MIAMI (AP) — After Colorado mounted a late comeback win against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, right-hander Justin Lawrence credited the success of the bullpen for helping the Rockies win five of seven games since the All-Star break.

Lawrence worked a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save and was part of a bullpen effort that helped the Rockies rally from an early three-run deficit to beat the Marlins 4-3, handing Miami its season-high eighth straight loss.

“Young guys to old guys, we’re all going out there in whatever role we’re given, and we’re running with it,” Lawrence said. “It’s just confidence we all have in each other in that bullpen.”

Randal Grichuk delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth that sealed the win and clinched the series. Grichuk’s first hit of the game scored Ryan McMahon. He led off the inning with a single off reliever Tanner Scott (4-3) and went to second when pinch-hitter Elias Díaz was hit by a pitch.

The Marlins squandered a three-run lead built against starter Chase Anderson, who gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six.

Anderson said he felt all of his pitches were working.

“The only difference is executing pitches and not executing pitches," Anderson said. "When you don't execute, you get beat. When you execute, you usually give your team a chance to win, and I feel like the last two starts I've done that.”

Nolan Jones tied it with a three-run homer off Miami reliever JT Chargois in the seventh. Starter Johnny Cueto had held Colorado scoreless to that point. Chargois entered with a runner on first and allowed a pinch-hit single to Díaz. Jones then sent Chargois’ next pitch 445 feet to right-center.

Colorado reliever Jake Bird worked around a Jon Berti leadoff single for a scoreless seventh. Daniel Bard struck out two in the eighth to pick up his fourth win in five decisions.

Cueto made his first start since April 3 when he strained his right biceps in his season opener and gave up two hits on 81 pitches while striking out eight in six-plus innings. The 37-year-old right-hander had a setback in May when he sprained his right ankle during a minor league rehab start, but returned in relief last Sunday at Baltimore and worked three scoreless innings.

“Every time I go out there, it's to do as much as I can to help the team and do my job. Go out there and get the outs,” Cueto said.

MLB-batting leader Luis Arraez hit a ground-rule double in the third and an RBI triple in the fifth that gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead. His batting average rose from .373 to .375.

Jorge Soler drove in Arraez on a sacrifice fly in the fifth that gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead.

Austin Wynns, batting ninth in Colorado’s order, doubled off Cueto in the third. The only other hit was a single by McMahon in the seventh.

“We couldn’t solve him at all,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “We got him out of the game with that leadoff hit in the seventh, but he was good. We didn’t have many good at bats against him, but you play the whole game, and here we had multiple contributions.”

The Marlins entered the All-Star break with the NL’s top wild-card spot, but have slipped to fifth in the wild-card race.

Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland said his shoulder is moving well following his second bullpen session Saturday. He will throw a live bullpen soon and could return to the mound next weekend. Freeland has been on the 15-day injured list since dislocating his non-throwing shoulder diving for a ball on July 9. ... First baseman C.J. Cron was a precautionary late scratch with lower back stiffness. Michael Toglia replaced him ... Kris Bryant was hit by a pitch on the index finger on his right hand in the fourth inning. Black said X-Rays on it were negative and Bryant is day-to-day.

LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 3.34) will start Sunday’s series finale for Miami. The Rockies hadn’t yet announced a starter, but Black said it would be a bullpen game.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690124978271.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI (AP) — After Colorado mounted a late comeback win against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, right-hander Justin Lawrence credited the success of the bullpen for helping the Rockies win five of seven games since the All-Star break.Lawrence worked a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save and was part of a bullpen effort that helped the Rockies rally from an early three-run deficit to beat the Marlins 4-3, handing Miami its season-high eighth straight loss.“Young guys to old guys, we’re all going out there in whatever role we’re given, and we’re running with it,” Lawrence said. “It’s just confidence we all have in each other in that bullpen.”Randal Grichuk delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth that sealed the win and clinched the series. Grichuk’s first hit of the game scored Ryan McMahon. He led off the inning with a single off reliever Tanner Scott (4-3) and went to second when pinch-hitter Elias Díaz was hit by a pitch.The Marlins squandered a three-run lead built against starter Chase Anderson, who gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six.Anderson said he felt all of his pitches were working.“The only difference is executing pitches and not executing pitches," Anderson said. "When you don't execute, you get beat. When you execute, you usually give your team a chance to win, and I feel like the last two starts I've done that.”Nolan Jones tied it with a three-run homer off Miami reliever JT Chargois in the seventh. Starter Johnny Cueto had held Colorado scoreless to that point. Chargois entered with a runner on first and allowed a pinch-hit single to Díaz. Jones then sent Chargois’ next pitch 445 feet to right-center.Colorado reliever Jake Bird worked around a Jon Berti leadoff single for a scoreless seventh. Daniel Bard struck out two in the eighth to pick up his fourth win in five decisions.Cueto made his first start since April 3 when he strained his right biceps in his season opener and gave up two hits on 81 pitches while striking out eight in six-plus innings. The 37-year-old right-hander had a setback in May when he sprained his right ankle during a minor league rehab start, but returned in relief last Sunday at Baltimore and worked three scoreless innings.“Every time I go out there, it's to do as much as I can to help the team and do my job. Go out there and get the outs,” Cueto said.MLB-batting leader Luis Arraez hit a ground-rule double in the third and an RBI triple in the fifth that gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead. His batting average rose from .373 to .375.Jorge Soler drove in Arraez on a sacrifice fly in the fifth that gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead.Austin Wynns, batting ninth in Colorado’s order, doubled off Cueto in the third. The only other hit was a single by McMahon in the seventh.“We couldn’t solve him at all,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “We got him out of the game with that leadoff hit in the seventh, but he was good. We didn’t have many good at bats against him, but you play the whole game, and here we had multiple contributions.”The Marlins entered the All-Star break with the NL’s top wild-card spot, but have slipped to fifth in the wild-card race.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: LHP Kyle Freeland said his shoulder is moving well following his second bullpen session Saturday. He will throw a live bullpen soon and could return to the mound next weekend. Freeland has been on the 15-day injured list since dislocating his non-throwing shoulder diving for a ball on July 9. ... First baseman C.J. Cron was a precautionary late scratch with lower back stiffness. Michael Toglia replaced him ... Kris Bryant was hit by a pitch on the index finger on his right hand in the fourth inning. Black said X-Rays on it were negative and Bryant is day-to-day.UP NEXTLHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 3.34) will start Sunday’s series finale for Miami. The Rockies hadn’t yet announced a starter, but Black said it would be a bullpen game.

Rockies hope to hook fish for Sunday sweep in Miami

Chadron moved into the driver’s seat of the Class B-7 Seniors District Baseball Tournament it is hosting by edging Alliance 3-1 Saturday afternoon.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Alliance scored in the bottom of the first when its first two batters singled, the third hitter in the order walked and, after the next two Spartans struck out, the leadoff batter scored on a wild pitch.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But that was Alliance’s only run Alliance.&nbsp; Chadron retaliated by scoring twice in the top of the second inning and added an insurance run in the fifth.

Led by three hits by both Broc Berry and Jordan Bissonette, Chadron outhit Alliance 10-4.&nbsp; Jordan’s older brother, Kobe, pitched all seven innings for Chadron. He struck out six and walked two.

Seth Gaswick had two hits for the winners.&nbsp; There was only one error in the contest.

In the first game Saturday, Gering defeated Sidney 7-3 to eliminate the Cheyenne County team from the tourney, even though Sidney outhit Gering eight to five. Ryder Bayne had three hits for Sidney while his teammate Kyle Jaggers and Gering’s Bo Gable each had two.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Gering and Alliance will meet in the game to decide which of them will challenge Chadron for the district title.&nbsp; Whichever team wins Sunday will have to defeat Chadron twice on Monday to keep the Nationals, as they are known, from advancing to the Class B State Tournament that will be played in Pierce next weekend

By: Con MarshallChadron moved into the driver’s seat of the Class B-7 Seniors District Baseball Tournament it is hosting by edging Alliance 3-1 Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Alliance scored in the bottom of the first when its first two batters singled, the third hitter in the order walked and, after the next two Spartans struck out, the leadoff batter scored on a wild pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But that was Alliance’s only run Alliance.&nbsp; Chadron retaliated by scoring twice in the top of the second inning and added an insurance run in the fifth.Led by three hits by both Broc Berry and Jordan Bissonette, Chadron outhit Alliance 10-4.&nbsp; Jordan’s older brother, Kobe, pitched all seven innings for Chadron. He struck out six and walked two.Seth Gaswick had two hits for the winners.&nbsp; There was only one error in the contest.In the first game Saturday, Gering defeated Sidney 7-3 to eliminate the Cheyenne County team from the tourney, even though Sidney outhit Gering eight to five. Ryder Bayne had three hits for Sidney while his teammate Kyle Jaggers and Gering’s Bo Gable each had two.&nbsp;&nbsp;At 2 p.m. Sunday, Gering and Alliance will meet in the game to decide which of them will challenge Chadron for the district title.&nbsp; Whichever team wins Sunday will have to defeat Chadron twice on Monday to keep the Nationals, as they are known, from advancing to the Class B State Tournament that will be played in Pierce next weekend

Chadron awaits Sunday's Alliance-Gering winner for Legion Baseball District Title

By: Mike Glesinger&nbsp; Panhandle Post

The long drive was worth it for the Wahoo American Legion Junior Baseball Team.&nbsp; Traveling over 350 miles and&nbsp; playing 5 games, in 5 days against some of the top teams in the State, Wahoo showed that they could play good,&nbsp; fundamental baseball....Pitching, Hitting and Fielding, in winning the Nebraska Class B Junior Baseball State Championship with a 6-5 win over a very good Seward team.

