 By Jeff Baranick
Inclement weather impacted the schedule for North Dakota
prep sports events in the final full week of April, as
the combination of cool temps, rain, and wind forced
either the postponement or outright cancellation of
various outdoor activities. One baseball game that was
played--at Coal Country's Goldmann Field at McKenzie
Park this past Monday--saw the Hazen Bison take
advantage of gale-force winds by belting five home-runs
to lead Hazen to a 14-8 Class B Region 8 win over
arch-rival Beulah. Bison lead-off hitter Brayden Haack
went yard three times himself. Later in the week, Hazen
doubled up league-foe Heart River on the road, 6-3, in
eight innings, but then fell at home in 10 frames to
regional rival Hettinger-Scranton-New England (HS-NE) at
Slinde Field, 3-2. Elsewhere on the Region 8 front,
1st-place Shiloh Christian blanked both Beulah and Heart
River by the same 10-0 tally; and HS-NE nipped
Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton (WWCS) 5-4. A scheduled
showdown between Beulah and WWCS was postponed to May
13th due to last Friday's rainfall. In Class B Region 6
league-counters last week, Velva-Drake/Anamoose nudged
Surrey 6-5 and crunched Central McLean 13-3; Garrison
edged Surrey 8-7; Central McLean spanked South
Prairie-Max 18-2; and Bishop Ryan-Nedrose downed
Garrison 8-5. A matchup slated for last Friday between
Ryan and South Prairie-Max was a casualty to rainy
conditions. In Class A West Region baseball play last
week, there were six sweeps that took place: St. Mary's
over Williston (3-2 & 3-2); Minot over Bismarck (19-3 &
5-3); Dickinson at the expense of Century (15-1 &
19-10); Mandan whipping Watford City (10-0 & 9-2);
Dickinson overwhelming Williston (13-8 & 16-2); and
Legacy beating Jamestown (6-4 & 4-1). Outside of West
Region action, Century blasted Moorhead (MN) 13-6 & 14-4
and Bismarck nabbed two games from West Fargo Horace by
scores of 10-6 & 12-6. Turning our attention to prep
softball action on the Class B landscape, top-ranked
Beulah won three of four outings over the course of last
week. The Miners dispatched Central McLean 12-zip,
hammered Hazen 21-0, and drilled 10th-ranked Northern
Cass 15-2. However, Beulah did drop a 3-1 decision to
2nd-ranked Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg.
Additionally, Heart River whipped Wilton-Wing 17-7 and
hammered Max 15-1. On the Class A softball scene,
2nd-ranked Dickinson split a twinbill with #1 Minot, as
the Midgets clipped the Majettes 1-0, before getting
routed by the Majettes, 11-3. Dickinson also steamrolled
Turtle Mountain by scores of 21-1 & 34-1. Furthermore,
Mandan swept Watford City 12-1 & 20-9, while Century and
Legacy split a pair of contests, as did Legacy and
Williston. On the pitch in prep girls' soccer play,
Dickinson, Minot, Century, Jamestown, and Mandan all won
by shutout, respectively, over Williston, Bismarck, St.
Mary's, Dickinson, and Williston. Additionally, Bismarck
and Century played to a 2-2 tie, and Mandan edged
Legacy, 2-1. On the tennis courts in girls' West Region
matches, winning by 9-0 margins were Legacy over Minot
North; Legacy at the expense of St. Mary's; Mandan over
Bismarck; and St. Mary's at the expense of Jamestown.
Furthermore, Dickinson edged Williston 5-4; Century
doubled up Dickinson 6-3; and Minot blitzed Bismarck
8-1. Moving to the Class A track-&-field landscape, only
13 points separated the top-three squads in the final
team standings of the boys' Bismarck Public School
Invitational at the MDU Resources Community Bowl. Legacy
scored 154.5 points, Bismarck registered 151.5 points,
and Century recorded 141.5 counters. In the girls' Glee
Mayer Invitational T&F Meet in Minot, Bismarck was the
run-away team victor among nine squads in attendance,
tallying 166 points. One of the individual standouts was
Dickinson's Jazmin Barry who was a triple-winner: 100
dash (12.72 sec); 200 sprint (25.47 sec); & long jump
(18'11"). Then on the links last week at the eight-team
Class A boys' Watford City Invitational, topping the
team standings was Minot North with an 18-hole score of
586. That was four strokes better than runner-up
Century. Now, regarding this new week on the calendar,
KDKT Sports Radio will broadcast a pair of Class B
Region 6 baseball games. This Tuesday (April 30th), the
contest is South Prairie-Max visiting
Velva-Drake/Anamoose, slated for a 4:00 pm CT start at
Buen Field. Then on Thursday (May 2nd), the matchup is
Garrison against South Prairie-Max at Minot's Hoeven
Field. That encounter is also scheduled to begin at 4:00
pm CT.
Filed
by Veteran KDKT Sportscaster Jeff Baranick
Listen for Jeff on Friday Night Live - Friday
Nights 9pm/Central
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Week's Wrap-Up:
The Fargo-Moorhead
Redhawks added another player to their roster with
the addition of outfielder Yoelqui Céspedes. He is
the half-brother to Yoenis Céspedes who appeared in
834 MLB games between 2012 and 2020. Yoelqui is a
26-year-old originally from Yara, Cuba, and he
played four seasons for Alazanes de Granma in Cube
starting at the age of 17. He made multiple
appearances for the Cuban National Team including an
appearance in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In
early 2019, Yoelqui was on the Cuban Baseball
Federation's initial list of players eligible to
sign with MLB organizations without needing to
defect, but the MLB-Cube deal was nixed by the Trump
Administration shortly thereafter. Céspedes began
his American pro career in the Summer of 2019 after
defecting from Cuba while playing on a tour against
the Can-Am League. After signing a deal with the
Chicago White Sox, Céspedes excelled in High-A to
earn a spot on the 2021 MLB All-Star Futures Game
and made multiple spring training appearances for
the White Sox over several years. He spent most of
the past two seasons in Double-A with the Birmingham
Barons, and he had a batting average of .362 in 11
games with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights last
season. In 123 games in 2023, Céspedes hit .230 with
a .319 on-base percentage and had a .350 slugging
percentage with 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and 16 stolen
bases. On the ice, the Bismarck Bobcats fell behind
1-2 in their NAHL Divisional Semifinals series with
the Aberdeen Wings. The Bobcats fell 2-3 in game
three of the semifinals. Tommy Cronin and Jake
Peterson were the goal-scorers for Bismarck. Cronin
scored in the final 10 seconds of the first period,
and Peterson tied the game at two in the opening six
minutes of the third period. Kai Dunits and Alexandr
Kim each recorded one assist in the game. In game
four of the NAHL Divisional Semifinals, Bismarck
bounced back with a massive 8-2 victory to force a
decisive game five. Landon Fandel, Tamas Toth, Tommy
Cronin, Kyle Doll, Jakub Kopecky, Alexandr Kim, and
Matthew Rafalski were the goal-scorers for the
Bobcats. Toth lit the lamp twice in the game.
Fandel, Kopecky, and Rafalski each recorded one goal
and one assist in the win. Kim scored three points
in the game with one goal and two assists. Keanu
Krenn, Nick Baer, Patrick Johnson, Jake Peterson,
and Kade Kohanski each registered two assists in the
contest. Stephen Peck was in the net for the Bobcats
and he finished the game with 32 saves. The series
closeout game is on April 29th at 7:15 pm. The Minot
Minotauros completed their sweep of the Austin
Bruins in game three of the divisional semifinals
with a 7-1 victory. The Minotauros offense scored
once in the first period and added three goals in
both the second and third periods of the game. Jack
O'Hanisain, John Small, Joel Lehtinen, Murray
Marvin-Cordes, and Rylan Jockims were the
goal-scorers for the Minotauros. Lehtinen finished
the game with two goals along with one assist, and
O'Hanisain scored one goal with one assist. Will
Dawson was the only other multiple-point scorer for
the Minotauros with two assists in the game. Brady
James was between the pipes for Minot and he saved
23 of the 24 shots he faced. The 2024 college
football season opener between North Dakota State
and Colorado has been rescheduled for Thursday,
August 29, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. The
start time and television network are still to be
determined. Details are expected at the end of May
when network partners with the Big 12 and other
major conferences set their broadcast schedules.
