick in the round the Tauros too Caden Lee, their first pick with more than one season of eligibility remaining. An ’05 birthyear Lee, from Chanhassen H.S. in Minnesota, posted 43 points in 28 games.

Another young player was taken in the fourth round with Jack Gardner being selected from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18u team; the same program that produced current Tauros Adam Mahler and Nick Sewecke. Gardner posted 16 points over 56 games last season his first of u18 play, and ’05 birthyear he has three seasons of eligibility.

Mykhailo Krasnozhon was selected with the 13th pick of the fifth round. The Ukrainian forward has posted big points playing junior in Slovakia, posting 28 points in 44 games during his rookie season and 42 points in 41 games last season. He also represented Ukraine at the IIHF World Juniors where he had an assist in five games.

The Tauros went young in the sixth round with Jacob Ingstrup, a defenseman born in 2006. Born November 9, 2006 there is a good chance that the Lombard, IL, native will be the youngest player in the league next season. He posted 15 points in 22 games for the Kent School in Connecticut.

In the seventh round the Tauros selected Joel Lehtinen, son of former Dallas Star Jere Lehtinen. Another ’03 birthyear forward the young Lehtinen has played two seasons of junior in Finland for Kiekko-Espoo. Last season he posted 25 points in 31 games.

In the eighth round the Tauros selected forward John Small from the Langley Rivermen of the BCHL. Small has a year of junior under his belt but is an ’04 giving him two seasons of eligibility as a Tauro. Last season for the Rivermen Small posted three goals and five assists over 46 games.

Finally, the Tauros rounded out their draft class with ’03 forward Maksim Lakic from the Rochester Grizzlies of the NA3HL. The Milwaukee native saw two games of NAHL action last season with the Johnstown Tomahawks before joining Rochester. Prior to that Lakic played both in the NAPHL u16 and u18 levels, this season he will look to continue to climb the NAHL “ladder of development.”

With the NAHL Draft now completed the next step for Campbell and the rest of the Tauros staff will be evaluating the group at Main Camp July 5-8. For the first time ever the Minotauros Main Camp will be held in Minot on the Eck Rink where then Campbell and his staff will determine which 30-35 players will come to Minot in late August for training camp. Main Camp will be open to Tauro fans, a schedule will be posted soon. For that and more Tauros news and notes all summer long be sure to follow the Minotauros social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and check GoTauros.com.

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MINOT, ND – – The Minot Vistas played their home-opener yesterday at Corbett Field. Tyler Buchanan tossed a complete game shutout for the Vistas who went on to sweep the double-header.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Minot Vistas def Mandan Chiefs, 10-0
Minot Vistas def. Mandan Chiefs, 7-4

Fargo Post 2 def Bismarck Governors, 8-2
Fargo Post 2 def. Bismarck Governors, 7-6

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TWINS-BREWERS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A four-run third inning sparked by Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo and Trevor Larnach vaulted the Twins to a 4-2 win Wednesday and their first series sweep of Milwaukee since 2017, handing the Brewers their sixth straight loss. Minnesota (35-33) has won four of its past five games. Milwaukee (34-34) tied a season high for consecutive defeats and is .500 for the first time since April 1. Twins starter Bailey Ober (4-3) recorded a season high-tying seven strikeouts and two earned runs on six hits. Relievers Brock Stewart, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax each pitched a perfect inning of relief, with usual closer Duran playing an unconventional setup role in the eighth. Jax earned his second career save. A recently rejuvenated Twins lineup got hot during its second time through the batting order against starter Colin Rea (3-4). Larnach’s RBI double and Gallo’s run-scoring single gave Minnesota a 4-2 advantage in the third after Correa drove in a pair of runs on a triple to right-center field. Rea allowed four earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in five innings.

Correa has two doubles, a triple, three home runs, 10 RBIs and three walks in his past six games. That includes his first regular-season walk-off homer, which came Tuesday night. The Twins’ entire hitting group — position players, coaches and staff — gathered for an impromptu meeting during the team’s sweep at Tampa Bay last week. Since then, they’ve scored 30 runs in five games. “I’ve expected our guys to be hitting the way they’re hitting right now,” said manager Rocco Baldelli, whose team still leads the majors in strikeouts and strikeout percentage. “It’s summertime, and it’s time to hit.” Including Wednesday, the Twins’ rotation has accounted for 39 starts lasting at least six innings. Minnesota had the same number of such starts all of last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM
Baldelli expects CF Byron Buxton back from a rib contusion “in a day or two.” The Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day injured list June 6. The prognosis isn’t as positive for INF Jorge Polanco, who’s been out since June 10 with a left hamstring strain. Polanco “is not close to coming back,” Baldelli said. “He’s going to need recovery time and then a legitimate buildup; he’s going to have to go play in some (minor league) games, then come out of those games feeling great … before he comes back and we feel good about sending him out there.”

UP NEXT
Minnesota continues a 10-game homestead with a four-game series against Detroit starting tonight. RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.25 ERA) is expected to start against LHP Matthew Boyd (3-5, 5.55 ERA).

K-Heart Sports – 06/14/23

Posted on Jun 14, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/14/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – If you like lots of offense in your baseball game, Corbett Field was the place to be last night. The Minot Hot Tots and Eau Claire Express combined to score 22 runs. In the end the Express win 14-8 as the teams split the four-game series. Eau Claire was already up 9-0 when the Hot Tots got their first run of the game in the second innning. Minot drops to 3-11 on the year. They are off today and then begin a two-game series in Mankato on Thursday.

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MINOT, ND – For the second day in a row the Minot Metros were on the road.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Jamestown Eagles def. Dickinson Roughrider, 5-4
Dickinson Roughrider def. Jamestown Eagles, 6-4

Class A
Bismarck Senators def. Minot Metros, 12-0
Bismarck Senators def. Minot Metros, 5-1

Bismarck Reps def. Beulah, 4-1
Bismarck Reps def. Beulah, 17-2

Class B
Burlington def. Surrey, 13-7
Surrey def. Burlington, 7-2

Washburn def. Garrison, 11-0
Washburn def. Garrison, 6-0

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MINOT, ND – The Optimist All-Star Volleyball series finished up last night at Bismarck Legacy High School and the Blue team sweeps the two-match series. They also won the fourth set that they played. Local players on the Blue team included Taryn Seig of Drake-Anamoose, Karli Klein of Garrison and Brenna Stroklund of Kenmare-Bowbells.

High School Girls Volleyball
Optimist All-Star Series – Bismarck Legacy
Blue Team def. Red Team, (4-0) 25-22, 26-24, 25-16, 25-15

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MINOT, ND – The North Dakota High School Coaches Association has named their All-State teams for boy’s golf and players from Minot and Bottineau were honored.

2023 Class A Boy’s Golf All-State Team
Kasen Rostad and Brock Jones – Minot High

2023 Class B Boy’s Golf All-State Team
Max Palmer and Colton Getzlaf – Bottineau

Class B Coach of the Year – Nate Simpson of Bottineau

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TWINS-BREWERS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After the sidewinding offseason that led Carlos Correa back to Minnesota, the star shortstop has endured an concerningly slow start at the plate. His swing is finally rounding into form. Milwaukee closer Devin Williams can attest. Correa hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run ninth inning off the usually dominant Williams, giving the Twins a 7-5 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday night. Correa crushed a 1-1 changeup from Williams (3-1) off the second-deck façade beyond left field, dropping his bat as he turned to his dugout and tapped his wrist to signal it’s his time, like he did for World Series champion Houston during the 2021 postseason. Williams, who took his first blown save in 11 attempts, didn’t record an out and had his sparkling 0.42 ERA spike to 2.08. Michael A. Taylor greeted him with a home run, before Eduoard Julien walked. Then pinch-runner Willi Castro stole second and raced home — ignoring the stop sign from third base coach Tommy Watkins — on Donovan Solano’s tying single to set up Correa’s 13th career walk-off hit. That includes three in the postseason.

UP NEXT
Brewers RHP Colin Rea (3-3, 4.47 ERA) takes the mound to finish the two-game series this afternoon, opposite Twins RHP Bailey Ober (3-3, 2.61 ERA).

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VIKINGS-JEFFERSON

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Justin Jefferson jogged onto the sun-soaked practice field, proceeding to jump in the air with a karate kick of his left leg as he approached his teammates. Absent all spring on his own offseason training and business agenda, Jefferson’s salient presence was a natural highlight for the Minnesota Vikings as they convened for minicamp. “You can just tell when he’s walking the halls in our building, just the energy and the juice that he brings,” coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday. “He was in great shape, moving around today like I expected him to be, mentally still really sharp.” Jefferson, an unanimous All-Pro pick for 2022 who has two years remaining on his rookie contract, has entered the window for what will likely be an extraordinarily expensive extension with his 4,825 yards and 324 receptions that are the most in NFL history over a player’s first three seasons.

The Louisiana native has been working out in the Miami area during the voluntary portion of Minnesota’s offseason program, which had about 97% attendance on the roster. The two-day minicamp this week is mandatory, subjecting no-shows to fines. “I had a lot of stuff going on. They didn’t really force me to come back too much, so it didn’t seem like I was missing too much, but they definitely wanted me back here,” Jefferson said. He said he’s been busy with endorsement and marketing opportunities and casually dismissed a question from a reporter about whether his absence was related to the lack of a new contract. He also said he would return for training camp, regardless of the status of negotiations. I don’t really see it as a cloud hanging over my head. At the end of the day, I’m just going to be myself, still going to be playing the same way,” Jefferson said. “The contract comes with the game, but my agent handles that. I don’t.”

Davante Adams (Las Vegas), Tyreek Hill (Miami), A.J. Brown (Philadelphia), Amari Cooper (Cleveland) and Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) are the top five earners in the league in terms of maximum contract value for wide receivers. The $140 million the Raiders committed to Adams is the largest overall figure at that position, though about $72 million of that comes from non-guaranteed base salaries for 2025 and 2026. Hill’s annual average of $30 million on a four-year contract with the Dolphins is currently the highest. “As long as I’m going to keep on performing at my best ability on the field, being the same person that I am on and off the field, I’ll be good,” Jefferson said.

O’Connell has maintained regular contact with Jefferson since last season ended, even asking him for input about certain formation or route suggestions in the endless strategy session that is the offseason for an NFL coach. Clearly, O’Connell wanted Jefferson with the team the entire time, particularly considering the departure of Adam Thielen and the leadership void that created in the wide receiver group. The Vikings drafted Jordan Addison in the first round, but the USC product has been held out of the full-team practices open to reporters because of an unspecified injury. But there’s no apparent tension here, either. “We’re quite a few installs in on formations and certain plays, and he was able to jump right back in there and really try to absorb some of the new things we’re doing as well for his role, which is a pretty special one in our offense,” O’Connell said.

Still missing, however, was defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has been seeking a new deal. Hunter has 71 sacks for the Vikings since he was drafted in the third round out of LSU in 2015, the sixth most in the league during that span despite missing the entire 2020 season (herniated neck disc) and more than half of 2021 (torn pectoral muscle) with injuries. He has had the five-year, $72 million extension he signed in 2018 adjusted twice. He’s on the book for a $4.9 million base salary this year and a salary cap hit of more than $13 million on a deal that’s scheduled to expire after the season. According to data compiled by Over The Cap, Hunter ranks 15th among edge rushers in the NFL in annual average contract value. Skipping the offseason program means Hunter has forfeited a $100,000 workout bonus. He’s also subject to a fine of almost $50,000 from the Vikings for missing the mandatory two-day minicamp, per collective bargaining agreement guidelines. “I’ve got all the respect in the world for Danielle as a player, a leader, a person on our team,” O’Connell said. “We feel very strongly about being solution-oriented with everything that comes about, and this example, just like a lot of the other ones that have come up, we’ll do the same, and we hope to have continued dialogue and have a really positive outcome.”

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NHL-STANLEY CUP

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Golden Knights games have always been as flashy as any show on the Las Vegas Strip, the sword-fighting mascot taking the ice before what seems like a legion of players marching out through the mirrored entrance into the roar of the crowd. If this team was ever going to win the Stanley Cup, it was going to do it with Vegas flash. The Knights delivered just that from dazzling passes to Mark Stone’s hat trick to all-out goal celebrations, capturing the young organization’s first title with a 9-3 romp over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Coach Bruce Cassidy, in a nod to the Knights’ brief history, started five of the original Vegas players known as the Misfits and put the sixth on the second shift. Cassidy sounded confident the day before the game that his team would play well, and it certainly did, blowing open a one-goal game in the second period to lead 6-1. The nine goals tied the record for the most in a Cup Final. Vegas closed out the series in five games to win the cup before a delirious franchise-record crowd of 19,058 at T-Mobile Arena that drowned out the pregame introductions of forward Jonathan Marchessault and goalie Adin Hill and cheered all the way through the final buzzer. Marchessault, who ended the postseason with a 10-game points streak, received the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

K-Heart Sports – 06/13/23

Posted on Jun 13, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/13/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – After getting their first home win in franchise history on Sunday, the Minot Hot Tots made it two-in-a-row last night with an 11-1 victory over the Eau Claire Express. The Hot Tots came out hot plating four runs in the first inning, three in the third, adding one in the fouth and one in the seventh, and two in the eighth. Minot’s 11 runs came on 12 hits with no errors, but 11 were left on base. The only Express run came in the eighth inning as they tallied six hits and committed an errors. Eau Claire let 9 runners on base. Rawley Hector gets the win for the Hot Tots pitching five innings and giving up three hits, with two stikeouts and two walks. Minot will go for the series win tonight as they finish their four-game series against Eau Claire at 6:35 pm tonight at Corbett Field.

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Metros have a very busy week on the road. After playing in Mandan on Monday, they head back to Bismarck today to play the Senators. Thursday they play in Watford City, before heading to Grand Forks for a tournament on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

American Legion Baseball
Class A
Mandan A’s def Minot Metros, 13-6
Mandan A’s def. Minot Metros, 11-1

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OPTIMIST ALL-STAR VOLLEYBALL

MINOT, ND – Monday was day one of the Optimist All-Star Volleyball series, which features seniors from this past season. This year instead of an East vs West format, coaches drafted players for a Blue vs Red team. Local players on the Blue team include Brenna Stroklund of Kenmare-Bowbells, Karli Klein of Garrison, and Taryn Seig of Drake-Anamoose. The Red team features Magee Rovig of Bishop Ryan and Brenna Vosberg of Center-Stanton. The second, and final, match of the series is tonight at 7 pm at Bismarck Legacy High School.

High School Girls Volleyball
Optimist All-Star Volleyball Series
Blue Team def. Red Team, (3-1) 25-23, 27-29, 25-17, 25-19

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ALL-STATE – GIRLS TENNIS

MINOT, ND – The Minot High girls tennis team had an excellent season winning their first team dual title since 2018 at the State Tournament. It completed an undefeated season for the Majettes. For their efforts, several players were honored by the North Dakota High School Coaches Association,

2023 Girls Tennis All-State Team

Singles
Sidney Ressler and Kyllie Fettig of Minot High

Outstanding Senior Athlete – Halle Mattson of Minot High

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NBA FINALS

DENVER (AP) — Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets sharing hugs while passing around the NBA championship trophy. Those scenes that, for almost a half-century, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night. The Nuggets outlasted the Miami Heat 94-89 in an ugly, frantic Game 5 that did nothing to derail Nikola Jokic, who bailed out his teammates with 28 points and 16 rebounds on a night when nothing else seemed to work. Jokic became the first player in history to lead the league in points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason. Not surprisingly, he won the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP — an award that certainly has more meaning to him than the two overall MVPs he won in 2021 and ’22 and the one that escaped him this year. For the first time in 47 seasons, nobody in the NBA shines brighter than the Nuggets.

K-Heart Sports – 06/12/23

Posted on Jun 12, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/12/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots earned their first home win in franchise history with a 5-0 shutout of the Eau Claire Express on Sunday. The Tots scored two runs in the third inning, added two more in the fourth and one in the eighth in securing the win. Gage Yost gets the win pitching six innings and giving up three hits, walking four and striking out two. Gavin Schmitt came in to pitch the final three ininngs giving up three hits, walking one and striking out two. Minot improves their record to 2-10 while Eau Claire drops to 6-6. Game three in the four-game series at Corbett Field is tonight at 6:35 pm.

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MINOT, ND – Sunday scores:

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Mandan Chiefs def. Saskatoon, 5-3

Mandan Chiefs def. Rapid City, 6-5 (8)

Bismarck Governors def. Southeast Saskatchewan, 8-4

Class A/B
Williston Oilers def. Surrey, 12-10

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TWINS-BLUE JAYS

TORONTO (AP) — Cavan Biggio hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6 Sunday and avoid a three-game sweep. Biggio’s fifth homer of the season came off Emilio Pagán (3-1), who began the eighth by giving up singles to Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal. The 423-foot drive was the second-longest of Biggio’s career behind a 429-foot homer against Tampa Bay on July 27, 2019. Matt Chapman added a two-run homer and had three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who are 8-3 in June. Nate Pearson (4-0) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, and Jordan Romano worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances, striking out Trevor Larnach to strand pinch runner Willi Castro at third base. Donovan Solano hit a solo home run for the AL Central-leading Twins, who failed to hold a 6-1, fifth-inning lead. The Twins are 9-12 in series finales. This was the third time Minnesota lost when seeking a three-game sweep.

UP NEXT
RHP Pablo López (3-3, 4.25) starts Tuesday as the Twins return home to begin a two-game series against Milwaukee. RHP Corbin Burnes (5-4, 3.36) starts for the Brewers.

K-Heart Sports – 06/09/23

Posted on Jun 9, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/09/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Slowly the transition from high school to legion baseball is taking place.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA
Dickinson Roughriders def. Fargo Post 400, 12-11

Class A
Mandan A’s def. Beulah, 3-2

Class B
Velva def. Rugby, 5-4
Velva def. Rugby, 12-2 (4)

Renville County def. Crosby, 5-2
Renville County def. Crosby, 13-3

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots are still searching for their first home win. It looked like it might happen last night as the Tots got off to a very strong start. Minot scored 3 runs in the first inning and then went on to add two in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth. They led 9-3 after six innings, but surrendered 9 runs in the eighth and lost to the Minnestoa Mud Puppies 12-9. The Hot Tots drop to 1-8 on the year while Minnesota picks up their first win against two losses. They’ll play again tonight at 7:05 pm at Corbett Field.

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TWINS-RAYS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Minnesota starter Bailey Ober retired all nine batters he faced through three innings against the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Then the umpires had him wash his hands after a foreign-substance inspection before taking the mound in the fourth. Before the inning was done, the 6-foot-9 right-hander had lost his perfect game and the lead as the Rays went on to beat the slumping Twins 4-2 for a three-game sweep. Randy Arozarena walked with two outs in the fourth. Luke Raley had an RBI triple and Harold Ramírez hit a two-run homer off Ober to put the Rays up 3-1. The start of the inning was delayed when Ober left the field to wash his hands. “I had too much sweat on my hands, and I use the rosin when I’m out on the field, so he thought it was too much and told me just go back in there and wash my hands,” Ober said. “It got in my head a little bit that I didn’t feel safe out there, like, you never know if he checks me again and he’s a little ticked off that he can toss me. It was a little hard finishing out that game but even after that I got the first two guys out in that inning.” Ober (3-3) gave up four runs, three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. Minnesota still leads the AL Central despite falling under .500 at 31-32, and has scored a combined seven runs in the past six games.

UP NEXT
RHP Sonny Gray (4-1) and Toronto LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-2) are tonight’s starters to begin a three-game series in Toronto.