Alliance hosted the tournament at Bower/Shankland Field , beginning Saturday, July 15.&nbsp; &nbsp; Lincoln Christian opened with a 1-0 win over Holdrege.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo defeated Central City&nbsp; 10-5.&nbsp; &nbsp;Waverly over Gering 10-5 and Seward defeated Alliance 11-4.&nbsp; 

Sunday July 16,&nbsp; Holdrege eliminated Central City&nbsp; 4-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Gering knocked out Alliance 4-1.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo defeated Lincoln Christian 16-7 and Seward was a winner over Waverly 2-1 in 8 innings.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Monday July 17,&nbsp; Gering eliminated Lincoln Christian 7-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Holdrege elininated Waverly&nbsp; 4-1.&nbsp; &nbsp;In the winners bracket, Wahoo defeated Seward 12-3.&nbsp;

Tuesday July 18,&nbsp; Seward eliminated Gering 6-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Wahoo remained unbeaten in knocking out Holdrege 8-0.&nbsp;

That set up&nbsp; the Championship game on Wednesday July 19, with Wahoo needing a win and Seward needing to win twice to take the title.&nbsp; Seward took an early lead with solid hitting.&nbsp; Wahoo battled back to tie the game at 5 in the 5th inning and scratched out a run in the 6th to take a&nbsp; 6-5 lead.&nbsp; &nbsp;Seward got the lead off man&nbsp; on base in the bottom of the 7th and was able to move him to 3rd with 2 outs,&nbsp; before Wahoo got the final out, on a gound out to short to end the game,&nbsp; 6-5&nbsp; in favor of Wahoo.&nbsp; Both teams played very well through the entire tournament and had excellent fan support from their hometowns.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Thanks to the Peltz Company Alliance Spartans for hosting the event and the Community of Alliance for their support.&nbsp; It's always exciting to host an event like this.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689802215063.jpeg" alt="Wahoo Juniors, Class B State Champs" />
 <figcaption>Wahoo Juniors, Class B State Champs</figcaption>
 </figure>By: Mike Glesinger&nbsp; Panhandle PostThe long drive was worth it for the Wahoo American Legion Junior Baseball Team.&nbsp; Traveling over 350 miles and&nbsp; playing 5 games, in 5 days against some of the top teams in the State, Wahoo showed that they could play good,&nbsp; fundamental baseball....Pitching, Hitting and Fielding, in winning the Nebraska Class B Junior Baseball State Championship with a 6-5 win over a very good Seward team.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689803870644.jpeg" alt="Class B State Runner up,&nbsp; Seward Juniors" />
 <figcaption>Class B State Runner up,&nbsp; Seward Juniors</figcaption>
 </figure>Alliance hosted the tournament at Bower/Shankland Field , beginning Saturday, July 15.&nbsp; &nbsp; Lincoln Christian opened with a 1-0 win over Holdrege.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo defeated Central City&nbsp; 10-5.&nbsp; &nbsp;Waverly over Gering 10-5 and Seward defeated Alliance 11-4.&nbsp; Sunday July 16,&nbsp; Holdrege eliminated Central City&nbsp; 4-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Gering knocked out Alliance 4-1.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo defeated Lincoln Christian 16-7 and Seward was a winner over Waverly 2-1 in 8 innings.&nbsp; &nbsp;Monday July 17,&nbsp; Gering eliminated Lincoln Christian 7-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Holdrege elininated Waverly&nbsp; 4-1.&nbsp; &nbsp;In the winners bracket, Wahoo defeated Seward 12-3.&nbsp;Tuesday July 18,&nbsp; Seward eliminated Gering 6-3&nbsp; and&nbsp; Wahoo remained unbeaten in knocking out Holdrege 8-0.&nbsp;That set up&nbsp; the Championship game on Wednesday July 19, with Wahoo needing a win and Seward needing to win twice to take the title.&nbsp; Seward took an early lead with solid hitting.&nbsp; Wahoo battled back to tie the game at 5 in the 5th inning and scratched out a run in the 6th to take a&nbsp; 6-5 lead.&nbsp; &nbsp;Seward got the lead off man&nbsp; on base in the bottom of the 7th and was able to move him to 3rd with 2 outs,&nbsp; before Wahoo got the final out, on a gound out to short to end the game,&nbsp; 6-5&nbsp; in favor of Wahoo.&nbsp; Both teams played very well through the entire tournament and had excellent fan support from their hometowns.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks to the Peltz Company Alliance Spartans for hosting the event and the Community of Alliance for their support.&nbsp; It's always exciting to host an event like this.&nbsp;

Wahoo Wins Class B American Legion Junior State Baseball Championship

DENVER (AP) — Fernando Abad barely remembers his last win or even who he was facing.

Abad picked his first victory in more than six years as the Colorado Rockies used a bullpen game featuring seven pitchers to beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night.

“That (win) was a while ago,” said Abad, whose last victory was while he was with Boston on June 13, 2017, against Philadelphia.

Back then, the left-handed reliever gave the baseball from the victory to his mom. He plans on giving this one to her as well. That is, once he locates it. For now, he will simply bask in the glow of the moment.

“I just had to be able to do everything they needed me to do,” said Abad, who began his big-league career with the Astros.

This had all the hallmarks of a high-scoring Coors Field affair when it was 3-3 after the first inning. But the pitching took over and the only run allowed after the early fireworks came courtesy of Ezequiel Tovar, who lined a shot off the fence in right-center for a triple to score C.J. Cron in the fourth.

“After the first, I thought we were in for a long night,” Ryan McMahon said. “But our staff did a great job.”

Reliever Jake Bird was roughed up for three runs as he opened the game on the mound for the Rockies. From there, the bullpen surrendered just five hits. Justin Lawrence picked up save No. 6 with a perfect ninth.

The Astros finished 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays.

“You always run into that problem when they have an opener and they’re bringing in different guys on you,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “It doesn’t work that often but it worked today.

Not off reliever Tommy Doyle. Or Abad. Or Gavin Hollowell. Or Pierce Johnson. Or Daniel Bard. Or Lawrence.

“A domino effect,” Doyle explained. “It was fantastic. I mean, everyone threw well.”

Kris Bryant and McMahon provided the offensive pop in the first with back-to-back homers off Hunter Brown (6-7). Brown settled down after a rocky start and lasted 5 1/3 solid innings.

Chas McCormick, the reigning AL player of the week, had a run-scoring single and a walk for Houston. He was coming off a weekend in which he hit .636 with three homers and five RBIs.

Baker spent a relaxing off day Monday by fishing for trout in a river near Vail, Colorado.

This game at Coors Field — the Astros' first visit in more than two years — wasn't nearly as restful for the longtime skipper.

Leading 4-3 in the sixth, the Rockies were looking to add some insurance runs with one out and runners on second and third. Nolan Jones was called for a time violation on a 3-2 count and given a third strike. Tovar then struck out on a Ryne Stanek slider to end the threat.

It could've been a momentum shift — or so the Astros were hoping.

“After that, we didn't muster too many threats,” Baker said.

McCormick lost a high fly to left from Cron in the night sky during the sixth inning. McCormick attempted to dive for the ball at the last moment but it hit off his glove for what was ruled a double.

Astros: Baker remains hopeful that lefty Framber Valdez (calf cramp) can make his next start. “He knocked on my door, gave me a wave, a smile, so he must be feeling pretty good,” Baker said. ... 2B Jose Altuve (oblique) was slated to hit Tuesday.

Rockies: OF Randal Grichuk (groin) ran the bases before the game. “Looks like he’s on the comeback trail,” manager Bud Black joked. ... OF Charlie Blackmon (fractured right hand) is not quite hitting yet, Black said.

