KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Nelson Cruz homered and the first-place Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Cruz homered in the fourth after Chris Davis drew a walk to lead off the inning. It was Cruz’s 12th home run, which is second in the American League to the 15 of Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Abreu. Cruz’s 35 RBIs are tied for second in the AL.

Wei-Yin Chen limited the Royals to one run and seven hits over 5 1-3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Chen, who is 5-1 in his past seven starts, was removed in the sixth after Salvador Perez walked and Alex Gordon singled with one out. Darren O’Day replaced Chen and struck out Danny Valencia and retried Johnny Giavotella on a fly to right.

Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura struck out nine and walked one in 6 1-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior defensive end Ryan Mueller was one of 42 players nationally to be named to the Lott IPACT Trophy watch list, the pacific Club IMPACT Foundation announced Wednesday.

Now in its 11th year, the Lott IMPACT Trophy goes to the college football defensive player who has the biggest IMPACT (an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) on his team both on and off the field.

Mueller is the third Wildcat in the last three years to be named a candidate for the award, following defensive back Ty Zimmerman (2013) and Arthur Brown, who was finalist for the award in 2012.

One of seven Big 12 players on the 2014 watch list, Mueller is coming off a dominating junior season in which he tied the school record for sacks (11.5) on his way to All-America honors. A First Team All-Big 12 performer, Mueller was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches, was a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Iowa State, Texas Tech) honoree and a candidate for the Burlsworth Trophy and Ted Hendricks Award.

A former walk-on prior to the 2010 season, Mueller recorded at least a half tackle per game in 12 contests last year as he totaled 18.5 to rank ninth in school history. The Leawood, Kansas, product enters his senior campaign with 14 career sacks, just one shy of entering the school’s top-10 list.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy was named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a two time All-American for USC and College Football Hall of Fame inductee. Lott went on to win four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers, earn 10 trips to the Pro Bowl and a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Always known as a fierce competitor, he was a leader who had IMPACT both on and off the field.

The award is unique because it represents the first trophy to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast.

Highlighted by Big 12-leading marks from the football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country programs, all of Kansas State’s athletic teams met and exceeded the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate multi-year standard for the fourth straight year. The NCAA released its latest Division I APR data from the 2012-2013 academic year.

According to k-statesports.com the golf and cross country programs were awarded APR Public Recognition distinction for posting multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

Kansas State’s highest ratings came from the four programs that earned Public Recognition Awards as they scored perfect 1000 marks to lead the Big 12, while the volleyball ( .989 ) and women’s basketball teams ( .985 ) were close behind. the football team’s four-year score of .968 was also the best among all Big 12 schools.

The Academic Progress Rate measures the eligibility, retention, and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team and also serves as a predictor of graduation success.

Kansas State will play a regular season men’s basketball game at Kansas City’s Sprint center for the seventh time in eight seasons, as the Wildcats host former Big 12 foe Texas A & M in the Wildcat Classic on Dec. 20, 2014.

The two-game agreement calls for a return game to Reed Arena in College Station in December 2015.

An on-sale date and full pricing options for the Wildcat Classic will be announced at a later time, while season ticket holders can pre-order tockets, including special discounts and priority seating, through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office beginning Monday, June 23, when 2014-15 season tickets go on sale.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have signed third-round draft pick Phillip Gaines.

The cornerback out of Rice became the third of the Chiefs’ six draft picks to sign their contracts when he agreed to a deal Thursday. Sixth-round picks Zach Fulton and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, both offensive lineman, had already signed their contracts.

Terms of the contracts have not been disclosed.

That leaves only defensive end Dee Ford, the No. 23 overall pick, fourth-rounder De’Anthony Thomas and fifth-round pick Aaron Murray to sign their contracts.

Gaines played in 52 games for Rice, intercepting four passes and piling up a school-record 38 passes defensed. He served as a captain for the Owls his final two seasons.

 

Kori Kamm is the recipient of the Kim Kilpatrick Award that goes each year to the senior female athlete making the biggest contribution to Junction City High School athletics.