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VIKINGS-COOK

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings are parting ways with star running back Dalvin Cook for salary cap savings after his fourth consecutive season surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark. Cook has been informed he will be released, a person familiar with the team’s decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke only on condition of anonymity because the Vikings had not announced the move. Cook, in just six years with the Vikings, reached third on the franchise all-time rushing list with 5,993 yards. He’s fifth in rushing attempts (1,282) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (47). Cook was scheduled to count more than $14.1 million against Minnesota’s salary cap, which would have been the third-highest figure for a running back in the league behind Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. Cutting him chopped $9 million off the team’s cap charges for this year. The Vikings remain on the hook for more than $5.1 million in dead money for the prorated remainder of the signing bonus from the extension he signed prior to the 2020 season, according to data compiled by Over The Cap.

Cook, who will turn 28 in August, has made the Pro Bowl for four straight years. In 2022, he started all 18 games including the playoffs, a first for him as a pro and a particular source of pride after injuries to his knee, hamstring and shoulder kept him from perfect participation over his first five seasons. Cook has not been present for the team’s voluntary offseason workouts. His future with the club has been unclear at best since the Vikings re-signed his backup, Alexander Mattison, to a two-year, $7 million contract seen as too luxurious for a second-stringer. Three of Cook’s eight career gains of 50-plus yards from scrimmage came in 2022, showing his explosiveness still exists, but he averaged a career-low 4.4 yards per rush as the Vikings struggled with their efficiency and consistency on the ground.

They are heavily invested in their passing attack, too, with quarterback Kirk Cousins and an extension looming for wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The modern game has simply left the workhorse running back behind with more teams getting by on younger and cheaper timeshares in the backfield. The Vikings somewhat surprisingly brought back Mattison after he became an unrestricted free agent, and head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about him on May 30 as if he were already the featured runner. “It’s been really good to see Alex Mattison take those kind of reps and really show that three-down ownership that he’s been capable of for a long time,” said O’Connell, who also declared without prompting that recent draft picks Ty Chandler (2022) and Kene Nwangwu (2021) were competition for the top backup spot during a post-practice question from a reporter about the running back situation. Dwayne McBride, a seventh-round pick this spring out of UAB, will also bring some upside to the mix. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips also spoke as if Cook was as good as gone, when asked on June 6 about Chandler’s readiness for a more prominent role: “He’s going to have to be.”

The Vikings ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt and tied for 27th in rushing yards per game last season. “We all knew that that was an area of improvement that we needed, so coming in to this year there’s more emphasis,” Mattison said last month. “It’s definitely been a little bit more of an emphasis, and it’s looking good.”

K-Heart Sports – 06/08/23

Posted on Jun 8, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/08/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The final high school tournaments of the year finished Wednesday.

High School Boys Golf
Class A State Tournament – Heart River Golf Course in Dickinson

Team Results (final)
1. West Fargo Sheyenne, 579 (3rd consecutive title)
2. Grand Forks Red River, 607
3. Bismarck Century, 610
T43. Jamestown, 640
T4. Fargo Davies, 640
6. Minot High, 641
7. Fargo North, 645
8. West Fargo, 651
9. Fargo South, 654
T10. Bismarck Legacy, 670
T10. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 670
12. Bismarck High, 673

Individual Results (final – Top 5)
1. Nate Peyerl (West Fargo Sheyenne), 139 (2nd consecutive title)
2. Zach Skarperud (Fargo Shanley), 144
T3. Andrew Wilhelm (West Fargo Sheyenne), 145
T3. Carson Skarperud (Grand Forks Red River), 145
5. Aiden Knodel (West Fargo Sheyenne), 146

12. Bennet Bartsch (Minot High), 155

Class B State Tournament – Bois de Sioux Golf Course in Wahpeton

Team Results (final – Top 5/area schools)
1. Central Cass, 623 (1st state title)
T2. Fargo Oak Grove, 656
T2. Bottineau, 656
4. Shiloh Christian, 670
5. Kindred, 671

9. Beulah, 715

T11. Rugby, 717

13. Our Redeemer’s, 739

15. Des Lacs-Burlington, 750

17. Stanley, 764
18. New Town, 839

Individual Results (final – Top 5/area golfers in Top 50)
1. Aidan Hall (Northern Cass), 148
2. Karsen Kulseth (Bowman County), 149
T3. Cole Holzer (Central Cass), 150
T3. Zachary St. Aubin (South Border), 150
5. Max Palmer (Bottineau), 153

T8. Colton Getzlaff (Bottineau), 156

T12. Champ Hettich (Beulah), 159

T20. Jordan Anderson (Glenburn), 164

T28. Alex Lorenz (Bottineay), 167

T37. Gage Olson (South Prairie), 172
T37. Jett Lundeen (Bishop Ryan), 172

T42. Julius Elick (Northern Lights), 173

T46. Eli Miller (Des Lacs-Burlington), 174

49. Josh Hetzel (Stanley), 175

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MINOT, ND – The Minot Vistas and Minot Metros began their seasons yesterday. The Metros hosted Dickinson at Corbett Field while the Vistas were on the road in Grand Forks.

American Legion Baseball

Class AA

Minot Vistas def. Grand Forks Royals, 11-3
Minot Vistas def. Grand Forks Royals, 17-3

Mandan Chiefs def. Miles City MT, 11-4
Mandan Chiefs def. Miles City MT, 14-2

Class A

Dickinson Volunteers def. Minot Metros, 10-6
Minot Metros def. Dickinson Volunteers, 7-3

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ALL-STATE

MINOT, ND – The North Dakota High School Coaches Association has named All-State teams for several spring sports and many local athletes were honored.

2023 Class B Softball All-State Team

Teegyn Anderson – Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark
Ellie Braaten, Ginger Savelkoul – Renville County
Taylor Christensen, Addie Dale-Geiger – Beulah
Emma Jones – Glenburn
Olivia Passa – Velva-Drake-Anamoose
Daisy Sparrow – Central McLean
Delani Tweed – Bottineau
Taylor Zimmerman – Wilton-Wing

Outstanding Senior Athlete – Taylor Christensen of Beulah

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2023 Class B Baseball All-State Team

First Team
Brody Schneibel – Rugby
Coltan Francis, Noah Erickson – Surrey
Carson Yale, Paxton Ystaas – Des Lacs-Burlington
Carson Merck – Bishop Ryan

Second Team
Carson Haerer – Bottineau
Drew Zwak – Bishop Ryan
Hank Bodine – Velva-Drake-Anamoose
Kellan Henry – Renville County
Rylan Olson – Des Lacs-Burlington
Tyson Wick – Hazen

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2023 Class A Softball All-State Team

Ellington Anderson, Cierra Erickson, Kinsey Fjeld – Minot High

Coach of the Year – Gerard Cederstrom of Minot High

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2023 Class A Baseball All-State Team

Kellan Burke, Morgan Nygaard – Minot High

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NDSU-RODIN

FARGO, ND – Kenmare-native Jacob Rodin ran in the 800-meter semifinals last night at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas. Rodin finished 17th and did not qualify for the finals on Friday. He receives All-American honor mention status. Rodin was the first NDSU Bison man to compete at the NCAA Division I Championships in an individual running event.

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TWINS-RAYS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Randy Arozarena homered leading off ninth inning to give the major league-best Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 victory over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. After Minnesota tied it in the top of the inning, Arozarena sent an 0-1 pitch from Jhoan Duran (1-2) to the opposite field into the stands in right-center field. Duran has given up just two earned runs over 18 2/3 innings in his last 17 games. The Rays improved to 28-6 at home. It’s the best home start since the 1998 New York Yankees also went 28-6. Minnesota’s Pablo López allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. The Twins have lost a season-high four in a row. Minnesota has scored five runs and picked up 26 hits in its last five games.

UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Bailey Ober (3-2) will start the series finale this afternoon. The Rays have not announced a starter.

K-Heart Sports – 06/07/23

Posted on Jun 7, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/07/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – The Scheels All-Star Softball series finished in Bismarck last night. Renville County’s Ellie Braaten was 4 for 4 with 3 RBI’s, including the a game-winning 2 RBI double in the extra inning as the West wins 11-10 in 8 innings. Braaten was named the series MVP as the West swept the three game series and has now won 9 in a row. In the series Braaten was 8 for 11 at the plate with 9 RBI’s.

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MINOT, ND – Day one of the boys state golf tournaments is in the books.

High School Boys Golf

Class A State Tournament – Heart River Golf Course in Dickinson

Team Results (day one)
1. West Fargo Sheyenne, 284
2. Grand Forks Red River, 299
T3. Bismarck Century, 315
T3. Jamestown, 315
5. Fargo North, 318
6. Fargo Davies, 320
7. Bismarck Legacy, 324
8. Minot High, 325
9. West Fargo, 325
10. Fargo South, 328
11. Bismarck St. Mary’s 332
12. Bismarck High, 337

Individual Results (day one)
1. Nate Peyerl (West Fargo Sheyenne), 69
2. Andrew Wilhelm (West Fargo Sheyenne), 71
T3. Aiden Knodel (West Fargo Sheyenne), 72
T3. Quinn Breidenbach (West Fargo Sheyenne), 72
T3. Zach Skarperud (Fargo Shanley), 72
T6. Bennet Bartsch (Minot High), 73
T6. Carson Skarperud (Grand Forks Red River), 73

Class B State Tournament – Bois de Sioux Golf Course in Wahpeton

Team Results (day one)
1. Central Cass, 315
2. Fargo Oak Grove, 327
3. Kindred, 328
4. Shiloh Christian, 329
5. Bottineau, 333

8. Beulah, 346

12. Rugby, 364

14. Stanley, 371

T16. Des Lacs-Burlington, 381
T16. Our Redeemer’s, 381

18. New Town, 413

Individual Results (day one)
T1. Aidan Hall (Northern Cass), 71
T1. Zachary St. Aubin (South Border), 71
3. Karsen Kulseth (Bowman County), 73

T6. Colton Getzlaff (Bottineau), 77

T12. Champ Hettich (Beulah), 79
T12. Max Palmer (Bottineau), 79

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TWINS-RAYS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Zach Eflin pitched into the seventh inning and earned his eighth win, Luke Raley tripled and homered, and the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins 7-0 on Tuesday night. Eflin (8-1) scattered three hits and struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings. Only teammate Shane McClanahan (9-1) has more wins in the majors. Eflin is 7-0 with a 1.85 ERA in seven home starts. Louie Varland, coming off seven shutout innings in a win at Houston on Wednesday, gave up seven runs and six hits in six-plus innings as Minnesota dropped to 31-30. Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, who reaggravated the plantar fasciitis in his left foot on Thursday, returned to the lineup. He had a double and struck out three times. The Twins were limited to four hits in a game that took 2 hours, 7 minutes. Minnesota’s Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left rib. Buxton, an All-Star last year, is hitting .220 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs in 50 games this season. He was hurt on Thursday, when he was hit by a pitch from Guardians rookie Tanner Bibee.

UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Pablo López (3-3) will start tonight’s game against the Rays. Tampa Bay RHP Shwan Armstrong (0-0) will open and RHP Cooper Criswell (1-1) will likely follow.

K-Heart Sports – 06/04/23

Posted on Jun 4, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/04/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – It was Championship Saturday.

High School Baseball
Class B

State Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

7th Place
Bishop Ryan def. Shiloh Christian, 3-2
5th Place
#4 North Star def. Des Lacs-Burlington, 4-3
3rd Place
#2 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. #5 Central Cass, 9-4
Championship
#1 Thompson def. #3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion, 9-0 (Thompson repeated as champs)

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

State Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

7th Place
Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark def. Central McLean, 8-7
5th Place
#2 Renville County def. #4 Hillsboro-Central Valley, 6-2
3rd Place
#3 Kindred-Richland def. #5 May-Port-CG, 11-5
Championship
#1 Beulah def. Thompson, 5-3 (first state title for the Miners)

———-

High School Baseball
Class A

State Tournament – Young Field in West Fargo

5th Place
(E2) West Fargo def. (W2) Bismarck Century, 6-1
3rd Place
(E1) Wahpeton def. (W3) Jamestown, 6-3
Championship
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (E4) Fargo North, 3-2 (Sheyenne repeats as state champs)

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class A

State Tournament – Tharaldson Park (at NDSU) in Fargo

5th Place
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (W3) Jamestown, 7-6
3rd Place
(E2) Grand Forks Red River def. (W4) Bismarck Century, 5-2
Championship
(W2) Dickinson def. (W1) Minot High, 2-1 (only other state title for Dickinson was 2021)

———-

High School Girls Soccer

State Tournament – Fargo Davies High School

5th Place
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (W3) Mandan, 2-0
3rd Place
(E2) Fargo Shanley def. (W2) Bismarck High, 4-1
Championship
(W1) Minot High def. (E1) Fargo Davies, 4-1 (3rd consecutive title for Majettes)

———-

High School Girls Tennis

State Individual Tournament – Grand Forks

3rd Place
Sarea Gu (West Fargo Sheyenne) def. Sidney Ressler (Minot High), 6-2, 6-3
Consolation Championship
Kyllie Fettig (Minot High) def. Alyssa Sommerfield (West Fargo Sheyenne), 7-5, 6-2

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots pounded out 10 hits but came up short in losing to the Huskies 6-5 in 10 innings in Duluth. The Huskies tallied 13 hits in sweeping the two-game series. Minot returms home to host Willmar today and Monday at Corbett Field. They’ll try to improve their 1-5 record.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Will Brennan hit the first homer allowed this season by Sonny Gray in the seventh inning and Logan Allen pitched six strong innings for the Cleveland Guardians in a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Twins. Steven Kwan added a solo homer in the ninth for Cleveland. Allen allowed a leadoff homer to Jorge Polanco in the first and then settled in, giving up seven hits and two runs. Emmanuel Clase earned his MLB-leading 18th save. Gray gave up a season-high 10 hits and tied a season high with three runs allowed, including Brennan’s homer. Gray was the only pitcher in the majors with enough qualifying innings to not allow a homer this season.

UP NEXT
RHP Triston McKenzie will be activated to make his season debut and start for Cleveland in the series finale today. McKenzie has been out all season with a right teres major strain. RHP Joe Ryan (7-2, 2.77 ERA) starts for Minnesota.

K-Heart Sports – 06/03/23

Posted on Jun 3, 2023 in General |

K-HEART SPORTS – 06/03/23 – 0700

MINOT, ND – Champions will be crowned today at six state tournaments. We’ll broadcast the Des Lacs-Burlington and Bishop Ryan baseball games on 106.9 K-Heart, khrt.com and through the Live 365 app.