Righty Brandon Bielak (4-5, 3.79 ERA) will throw for the Astros and lefty Austin Gomber (8-7, 6.19) for the Rockies on Wednesday as they finish a two-game series.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689789295692.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Fernando Abad barely remembers his last win or even who he was facing.It was that long ago.Abad picked his first victory in more than six years as the Colorado Rockies used a bullpen game featuring seven pitchers to beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Tuesday night.“That (win) was a while ago,” said Abad, whose last victory was while he was with Boston on June 13, 2017, against Philadelphia.Back then, the left-handed reliever gave the baseball from the victory to his mom. He plans on giving this one to her as well. That is, once he locates it. For now, he will simply bask in the glow of the moment.“I just had to be able to do everything they needed me to do,” said Abad, who began his big-league career with the Astros.This had all the hallmarks of a high-scoring Coors Field affair when it was 3-3 after the first inning. But the pitching took over and the only run allowed after the early fireworks came courtesy of Ezequiel Tovar, who lined a shot off the fence in right-center for a triple to score C.J. Cron in the fourth.“After the first, I thought we were in for a long night,” Ryan McMahon said. “But our staff did a great job.”Reliever Jake Bird was roughed up for three runs as he opened the game on the mound for the Rockies. From there, the bullpen surrendered just five hits. Justin Lawrence picked up save No. 6 with a perfect ninth.The Astros finished 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays.“You always run into that problem when they have an opener and they’re bringing in different guys on you,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “It doesn’t work that often but it worked today."We just couldn’t get the big hit.”Not off reliever Tommy Doyle. Or Abad. Or Gavin Hollowell. Or Pierce Johnson. Or Daniel Bard. Or Lawrence.“A domino effect,” Doyle explained. “It was fantastic. I mean, everyone threw well.”Kris Bryant and McMahon provided the offensive pop in the first with back-to-back homers off Hunter Brown (6-7). Brown settled down after a rocky start and lasted 5 1/3 solid innings.Chas McCormick, the reigning AL player of the week, had a run-scoring single and a walk for Houston. He was coming off a weekend in which he hit .636 with three homers and five RBIs.Baker spent a relaxing off day Monday by fishing for trout in a river near Vail, Colorado.This game at Coors Field — the Astros' first visit in more than two years — wasn't nearly as restful for the longtime skipper.Leading 4-3 in the sixth, the Rockies were looking to add some insurance runs with one out and runners on second and third. Nolan Jones was called for a time violation on a 3-2 count and given a third strike. Tovar then struck out on a Ryne Stanek slider to end the threat.It could've been a momentum shift — or so the Astros were hoping.“After that, we didn't muster too many threats,” Baker said.HIGH FLYMcCormick lost a high fly to left from Cron in the night sky during the sixth inning. McCormick attempted to dive for the ball at the last moment but it hit off his glove for what was ruled a double.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: Baker remains hopeful that lefty Framber Valdez (calf cramp) can make his next start. “He knocked on my door, gave me a wave, a smile, so he must be feeling pretty good,” Baker said. ... 2B Jose Altuve (oblique) was slated to hit Tuesday.Rockies: OF Randal Grichuk (groin) ran the bases before the game. “Looks like he’s on the comeback trail,” manager Bud Black joked. ... OF Charlie Blackmon (fractured right hand) is not quite hitting yet, Black said.UP NEXTRighty Brandon Bielak (4-5, 3.79 ERA) will throw for the Astros and lefty Austin Gomber (8-7, 6.19) for the Rockies on Wednesday as they finish a two-game series.

Rockies take first game in series with defending champion Astros

DENVER (AP) — Nolan Jones led off the 11th inning with a tying, two-run homer off Nick Ramirez, Alan Trejo hit a game-ending drive off Ron Marinaccio and the Colorado Rockies beat the Yankees 8-7 Sunday to take two of three from New York.

Colorado, a National League-worst 36-58, overcame a 3-1 deficit when C.J. Cron hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Clay Holmes, the first home run allowed by the right-hander this season. “I was trying to make a sinker down,” Holmes said. “It was a spot in the ballgame where we needed a big out, but unfortunately it stayed up and couldn’t get that out.”

New York tied the score in the ninth against Daniel Bard on Gleyber Torres' run-scoring infield single and Harrison Bader's sacrifice fly.

Playing into the 11th for the first time this year, the Yankees opened a 7-5 lead against Gavin Hollowell (1-0) on run-scoring singles by Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Pereza, who was recalled from the minors when Josh Donaldson was put on the injured list Sunday because of a strained right calf.

Jones hit a 450-foot home run on a fastball and drove in Cron, the automatic runner. Trejo hit his first homer in 128 plate appearances this season on a hanging slider from Marinaccio (4-5), dropping New York to 5-7 in extra innings.

“It felt fantastic,” Trejo said. “It was one of those where I felt I got enough of it to get over the fence. It was a hanging slider and I put a good swing on it.”

Hollowell got his first major league win.

New York has lost six of eight and is tied for last in the AL East at 50-44. The Yankees fell to 15-19 since reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge sprained his right big toe on June 3.

Colorado’s three starting pitchers in the series were Austin Gomber (6.19 ERA), Connor Seabold (7.18) and Chase Anderson (6.26), who pitched five scoreless innings Sunday.

Anthony Rizzo was 0 for 4 with an inning-ending flyout that stranded the bases loaded in the third, He has gone 41 games without a home run since May 20, hitting ,196 with 11 RBIs.

New York headed to a series at the Los Angeles Angels.

“We've got 2 1/2 months to put ourselves in a position to be championship-caliber,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It's on us. We've got to go prove that. As far as who we're playing, this is Major League Naseball. You're going to beat some good teams. You're going to lose some series to teams that are struggling. It's a grind every time you go out there. They outlasted us today. We're obviously (angry) in the moment that we lost a series, but it's a series. We've got to move on from it and go try to play well in California.”

Gerrit Cole, who started for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, struck out 11 in his 59th double-digit strikeout game. He allowed two hits in six innings, giving up his only run on Michael Toglia’s second-inning homer.

Colorado loaded the bases in the eighth against Tommy Kahnle, and Cron followed with his sixth career slam.

K CORNER Cole’s 24th double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees surpassed Ron Guidry for the team record.

Cole said he was humbled to be mentioned alongside Guidry.

“It’s hard to comprehend to be honest," Cole said. “He’s one of the all-time Yankee greats. Any time you’re mentioned with him in a sentence or blessed enough to pass something he set, it’s a humbling experience, a humbling moment.” TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Donaldson is on the IL for the second time this season. He was sidelined from April 5 to June 2 due to a right hamstring strain.

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (1-4, 7.38 ERA) starts Monday night’s series opener against the Angels and RHP Griffing Canning (6-4, 4.62). Severino planned to pitch exclusively from the stretch to avoid tipping pitches.

Rockies: Open a two-game series Tuesday against Houston, which starts RHP Hunter Brown (6-2, 4.12).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689604121330.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Nolan Jones led off the 11th inning with a tying, two-run homer off Nick Ramirez, Alan Trejo hit a game-ending drive off Ron Marinaccio and the Colorado Rockies beat the Yankees 8-7 Sunday to take two of three from New York.Colorado, a National League-worst 36-58, overcame a 3-1 deficit when C.J. Cron hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Clay Holmes, the first home run allowed by the right-hander this season. “I was trying to make a sinker down,” Holmes said. “It was a spot in the ballgame where we needed a big out, but unfortunately it stayed up and couldn’t get that out.”New York tied the score in the ninth against Daniel Bard on Gleyber Torres' run-scoring infield single and Harrison Bader's sacrifice fly.Playing into the 11th for the first time this year, the Yankees opened a 7-5 lead against Gavin Hollowell (1-0) on run-scoring singles by Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Pereza, who was recalled from the minors when Josh Donaldson was put on the injured list Sunday because of a strained right calf.Jones hit a 450-foot home run on a fastball and drove in Cron, the automatic runner. Trejo hit his first homer in 128 plate appearances this season on a hanging slider from Marinaccio (4-5), dropping New York to 5-7 in extra innings.“It felt fantastic,” Trejo said. “It was one of those where I felt I got enough of it to get over the fence. It was a hanging slider and I put a good swing on it.”Hollowell got his first major league win.New York has lost six of eight and is tied for last in the AL East at 50-44. The Yankees fell to 15-19 since reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge sprained his right big toe on June 3.Colorado’s three starting pitchers in the series were Austin Gomber (6.19 ERA), Connor Seabold (7.18) and Chase Anderson (6.26), who pitched five scoreless innings Sunday.Anthony Rizzo was 0 for 4 with an inning-ending flyout that stranded the bases loaded in the third, He has gone 41 games without a home run since May 20, hitting ,196 with 11 RBIs.New York headed to a series at the Los Angeles Angels.“We've got 2 1/2 months to put ourselves in a position to be championship-caliber,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It's on us. We've got to go prove that. As far as who we're playing, this is Major League Naseball. You're going to beat some good teams. You're going to lose some series to teams that are struggling. It's a grind every time you go out there. They outlasted us today. We're obviously (angry) in the moment that we lost a series, but it's a series. We've got to move on from it and go try to play well in California.”Gerrit Cole, who started for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, struck out 11 in his 59th double-digit strikeout game. He allowed two hits in six innings, giving up his only run on Michael Toglia’s second-inning homer.Colorado loaded the bases in the eighth against Tommy Kahnle, and Cron followed with his sixth career slam.K CORNER Cole’s 24th double-digit strikeout game with the Yankees surpassed Ron Guidry for the team record.Cole said he was humbled to be mentioned alongside Guidry.“It’s hard to comprehend to be honest," Cole said. “He’s one of the all-time Yankee greats. Any time you’re mentioned with him in a sentence or blessed enough to pass something he set, it’s a humbling experience, a humbling moment.” TRAINER’S ROOMYankees: Donaldson is on the IL for the second time this season. He was sidelined from April 5 to June 2 due to a right hamstring strain.UP NEXTYankees: RHP Luis Severino (1-4, 7.38 ERA) starts Monday night’s series opener against the Angels and RHP Griffing Canning (6-4, 4.62). Severino planned to pitch exclusively from the stretch to avoid tipping pitches.Rockies: Open a two-game series Tuesday against Houston, which starts RHP Hunter Brown (6-2, 4.12).

