Tuesday April 6th Local Sports

TONIGHT:
AM-1300 KGLO — Minnesota Twins at Detroit — pre-game 11:30, first pitch 12:10
AM-1300 KGLO, kgloam.com — Region XI men’s tournament, NIACC at Kirkwood — pre-game 6:45, tipoff 7:00 (due to COVID restrictions, we are not allowed to broadcast the NIACC women’s Region XI tournament game at DMACC tonight)

 

 

DETROIT (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit a grand slam, a solo home run and a double as the Minnesota Twins rolled past the Detroit Tigers 15-6 on Monday, as you heard on AM-1300 KGLO. Rookie Akil Baddoo hit a grand slam in the ninth for Detroit. Matt Shoemaker held the Tigers without a hit until Wilson Ramos homered with two outs in the fifth. He allowed three hits in six innings with five strikeouts and earned his first victory since April 9, 2019. Tigers starter José Ureña lasted only three innings in his Detroit debut.

 

 

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State has extended athletic director Jamie Pollard’s contract through 2026. Pollard accepted the extension with no scheduled salary increase. He was earning $757,000 when he announced 10% pay cuts for coaches and some administrators a year ago to help offset a $25 million budget shortfall because of COVID-19. Iowa State had its best football season in program history in 2020. The Cyclones played in the Big 12 championship game and beat Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Pollard also has overseen major facilities upgrades.

 

 

MASON CITY — 8th-ranked Kirkwood swept NIACC in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference doubleheader in Mason City on Monday afternoon. In the opener, NIACC left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, then Kirkwood used a two-out infield single to score a run in the top of the ninth to beat the Lady Trojans 1-0. Kirkwood fired up the bats in the second game, pounding out 13 hits in a 10-2, six-inning win. NIACC drops to 6-12 overall and 4-12 in the conference and will travel to Kirkwood on Wednesday for another conference doubleheader.

 

MASON CITY – For the second straight season, NIACC Becca Steffen has earned first-team all-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference volleyball honors.

Steffen recorded 545 assists, 193 digs, 110 kills and 42 ace serves for the Lady Trojans in her sophomore season.

Steffen was joined on the first-team all-league team by freshman Grace Tobin, who led the ICCAC with 300 kills. Tobin also recorded 197 digs, 37 blocks and 23 ace serves.

Steffen is the first player in the Chris Brandt era to earn first-team all-conference honors two straight seasons.

NIACC sophomores Megan Hollander and Bri Powers were both honorable mention all-conference performers.

Hollander collected 59 kills and 38 blocks in her sophomore campaign. Powers had 224 digs and 18 ace serves.

Steffen and Tobin were also first-team all-NJCAA Region XI-A selections.

NIACC was 9-10 in the 2021 season and bowed out to Hawkeye Community College 3-1 in the opening round of the Region XI-A tournament.

 

ANKENY – The NIACC men’s golf team placed sixth at the DMACC Spring Invitational on Monday at the Otter Creek Golf Course.

NIACC shot a 302-317 – 619 in the 36-hole tournament. Iowa Western was the team champion with a 284-284 – 568 and Iowa Central was second with a 286-299 – 585.

The rounds of 302 and 317 both bettered the previous season low team score for the Trojans, who shot 327 twice earlier this season.

NIACC was led by freshman JJ Wickman, who tied for 20th in the individual medalist competition with a 73-79 – 152. The 73 is a career best for Wickman, whose previous low score was a 75 at the NIACC Fall Invitational on Sept. 18, 2020.

Other counting scores for the Trojans were Jack Barragy (75-78 – 153), John Doherty (75-78 – 153) and Kai Nelles (75-83 – 158). Beau Thompson shot a 81-86 – 167.

The 75 by Barragy was a career-best round. Barragy’s previous career best was a 76 at the Waldorf University Fall Invitational on Sept. 27, 2020.

Also for the Trojans, Tyler Eaton shot a 85-82 – 167 and Hunter Heintz shot a 85-87 – 172.

NIACC returns to action Friday and Saturday at the Iowa Central Spring Invitational.

 

 

MASON CITY — The Mason City High boys soccer team beat Iowa Falls-Alden 5-2 in non-conference play on Monday. The Mohawks broke a 1-1 tie at halftime and scored four goals in the second half. Lucas Benitez scored twice to lead the Mohawks, who are now 1-0 and will play at Des Moines East later today.

 

— high school boys soccer
Hampton-Dumont-CAL 3, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 1

— high school girls soccer
Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 6, Hampton-Dumont-CAL 2
Humboldt 4, Belmond-Klemme 0

— high school boys tennis
Mason City 9, Clear Lake 0

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — D’Angelo Russell scored 25 points in his return from knee surgery and Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 116-106 win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Anthony Edwards scored 19 points for Minnesota. Russell scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox had 31 points for the Kings, who lost their fourth in a row. Harrison Barnes added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Buddy Hield scored 18.

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon, Andre Burakovsky, Brandon Saad and J.T. Compher scored in a four-goal second period and Colorado held off Minnesota 5-4 to extend its league-best points streak to 15 games. Gabriel Landeskog also scored, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots for his fourth straight win. At 12-0-1 in his last 13 outings, Grubauer set a franchise record for the longest stretch with a point by a goaltender. Ryan Hartman had a goal and two assists for Minnesota, which had won 11 straight at Xcel Energy Center since losing 5-1 to Colorado on Jan. 30.