“You always have hopes but you always have those doubts where you think of the other great athletes in your class, like Rosie, Alex, all of them. It could be them.”

Kamm was referring to Rosie Hollis and Alexandra Wood.  Kamm played basketball and softball during her senior year.

Hollis was the recipient of the Lady Jay Academic / Athletic Award on Senior Awards Night at JCHS. That honor goes to the senior female athlete with an outstanding grade point average, and who has contributed in a large way to the athletic program during her high school career. Hollis a track and cross country runner, and also played basketball.

On the boy’s side the winner of the Berg McKinsey Award presented to the top male athlete making the largest contribution to the overall athletic program went to Semaj Johnson. “It meas a lot, it’s a very special award.” Johnson played football and basketball.

The Mike Champ Award that recognizes the senior male athlete letter winner with an outstanding grade point average making a significant contribution to the overall High School athletics program was Will Ervin.  He played baseball and football.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Much-maligned Mike Moustakas hit a three-run double in the second inning, and Jason Vargas and the Kansas City bullpen made the meager offense work in a 3-2 victory Wednesday over the Colorado Rockies for a two-game sweep.

Vargas (4-1) did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and did not allow a run until Drew Stubbs belted a two-run homer to left in the seventh that made things interesting.

Louis Coleman got the Royals out of the inning without any more damage, and Kelvin Herrera worked a perfect eighth before Greg Holland survived a shaky ninth for his 10th save.

Jhoulys Chacin (1-1) allowed the three runs that Moustakas drove in but otherwise pitched well for Colorado. He allowed seven hits and two walks over six gritty innings.

Fifteen Junction City High School athletes who have signed letters of intent were honored during a Celebration of Student Athletes ceremony on Wednesday.

Four Blue Jay football players, all of them offensive linemen, will compete in that sport for Garden City Community College.  Jeff Clark was an offensive tackle for the Blue Jays said Garden City officials had been talking to all four of the players. “And we just felt it would give us the best chance to succeed with all of us being together again.” The others include Jay Brime, Chris Franklin, and Tre Brown.

Two other Blue Jay football players will compete at the NCAA Division Two level. Immanuel Cason will play linebacker at Emporia State University, while Semaj Johnson will play tight end for Washburn University.

Brett Magee will become a member of the very first swimming team ever at Tabor College in Hillsboro.

Rosie Hollis and Autumn Sifuentes will compete in cross country and track for Baker University, Kori Kamm in basketball at Butler County Community College, Nate Funk in football for Bethany, and Danny Thornton in basketball for Bethany.

Ally Bogen is slated to play tennis at Kansas Wesleyan, while Eddy Banul will play soccer for Cloud County Community College.

Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has announced the signing of National Junior College Athletic Association All-American Antoinette Taylor to a National Letter of Intent during the spring signing period.

Taylor will join the Wildcats for the upcoming season.

Taylor, who plans on majoring in criminology, joins the Wildcats from State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. where she capped her two-year career with NJCAA Division I First Team All-America honors.

“Antoinette is a combo guard with excellent speed and we like her ability to slash to the rim,” said Mittie about his newest backcourt player.

Taylor selected Kansas State over offers from Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Arkansas, TCU, and Florida A & M.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – James Shields cooled down hot-hitting Colorado over seven sharp innings, Lorenzo Cain and Salvador Perez both homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Rockies 5-1 on Tuesday night.

The only run Shields allowed came on an RBI single by Justin Morneau in the fourth inning. Shields followed it up by retiring the final 10 batters he faced, striking out the side in the sixth inning and fanning Troy Tulowitzki for the 1,500th strikeout of his career.

Alcides Escobar added a pair of RBIs, and relievers Wade Davis and Aaron Crow wrapped up the win for the Royals, who were opening a nine-game homestand – their longest so far this season.

Franklin Morales gave up four of the five runs for the Rockies. He allowed eight hits and four walks without a strikeout in five innings, needing 99 pitches just to get that far.