Rockies roar back several times to take series over Yankees Sunday

The Alliance Peltz Company Spartan Junior Baseball Team will host the 2023 Class B State Tournament July 15-19 at Bower/Shankland Field.&nbsp; The teams will include....Seward, the Area 1 Champion.&nbsp; Lincoln Christian, the defending State Champion, from Area 2.&nbsp; &nbsp;Waverly, Area 3.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo, Area 4.&nbsp; &nbsp;Central City, Area 5.&nbsp; Holdrege, Area 6 and Gering, Area 7.&nbsp; &nbsp;Alliance will compete in the State Tournament as the Host team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Holdrege vs Lincoln Christian....10 am MT

All games will be played at Bower/Shankland Field.&nbsp; Admission is $10 for Adults,&nbsp; Kids ages 8-12, $5.&nbsp; Kids 7 and under are free.&nbsp; All Veterans will also be admitted free of charge.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688736213517.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By: Mike Glesinger&nbsp; Panhandle PostThe Alliance Peltz Company Spartan Junior Baseball Team will host the 2023 Class B State Tournament July 15-19 at Bower/Shankland Field.&nbsp; The teams will include....Seward, the Area 1 Champion.&nbsp; Lincoln Christian, the defending State Champion, from Area 2.&nbsp; &nbsp;Waverly, Area 3.&nbsp; &nbsp;Wahoo, Area 4.&nbsp; &nbsp;Central City, Area 5.&nbsp; Holdrege, Area 6 and Gering, Area 7.&nbsp; &nbsp;Alliance will compete in the State Tournament as the Host team.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tournament ScheduleSaturday July 15Holdrege vs Lincoln Christian....10 am MTCentral City vs Wahoo...1 pm MTGering vs Waverly...4 pm&nbsp; MTAlliance vs Seward...7 pm MTSunday July 16Loser game 1 vs Loser game 2...10 am MTLoser game 3 vs Loser game 4....1 pm MTWinner game 1 vs Winner game 2...4 pm MTWinner game 3 vs Winner game 4...7 pm MTMonday July 17Elimination game...1 pm MTElimination game...4 pm MTWinner Bracket game....7 pm MTTuesday July 18Elimination game....4 pm MTSemi-Final game...7 pmWednesday July 19Championship Game or games...TBDAll games will be played at Bower/Shankland Field.&nbsp; Admission is $10 for Adults,&nbsp; Kids ages 8-12, $5.&nbsp; Kids 7 and under are free.&nbsp; All Veterans will also be admitted free of charge.&nbsp;

Alliance to host Nebraska American Legion Class B Junior State Baseball Tournament

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle Post&nbsp;

Last weekend was huge for a group of girls representing the Nebraska Panhandle, as a team with players from Alliance, Scottsbluff and Gering won the Colorado State Championship. The team is called 308 United in the U18  Division and twin sisters Hannah  and Hallie Schneider from Alliance were  on the USSA Class B State Championship team, and their dad Jeff is an Assistant Coach on the team.

 Hannah pitched a gem in the state championship against the Colorado Altitude in an 11-1 win and reflected on winning that final game. "It was really fun, honestly it felt like just another tournament," Hannah said. But then the after celebration&nbsp; it made it feel like winning a State Tournament."

 Her sister Hallie expressed that the whole experience  was enjoyable, especially winning the title. "Just to play really competitive teams, and to play a our highest level. It shows how we started the season and to where we finished as a team, altogether," Hallie said.

Their dad Jeff said that he is very proud&nbsp; the of the girls and the team for how they played against great teams and got better throughout the season.

308 United&nbsp; went 7-0 a the Colorado State Tournament, finishing&nbsp; with a 39-11-2 record and&nbsp; winning 23 of their last 25 games.

By Alex Benzegala Panhandle Post&nbsp;Last weekend was huge for a group of girls representing the Nebraska Panhandle, as a team with players from Alliance, Scottsbluff and Gering won the Colorado State Championship. The team is called 308 United in the U18 Division and twin sisters Hannah and Hallie Schneider from Alliance were on the USSA Class B State Championship team, and their dad Jeff is an Assistant Coach on the team. Hannah pitched a gem in the state championship against the Colorado Altitude in an 11-1 win and reflected on winning that final game. "It was really fun, honestly it felt like just another tournament," Hannah said. But then the after celebration&nbsp; it made it feel like winning a State Tournament." Her sister Hallie expressed that the whole experience was enjoyable, especially winning the title. "Just to play really competitive teams, and to play a our highest level. It shows how we started the season and to where we finished as a team, altogether," Hallie said.Their dad Jeff said that he is very proud&nbsp; the of the girls and the team for how they played against great teams and got better throughout the season.308 United&nbsp; went 7-0 a the Colorado State Tournament, finishing&nbsp; with a 39-11-2 record and&nbsp; winning 23 of their last 25 games.

Alliance girls help area softball team win State in Colorado

SEATTLE (AP) — Shining brightly in the Emerald City, the National League snapped a losing streak that lasted more than a decade.

An unheralded catcher from Colorado delivered the big blow.

Elias Díaz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/diaz-s-two-run-go-ahead-homer?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">hit a two-run homer</a>&nbsp;off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the NL snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League on Tuesday night.

The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City, and Díaz became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award.

“It feels incredible. When we all got here, we all talked about how we were going to bring home the win," said Díaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates at the end of 2019. “I just didn’t realize it was going to be me to bring home the win.”

Díaz&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678959427427106820?s=20">drove a 2-2 pitch</a>&nbsp;from Baltimore's hard-throwing closer deep to left to put the NL in front. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.

“It does matter. We wanted to win, the American League we wanted to win,” Bautista said through an interpreter. “But overall I think that it’s an experience I’ll never forget and just wish that would have been a little bit different.”

Díaz has nine homers this season, but hadn’t hit a long ball since June 23 against the Los Angeles Angels.

“As soon as he walked in the clubhouse and I met him, he said, ‘I’ll do anything you want. If I play, I play. If I don’t, I don’t. I’m just so happy to be here,'” NL manager Rob Thomson said. “So for him to do that, it’s fantastic.”

For most of the night, the All-Star Game was a pitchers’ duel highlighted by a couple big hits and some excellent defense.

It got nervous for the NL&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/jose-ramirez-strikes-out-swinging-v1cmuc?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">with Philadelphia closer Craig Kimbrel</a>&nbsp;on the mound in the ninth.

“I threw way more pitches than I wanted to on an off day,” Kimbrel joked.

Wander Franco led off with a fly ball to the warning track, and Kimbrel issued two-out walks to Kyle Tucker and Seattle star Julio Rodríguez.

The 22-year-old Rodríguez was in position to close it out in front of his home crowd.

“I was definitely trying to win it. But it was a situation where I had to pass the baton,” he said.

Kimbrel recovered to strike out José Ramírez to end it. Kimbrel also pitched in the previous NL win, recording two outs in 2012.

“The ninth inning in the dugout was just a lot of fun to experience,” said San Diego's Josh Hader, who pitched the eighth for the NL.

Yandy Díaz hit a solo homer in the second and Bo Bichette’s sacrifice fly in the sixth gave the AL a 2-1 lead.

J.D. Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Arraez’s single in the fourth against Seattle’s George Kirby, tying it at 1. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. appeared to tie the game again in the seventh when his shot down the left-field line was originally ruled a homer but was overturned as a foul ball on replay.

The All-Star Game returned to Seattle for the first time since 2001 when the Mariners were in the middle of their magical 116-win regular season, Cal Ripken Jr. said goodbye to the All-Star stage and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4GbGVk9DKk">Tommy Lasorda took a tumble</a>.

Gerrit Cole became the first New York Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in that 2001 game. He needed a pair of spectacular leaping catches from Adolis García and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678923988397858817?s=20">Randy Arozarena</a>&nbsp;near the wall to escape the first inning unscathed.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/best-of-mic-d-up-from-the-asg?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Pitching was the story of the night</a>. Only nine balls were hit over 100 mph. There were 20 combined strikeouts, including Camilo Doval silencing the home crowd with a strikeout of Rodríguez&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678955503106367489?s=20">in the seventh inning</a>&nbsp;when four of the five pitches topped 100 mph.

