The Junction City Brigade defeated the Rossville Rattlers 11-3 Saturday night in Rossville.
The Brigade took two out of three games from the Rattlers over the weekend. Junction City is now 11-7 on the season while the Rattlers are 4-12.
Category: Sports
Vargas Earns 11th Win in Royals Victory
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas earned his major league-leading 11th victory, pitching seven efficient innings to lead the surging Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Saturday.
The Royals won for the 11th time in 13 games and moved over .500 for the first time this season at 37-36.
Vargas (11-3) allowed two runs on eight hits, walked none and striking out two. Troy Tulowitzki and Pillar homered off Vargas.
Alcides Escobar had three hits and scored twice, including the go-ahead run in the seventh. He singled with one out and scored on Alex Gordon’s triple down the right-field line off Marco Estrada (4-6).
After Joakim Soria struck out two in the eighth, Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances.
Brigade Put Ten Runs Up in Win Over Rossville
The Junction City Brigade scored five runs in the fifth inning and went on to a 10-6 victory over the Rossville Rattlers. The Brigade got the victory without their head coach, Seth Wheeler finishing the game. He was tossed out in the fifth inning after arguing about a pair of umpire interference calls. In both cases Brigade base runners had apparently scored, but then instead had to return to their base.
Rossville rallied to get within one run at 7-6 after seven innings, but the Brigade tacked on three more runs in the 8th, led by a double from Colin Chandler.
There was a good fan turnout at Rathert Field for the game and a fireworks display after the contest as well.
Junction City ( 10-7 ) plays at Rossville ( 4-11 ) Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Royals Get Big Comeback Win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a two-run, two-out double that capped a four-run rally in the ninth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 Friday night to reach .500 for the first time since April. With their 10th win in 12 games, the Royals improved to 36-36.
Royals Cut Chris Young
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chris Young, Kansas City’s winning pitcher in the 2015 World Series opener, had been designated for assignment.
Reliever Neftali Feliz agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals on Friday, four days after he was released by Milwaukee.
Young had a 7.50 ERA in two starts and 12 relief appearances allowing 47 hits, including seven home runs and 18 walks in 30 innings. He went 3-9 with a 6.19 ERA last year.
The 38-year-old right-hander was 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in four games in the 2015 postseason, including three scoreless innings in the opener against the New York Mets. He is guaranteed a $5.75 million salary this year as part of an $11.5 million, two-year contract.
Feliz had eight saves in nine chances for the Brewers before losing the closer’s job and went 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA in 29 appearances. The 29-year-old was the 2010 AL Rookie of the Year with Texas and is 20-19 with 107 saves and a 3.43 ERA in 337 major league appearances.
He was guaranteed $5.35 million in his deal with the Brewers, and the Royals will pay $292,350 — a prorated share of the $535,000 minimum — with Milwaukee responsible for the rest.
Two Jayhawks Selected in the NBA Draft
PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns selected small forward Josh Jackson of Kansas with the fourth overall pick of the NBA draft Thursday. The 6-foot-8, 207-pound forward averaged 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Jayhawks. The 20-year-old Jackson was the Big 12 freshman of the year and an all-Big 12 first-team selection.
Frank Mason III of Kansas was taken on the second round as the 34th overall selection by the Sacramento Kings.
Iwundu Selected by Orlando Magic in NBA Draft
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Kansas State senior forward Wesley Iwundu was selected with the No. 33 pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2017 NBA Draft presented by State Farm on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.
Iwundu is the first player to be drafted out of K-State since Michael Beasley (Miami Heat) and Bill Walker (Washington Wizards) were taken in the 2008 NBA Draft with the second and 47th selections, respectively. He is third-highest draft pick for the Wildcats in the Lottery era, following Beasley (No. 2) and Mitch Richmond (No. 5 in 1988). He is the sixth consecutive K-State player selected in either the first or second round dating back to 1987.
Overall, Iwundu is the 50th Wildcat selected in the NBA Draft dating back to 1947.
Iwundu becomes the first K-State player to be drafted as well as the first to play for the Orlando Magic. He was joined in the Magic draft class by Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac (No. 6), Latvia’s Anzejs Pasecniks (No. 25), California’sIvan Rabb (No. 35).
“I couldn’t be happier for Wes and his family for realizing the dream of playing in the NBA,” said head coach Bruce Weber. “I’m so very proud of him for not only developing into an NBA caliber player, but also into a quality person off the basketball court. He made tremendous strides on the court and in the classroom during his time at K-State. Wes had a dream and he went after it. This is a proud moment for me and the coaching staff.”
Iwundu is the sixth draft pick developed by Weber in his head coaching career, joining former Illinois players Deron Williams (2005), Luther Head (2005), James Augustine (2006), Dee Brown (2006) and Meyers Leonard (2012).
Iwundu was the third of six Big 12 players selected in the draft, joining Kansas’ Josh Jackson (No. 4, Phoenix Suns), Texas’ Jarrett Allen (No. 22, Brooklyn Nets), Kansas’ Frank Mason III (No. 34, Sacramento Kings), Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans (No. 39, Philadelphia 76ers) and Iowa State’s Monte Morris (No. 51, Denver Nuggets). It marks the second straight season that six Big 12 players have gone in the NBA Draft.