High School Baseball
Class B

State Tournament – Corbett Field in Minot

Consolation
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Shiloh Christian, 10-5
#4 North Star def. Bishop Ryan, 6-3
Semifinal
#3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. #2 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 12-8
#1 Thompson def. #5 Central Cass, 2-1

Today’s schedule

7th Place
Bishop Ryan vs Shiloh Christian, 11:30 am (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
5th Place
Des Lacs-Burlington vs #4 North Star, 35 min after (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
3rd Place
#2 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich vs #5 Central Cass, 35 min after
Championship
#3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion vs #1 Thompson, 6:30 pm

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class B

State Tournament – South Hill Complex in Minot

Consolation
#2 Renville County def. Central McLean, 10-0
#4 Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 9-0
Semifinal
Thompson def. #3 Kindred-Richland, 4-3
#1 Beulah def. #5 May-Port-CG, 4-2

Today’s schedule

7th Place
Central McLean vs Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 10 am
5th Place
#2 Renville County vs #4 Hillsboro-Central Valley, 35 min after
3rd Place
#3 Kindred-Richland vs #5 May-Port-CG, 35 min after
Championship
Thompson vs #1 Beulah, 4 pm

———-

High School Baseball
Class A

State Tournament – Young Field in West Fargo

Loser Out
(W4) Bismarck Legacy def. (W2) Bismarck Century, 6-4
(E2) West Fargo def. (W1) Mandan, 2-0
Semifinal
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (E1) Wahpeton, 8-0
(E4) Fargo North def. (W3) Jamestown, 2-1

Today’s schedule

5th Place
(W2) Bismarck Century vs (E2) West Fargo, 11:30 am
3rd Place
(E1) Wahpeton vs (W3) Jamestown, 35 min after
Championship
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne vs (E4) Fargo North, 4:30 pm

———-

High School Girls Softball
Class A

State Tournament – Tharaldson Park (at NDSU) in Fargo

First Round
(W4) Bismarck Century def. (E1) West Fargo, 6-5
Loser Out
(W3) Jamestown def. (E4) Grand Forks Central, 11-2
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (E1) West Fargo, 8-6
Semifinal
(W1) Minot High def. (E2) Grand Forks Red River, 8-0
(W2) Dickinson def. (W4) Bismarck Century, 8-4

Today’s schedule

5th Place
(W3) Jamestown vs (E3) West Fargo Sheyenne, 10 am
3rd Place
(E2) Grand Forks Red River vs (W4) Bismarck Century, 35 min after
Championship
(W1) Minot High vs (W2) Dickinson, 3 pm

———-

High School Girls Soccer

State Tournament – Fargo Davies High School

Loser Out
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne def. (W4) Jamestown, 2-0
(W3) Manan def. (E4) Grand Forks Central, 1-0
Semifinal
(E1) Fargo Davies def. (W2) Bismarck High, 4-1
(W1) Minot High def. (E2) Fargo Shanley, 1-0

Today’s schedule

5th Place
(E3) West Fargo Sheyenne vs. (W3) Mandan, 11 am
3rd Place
(W2) Bismarck High vs (E2) Fargo Shanley, 1:15 pm
Championship
(W1) Minot High vs (E1) Fargo Davies, 3:30 pm

———-

High School Girls Tennis

Today’s schedule

State Individual Tournament – Grand Forks

Semifinal
Sidney Ressler (Minot High) vs Sophia Felderman (Mandan), 10 am
Paige McCormick (Fargo Davies) vs Sarea Gu (West Fargo Sheyenne), 10 am
Consolation Semifinal
Halle Mattson (Minot High) vs Alyssa Sommerfield (West Fargo Sheyenne), 10 am
Kyllie Fettig (Minot High) vs Cambrya Kraft (Bismarck Legacy), 10 am

State Doubles Tournament – Grand Forks

Consolation Semifinal
Ronning/Olson (Minot High) vs Stauss/Spicer (Grand Forks Central), 10 am

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HOT TOTS

MINOT, ND – After picking up their first win in franchise history on Thursday, the Minot Hot Tots couldn’t make it two in a row as they began a two-game series in Duluth. The Tots took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Huskies scored often after that with two in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the fifth to take a 8-1 lead. Minot responded adding a run in the seventh and four in the eighth, but eventually fall to the Huskies 8-6. They’ll play again this afternoon before the Tots head home to host Willmar at Corbett Field on Sunday and Monday.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jorge Polanco hit an RBI double in the seventh inning and Jhoan Duran finished a combined eight-hitter, helping the Minnesota Twins top the Cleveland Guardians 1-0 on Friday night. Polanco’s drive off Nick Sandlin (2-3) went high off the right-field wall, scoring Kyle Farmer from second base. The teams went a combined 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Minnesota broke through. The Twins have won the first two games of the series and four of five overall. They played without Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo on Friday night, and Polanco was in his second game back after a stay on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Buxton was out of the lineup after being hit in the ribs by a pitch on Thursday. X-rays showed no breaks, but Buxton was still sore a day later. Correa was out of the lineup as he deals with plantar fasciitis, the second time this season he’s dealt with the issue. Brock Stewart (2-0) got three outs for the win, stranding a pair of runners in the seventh after Jovani Moran allowed two hits. Duran entered with one out in the eighth with Steven Kwan on second base and the heart of the Guardians order ahead. Duran struck out José Ramírez, intentionally walked Josh Naylor and struck out Andrés Giménez to end the inning. He then worked the ninth for his eighth save in nine chances. He had pitches clocked at 104.5 and 104.6 mph by Statcast during his second inning of work, the second game this season he has reached 104 mph.

UP NEXT
RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.94 ERA) starts for Minnesota tonight, putting his American League-best ERA on the line. Cleveland counters with LHP Logan Allen (2-2, 2.72 ERA). Allen hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his seven career starts and is coming off seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts against Baltimore.