North Dakota State, under the direction of
first-year head coach Tim Polasek, is playing
Colorado for the first time in program history. The
Buffaloes are entering their second year under head
coach Deion Sanders. The Bison are 9-4 against FBS
opponents after having a six-game FBS winning streak
snapped in 2022 with a 31-28 loss at Arizona. NDSU
is 3-1 against Big 12 opponents with wins over
Kansas (6-3 in 2010), Kansas State (24-21 in 2013)
and Iowa State (34-14 in 2014). This will be North
Dakota State's first Thursday night game since the
2009 season opener when the Bison lost at Iowa
State, 34-17. The NDSU Basketball Teams have
continued to add to their rosters heading into the
offseason. The NDSU Men's Basketball added two
players through the transfer portal. The Bison added
forward Jacksen Moni from Northern State University.
He totaled more than 1,500 career points over three
seasons from 2021-24. He was named to the NSIC
All-Conference first team as a sophomore and junior
and added NABC All-District first-team honors as a
junior in 2023-24. Moni brings 91 games of college
experience – all starts – and has averaged nearly 17
points per game for his career. As a junior this
past season, he averaged 21.3 points, 8.1 rebounds,
and 3.6 assists per contest, topping 30 points six
times. Moni also drained 50-plus three-pointers in
each of his three seasons at Northern State, and he
shot just under 89 percent at the free-throw line
this year. Moni is a 6-foot-10 product of West Fargo
Sheyenne HS. The Bison also added guard Masen Miller
from Indiana State where he played two seasons from
2022-24 for the Missouri Valley Conference
Champions. He began his career with two seasons at
Division II Truman State in Missouri from 2020-22.
Miller shot 40 percent from three-point range this
season for Indiana State, seeing action in 28 games.
He was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Freshman of the Year at Truman State, before
averaging 14.2 points per game as a sophomore when
he made 98 threes in 30 games. Miller drained 160
three-pointers in his two seasons at TSU, shooting
44 percent from beyond the arc. He owns a career 2.0
assist-to-turnover ratio. Miller will be using his
final season of collegiate eligibility at NDSU in
2024-25. The NDSU Women's Basketball Team added
Molly Lentz from Illinois State. Lenz appeared in
all 34 games off the bench for Illinois State in her
freshman season and helped the Redbirds to a 22-12
overall record. She averaged 14.1 minutes per game
and reached the scoring column in 26 of 34 games,
including a season-best 13 points at Drake on
February 10. Lenz also contributed 49 total assists
and 33 rebounds. Prior to one season at Illinois
State, Lenz averaged 14.0 points and 3.1 rebounds
per game in her senior season at Eden Prairie High
School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She surpassed the
1,000 career points mark and was an All-State
selection in her senior season. Lenz joins Claire
Stern, Marisa Frost, and Amelia Hobson in the 2024
signing class. On the diamond, The NDSU Bison
Baseball Team took down the Mayville State Comets
13-3 on Tuesday. Cadyn Schwabe, Garrett Hill, and
Sam Canton each went three for four in the game. The
trio combined for four runs and nine RBIs. The Bison
also had five players steal a base in the win.
Canton drove in the Bison's first two runs of the
game with a single into left-center field to score
Schwabe and Jake Schaffner. NDSU had a big inning
offensively in the bottom of the fifth inning as
they scored six runs. In the bottom of the fifth,
Schwabe got the scoring started with a three-RBI
double into center field to score Schaffner, Bennett
Freiter, and Davis Hamilton. Garret Hill followed it
up with a single into right-center field to score
Schwabe. Canton brought Hill home with a single into
right field, and Davis Hamilton singled to the
pitcher to score Carson Hake. Garrett Hill hit a
two-RBI triple down the right field line in the
bottom of the sixth to score Schaffner and Luis
Garcia to give the Bison a 12-3 lead. Kyle Law
brought home the final run of the game for NDSU with
a single into left field to score Hake. The Bison
took on the Omaha Mavericks in a three-game series
and lost both games of Saturday's doubleheader. NDSU
fell 6-7 in the first game of the doubleheader.
Schwabe and Jack Steil were the only two Bison to
record multiple hits in the game. Schwabe went two
for five at the plate, and Steil went two for four
at the plate with two doubles. Steil also scored one
run and recorded two RBIs. Leland Wilson drew the
loss for the Bison as he threw five innings allowing
10 hits, seven runs, and five earned runs. He also
struck out two batters and walked one. The Bison
then fell 3-6 in the second game of the
doubleheader. Cadyn Schwabe was the only player for
NDSU to record multiple hits in the game as he went
two for four at the plate. Garret Hill, Davis
Hamilton, and Jack Steil each scored one run in the
game, and the trio combined for two RBIs. Logan
Knight drew the loss for NDSU as he threw six
innings allowing eight hits, five runs, and four
earned runs. He struck out eight batters in the loss
as well. The Bison close out their series with the
Mavericks on April 28th at 1:00 pm. The UMary
Marauders took down the Bemidji State Beavers
handily in their doubleheader on Wednesday. In their
first matchup, UMary finished with a 10-7 victory
and Mark Schommer improved his record this season to
3-0. Schommer threw two and one/third innings and he
struck out four of the eight batters he faced. He
walked one batter but didn't allow a hit or a run.
Bemidji State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third
inning. They had the bases loaded, and then Paxton
Miller hit a batter with a pitch and walked another
to bring in the Beavers first two runs. They
followed it up with a single into right field that
scored two more runs. In the bottom of the third,
with one runner aboard Kalem Haney hit a home run
into center-field to bring the Marauders within two
runs. Ben Prediger homered to left field in the
bottom of the fourth to bring UMary within one. The
Beavers then had another big inning in the fifth as
they brought home their final three runs of the
contest. Haney got the Marauders' offense going
again in the fifth as he hit his second home run of
the game and jump-started the Marauder's bats as
they scored six more runs in the bottom of the
fifth. They hit two doubles and a single along with
two runs coming across due to errors. The Marauders
registered five RBIs in the bottom of the fifth
inning. Haney was the standout offensively for UMary
as he went three for four at the plate, scored
twice, and recorded four RBIs. Krece Papierski, Josh
Walker, and Daniel Martin each went two for three at
the plate and combined for three runs along with one
RBI. The Marauders bats stayed hot in the second
matchup as they finished with a 19-9 win. The
Marauder's offense exploded in the bottom of the
first inning with five runs. The Beavers scored two
runs in the second inning including a home run.
UMary scored six runs in the bottom of the third
inning with two doubles, and three singles to
register six RBIs. The Marauders took a 13-3 lead in
the bottom of the fourth inning with a homer down
the left field line from Bryce Leafgren, and Kalem
Haney doubled to left-center to score Kyle Jameson.
Bemidji State answered with six runs in the top of
the fifth to bring the Beavers within four runs.
UMary scored six runs in the final three innings of
the game to finish with the two-game sweep of
Bemidji State. Dylan Edmands, Jameson, Haney, and
Leafgren each recorded three hits in the game. The
four of them combined for 13 runs and 10 RBIs. Kaden
Moriarty recorded the win for the Marauders to
improve to 2-0 on the season. He threw two and
two/thirds innings and allowed just two hits in the
game. He struck out one batter as well. UMary hosted
the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs this weekend
and split Saturday's doubleheader. The Marauders won
the first game of the doubleheader 1-0 behind
terrific pitching performances from Lukas Frers and
Mark Schommer. Frers was the winning pitcher for
UMary as he threw five and two/thirds innings to
improve his season ledger to 3-4. He allowed four
hits, struck out four batters, and walked one.
Schommer recorded his fourth save of the season as
he struck out all three batters that he faced in the
one and one/third inning that he was on the mound.
Noah Hull hit a double down the right field line to
score Kalem Haney in the first inning to score the
only run of the game. The Marauders lost the second
game of the doubleheader 6-7 to Southwest Minnesota
State. UMary scored five runs in the final two
innings of the game, but didn't complete the
comeback. Carter Beck was the standout batter for
the Marauders as he went three for four at the plate
including a double, and he recorded three RBIs in
the game. Haney and Hull each went two for five at
the plate and the pair combined for two runs and one
RBI. Alex Danen drew the loss for UMary as he threw
five innings and struck out seven batters. He
allowed five hits, three runs, and two earned runs.
The final game of the series between the Marauders
and the Mustangs is on April 28th at noon.The Minot
State Beavers split their mid-week doubleheader with
the Northern State Wolves. Minot State won their
opening matchup 15-4 with the Wolves. The Beavers
scored one run in the second inning and five runs in
the top of the third. Brent Riddle got the scoring
started in the third inning with a single up the
middle that scored Mark Ossanna and Ricky Apodaca.
Noah Madas was then walked, and Riddle came home on
a passed ball. Seungjun Song doubled into
left-center field to score Madas, and the final run
of the inning was scored off an error from the 1st
baseman. The Beavers added two runs in the fourth
inning, and another run in the sixth. Minot State
put the nail in the coffin in the seventh inning
with six runs. A balk got the scoring started in the
seventh as it advanced Miles Iverson to second,
Kekoa Munos to third and scored Song on an unearned
run. Grant Gabbert was walked and Munos scored.
Apodaca then hit a double to score Brian Perry,
Gabbert, and Iverson. Apodaca registered the final
run for the Beavers off a sacrifice fly from
Ossanna. Song and Apodaca each went three of four at
the plate and combined for five runs and four RBIs.
Minot State then fell 18-8 in the second game of the
doubleheader. Minot State fell behind 2-3 in the
opening three innings of the game but came back with
a strong six-run fourth inning. The Beavers got the
scoring started with a Martin Rodriquez single
through the left side to score Noah Madas and
advance Javier Gutierrez to third. Brian Parry
brought home Rodriquez and Gutierrez with a single
to right-center field. Grant Gabbert followed it up
with a double into left field to bring Parry home,
and Ricky Apodaca scored Gabbert. Apodaca scored the
Beavers final run of the game in the fourth inning
off an errant throw from the Wolves' center fielder.
Northern State scored three runs in the fifth inning
and added an incredible 11 runs in the bottom of the
seventh. Minot State took on the St. Cloud State
Huskies this weekend in a three-game series. In the
first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Beavers
fell 2-5 in their first game of the doubleheader on
Saturday. Song brought home the first run for the
Marauders with a single into right-center field to
score Brent Riddle. Noah Madas added the other
Beavers run with a solo homer into right-center
field. In the second game of the doubleheader, St.
Cloud State took down Minot State 9-5. Trevyn Badger
drew the loss on the mound for the Beavers as he
threw six innings and allowed seven hits along with
three earned runs. Colton Bagshaw, Song, and Riddle
were the only Beavers to record two hits in the
game. The trio combined for four runs and five RBIs.
Mark Ossanna scored Minot State's only other run and
he went one for four at the plate. Minot State
closes out the series with St. Cloud State on April
28th at noon.
Filed
by KDKT Sportscaster Josh Coleman
Listen for Josh on Friday Night Live - Friday
Nights 9pm/Central
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