St. Louis Cardinals Jedd Gyorko Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Jedd Gyorko drove in the go-ahead run in the tenth inning as the Cardinals beat the Reds 7-6 in Cincinnati.

Jose Martinez homered twice and drove in four runs and Yairo Munoz also homered for St. Louis.

Bud Norris blew the save in the ninth inning but ended up with the win and John Brebbia locked down the save.

The Cardinals have won two-straight.

Joey Votto and Jesse Winker had run-producing singles in the ninth as the Reds rallied to tie it. Matt Harvey gave up five runs over six innings in a no-decision and Raisel Iglesias took the loss for Cincinnati.

Mizzou junior forward Cierra Porter has decided to forgo her final year of collegiate eligibility and medically retire. Porter completed her graduation requirements in May and will pursue professional opportunities outside of basketball.

“There are not enough words to express my gratitude toward my Aunt (Coach Pingeton), the rest of the amazing staff, my teammates who became my sisters, my supportive and loving family, the world’s best fans, and the countless other people that made my time at Mizzou so incredible,” said Porter. “I have memories that I will carry with me forever. Now that I have my degree, I have decided to shift my focus toward my future quality of life and that means saying goodbye to the sport I love. While it was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, I’m excited for what God has planned for my life moving forward. I appreciate Mizzou nation so much, and I am forever a Tiger!”

“Cierra has been a vital member of our program for the past three years and we can’t thank her enough for her contributions,” said head coach Robin Pingeton. “This was obviously a very difficult decision for Cierra, but one that we fully support. Cierra has played through much pain with ongoing knee issues over the last several years and there comes a point where you have to put long term quality of life ahead of everything else. It is remarkable what she has been able to contribute to our program despite never being fully healthy. Cierra graduated in three years with a 3.8 GPA, and there is no doubt she has a very bright future ahead of her. Although we will miss Cierra, we wish her nothing but the very best and are excited for the next chapter in her life.”

In three years for Mizzou, Porter averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while recording 98 blocks and 68 steals. Porter earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors in 2015-16 after scoring 8.6 points and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. Her 266 total points in her debut season rank as the tenth-most in school history. Among program records, Porter ranks fifth in seventh all-time in free-throw percentage (.793) and career rebounding average (7.0), and ninth in free throws made in a season (141, 2016-17).

After severe weather wreaked havoc on Oxford throughout the afternoon Friday, Missouri State’s NCAA Regional contest with Tennessee Tech has been postponed due to unplayable field conditions.

The Bears and Golden Eagles will now open postseason play Saturday (June) at Noon (CT), before the host Ole Miss Rebels take on the Saint Louis Billikens in the other opening-round pairing at 6 p.m.

2018 NCAA Oxford Regional Schedule

Saturday, June 2
Game 1 – No. 2 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 3 Missouri State, 12 p.m. CT (ESPN3)
Game 2 – No. 1 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Saint Louis, 6 p.m. (SECN)

Sunday, June 3
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 8 p.m.

Monday, June 4
Game 6 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4, 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary), 6 p.m.

The start to the much-anticipated 2018 college football season is fewer than 100 days away, and the Missouri Tigers are busy preparing for the upcoming season with summer workouts and classes. The schedule for the early portion of the season took shape today, as the Southeastern Conference and television partner ESPN released game times and network information for the first three weeks of the season, giving fans the opportunity to start making plans for the fall.

Head Coach Barry Odom’s Tigers, fresh off a seven-win season and the program’s first bowl game since 2014, will start the year with a Labor Day Weekend tilt at home against UT Martin on Sept. 1. The game will kick at 3 p.m. (CT) from Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, and will be televised on the SEC Network alternate channel. Check with your provider for information on how to receive the SEC Network alternate channel, or visit http://getsecnetwork.com/channel-finder for more details. This will be the first chance for Tiger fans to see in person the South Endzone facility project that is underway and is changing the landscape of the stadium; for more information on the project, visit http://mizzousouthendzone.com.

The following week will see senior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and company play host to the Wyoming Cowboys on Sept. 8, with a kick time set for 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU, with that determination to be made earlier that week. Lock, considered to be the nation’s top returning quarterback by many pundits, leads an experienced offensive attack which returns nine starters from last year’s bowl team. They’ll be facing a Wyoming squad which went 8-5 a year ago and closed their season with a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

With the 3 p.m. kick in week one and the 6 p.m. kick in week two, Mizzou is opening its home schedule with a game in each slot for the first time since 2013.

In week three, Mizzou will face its first road test of the young season, as they head to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Game time for the Sept. 15 contest will be at 6:30 p.m. (CT), and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The Tigers will look to even the score after a Purdue victory last season in Columbia, and they’ll be looking to senior DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.) and his defensive teammates to lead the charge. Beckner returns for his final year in a Tiger uniform as one of the nation’s top defensive lineman and a candidate for national honors. He and his defensive teammates will look to build on the momentum created from last season’s six-game win streak which closed the regular season.

All remaining games will be subject to the 12-day advance notice window, per league policy, meaning game times and television information will be announced two Mondays prior to each contest. The rest of the 2018 home season includes exciting games in Columbia against the likes of Georgia (Sept. 22), Memphis (Oct. 20 – Homecoming), Kentucky (Oct. 27), Vanderbilt (Nov. 10) and Arkansas (Nov. 23 or 24).

No. 4 seed Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 10 Columbia (Mo.) met up in the 38th annual NAIA Softball World Series title game today in Clermont, Fla., at the Legends Way Ballfields. Both teams were playing in their first-ever softball national championship contest. The event was hosted by PFX Athletics for the second-straight year.

USAO needed one win for the title and Columbia needed two wins for the title. Science & Arts was the only undefeated team remaining with a 3-0 mark prior to the game today. One of the wins was against Columbia on Wednesday night, 7-6, in nine innings. Playing in its fourth all-time World Series, the Drovers stand 9-8 all-time in the event. The last time a No. 4 seed won it all was back in 1993. Former-member West Florida defeated Oklahoma City by a 4-2 score. The Drovers were attempting to bring home a title to the state of Oklahoma for the 11th time – Oklahoma City owns 10 of those red banners. Offensively, Randa Hatter is hitting .571 (4-for-7) with four runs scored and a homer. Chloe Clifton leads the team with seven RBI’s in three games, including two game-winning doubles that drove in four. Columbia held a 4-1 World Series record in this event prior to the game today. The Cougars won their first three games before the loss Wednesday to Science & Arts. In their 17th World Series, Columbia holds a 21-35 record. Molly Carter is the offensive leader for Columbia batting .400 (6-for-15) with two home runs, four RBI’s, and six runs scored in five games. The last time a No. 10 seed won the World Series was in 2012 when former-member Shorter (Ga.) took a 1-0, nine-inning victory over Oklahoma City.

The energy was high as both teams took the field today, where only one would come out as a National Champion. After an amazing post season run, the Cougars fell to Science & Arts (Okla.) by a score of 4-1 as they had their best finish in history claiming second place as a 10th seed. They conclude the season with a record of 38-15.

Offensively for the Cougars, Dummitt was able to get things going as she tripled to get on base early for Columbia. Sullivan was able to drive in Dummitt to get on the board early leading 1-0. However in the bottom of the third, the Drovers had a surge of their own as they tied the game on a wild pitch and then followed that up with a three run homerun to take a 4-1 lead over Columbia. The Cougars continued to battle, but would come up short as the Drovers third inning offense proved to be enough to overcome Columbia.

Molly Carter started on the mound as she allowed only three hits and struck out two batters in her 2.2 innings of work. Lexi Dickerson came in to relieve Carter as she allowed just two hits and also struck out two batters in her 3.1 innings. Rachel Sullivan went 3-4 with one RBI, Olivia Denslow went 1-3, and Natalie Dummitt went 1-2 with one run scored.

After the game the All-World Series team was announced where three Cougars were honored for their performances, including senior Alexandra Linck, junior Molly Carter, and freshman Lexi Dickerson.

Mike Moustakas (photo/MLB)

The Kansas City Royals built a 9-0 lead in the second inning and held on for an 11-8 win over the Twins at Kauffman Stadium Wednesday.

Mike Moustakas homered and drove in four runs for KC.

Jorge Soler went 4-for-5 with a home run and Hunter Dozier connected for his first big league bomb in the win.

Kevin McCarthy got the win in relief and Kelvin Herrera his 12th save.

The Royals have now won three-of-four and six of its last nine games.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The St. Louis Cardinals gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and lost 3-2 to the Brewers in Milwaukee Wednesday.

Harrison Bader homered and Tommy Pham had a sac-fly in the top half to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Sam Tuivailala suffered the loss in relief. Dexter Fowler went 3-for-4 with a run scored in defeat.

Cardinals top prospect Alex Reyes got the start and threw four shutout innings in his season debut. In his return from Tommy John surgery, the 23-year-old right-hander struck out two while allowing three hits and two walks in a no-decision. Reyes left after 73 pitches, feeling some arm fatigue.

The Cardinals are back home tonight to begin a four-game series with the Pirates at Busch Stadium. Jack Flaherty will start for St. Louis and Trevor Williams for Pittsburgh.

The Cougar softball team had a quick celebration this morning before heading back to the hotel to get some rest since they defeated Southern Oregon University (SOU), giving them the chance to play for the National Title Thursday afternoon. The game that started after 1:00 a.m. local time concluded at 2:55 a.m. and improved the Cougars’ record to 37-15 on the season. The tenth seeded Cougars defeated the sixth seeded Raiders 6-2, ending their season at 51-15, which is the best season in team history for SOU.

After another long day of delays, the Cougars finally took the field Wednesday night to finish their game against the Drovers of USAO in the winner’s bracket championship. The comeback from the Cougars fell short as they dropped their first postseason game this year, pushing them into the loser’s bracket. Columbia then had to sit and wait for SOU to take down second seeded and two-time defending National Champions Oklahoma City University 3-2 before taking the field again.

Despite both teams being exhausted, the Cougars remained energized and ready to play, knocking in three runs in the top of the third to get on the board first. After back-to-back singles by Rachel Sullivan and Dakota Newton, Molly Carter worked her way into a walk to load the bases. A deep single by Alexandra Linck scored Sullivan and Newton and Carter would come across to score on a single by Natalie Dummitt. The Raiders responded immediately though, scoring two runs on three hits in the bottom of the third, putting the pressure on Columbia.

It wasn’t until the sixth inning before the Cougars were able to put insurance runs on the board after Karli Leeper and Newton notched doubles and Sullivan and Carters knocked singles, scoring three runs that would prove to be enough for the win.

Lexi Dickerson (16-4) got the win in the circle as she allowed six hits, two runs, and struck out two batters in her seven innings of work. Offensively, Rachel Sullivan, Dakota Newton and Alexandra Linck each posted two hits in the victory.

The NAIA Softball World Series is a double elimination tournament, meaning that the Cougars will have to beat the Drovers twice on Thursday afternoon to win the title. Game time is slated for 12:30 p.m. CST on Thursday, May 31 in Clermont, Florida.

Missouri State

After being held scoreless for four innings, Missouri State erupted for a total of nine runs unanswered in their next four turns at bat to lock up a spot in the title game of the 2018 MVC Baseball Championship with a 9-6 decision over Indiana State Friday evening at Horner Ballpark.

Matt Brown homered in back-to-back at-bats to drive in three runs, and Jeremy Eierman delivered a clutch two-out, bases-loaded double to cap a key fifth-inning rally in helping the Bears (38-13) overcome an early three-run deficit for their third-straight win at the Valley Tournament.

Logan Wiley (7-5) recovered from a rocky stretch in the third inning to give MSU 6 1/3 strong innings, scattering four hits and allowing three runs to earn his seventh victory of the season.

ISU starter Weston Rivers (4-1) baffled the Missouri State offense for four innings, facing just one batter over the minimum, as the fourth-seeded Sycamores built a 3-0 lead. But the Bears battled back with a four-run fifth, using a pair of walks, a Jack Duffy single to break into the scoring column. After John Privitera drew ball four with the bases loaded to slice the deficit to two runs, Eierman gashed a two-out double into the left-field corner to clear the bases and hand the Bears a 4-3 advantage.

The Bears tacked on two more runs in the sixth, this time riding the first of Brown’s back-to-back homers to a 6-3 lead. After singles by Drew Millas and Ben Whetstone put runners on the corners with nobody out, ISU appeared to be on the verge of escaping the inning unharmed after recording a double play when Millas was ruled to have left third base early on Brooks Zimmerman’s fly ball to right. But Brown belted a towering two-run shot over the ISU bullpen in left-center to give Bears some much-needed breathing room.

Logan Geha’s second hit of the game ignited another two-run rally in the sixth. After a throwing error on a Hunter Steinmetz sacrifice bunt put two on with nobody out, sac flies from Privitera and Whetstone made it an 8-3 Missouri State advantage. Brown then went deep to right field to lead off the eighth inning, pushing the Bears’ bulge to six runs.

ISU (31-24) chipped away at the lead with three runs in the ninth, but Connor Sechler induced back-to-back grounders to end the contest and propel the Bears to their third title game appearance in four seasons.

Missouri State will await the winner of the B Bracket final featuring No. 2 DBU and No. 3 Bradley, slated for 11 a.m., Saturday (May 26). Should Bradley emerge victorious, it would face the Bears in the title game at 7 p.m. Saturday, but if DBU wins to force a second game Saturday at 4 p.m., the championship would take place Sunday (May 27) at 2 p.m.