Weekday Morning Sports – Thursday 9/3/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Thursday, September 03, 2015

NCAA Football
Tonight
Michigan at Utah, 8:30 p.m. Rock 107 WIRX 7:30
Oklahoma State at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m.

NCAA Football – Triumph the horse returning to Waldo Stadium with new rider
A new rider is taking the reins of Triumph the horse as he continues to lead Western Michigan University’s football team onto the field for home games at Waldo Stadium. Katie Stewart, president of the university’s equestrian team, will take the place of former rider Alyssa Davidson, who graduated in the spring. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Stewart has been riding horses since she was three years old, and she was a part of the university’s championship team last year at the Zone 6, Region 4 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national competition. Triumph, a 22-year-old American paint breed, has been leading the Broncos onto their home turf since 2011. He previously worked with the Kalamazoo County sheriff’s mounted patrol.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Kansas City Royals 12, Detroit Tigers 1
Minnesota Twins 3, Chicago White Sox 0
Cincinnati Reds 7, Chicago Cubs 4

Royals 12, Tigers 1 – Ventura dazzles, Royals offense rolls in 12-1 rout of Tigers
Yordano Ventura struck out 11 over seven sharp innings, the Royals hit four home runs and Kansas City rolled to a 12-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night. Kendrys Morales hit a three-run shot, Cheslor Cuthbert added his first career homer, and Ben Zobrist and Lorenzo Cain also went deep as the AL Central leaders cranked out 14 hits. Ventura (10-7) walked one and hit one while matching a career high for strikeouts set in his last start. The 24-year-old with the 100 mph fastball has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last five outings, and is 6-0 since his last defeat July 20 against Pittsburgh. Randy Wolf (0-3) gave up eight runs in 3 2-3 innings for Detroit, though he did last longer than Miguel Cabrera. The slugger was tossed by third base umpire Gary Cederstrom after fanning in the third inning, and after a quarrel with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott proved fruitless.

Twins 3, White Sox 0 – Milone’s 7 innings, Sano’s blast lift Twins over White Sox
Tommy Milone struck out seven in seven innings and Miguel Sano hit another monster home run to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Wednesday night. Milone (7-4) gave up three hits and finished seven innings for the first time since July 8. Trevor Plouffe added two hits and two RBIs and Kevin Jepsen picked up his 10th save for the Twins, who started the day one game behind Texas for the second AL wild card. Carlos Rodon (6-6) gave up two runs and five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings for the White Sox.

Reds 7, Cubs 4 – Votto hits 3-run HR in 9th after Bryant error, Reds beat Cubs 7-4
Joey Votto hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning that was set up by third baseman Kris Bryant’s two-out error, lifting the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago Cubs 7-4 Wednesday. Bryant hit a two-run homer in the eighth that made it 4-all. The rookie has 22 home runs and 84 RBIs this season. Cubs closer Hector Rondon (5-3) retired the first two batters in the ninth. Jason Bourgeois, who homered earlier, followed with a single. Jay Bruce then hit a hard grounder that went through Bryant’s legs for an error, and Votto connected for his 27th home run. J.J. Hoover (7-0) got the win despite allowing Bryant’s homer. Aroldis Chapman closed for his 27th save.

Today
Chicago White Sox (Samardzija 8-11) at Minnesota (Gibson 9-9), 1:10 p.m.
Detroit (Boyd 1-5) at Kansas City (Volquez 12-7), 8:10 p.m. 98.3 The Coast 7:45
Cubs are off, (Chicago will host Arizona this weekend)

NFL – National Football League – Preseason Week 4
Tonight
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions, 7:30 p.m.
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears, 8:00 p.m.

NFL – Former Bears LB Briggs says he plans to retire
Lance Briggs, a seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who helped the Chicago Bears reach the Super Bowl, plans to retire. Briggs said Wednesday during CSN Chicago’s broadcast of the Cubs’ game against the Reds at Wrigley Field that he is ready to call it a career. He said he plans to submit his retirement papers soon, although he did not completely shut the door on playing again for the right offer. A third-round pick out of Arizona in 2003, Briggs played 12 seasons for Chicago and made seven consecutive Pro Bowls. Along with Brian Urlacher, he led a defense that consistently ranked among the league’s best in his prime and helped the 2006 team reach the Super Bowl.

NHL – Blackhawks agree to 1-year deal with F Nordstrom
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a one-year contract with forward Joakim Nordstrom. The 23-year-old Nordstrom appeared in three playoff games as Chicago won its third Stanley Cup in six seasons. He also had three assists in 38 regular-season games. The Blackhawks announced the move on Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed.

Tennis – US Open – Day 3
Top seed Serena Williams is into the third round of the U.S. Open but it was hardly a masterpiece. The defending champ bested Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 7-6, 6-3, overcoming 10 double faults and two dozen other unforced errors. Afterward, she said she was a “little tight” about the match. Williams is looking to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four majors in one year. Sister Venus Williams moved closer to the tournament’s second week by beating Irina Falconi 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 in an all-American second-round matchup. Novak Djokovic simply does not lose second-round Grand Slam matches. The No. 1-seeded Serb took a bit of time to get going Wednesday night at the U.S. Open, splitting the opening eight games. Then he reeled off 14 of the remaining 17 in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over 52nd-ranked Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
West Michigan 1, Fort Wayne 0 (West Michigan clinches a playoff berth)
Dayton 10, South Bend 1
Great Lakes 7, Lansing 4

Tonight
Fort Wayne at West Michigan, 7 p.m.
Great Lakes at Lansing, 7:05 p.m.
Dayton at South Bend, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Soccer
St. Joseph 3, Battle Creek Lakeview 1
Niles 2, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 1
South Haven 6, Buchanan 1
Dowagiac 3, Berrien Springs 1
Hartford 7, Bloomingdale 2
Hastings 3, Allegan 1
Portage Central 1, Mattawan 0
Parchment 2, Vicksburg 1

Girls Volleyball
South Haven 3, Dowagiac 2
Vicksburg 3, Edwardsburg 1
Sturgis 3, Otsego 0
Three Rivers 3, Allegan 0
South Bend St. Joseph 3, Niles 2
Mendon 3, Berrien Springs 0

Boys Tennis
St. Joseph 8, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0
Lakeshore 4, Kalamazoo Central 4 – TIE
Niles 4, Mattawan 4 – TIE

MHSAA – High School Football
Tonight – All games start at 7:00 p.m.
SMAC
Gull Lake at St. Joseph Sports Radio 1400 WSJM
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Lakeshore 94.9 WSJM-FM
Battle Creek Central at Benton Harbor
Mattawan at Niles
Kalamazoo Central at Portage Northern
Portage Central at Battle Creek Lakeview

Wolverine
Dowagiac at South Haven Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM
Vicksburg at Edwardsburg
Paw Paw at Plainwell
Allegan at Three Rivers
Sturgis at Otsego

SAC
Coloma at Gobles
Hartford at Delton-Kellogg
Fennville at Eau Claire
Bloomingdale at Galesburg-Augusta
Decatur at Constantine
Saugatuck at Kalamazoo United
Lawton at Marcellus

BCS Conference
White Pigeon at Lake Michigan Catholic (at Bridgman)
Centreville at New Buffalo
Bridgman at Bronson
Buchanan at Comstock
LaPorte-LaLumiere (IN) at Brandywine
Mendon at Cassopolis

8-Player football
Michigan Lutheran at Portland St. Patrick
Lawrence at Dryden
Covert is off this week

Friday
SAC
Watervliet at Schoolcraft
Martin at Bangor

Non-Conference
Berrien Springs at Culver Military Academy (IN)

Saturday
Non-Conference
River Valley at Holton 3:00 p.m.