“You can tell, our guys, we wanted to win. They wanted to win," AL manager Dusty Baker said. “There was a lot of pride out there and a lot of competitiveness out there. You could tell by the energy on both sides and the energy in the ballpark.”

The All-Star Game was missing some big names with Mike Trout and Aaron Judge out with injuries, but it still had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-all-star-game-4c2145a5a1c1c3bd255bd826a53a77fb">Shohei Ohtani</a>.

The Angels star drew the biggest cheers outside of Seattle’s three representatives during introductions, and he was serenaded with chants of “Come to Seattle” when he was at the plate. The crowd apparently was well aware of his pending free agency this offseason.

Toronto reliever&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-romano-blue-jays-allstar-a57ef2a1a4f9bd88a0f37ef26162ce35">Jordan Romano</a>&nbsp;left in the seventh after throwing the pitch that Gurriel hit foul and was originally ruled fair. He threw five pitches before leaving the game with tightness in his back.

Chicago White Sox slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/luis-robert-all-star-game-derby-410e2da430a404b91554248a98c77061">Luis Robert Jr.</a>&nbsp;did not play after feeling tightness in his right calf during the Home Run Derby. The White Sox said Robert underwent an MRI in Seattle and is listed as day to day.

The Rangers made All-Star history when Nathan Eovaldi took the mound in the second. That marked the third time in an All-Star Game when there were six players from the same team on the field at the same time. It also occurred with the 1939 Yankees and 1951 Dodgers.

The Baseball Hall of Fame said a ball signed by all six players in the game would be headed to Cooperstown.

“That’s got to be one of the cooler moments in sports when you’ve got half the team on the field is your team, especially under these circumstances,” catcher Jonah Heim said. “It’s really special and I was glad I got to share it with these guys today.”

The Tampa Bay duo of Shane McClanahan and Wander Franco were inadvertently skipped over during pregame introductions. The pair jogged in on their own and left it to the Rays’ social media staff&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1678920544144482304?s=20">to give them a proper announcement</a>.

Six of the eight members of Seattle’s All-Star contingent from the 2001 game were recognized pregame. John Olerud, Bret Boone, Freddy Garcia, Jeff Nelson, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Edgar Martinez and manager Lou Piniella were honored. Ichiro Suzuki and Mike Cameron were also on the All-Star team that season.

Baseball Hall of Famers Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. threw out the ceremonial first pitches to former teammates Dan Wilson and Jay Buhner.

The post-All-Star break portion of the schedule starts Friday with every team in the league scheduled to be in action. San Diego at Philadelphia is the first game scheduled for Friday. The second half begins with Atlanta having the best record in baseball at 60-29 and an 8½-game lead in the NL East. Tampa Bay has the best record in the American League at 58-35, two games better than Baltimore.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689181318994.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) — Shining brightly in the Emerald City, the National League snapped a losing streak that lasted more than a decade.An unheralded catcher from Colorado delivered the big blow.Elias Díaz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/diaz-s-two-run-go-ahead-homer?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">hit a two-run homer</a>&nbsp;off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the NL snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League on Tuesday night.The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City, and Díaz became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award.“It feels incredible. When we all got here, we all talked about how we were going to bring home the win," said Díaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates at the end of 2019. “I just didn’t realize it was going to be me to bring home the win.”Díaz&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678959427427106820?s=20">drove a 2-2 pitch</a>&nbsp;from Baltimore's hard-throwing closer deep to left to put the NL in front. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.“It does matter. We wanted to win, the American League we wanted to win,” Bautista said through an interpreter. “But overall I think that it’s an experience I’ll never forget and just wish that would have been a little bit different.”Díaz has nine homers this season, but hadn’t hit a long ball since June 23 against the Los Angeles Angels.“As soon as he walked in the clubhouse and I met him, he said, ‘I’ll do anything you want. If I play, I play. If I don’t, I don’t. I’m just so happy to be here,'” NL manager Rob Thomson said. “So for him to do that, it’s fantastic.”For most of the night, the All-Star Game was a pitchers’ duel highlighted by a couple big hits and some excellent defense.It got nervous for the NL&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/jose-ramirez-strikes-out-swinging-v1cmuc?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">with Philadelphia closer Craig Kimbrel</a>&nbsp;on the mound in the ninth.“I threw way more pitches than I wanted to on an off day,” Kimbrel joked.Wander Franco led off with a fly ball to the warning track, and Kimbrel issued two-out walks to Kyle Tucker and Seattle star Julio Rodríguez.The 22-year-old Rodríguez was in position to close it out in front of his home crowd.“I was definitely trying to win it. But it was a situation where I had to pass the baton,” he said.Kimbrel recovered to strike out José Ramírez to end it. Kimbrel also pitched in the previous NL win, recording two outs in 2012.“The ninth inning in the dugout was just a lot of fun to experience,” said San Diego's Josh Hader, who pitched the eighth for the NL.Yandy Díaz hit a solo homer in the second and Bo Bichette’s sacrifice fly in the sixth gave the AL a 2-1 lead.J.D. Martinez doubled and scored on Luis Arraez’s single in the fourth against Seattle’s George Kirby, tying it at 1. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. appeared to tie the game again in the seventh when his shot down the left-field line was originally ruled a homer but was overturned as a foul ball on replay.The All-Star Game returned to Seattle for the first time since 2001 when the Mariners were in the middle of their magical 116-win regular season, Cal Ripken Jr. said goodbye to the All-Star stage and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4GbGVk9DKk">Tommy Lasorda took a tumble</a>.Gerrit Cole became the first New York Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in that 2001 game. He needed a pair of spectacular leaping catches from Adolis García and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678923988397858817?s=20">Randy Arozarena</a>&nbsp;near the wall to escape the first inning unscathed.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/best-of-mic-d-up-from-the-asg?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Pitching was the story of the night</a>. Only nine balls were hit over 100 mph. There were 20 combined strikeouts, including Camilo Doval silencing the home crowd with a strikeout of Rodríguez&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1678955503106367489?s=20">in the seventh inning</a>&nbsp;when four of the five pitches topped 100 mph.“You can tell, our guys, we wanted to win. They wanted to win," AL manager Dusty Baker said. “There was a lot of pride out there and a lot of competitiveness out there. You could tell by the energy on both sides and the energy in the ballpark.”OHTANI CHANTThe All-Star Game was missing some big names with Mike Trout and Aaron Judge out with injuries, but it still had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-all-star-game-4c2145a5a1c1c3bd255bd826a53a77fb">Shohei Ohtani</a>.The Angels star drew the biggest cheers outside of Seattle’s three representatives during introductions, and he was serenaded with chants of “Come to Seattle” when he was at the plate. The crowd apparently was well aware of his pending free agency this offseason.INJURIESToronto reliever&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-romano-blue-jays-allstar-a57ef2a1a4f9bd88a0f37ef26162ce35">Jordan Romano</a>&nbsp;left in the seventh after throwing the pitch that Gurriel hit foul and was originally ruled fair. He threw five pitches before leaving the game with tightness in his back.Chicago White Sox slugger&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/luis-robert-all-star-game-derby-410e2da430a404b91554248a98c77061">Luis Robert Jr.</a>&nbsp;did not play after feeling tightness in his right calf during the Home Run Derby. The White Sox said Robert underwent an MRI in Seattle and is listed as day to day.SIX PACKThe Rangers made All-Star history when Nathan Eovaldi took the mound in the second. That marked the third time in an All-Star Game when there were six players from the same team on the field at the same time. It also occurred with the 1939 Yankees and 1951 Dodgers.The Baseball Hall of Fame said a ball signed by all six players in the game would be headed to Cooperstown.“That’s got to be one of the cooler moments in sports when you’ve got half the team on the field is your team, especially under these circumstances,” catcher Jonah Heim said. “It’s really special and I was glad I got to share it with these guys today.”SKIPPED OVERThe Tampa Bay duo of Shane McClanahan and Wander Franco were inadvertently skipped over during pregame introductions. The pair jogged in on their own and left it to the Rays’ social media staff&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1678920544144482304?s=20">to give them a proper announcement</a>.MARINERS HONOREDSix of the eight members of Seattle’s All-Star contingent from the 2001 game were recognized pregame. John Olerud, Bret Boone, Freddy Garcia, Jeff Nelson, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Edgar Martinez and manager Lou Piniella were honored. Ichiro Suzuki and Mike Cameron were also on the All-Star team that season.Baseball Hall of Famers Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. threw out the ceremonial first pitches to former teammates Dan Wilson and Jay Buhner.UP NEXTThe post-All-Star break portion of the schedule starts Friday with every team in the league scheduled to be in action. San Diego at Philadelphia is the first game scheduled for Friday. The second half begins with Atlanta having the best record in baseball at 60-29 and an 8½-game lead in the NL East. Tampa Bay has the best record in the American League at 58-35, two games better than Baltimore.

Rockies catcher belts go-ahead HR, named All-Star Game MVP

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university's reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations.

Fitzgerald's dismissal completed a rapid fall from grace for the former All-American linebacker, the star of the 1995 Northwestern team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl after years of losing. The 48-year-old Fitzgerald had been firmly entrenched at his alma mater, an annual fixture on any list of college coaches with the most job security.

“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team,” Northwestern President Michael Schill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/leadership-notes/2023/decision-to-relieve-head-football-coach-pat-fitzgerald-of-his-duties.html">wrote in an open letter to the university community</a>. “The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.”

Fitzgerald went 110-101 in 17 seasons as Northwestern's head coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020, plus five bowl victories. But they went 4-20 over his last two seasons.

Fitzgerald said in a statement provided to ESPN that he had instructed his attorney to “take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.”

Schill wrote in his letter that athletic director Derrick Gragg will announce “the leadership for this upcoming football season" in the next couple days. The opener is Sept. 3 at Rutgers.

“I recognize that my decision will not be universally applauded, and there will be those in our community who may vehemently disagree with it,” Schill wrote. “Ultimately, I am charged with acting in the best interests of the entire University, and this decision is reflective of that. The damage done to our institution is significant, as is the harm to some of our students.”

Gragg&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-wildcats-football-tulsa-golden-hurricane-football-college-football-sports-532272fcdc4ea0cb3012b7cadbd328cb">was hired by Northwestern</a>&nbsp;in June 2021. He got the job after Mike Polisky stepped down amid mounting criticism because he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Big Ten school by former Wildcats cheerleaders.

Fitzgerald had been serving a two-week suspension after the school said Friday that an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing — though there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.

Schill, who was the president of the University of Oregon before taking over Northwestern in September, said in his Monday letter that the investigative report will remain confidential. But he wrote that, during the investigation, 11 current or former players acknowledged the hazing within the program.

“The hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values,” Schill wrote.

In his statement, Fitzgerald said Hickey's investigation reaffirmed that he had no knowledge of any hazing within the program.

“Last Friday, Northwestern and I came to a mutual agreement regarding the appropriate resolution following the thorough investigation by Ms. Hickey,” he said. "This agreement stipulated a two-week suspension.

"Therefore, I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment.”

After Northwestern announced its suspension for Fitzgerald,&nbsp;<a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/07/08/top-stories/former-nu-football-player-details-hazing-allegations-after-coach-suspension/">The Daily Northwestern published a story</a>&nbsp;on Saturday detailing allegations from a former player who described specific instances of hazing and sexual abuse. The report also indicated that Fitzgerald “may have known that hazing took place.”

That led Schill to write&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/leadership-notes/2023/update-on-hazing-investigation.html">a letter to the university community</a>&nbsp;in which he acknowledged focusing “too much on what the report concluded (Fitzgerald) didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” Schill went on to say that he planned to speak with university leadership, members of the board of trustees and leaders of the faculty senate to determine his next steps.

“Since Friday, I have kept going back to what we should reasonably expect from our head coaches, our faculty and our campus leaders,” Schill wrote in Monday's letter. “And that is what led me to make this decision.”

Because the six-month investigation was confidential, Schill said in Monday's letter that he learned many of the details recently. He spoke with the complainant on Sunday after talking to the student's parents on Friday.

Fitzgerald, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, was hired to coach his alma mater in 2006 after the sudden death of then-coach Randy Walker.

Many current and former players rushed to Fitzgerald’s defense after the suspension was announced.

<a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1677849108852375557?s=20">A letter circulated on social media</a>, signed by “The ENTIRE Northwestern Football Team” without identifying an author, said that “throughout his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has consistently prioritized the well-being and development of his players, and we stand behind him in his unwavering commitment to our team.”

Before Fitzgerald's dismissal was announced by the school, The Daily Northwestern&nbsp;<a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/07/10/sports/former-nu-players-describe-racist-environment-in-football-program/">published a report</a>&nbsp;that had three former Northwestern players describing a “culture of enabling racism.”

The turmoil within the football program comes after the school&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-business-restaurants-126f3e407ccc85e7990874431d05950d">unveiled plans</a>&nbsp;in September to build a&nbsp;<a href="https://rebuildryanfield.com/">new Ryan Field</a>. The plans call for a state-of-the-art facility featuring a reduced seating capacity and greater emphasis on the fan experience.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689084933589.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university's reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations.Fitzgerald's dismissal completed a rapid fall from grace for the former All-American linebacker, the star of the 1995 Northwestern team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl after years of losing. The 48-year-old Fitzgerald had been firmly entrenched at his alma mater, an annual fixture on any list of college coaches with the most job security.“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team,” Northwestern President Michael Schill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/leadership-notes/2023/decision-to-relieve-head-football-coach-pat-fitzgerald-of-his-duties.html">wrote in an open letter to the university community</a>. “The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.”Fitzgerald went 110-101 in 17 seasons as Northwestern's head coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020, plus five bowl victories. But they went 4-20 over his last two seasons.Fitzgerald said in a statement provided to ESPN that he had instructed his attorney to “take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.”Schill wrote in his letter that athletic director Derrick Gragg will announce “the leadership for this upcoming football season" in the next couple days. The opener is Sept. 3 at Rutgers.“I recognize that my decision will not be universally applauded, and there will be those in our community who may vehemently disagree with it,” Schill wrote. “Ultimately, I am charged with acting in the best interests of the entire University, and this decision is reflective of that. The damage done to our institution is significant, as is the harm to some of our students.”Gragg&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-wildcats-football-tulsa-golden-hurricane-football-college-football-sports-532272fcdc4ea0cb3012b7cadbd328cb">was hired by Northwestern</a>&nbsp;in June 2021. He got the job after Mike Polisky stepped down amid mounting criticism because he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Big Ten school by former Wildcats cheerleaders.Fitzgerald had been serving a two-week suspension after the school said Friday that an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing — though there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.Schill, who was the president of the University of Oregon before taking over Northwestern in September, said in his Monday letter that the investigative report will remain confidential. But he wrote that, during the investigation, 11 current or former players acknowledged the hazing within the program.“The hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values,” Schill wrote.In his statement, Fitzgerald said Hickey's investigation reaffirmed that he had no knowledge of any hazing within the program.“Last Friday, Northwestern and I came to a mutual agreement regarding the appropriate resolution following the thorough investigation by Ms. Hickey,” he said. "This agreement stipulated a two-week suspension."Therefore, I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment.”After Northwestern announced its suspension for Fitzgerald,&nbsp;<a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/07/08/top-stories/former-nu-football-player-details-hazing-allegations-after-coach-suspension/">The Daily Northwestern published a story</a>&nbsp;on Saturday detailing allegations from a former player who described specific instances of hazing and sexual abuse. The report also indicated that Fitzgerald “may have known that hazing took place.”That led Schill to write&nbsp;<a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/leadership-notes/2023/update-on-hazing-investigation.html">a letter to the university community</a>&nbsp;in which he acknowledged focusing “too much on what the report concluded (Fitzgerald) didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” Schill went on to say that he planned to speak with university leadership, members of the board of trustees and leaders of the faculty senate to determine his next steps.“Since Friday, I have kept going back to what we should reasonably expect from our head coaches, our faculty and our campus leaders,” Schill wrote in Monday's letter. “And that is what led me to make this decision.”Because the six-month investigation was confidential, Schill said in Monday's letter that he learned many of the details recently. He spoke with the complainant on Sunday after talking to the student's parents on Friday.Fitzgerald, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, was hired to coach his alma mater in 2006 after the sudden death of then-coach Randy Walker.Many current and former players rushed to Fitzgerald’s defense after the suspension was announced.<a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1677849108852375557?s=20">A letter circulated on social media</a>, signed by “The ENTIRE Northwestern Football Team” without identifying an author, said that “throughout his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has consistently prioritized the well-being and development of his players, and we stand behind him in his unwavering commitment to our team.”Before Fitzgerald's dismissal was announced by the school, The Daily Northwestern&nbsp;<a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/07/10/sports/former-nu-players-describe-racist-environment-in-football-program/">published a report</a>&nbsp;that had three former Northwestern players describing a “culture of enabling racism.”The turmoil within the football program comes after the school&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-business-restaurants-126f3e407ccc85e7990874431d05950d">unveiled plans</a>&nbsp;in September to build a&nbsp;<a href="https://rebuildryanfield.com/">new Ryan Field</a>. The plans call for a state-of-the-art facility featuring a reduced seating capacity and greater emphasis on the fan experience.

Northwestern fires Pat Fitzgerald amid hazing investigation

SEATTLE (AP) — Of course a Junior had to do something special in Seattle.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/vlad-guerrero-jr-wins-2023-derby?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</a>&nbsp;won the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, matching Vladimir Sr.'s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat.

As far as who might win a head-to-head swing-off, well, that depends.

“It's kind of difficult right now,” the Toronto Blue Jays star said with a wide grin, speaking through a translator. “With the time, with the minutes, I'll win. If it's by outs, he'll win.”

In a ballpark made famous by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. a generation earlier, Guerrero beat&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-23-homers-in-finals?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena</a>&nbsp;25-23 in the final round. He was 8 when his father won the crown in San Francisco.

“I don’t remember much about 2007," Vladimir Jr. said. “I guess I was too young.”

Guerrero totaled 5 1/2 miles of homers — 29,390 feet to be exact. He defeated Julio Rodríguez 21-20 in the semifinals after the Mariners star hit a record 41 in the first round in front of his hometown fans.

Batting against Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Guerrero was the last semifinalist to swing and the first finalist, setting a final round record for homers to top the mark Pete Alonso set when he beat Guerrero 23-22 in 2019.

With Guerrero Jr. catching his breath while watching, Arozarena hit against Tampa Bay field coordinator Tomas Francisco. Arozarena had 21 homers in his initial 2 minutes.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-23rd-hr-of-the-finals?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">He had 23 with 7 seconds left in his automatic 30 seconds of bonus time before lining and popping up on his final four swings</a>.

Guerrero had 1 minute of bonus time, earning an additional 30 seconds because he twice reached 440 feet.

“Obviously, the power that he has was incredible,” Arozarena said through a translator. “For me, I felt good going into that round. But also he was able to get a minute of bonus time. I only had the 30 seconds of bonus time.”

Vladimir Guerrero Sr. won the 2007 derby while with the Los Angeles Angels, beating the Blue Jays’ Alex Rios 3-2 in the final.

Arozarena had the most overall homers over the three rounds, 82 to Guerrero's 72, and the most distance at 33,077 feet. Arozarena overcame Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox 35-22 in the semifinals. Robert hit the longest drive of the night, a 484-foot shot to left in the second round. That topped the high of 476 feet by Barry Bonds in the 2001 derby in Seattle.

Trying to become the youngest Derby winner at age 22, Rodríguez knocked out Alonso, a two-time champion who hit 21. Rodríguez beat Corey Seager 32-24 in the first round last year at Dodger Stadium, then knocked out Alonso 31-23 before losing to Juan Soto 19-18 in the final.

Arozarena beat Texas’ Adolis García 24-17 in the opening pairing before a crowd of 46,952 at T-Mobile Park. García is the godfather to Arozarena’s daughter, and the two jumped into each other’s arms during warmups.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/robert-jr-s-28-round-1-homers?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Robert knocked out Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman 28-27</a>&nbsp;in the opening round. Rutschman hit 21 left-handed, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/adley-rutschman-home-run-derby-de7290bb10aa7046e3b5928831da83a2">the switch hitter</a>&nbsp;then&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/adley-rutschman-switches-sides?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">turned around to the right side and hit six more right-handed</a>&nbsp;during a 30-second bonus round. From Portland, Oregon, Rutschman grew up attending Mariners games.

Guerrero, back for the first time in four years,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/guerrero-jr-s-26-round-1-homers?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts 26-11</a>&nbsp;in the first round. Four years ago at Cleveland,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/56dbc7f1203b444fb1fb37d3385d84e9">Guerrero hit 29 in the first round and 40 in the second, then lost to Alonso in the final</a>.

Alonso was trying for his third title in four years. Griffey Jr. is the only three-time winner, taking the title in 1994, ’98 and ‘99.

Guerrero Sr. was a nine-time All-Star but never won a World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Guerrero Jr. is a three-time All-Star and was MVP of the game two years ago in Denver. What's in the future? A World Series ring? Joining dad in the Hall?

“I’m a little bit too young to think about that right now,” he said. “When I get there, then I’ll think about it, I’ll see if I match my dad or was better than my dad or not.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689084842818.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) — Of course a Junior had to do something special in Seattle.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/vlad-guerrero-jr-wins-2023-derby?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</a>&nbsp;won the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, matching Vladimir Sr.'s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat.As far as who might win a head-to-head swing-off, well, that depends.“It's kind of difficult right now,” the Toronto Blue Jays star said with a wide grin, speaking through a translator. “With the time, with the minutes, I'll win. If it's by outs, he'll win.”In a ballpark made famous by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. a generation earlier, Guerrero beat&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-23-homers-in-finals?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena</a>&nbsp;25-23 in the final round. He was 8 when his father won the crown in San Francisco.“I don’t remember much about 2007," Vladimir Jr. said. “I guess I was too young.”Guerrero totaled 5 1/2 miles of homers — 29,390 feet to be exact. He defeated Julio Rodríguez 21-20 in the semifinals after the Mariners star hit a record 41 in the first round in front of his hometown fans.Batting against Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Guerrero was the last semifinalist to swing and the first finalist, setting a final round record for homers to top the mark Pete Alonso set when he beat Guerrero 23-22 in 2019.With Guerrero Jr. catching his breath while watching, Arozarena hit against Tampa Bay field coordinator Tomas Francisco. Arozarena had 21 homers in his initial 2 minutes.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/arozarena-s-23rd-hr-of-the-finals?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">He had 23 with 7 seconds left in his automatic 30 seconds of bonus time before lining and popping up on his final four swings</a>.Guerrero had 1 minute of bonus time, earning an additional 30 seconds because he twice reached 440 feet.“Obviously, the power that he has was incredible,” Arozarena said through a translator. “For me, I felt good going into that round. But also he was able to get a minute of bonus time. I only had the 30 seconds of bonus time.”Vladimir Guerrero Sr. won the 2007 derby while with the Los Angeles Angels, beating the Blue Jays’ Alex Rios 3-2 in the final.Arozarena had the most overall homers over the three rounds, 82 to Guerrero's 72, and the most distance at 33,077 feet. Arozarena overcame Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox 35-22 in the semifinals. Robert hit the longest drive of the night, a 484-foot shot to left in the second round. That topped the high of 476 feet by Barry Bonds in the 2001 derby in Seattle.Trying to become the youngest Derby winner at age 22, Rodríguez knocked out Alonso, a two-time champion who hit 21. Rodríguez beat Corey Seager 32-24 in the first round last year at Dodger Stadium, then knocked out Alonso 31-23 before losing to Juan Soto 19-18 in the final.Arozarena beat Texas’ Adolis García 24-17 in the opening pairing before a crowd of 46,952 at T-Mobile Park. García is the godfather to Arozarena’s daughter, and the two jumped into each other’s arms during warmups.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/robert-jr-s-28-round-1-homers?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">Robert knocked out Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman 28-27</a>&nbsp;in the opening round. Rutschman hit 21 left-handed, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/adley-rutschman-home-run-derby-de7290bb10aa7046e3b5928831da83a2">the switch hitter</a>&nbsp;then&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/adley-rutschman-switches-sides?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">turned around to the right side and hit six more right-handed</a>&nbsp;during a 30-second bonus round. From Portland, Oregon, Rutschman grew up attending Mariners games.Guerrero, back for the first time in four years,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/guerrero-jr-s-26-round-1-homers?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share">defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts 26-11</a>&nbsp;in the first round. Four years ago at Cleveland,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/56dbc7f1203b444fb1fb37d3385d84e9">Guerrero hit 29 in the first round and 40 in the second, then lost to Alonso in the final</a>.Alonso was trying for his third title in four years. Griffey Jr. is the only three-time winner, taking the title in 1994, ’98 and ‘99.Guerrero Sr. was a nine-time All-Star but never won a World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.Guerrero Jr. is a three-time All-Star and was MVP of the game two years ago in Denver. What's in the future? A World Series ring? Joining dad in the Hall?“I’m a little bit too young to think about that right now,” he said. “When I get there, then I’ll think about it, I’ll see if I match my dad or was better than my dad or not.”

Vlad Guerrero Jr wins HR Derby 16 years after dad

By:&nbsp; MIKE GLESINGER&nbsp; PANHANDLE POST

2010 Alliance High School Graduate Jordan Hooper recently returned home from playing her 9th season of Professional Basketball.&nbsp; She spent this past winter playing in Israel.&nbsp; Prior to this season Jordan has played in Turkey,&nbsp;Australia and the WNBA.&nbsp;&nbsp;

During her high school career at AHS, Jordan was the 2-time , Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year.&nbsp; She helped lead Alliance to the Class B Girls State Championship in 2007,&nbsp; a State Runner-up finish in 2008 and 3rd place finishes in 2009 and 2010.&nbsp; She was also an All-State selection in volleyball and a multiple State Medalist in Track and Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Following high school,&nbsp; Jordan attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was a 4-year starter for the Cornhusker Womens Basketball Team.&nbsp; She finished her college career with 2357 points and 1100 rebounds. Just the 3rd player in Nebraska history to pass 2000 points and 1000 rebounds. She was a 3 time All Big 10 selection, a First and Second Team All American in 2014 and was Big 10 Player of&nbsp; the Year in 2014.&nbsp; &nbsp;She was also a member of the USA, Gold Medal winning team at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia in 2013.&nbsp;

She was drafted by the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA as the first pick in the 2nd round in 2014. She went on to play 3 seasons with Tulsa, the Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun, Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky. She has played overseas since 2017.

Jordan recently presented a program at the Alliance Public Library talking about her experiences playing professional basketball around the world.&nbsp; She visited with Mike Glesinger and talked about growing up in Western&nbsp; Nebraska and going on to compete at the highest levels of womens basketball.&nbsp; &nbsp;Click on the arrow above to hear the interview.

<div><iframe title="Post Podcast: Catching Up with former AHS Bulldog Jordan Hooper" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=4rw8s-145271e-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=2&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=5" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>By:&nbsp; MIKE GLESINGER&nbsp; PANHANDLE POST2010 Alliance High School Graduate Jordan Hooper recently returned home from playing her 9th season of Professional Basketball.&nbsp; She spent this past winter playing in Israel.&nbsp; Prior to this season Jordan has played in Turkey,&nbsp;Australia and the WNBA.&nbsp;&nbsp;During her high school career at AHS, Jordan was the 2-time , Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year.&nbsp; She helped lead Alliance to the Class B Girls State Championship in 2007,&nbsp; a State Runner-up finish in 2008 and 3rd place finishes in 2009 and 2010.&nbsp; She was also an All-State selection in volleyball and a multiple State Medalist in Track and Field.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689020731026.jpeg" alt="jordan ahs jersey." />
 <figcaption>jordan ahs jersey.</figcaption>
 </figure>Following high school,&nbsp; Jordan attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was a 4-year starter for the Cornhusker Womens Basketball Team.&nbsp; She finished her college career with 2357 points and 1100 rebounds. Just the 3rd player in Nebraska history to pass 2000 points and 1000 rebounds. She was a 3 time All Big 10 selection, a First and Second Team All American in 2014 and was Big 10 Player of&nbsp; the Year in 2014.&nbsp; &nbsp;She was also a member of the USA, Gold Medal winning team at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia in 2013.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689020767115.jpeg" alt="jordan hooper nebraska" />
 <figcaption>jordan hooper nebraska</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689020980741.jpeg" alt="--nebraska-cornhuskers-womens-basketball.jpg" />
 <figcaption>--nebraska-cornhuskers-womens-basketball.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>She was drafted by the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA as the first pick in the 2nd round in 2014. She went on to play 3 seasons with Tulsa, the Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun, Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky. She has played overseas since 2017.Jordan recently presented a program at the Alliance Public Library talking about her experiences playing professional basketball around the world.&nbsp; She visited with Mike Glesinger and talked about growing up in Western&nbsp; Nebraska and going on to compete at the highest levels of womens basketball.&nbsp; &nbsp;Click on the arrow above to hear the interview.

Post Podcast: Catching Up with former AHS Bulldog Jordan Hooper

By: MIKE GLESINGER&nbsp; &nbsp;PANHANDLE POST

Gering will host the Class B,&nbsp; Area 7, American Legion Junior Baseball Tournament beginning Friday at Oregon Trail Park.&nbsp; The opening game is set for 4 pm Friday,&nbsp; with #1 seed Sidney matching up with #4 seed Chadron.&nbsp; Then #2 seed Alliance will face #3 seed Gering at 7 pm.&nbsp; 

The double elimination tournament continues Saturday,&nbsp; with Friday's losing teams playing at 11 am and the winning teams meeting at 2 pm.&nbsp; Sunday begins with an elimination game at 12 pm.&nbsp; The 2 remaining teams will meet in the Championship game at 3 pm.&nbsp; A second championship game would follow if necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Area 7 Champion will then advance to the Class B Junior State Tournament in Alliance beginning July 15.&nbsp; As the host team, Alliance automatically qualifies for State.&nbsp; If Alliance&nbsp; wins&nbsp; Area 7 ,&nbsp; then the runner up will qualify for State.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hershland (Hershey/Sutherland) will host the Class C Area-7 Tournament.&nbsp; &nbsp;#1 seed Imperial will face #4 Sheridan County at 4 pm on Friday. followed by #2 Hershland and #3 Valentine at 7 pm.&nbsp; Those games will be in Hershey.&nbsp;

Saturday games will be played in Sutherland with the elimination game at 2 pm and the winners game at 5.&nbsp; Sunday the elimination game will be in Hershey at 3 pm and the Championship game or games will be in Sutherland beginning at 4 pm.&nbsp; &nbsp;Imperial will host the Class C Junior State Tournament July 15-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623964067563.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By: MIKE GLESINGER&nbsp; &nbsp;PANHANDLE POSTGering will host the Class B,&nbsp; Area 7, American Legion Junior Baseball Tournament beginning Friday at Oregon Trail Park.&nbsp; The opening game is set for 4 pm Friday,&nbsp; with #1 seed Sidney matching up with #4 seed Chadron.&nbsp; Then #2 seed Alliance will face #3 seed Gering at 7 pm.&nbsp; The double elimination tournament continues Saturday,&nbsp; with Friday's losing teams playing at 11 am and the winning teams meeting at 2 pm.&nbsp; Sunday begins with an elimination game at 12 pm.&nbsp; The 2 remaining teams will meet in the Championship game at 3 pm.&nbsp; A second championship game would follow if necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Area 7 Champion will then advance to the Class B Junior State Tournament in Alliance beginning July 15.&nbsp; As the host team, Alliance automatically qualifies for State.&nbsp; If Alliance&nbsp; wins&nbsp; Area 7 ,&nbsp; then the runner up will qualify for State.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585334447209.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hershland (Hershey/Sutherland) will host the Class C Area-7 Tournament.&nbsp; &nbsp;#1 seed Imperial will face #4 Sheridan County at 4 pm on Friday. followed by #2 Hershland and #3 Valentine at 7 pm.&nbsp; Those games will be in Hershey.&nbsp;Saturday games will be played in Sutherland with the elimination game at 2 pm and the winners game at 5.&nbsp; Sunday the elimination game will be in Hershey at 3 pm and the Championship game or games will be in Sutherland beginning at 4 pm.&nbsp; &nbsp;Imperial will host the Class C Junior State Tournament July 15-19.

Gering to host Class B Area-7 Junior Tournament

HOUSTON (AP) — Yainer Díaz homered in his first two at-bats and Jeremy Peña added a two-run shot in his return from injury to lead the Houston Astros past the Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Wednesday.

Díaz had a solo home run in the second inning and his two-run homer made it 3-0 in the fourth in his first career two-homer game.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688654381104.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — Yainer Díaz homered in his first two at-bats and Jeremy Peña added a two-run shot in his return from injury to lead the Houston Astros past the Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Wednesday.Díaz had a solo home run in the second inning and his two-run homer made it 3-0 in the fourth in his first career two-homer game.“It was right on time,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He drove in all the first three runs with some booming home runs and we needed that.”Peña’s home run came later in that inning to push the lead to 5-0. He returned after missing five games because of a stiff neck.“I’m just glad I’m back out there with the guys,” he said. "Those five games were tough for me watching from the dugout, but the guys put together great games."The Rockies cut the lead to 1 on a homer by Randal Grichuk in the seventh, but Houston added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning to sweep the two-game series and secure a fourth straight victory.It's Houston's seventh win in eight games.C.J. Cron also homered for the Rockies, who dropped their 10th straight road game.Houston starter J.P. France (4-3) allowed six hits and three runs in six innings. Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless ninth for his 19th save.It's the seventh straight start of at least six innings for France, a rookie who has made 11 career starts.“It was a grind but I ended up giving the team a chance to win again,” France said. “And I was able to just keep the streak rolling.”Colorado’s Chase Anderson (0-4) yielded seven hits and five runs in four innings for his fourth straight loss. He has allowed 30 hits, 27 runs and eight homers in that span.There was one out in the second when Díaz’s first homer put the Astros on top 1-0.Kyle Tucker singled to open Houston’s fourth but was caught trying to steal second base. José Abreu singled to right field before Díaz connected again to make it 3-0.Corey Julks singled with two outs and Peña pushed the lead to 5-0 when he sent Anderson’s next pitch into the seats in right field for his 10th homer this season.Nolan Jones walked to start the fifth for Colorado before a one-out single by Ezequiel Tovar. A single by Harold Castro scored Jones to cut the lead to 5-1. A wild pitch by France left runners on second and third and Jurickson Profar made it 5-2 with an RBI single.France limited the damage in the inning when Kris Bryant grounded into a double play.Cron’s homer came with two outs in the sixth inning to get the Rockies within 5-3.Hector Neris replaced France for the seventh and Grichuk sent his second pitch into the seats in left field to cut the lead to 1.Julks and Peña hit consecutive singles with no outs in the seventh. Mauricio Dubón then lined a single to center field to score Julks and make it 6-4.DAYTIME GAME TIMEThe Astros played their fifth straight day game, which is their longest stretch of day games since also playing five in a row from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, 2007.TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: 2B Jose Altuve sat out for a second straight game after injuring his left oblique in batting practice Tuesday. But general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday he doesn’t believe the injury is serious. … RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder discomfort) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday as he continues his rehabilitation.UP NEXTRockies: Colorado is off Thursday before opening a three-game series at San Francisco on Friday night.Astros: Houston hasn’t announced its rotation for the opener of a four-game series against Seattle on Thursday night.

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