Bears score 20, stay alive in Valley tourney
NORMAL, Ill–The Missouri State Bears try to avoid a freaky Friday.
Missouri State opened play Friday morning in the Valley baseball tournament by losing to Illinois-Chicago 11-5.
That loss sent Joey Hawkin's crew into the losers bracket.
And MoState squared off with Belmont in a must win game.
Missouri State took two of three from Belmont back in late March.
And this was a wild game, 1-0 bottom of the second, Nick Rodriguez with a shot to right center, a two run homer, 2-1 Bears.
Rodriguez with a 40 game hitting streak.
It was 8-7 Belmont in the bottom of the fourth, bases loaded for Carter Bergman takes this deep to left, that one is gone, a grand slam, it's 11-8 Missouri State.
It was 15-8 in the fifth, bases loaded again for the bears Dylan Robertson, he singles to right, Jake McCutcheon and Caden Bogenpohl both score it's 17-8.
It was 18-6 Bears in the sixth when Bogenpohl takes this deep to straight away center, over the boards and gone, a two run homer.
Missouri State stays alive with a 20-10 victory.
The Bears will play Saturday at 2 p.m. against the loser of Murray State and Illinois-Chicago.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Forbes
32 minutes ago
- Forbes
Pacers Starting Five Had Worst Group Outing In Game 5, Must Improve
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 29: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers drives to the basket against ... More Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by) NEW YORK – With a possible berth in the NBA Finals on the table for the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, they had an offensive performance that made even the team scratch their heads and wonder what exactly went wrong. The Pacers entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead. After a terrific Game 4 in which three key players stepped up for the blue and gold, their confidence was high heading back to New York City. They entered the day 2-0 in Madison Square Garden during the series and could close out the Knicks with one more win in the World's Most Famous Arena. But by the end of the night, those sanguine feelings would be gone. It was the Knicks' night. They were the much better team, and they became the first group in this playoffs to hold Indiana under 100 points in a game. The Pacers walked out of MSG after putting up just 94 points in the 48-minute battle, a bizarre performance given everything at stake. The visitors shot just 40.5% from the field, their lowest figure in the postseason by nearly three percentage points. They had a playoff-high 20 turnovers, too. Indiana's total chances were limited – and they didn't convert the ones they got. 'We obviously didn't play with the level of force that we needed to. We lost the rebound battle, we lost the turnover battle,' Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle explained postgame before even fielding a question. 'We didn't shoot well, they had a lot to do with it, so give them credit.' It was a dreadful performance all around. The Pacers trailed by double-digits from late in the second quarter onward. Any run that cut into the Knicks lead was immediately answered. Indiana is used to being the team that can respond to adversity at any moment in the postseason, but it was New York playing that way in Game 6. Several strategic reasons influenced the Pacers' poor Game 5 – the Knicks were applying more ball pressure and face guarding star ball handler Tyrese Haliburton, for example. The improvements of the Knicks, combined with a substandard night from the Pacers, led to a blowout. Most of the problems Indiana faced stemmed from the worst postseason outing for their starting five. That unit has played 241 minutes in the playoffs, and they've outscored opponents by 71 points. The five-man lineup consists of Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. They have just as many 2025 postseason outings with a plus-minus above +10 as they do with a figure below zero (six each). There is always confidence in that five-man group when they are together. They entered Game 5 a plus-eight in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet after three quarters of play in that fifth game, they had combined to score 29 points. Knicks star Jalen Brunson had 30 points by himself. Some players were having an off night. One was injured. A few couldn't find their usual level of impact due to defensive changes from New York. For many reasons, the Pacers starting five was poor in Game 5, and their series lead dropped to 3-2 as a result. 'We weren't great as a group. I thought we lost the margin battle today,' Haliburton said over a half hour after walking off the court with a confident grin, even in defeat. 'We've got to be better as a group. I think our pace has to be better.' Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) passes the ball against the New York Knicks during the ... More second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) It all starts with Haliburton. In Game 4, he had the best night of his NBA career – posting a triple-double to put his team one win away from an NBA Finals berth. Two days later, he took seven shots and finished with just eight points and six assists. Haliburton saw new coverages. Mikal Bridges was face guarding him all over the floor, making it hard for Haliburton to catch the ball on the move. Other offensive release valves had tough nights for the Pacers and couldn't punish that adjustment. It's not unusual for ramped-up pressure to slow the Pacers star, but it shouldn't have been as impactful as it ended up being. 'Rough night for me,' Haliburton stated. 'I've got to be better setting the tone, getting downhill. I feel like I didn't do a great job of that.' Haliburton's personal effectiveness has dropped in the past when he sees this type of coverage. In this instance, it also limited the ability of his teammates. Their star point guard had fewer avenues to get into the paint and distribute, so easy shots were harder to come by. Play finishers were hurting as a result. Nesmith, who started the series on fire and is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Game 3, made just one of his eight field goal attempts. Turner only took three shots. Nembhard, who can be more than just a finisher but didn't find much space while being defended by OG Anunoby, went 3/8 from the field. Those three all struggled and combined to score 14 points on 19 shot attempts. Nesmith gets more of a pass because of his injury. 'It's not 100%, but it's no excuse. I've got to be better,' he said of his sprained ankle. But he was still terrific in Game 4. Being off from the field in Game 5 and only playing for 15:52 challenged the usually-effective starting five. The Pacers will hope he's better in any future battles. 'It still comes down to the physicality from the jump, just playing with more effort and energy and worrying about us more than them,' Nesmith said matter-of-factly at his locker postgame. Turner wasn't himself either. He took eight or more shots in the first four games of the series but only found room for three in Game 5. His shots usually come from strong ball movement and offensive flow, so that field goal attempt number being so low shows just how disconnected the starting five was Thursday night. Turner's impact has been muted in the last few games and needs to pop. Siakam can get the Pacers going on some nights when their offense is subpar. That's how the blue and gold won Game 2 of this series. But even he had an off night, shooting just 5/13 and missing four attempts from the foul line. 'They were more aggressive from the jump. They brought the fight to us. I just didn't think we brought it enough,' Siakam said. Altogether, it was the starting lineup's worst game this series. They played for under 10 minutes together for the first time this postseason – though Nesmith's injury was a factor in that. It was only the second time in these playoffs that they were outscored by 10+ points while sharing the floor. The bench was good enough for Indiana in Game 5. The starters were not. They shot 33.3% and had 10 turnovers. If the Pacers adjust like they have all season, they'll be fine. The team hasn't lost consecutive games since early March. But after the worst collective performance from their starting five in the postseason, the blue and gold need more from their best players to close out the Knicks.

Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Lance McCullers gets 24-hour security after online death threats, some aimed at 5-year-old daughter
HOUSTON (AP) — Soon after Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start by the Houston Astros' pitcher, his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, overheard wife Kara talking on the phone about it. What followed was a painful conversation between McCullers and his little girl. 'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'So, those conversations are tough to deal with.' McCullers is one of two MLB pitchers whose families have received online death threats this month as internet abuse of players and their families is on the rise. Boston reliever Liam Hendriks took to social media soon after the incident with McCullers to call out people who were threatening his wife's life and directing 'vile' comments at him . Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks celebrates after the final out of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) AP AUDIO: Lance McCullers gets 24-hour security after online death threats, some aimed at 5-year-old daughter AP correspondent Mike Hempen reports two major league pitchers dealing with online abuse are taking action. The Astros contacted MLB security and the Houston Police Department following the threats to McCullers. An police spokesperson said Thursday that it remains an ongoing investigation. McCullers, who has two young daughters, took immediate action after the threats and reached out to the team to inquire about what could be done to protect his family. Astros owner Jim Crane stepped in and hired 24-hour security for them. It was a move McCullers felt was necessary after what happened. 'You have to at that point,' he said. Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. reacts after Athletics' Jacob Wilson's home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren) Abuse increasing with rise in sports gambling Players from around the league agree that online abuse has gotten progressively worse in recent years. Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, a 13-year MLB veteran and the 2018 NL MVP, said receiving online abuse is 'a nightly thing' for most players. 'I think over the last few years it's definitely increased,' he said. 'It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. You're just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance.' Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich gestures after hitting a walk off grand slam during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash) And many players believe it's directly linked to the rise in legalized sports betting. 'You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone's bet or something ridiculous like that,' veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. 'I guess they should make better bets.' Hendriks has had enough Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said on Instagram that he and his wife received death threats after a loss to the Mets. He added that people left comments saying that they wished he would have died from cancer among other abusive comments. He later discussed the issue and his decision to speak out about it. 'Enough is enough,' he said. 'Like at some point, everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything. And we pass along to security. We pass along to whoever we need to, but nothing ends up happening. And it happens again the next night. And so, at some point, someone has to make a stand. And it's one of those things where the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it. Hopefully it can push it in the right direction.' What teams are doing Both the Astros and the Red Sox are working with MLB security to take action against social media users who direct threats toward players and their families. Red Sox spokesperson Abby Murphy added that they've taken steps in recent years to make sure player' families are safe during games. That includes security staff and Boston police stationed in the family section at home and dedicated security in the traveling party to monitor the family section on the road. Murphy said identifying those who make anonymous threats online is difficult, but: 'both the Red Sox and MLB have cyber programs and analysts dedicated to identifying and removing these accounts.' The Astros have uniformed police officers stationed in the family section, a practice that was implemented well before the threats to McCullers and his family. Abandoning social media For some players, online abuse has gotten so bad that they've abandoned social media. Detroit All-Star outfielder Riley Greene is one of them, saying he got off because he received so many messages from people blaming him for failed bets. 'I deleted it,' he said of Instagram. 'I'm off it. It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don't want to hear.' Criticism is part of the game, threats are not The 31-year-old McCullers, who returned this year after missing two full seasons with injuries, said dealing with this has been the worst thing that's happened in his career. He understands the passion of fans and knows that being criticized for a poor performance is part of the game. But he believes there's a 'moral line' that fans shouldn't cross. 'People should want us to succeed,' he said. 'We want to succeed, but it shouldn't come at a cost to our families, the kids in our life, having to feel like they're not safe where they live or where they sit at games.' Houston manager Joe Espada was livid when he learned about the threats to McCullers and his family and was visibly upset when he addressed what happened with reporters. Espada added that the team has mental health professionals available to the players to talk about the toll such abuse takes on them and any other issues they may be dealing with. 'We are aware that when we step on the field, fans expect and we expect the best out of ourselves,' Espada said this week. 'But when we are trying to do our best and things don't go our way while we're trying to give you everything we got and now you're threatening our families and kids — now I do have a big issue with that, right? I just did not like it.' Kansas City's Salvador Perez, a 14-year MLB veteran, hasn't experienced online abuse but was appalled by what happened to McCullers. If something like that happened to him he said it would change the way he interacts with fans. Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez, right, celebrates his RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the fifth inning of baseball game Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) 'Now some fans, real fans, they're gonna pay for that, too,' he said. 'Because if I was him, I wouldn't take a picture or sign anything for noboby because of that one day.' McCullers wouldn't go that far but admitted it has changed his mindset. 'It does make you kind of shell up a little bit,' he said. 'It does make you kind of not want to go places. I guess that's just probably the human reaction to it.' Finding a solution While most players have dealt with some level of online abuse in their careers, no one has a good idea of how to stop it. 'I'm thankful I'm not in a position where I have to find a solution to this,' Tigers' pitcher Tyler Holton said. 'But as a person who is involved in this, I wish this wasn't a topic of conversation.' White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman is disheartened at how bad player abuse has gotten. While it's mostly online, he added that he's had teammates that have had racist and homophobic things yelled at them during games. 'Outside of just simply not having social media I really don't see that getting better before it just continues to get worse,' he said. 'I mean, I think it's kind of the way things are now. Like, people just feel like they have the right to say whatever they want to whoever they want and it's behind a keyboard and there's really no repercussions, right?' ___ AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick and AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen, Kyle Hightower, Larry Lage and Steve Megargee contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
College basketball player shot and killed at Texas pool party, one teen faces murder charge
A Division II basketball player is dead after he was shot in the head at a pool party. Henderson State's Jamarion Brown was killed last week at the age of 23 in an incident that left two others injured, according to the Camp County Sheriff's Office. "It is with deep sadness that Henderson State Athletics mourns the death of junior men's basketball student-athlete Jamarion Brown," the university said in an online statement. "'Jo' spent just one season in Arkadelphia, but his impact on our campus was profound." "No words can express our sadness for Jamarion's family, friends, and teammates," added head coach Jimmy Elgas. "Jo's impact was felt not only on the basketball court, but throughout the fabric of Henderson State University, and we all grieve together. His loss leaves a tremendous void on our campus, but Jo will be remembered and honored in our hearts forever." KLTV reported that authorities responded to a pool party in Camp County in Texas after multiple calls reported a shooting. Henderson was found seriously injured, while the others who were injured had gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening. A helicopter arrived on the scene, but Brown was too injured to be flown away immediately. He was brought to a nearby hospital, then flown to another in Tyler, where he was pronounced dead. The Camp County Sheriff's Office arrested Onterrian Jamour Newton, 17, earlier this week in connection to the deadly shooting. He faces a murder charge and other additional pending charges, law enforcement said. "He was a shining light to all who knew him, remembered for his warm spirit, deep commitment to family, and passion for basketball," an obituary for Brown read. "Basketball was one of Jamarion's greatest passions, a game he played with heart, discipline, and joy. His other passion was family – the center of his life and the source of his strength. Whether on or off the court, Jamarion's kindness, determination, and dedication were evident in everything that he did. . . . "Though his time with us was far too short, Jamarion's life was filled with purpose and love. He leaves behind countless cherished memories, and a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing him." Brown averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds this past season. It was his first year with the Reddies after he spent two years at Southwestern Christian College. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.