State sports briefs

BOWLING ASU selected to NCAA field

Top-ranked Arkansas State was among the eight teams selected Wednesday to compete at this year’s NCAA Women’s Championship on April 10-12 at Game of Wickliffe in Wickliffe, Ohio.

Joining the Red Wolves in the field are Central Missouri, defending champion Nebraska, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Fairleigh Dickinson, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State and Wisconsin-Whitewater. ASU is ranked No. 1 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association poll.

This will be ASU’s seventh consecutive appearance in the national tournament. The Red Wolves, led by Coach Justin Kostick, finished with a record of 91-29, setting the school record for regular-season victories and tying the mark for overall victories. ASU won four tournaments this season and finished no lower than fourth in any of its nine competitions.

Competition begins with qualifying rounds April 10, in which each team bowls one five-person regular team game against each of the seven teams participating in the championship for a total of seven games. Teams will be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record during the qualifying rounds.

On April 11, teams will then compete in best-of-seven-games Baker matches in a double elimination tournament. In the Baker format, each of the five team members, in order, bowls a complete frame until a complete (10-frame) game is bowled. A Baker match tied 3 ½ games to 3 ½ games after seven games will be decided by a tiebreaker using the modified Baker format.

The championship finals will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. April 12. A tape-delayed broadcast of the championship finals will air on ESPN from 3-5 p.m. April 13.

BASEBALL Hendrix beats Austin College

Austin Womack went 3 for 4, Collin Radack finished 2 for 3 with 2 RBI, 2 runs and 3 stolen bases and Hendrix College won its fourth consecutive game, beating Austin College 6-3 on Wednesday at Texarkana (Texas) High School.

The Warriors (12-11) outhit the Kangaroos (4-18) 12-6.

Brian Commerford (2-1) allowed 1 earned run on 2 hits in 5 innings. He struck out two and walked two. Justin Mosbey earned his second save, striking out two in 1 1/3 innings.

SOFTBALL UCA loses road shootout

Central Arkansas and Oklahoma State combined for 20 runs on 21 hits Wednesday, with the lead changing four times before the Cowgirls claimed a 12-8 victory over the Lady Bears in Stillwater, Okla.

Central Arkansas (14-21) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as third baseman Sam Forrest scored on an Oklahoma State error. They held the lead until the bottom of the third inning, when Oklahoma State got a two-run home run from first baseman Tarah Ettinger and an RBI single from Whitney Whitehorn to take a 3-1 lead.

The Bears retook the lead in the fourth inning. Hayley Parker hit a double to begin the inning, and after a ground out and a strikeout, Amy Gunnells and Hannah Stirton drew walks to load the bases. Forrest then hit a grand slam to left field to put UCA ahead 5-3.

The Cowgirls scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth, using a double and a three-run error to take a 7-5 lead. They added two more runs in the fifth on consecutive RBI doubles to extend the lead to 10-5.

UCA got three runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to Forrest’s second home run of the game and Parker’s second double, to pull within 10-8 and Oklahoma State scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to set the final margin.

Simone Freeman (14-6) got the victory for Oklahoma State, allowing 5 runs on 2 hits with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks in 4 innings. Ciara Clampitt (3-10) took the loss for Central Arkansas after allowing 6 runs (2 earned) on 9 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

BASKETBALL John Brown’s Gyamfi honored by NAIA

John Brown senior guard Gilbert Gyamfi was named to the honorable mention list of the NAIA Division I men’s All-America team.

Gyamfi, from Brampton, Ontario, averaged 18.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Gyamfi finished with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 25 games last season for the Eagles, who finished 21-11 and lost to Wayland Baptist (Texas) in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.

GOLF Lopez, Razorbacks honored

Arkansas sophomore Gabriella Lopez was named the SEC’s Golfer of the Week and Golfweek.com Player of the Week on Wednesday and the website named the Razorbacks as its women’s Team of the Week.

Lopez won the LSU Golf Classic in a one-hole playoff last weekend and the Razorbacks won the team competition. It was Lopez’s first tournament victory this season and second of her career. She tied her season best by shooting 74-71-68 - 213 for the victory.

Sports, Pages 23 on 03/27/2014

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