Iwundu developed into one of the top all-around players in school history, becoming the first Wildcat to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career as he finished with 1,249 points, 618 rebounds, 366 assists and 121 steals. He is one of six Wildcats to tally 1,200 points and 600 rebounds, joining Rolando Blackman, Bob Boozer, Thomas Gipson, Rodney McGruder and Ed Nealy. The school’s all-time starts leader, he finished his career in the Top 15 in seven career categories, including scoring (1,249/14th), rebounding (618/12th), assists (366/4th), steals (121/5th), minutes played (3,728/3rd), games (132/5th) and starts (124/1st).
Iwundu was the fourth college senior to be selected in the NBA Draft and one of just 10 taken in the draft’s two rounds, joining Colorado’s Derrick White, Villanova’s Josh Hart and Miami’s Davon Reed. He is the first four-year K-State player selected in the draft since Steve Henson in 1990.
In his 132-game career, Iwundu averaged 9.5 points on 46.3 percent shooting (425-of-917), including 33.8 percent (51-of-151) from 3-point range, with 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals in 28.2 minutes per game.
Iwundu is one of just six Wildcats in the Big 12 era to earn All-Big 12 First, Second or Third Team honors twice in a career, earning recognition to the Coaches’ Third Team in both 2016 and 2017.
Iwundu saved his most productive season for his senior year in 2016-17, as he led the Wildcats in 15 categories, including scoring (13.0 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (26), field goals made (151), free throws made (122), free throw percentage (76.7), double-doubles (5) and rebounding (6.3 rpg.). He joined Mitch Richmond (1987-88) as the only Wildcats in school history to tally 400+ points, 200+ rebounds and 100+ assists in a single season.
Iwundu was the only Big 12 player to rank in the league’s Top 15 in scoring (15th), field goal percentage (10th), free throw percentage (11th), rebounding (9th) and assists (12th) in 2016-17, while he joined West Virginia’s Jevon Carter as the only Big 12 players to rank in the Top 15 in all 5 categories in league-only games.
For his senior season, Iwundu averaged 13.0 points on 48.1 percent shooting (151-of-314), including 37.6 percent (32-of-85) from 3-point range, with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.4 minutes per game. In Big 12 play, he averaged 13.3 points on 47.8 percent shooting (77-of-161), including 40 percent (16-of-40) in 3-point range, with 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes per game.
A Third Team All-Big 12 selection, Iwundu led the Wildcats in scoring a team-best 10 times, including a career-best 24 points in the NCAA First Four win over Wake Forest on March 14 – which was the school’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2012. He averaged 21.5 points in NCAA Tournament action on 57.9 percent shooting (11-of-19), including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from long range, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 31 minutes per game.
With Iwundu leading the way, K-State posted strong offensive statistics in 2016-17, including Top 10 single-season marks for points (2,523), scoring average (72.1), field goal percentage (46.1), 3-point field goals made (247), 3-point field goal perentage (36.2) and assists (522).
K-State collected 73 wins and earned a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances during Iwundu’s four-year career, which included a 21-win campaign and trip to the NCAA South Regional First Round as a senior in 2016-17. The 21 wins were the most since the 2012-13 season, while the 8 in Big 12 play were the most since 2013-14.
–www.k-statesports.com–
TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics
Rossville Uses Early Burst to Roll Past the Junction City Brigade
The Rossville Rattlers ( 4-10 ) scored five runs in the second inning and never trailed enroute to a 9-2 victory over the Junction City Brigade ( 9-7 ) Thursday night at Rathert Field.
The win was the first for the Rattlers in four tries against the Brigade this season.
Rossville had six hits in the second inning off of Junction City pitcher Hayden Wheeler, including a double by Carter Young.
Junction City countered with two runs in the fourth, but for the ballgame the Brigade only had two hits. They did put runners on base via three walks, one Rossville error and one fielder’s choice.
The two teams play again tonight at 7 p.m. at Rathert Field.
Chiefs Make Big Decisions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have given coach Andy Reid a contract extension and parted ways with general manager John Dorsey, making two massive decisions on what is typically a quiet week in the offseason.
The 59-year-old Reid was entering the final year of the five-year deal he signed in 2013, shortly after the end of his long and mostly successful tenure in Philadelphia. Reid is 43-21 with three playoff appearances in four seasons in Kansas City, helping to deliver an AFC West title last season.
Less than an hour after his extension was announced, the Chiefs said Dorsey — who was hired to work in tandem with Reid — would not be retained. Dorsey was also entering the final year of his contract.
The Chiefs did not say who would take over the GM duties on an interim basis.
Perez Hits First Grand Slam in Royals Win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit his first career grand slam, connecting in the eighth inning to rally the Kansas City Royals over the Boston Red Sox 6-4 Wednesday.
The Royals have won nine of 11 and moved within a game of .500.
Perez homered over the Kansas City bullpen in left field on the ninth pitch from Robby Scott (0-1). With Boston leading 4-2, reliever Matt Barnes started the inning by walking Jorge Bonifacio and Lorenzo Cain on 12 pitches.
Scott was summoned to face Eric Hosmer, but walked him on four pitches to load the bases for Perez. The All-Star catcher fouled off three full-count deliveries before hitting his 15th home run of the season.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, Perez was the first Kansas City player to hit a grand slam in the eighth inning or later with the Royals trailing since Frank White in 1986.
Jorge Soria (3-2) worked a spotless eighth. Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances.