Above, players celebrate after a 4-3 win against the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday.
Adam Antor/Index

When the 15th win of junior softball pitcher Hannah Washburn’s season was tallied Sunday, it marked the end of a 23-day battle against the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers that ended with a 6-0 victory for the ’Dogs.

While the Bulldogs had began their series against the Lopers March 30, poor weather halted the first game of the series with two outs left during the top of the fourth inning, so when the game was continued Sunday, Washburn threw her first pitch with a force-out at third and two outs. Three strikes later, the top of the inning was finished and the Bulldogs were on their way to a 6-0 victory, with all six runs being scored almost a month before.

The ’Dogs’ sweep of Nebraska-Kearney Sunday ended a six-game weekend, with the team finishing 4-2 as they fought to secure a spot among the top eight teams of the conference to clinch the team’s first MIAA tournament berth since the 2010 season.

During her extended time on the mound against the Lopers, Washburn allowed just three hits as she brought her record to 15-6 with a 2.55 ERA this season. Offensively, the team was led by senior catcher Meredith Kusky and sophomore left fielder Ally McReynolds, who both finished with two RBI’s for the series.

The Bulldogs celebrated their graduating seniors Saturday during the team’s Senior Day series against the No. 7 University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos. Despite the emotional time for the team’s group of seniors, Kusky said the festivities were not on her mind as the Bulldogs faced  one of the most important matchups of the season.

“I personally wasn’t trying to think about it at all, even though our dugout was decorated,” Kusky said. “We just really wanted to win these games because it was important to pick up wins, so I think we were trying to not think about it.”

The first game began with a pitching showdown between freshman pitcher Kindra Henze and the Bronchos’ junior pitcher Kalynn Schrock, with neither team scoring during the first five innings. A five-run sixth inning for the Bronchos squashed the duel and led to an 11-1 victory for Central Oklahoma.

With a ten-run loss during the first-game of the Senior Day series, Kusky said the team

came back during the second game with a chip on their shoulder, looking to pick up a win against one of the best teams in the nation.

“The first game we were just kind of [mad],” Kusky said. “We were even hungrier for a win after we got beat so bad in the first game. … I think we just kind of wanted to turn around and show them that the first game did not show what kind of team we are.”

The Bulldogs wasted no time during the second game of the two-game series, with senior center fielder Laura Miller crossing the plate after a double off the bat of junior right fielder Kelsey Bollman. A two-run Truman homer during the third extended the lead, and the team secured the win following a six-run fifth inning, led by sophomore third baseman Cate Simon’s two-run home run, that ended the game due to the run rule.

Junior first baseman Kristin Grossman said the win against Central Oklahoma was especially important as the team approaches the conference tournament.

“We really wanted to beat Central Oklahoma, specifically, just to get our morale back and to know that we can beat those tough teams again,” Grossman said. “Losing that first game and knowing we could’ve done a little something extra to win it really made us come back for that second game and just attack them.”

The Bulldogs now sit at 25-15 overall this season with a 13-11 conference record, which ties them with the University of Central Missouri for No. 7 in the conference. To reach the MIAA tournament, a team must be in the top eight teams of the conference, meaning a tournament berth is not guaranteed with just two series’ left for the season.

Kusky said it’s important to remain focused on the team at this point of the season because of the temptation to worry about other teams’ performance.

“People at this time are always looking at the rankings and seeing where we’re sitting, who’s ahead of us and who’s behind us,” Kusky said. “I think it’s going to be important to not worry about other teams and worry about us and get our business done.”

The Bulldogs finish their season next weekend with a two-game series Friday against Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. before heading to Emporia, Kan. Saturday to compete against the Emporia State Hornets.

While Washburn sits near the bottom of the conference, Emporia State remains in fourth place of the conference, making these last two series’ a must-win situation for the ’Dogs, Grossman said.

“This is a big series, and we need these wins in order to make it for sure,” Grossman said. “Our motto for this team is just staying hungry for it, don’t be complacent and don’t underestimate any team.”

Sophomore Courtney Cisler takes practice shots at the range with her fairway wood. The women competed at the MIAA tournament Monday and Wednesday.
Adam Antor/Index

The Truman State women’s golf team secured a fourth place finish at the MIAA Conference Championship after the first round as a strong showing from senior Jessica Tomash. The team’s freshmen lifted the Bulldogs into contention during day one at Paradise Pointe Golf Course Monday afternoon.

Tomash’s score of 80 left her just out of the top 10 of the tournament field as she finished tied for 11th overall, while freshman teammate Kim Barmettler and senior Kathryn Hogan recorded scores of 82 and 83, respectively, to both finish in the top 20. Senior Lynn Dreisilker shot an 84 and sophomore Riley Keltner scored a first-round 98 to give the Bulldogs a team score of 329 through the first 18 holes of the tournament.

The Bulldogs ended day one of the two-day event five shots behind third -place Northwest Missouri and were 28 shots behind the University of Central Oklahoma, who entered the clubhouse with a 301 combined scorecard, featuring junior captain Aly Seng’s first-round 71 atop the leaderboard.

Tomash said her team was excited to start Monday’s round with warm weather and bright skies. Despite the ideal weather, Tomash said the course presented challenges that left many golfers frustrated.

“It wasn’t windy at all and we didn’t get rained on, which we had expected, but the grounds crew aerated the greens last night so the greens are really bumpy, which presented a challenge for everyone,” Tomash said.

Tomash said despite the bumpy greens, the team shot well with four of the five golfers less than 85. She said the biggest surprise of the first round was the freshmen’s performances.

“Only Kim and Kathryn haven’t seen the course before, and yet they ended up shooting two of our three lowest scores,” Tomash said.

Last week, Barmettler said the team would have a fighting chance to take the conference title, and she stayed confident Monday. Barmettler said if her teammates all came close to their capabilities and shot good scores both days, the Bulldogs would have a chance. She said Coach Lesseig told the team after round one to stay focused and be confident they could shoot low scores the second day, despite projections for rain and temperatures below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tomash said the course was tough no matter the conditions, as it has a lot of water and hazards throughout a difficult front nine holes. Tomash said the par three green is surrounded by water on three sides, with the other side showcasing a steep drop off, which has converted several golfers into fishermen after the first round. Another difficult hole, the long par five hole, has two water hazards on the fairway, which Tomash said have been difficult to approach.

“The tournament may come down to which team best handles the tough front nine, especially the par five,” Tomash said. “You have to remain steady and land both your drive and your approach shot. Once you do that, you have to land a solid green shot just to save par. Whoever can execute that hole will be in a good position for the day.”

After Monday, the five golfers were getting ready to play for Tuesday’s final round when it started raining and play was postponed. The rain stayed for a most of the day, so the executives made the decision to call the tournament after one round of play.

With the fourth place finish, the women still have a shot at a super regional position. They are now waiting to hear whether the NCAA-II Selection Committee to see if they play May 5-7 in St. Joseph, Mo.

Above, athlete Maddie Koenig makes her long jump as junior Sara Holmes and freshman Sung Huh watch.
Dan Mika/Index

Athletes from northeast Missouri gathered Saturday at Truman State’s Pershing Arena to compete at the sixth annual Special Olympics Missouri Spring Games.

Junior Kristen Little, Special Olympics director for Students Supporting the Exceptional Community, said 187 volunteers, known as “buddies,” spent the day with 135 athletes as they competed in various events such as 50 to 400 meter dashes, relay races, long jumps, shot puts and softball throwing. 120 other volunteers worked at first aid stations, prize booths and refereed the events.

Edina, Mo. resident Jared Niemeyer was named the Northeast Missouri Special Olympics Athlete of the Year for his involvement with multiple Special Olympics events and the national organization’s Youth Activation Committee.

Jessica Nunan, Special Olympics coach and teacher, said it is fun to watch her students participate in activities that build their self-confidence. She said it allows the students to make more friends and become more social in the classroom.

Tim Schuster, Northeast Area Director for Special Olympics Missouri, said during the six years Truman has hosted the event, the students have made planning a “hands-off experience” for him.

“This is all student-planned and all their ideas,” Schuster said. “I just have to bring the equipment and the paperwork.”

Schuster said Special Olympics always will call Truman their home because of how the students and the University have accommodated them throughout the years.

A lounge and student-occupied room flooded April 17 in Grim Hall.
Heavy rain flooded a lounge and a student-occupied room in Grim Hall April 17.
Submitted Photo

Freshman Grace Hobbs said she and her roommate noticed water leaking into the first-floor room from their building’s foundation at about 10 p.m. and eventually covered the floor with about a quarter inch of water. Hobbs said people from the entire residence hall were able to move their belongings off the floor and prevent them from being damaged. Two other student rooms and two lounges in the building were flooded, but not badly enough to cause an evacuation of the room.

Physical Plant employees arrived the next morning to clean up the water, but Hobbs said they were not there early enough. She said she called the  University Fix-It Line and the emergency line, but neither could offer assistance during the night.

“We pay like $6,500 to live in a room that you share with another person, and then it floods,” Hobbs said. “Nobody was here to help except our friends. Nobody from the University was here to help.”

Physical Plant Director Karl Schneider said the Fix-It Line employees wouldn’t have been able to fix the room that night.

“We know that building’s foundation leaks when there’s heavy rain,” Schneider said. “There’s no way to stop water when that building leaks.”

Hobbs said she thinks the University owes her and her roommate a refund for placing them in a room they knew was prone to flooding.

“I know it was only one night, but still, it’s kind of ridiculous that we can’t be in the rooms that we paid for,” Hobbs said.

Schneider said he hopes the University will renovate Grim Hall soon, but currently it doesn’t have the time or money to do so. Schneider said he hopes Grim will be the next residence hall to be renovated, as it hasn’t seen any major renovation work during the last 15 years.

“Since they’re going to keep using it as a residence hall, it makes sense to spend some money on it,” Schneider said.

Junior Rachel Phillips, left, and sophomore Abby Crew, right, practice medical procedures with a child dummy Tuesday in the Health Science building. Truman State’s new 15-month accelerated nursing program will begin May 28.
Sarah-Wonder Agbehia/Index

The first class of Truman State’s new Accelerated Bachelors of Science in Nursing program begins Tuesday, May 28.

The ABSN program will accept 10 to 15 students and last a total of 15 months — two summers and a full academic year — nursing department chair Stephanie Powelson said. She said any student who has taken the 17 prerequisite courses and has the minimum GPA — 2.75 cumulative and 2.5 departmental — is eligible for the program.

Truman’s nursing program started during 1960, Powelson said.

“Truman’s kind of happy with the size we are and nursing’s been happy with the size we are, so this is challenging to add a new program,” she said.

The program will incorporate students of the ABSN program into classes with those in the BSN program during the academic year.

“We thought we could accommodate 10 to 15 accelerated students given all the situations in terms of faculty staffing, clinical sites, et cetera,” Powelson said.

Powelson said the program consists of three online classes and two assessment classes during the summer, followed by 12 credit hours during the fall and spring, clinical electives during the second summer and 14 credits during the second fall.

There are about 25 other nursing programs in Missouri and many of them have accelerated programs, Powelson said. She said most of the students in the new ABSN program are Truman students. She said Truman nursing students come from a variety of areas, with about 33 percent coming from St. Louis, 25 percent from Kansas City and 15 percent from central Missouri.

“We haven’t really publicized as much as we hope to in the future, so that makes sense that most of them have heard about it by being a student at Truman,” Powelson said. “I think that in future years we’ll have more applicants.”

Because of the addition of new students to the program, Truman is opening a tenured faculty position in the nursing department, Powelson said. The new position, in addition to a $150,000 grant from the Board of Nursing, will help pay for the cost of the program. She said the grant lasts three years, and though Truman failed to receive it during its first year, the University was successful for the second and will try for the third. She said this year it was given to eight Missouri schools, and

        Please see NURSING, Page 3

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Truman received the maximum amount.

The majority of the money from the grant will be used for setting up  the program and the summer classes, said Janet Gooch, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Education.

“Currently, faculty members within the nursing department will be teaching those online courses and so the money is really in the development rather than the ongoing instruction of those courses,” Gooch said. “We intend to apply again. If we don’t get the money, we’re still committed to see the program go on.”

Gooch said the program likely will stay the same size, regardless of whether or not the grant is renewed. She said because of nursing accreditation requirements, there must be a certain amount of available clinical space and a certain student-to-faculty ratio that prevents much growth for departments as small as Truman’s, with about 50 new students accepted each year. Despite this, she said the nursing department has recognized the need to implement the program for about the last five years. She said she is happy progress finally is being made.

“I think that the degree to which we will be able to accommodate additional students and to help with the nursing shortage is a really important contribution from Truman and the Truman nursing program,” Gooch said.

Gooch said the nursing department has received inquiries throughout the past from students who have a degree in a related field and are interested in earning a nursing degree. Prior to the Accelerated Bachelors, Gooch said the students had to get a second bachelors degree to do that. Gooch said the accelerated degree provides more flexibility for those students.

Sophomore Kellen Weiss said he was  pleased to hear about the start-up of the ABSN program.

“I initially didn’t get into the [nursing] program and went into health science and found out that I could enter the accelerated program and chase my dream of being a pediatric nurse practitioner, so I love the fact that we have it,” Weiss said.

Kathleen Barbosa

With this, my last column, I am burdened with the task of crystallizing my three-year evolution with the Index into one column.

I would like to spare you my typical, fortune-cookie topics of choice such as community, empathy and the evils of apathy and instead, share with you what has kept me going -— the reason I spent 40 hours per week pulling my hair out at a job that won’t last, in a medium most consider to be dying and at an institution that receives more criticism than any other I’ve ever been a part of. It isn’t complex, glamorous or controversial. My solace, my comfort and my truth that has pushed me to continue through thin and thinner is simple — people.

From day one as an Index employee, I learned my job was about people. It was about sharing their stories and letting them know their lives, their experiences, mattered to someone. They mattered to me as a reader, a reporter, an editor and finally, as Editor-in-Chief.

One of my first stories as a features reporter was about breast cancer awareness month. My job was to interview three Truman students who had a family member or friend who was affected by breast cancer and to tell their stories.

What I thought was an assignment to interrogate strangers turned into conversations where I was fortunate enough to be able to laugh, cry and get a glimpse at understanding the pain and triumph families fighting breast cancer go through. The respect I have for those people who shared their stories with me is only rivaled by the appreciation I feel for being trusted enough to be the one who got to share those stories  with the world.

I want to say thank you to every source who agreed to share their story with me. They were beautiful, and I am a better person for knowing them.

As well as the sources, I got to know the Index staff. These people have taught me more than I ever possibly could have imagined about topics ranging from fundamentals of journalism and design to the various methods of dealing with insane roommates and even how to properly impersonate Creed.

I want to thank this group of passionate individuals for sticking with me. I’ve enjoyed our laughter, appreciate how much you’ve taught me and will never forget our triumphs and failures. While we all butt heads as we strive to produce our vision of what is right for the paper, it has been an honor to work with so many intelligent, driven and talented people. Thank you to the faculty and staff who have mentored my staff and me. Your patience, guidance and kindness make the Index better and I appreciate it.

Among the various people I’ve had the privilege of working with, one has emerged again and again as a lifesaver.

Kathleen Barbosa

When I met junior John O’Brien during our freshman year, I never would have guessed I’d be thanking him for working as my managing editor at the Index and I don’t think he would have either. We were an unlikely pairing, but while sitting at the back of features meetings we developed a friendship that turned into the best partnership I ever could have imagined. As our song goes, “you’re a full-time friend,” and I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

For those who don’t understand exactly what a managing editor does, here’s a brief description — John is a rock I’ve clung to, a shoulder I’ve cried on and a sounding board for every crazy thought that has passed through my mind. Having him by my side and watching my back is the only reason I survived this year. I’ve never met someone with more tact, grace and patience. As a wonderful editor, an incredible teacher and the best friend a girl could ask for, John has been a source of more happiness and encouragement than I ever deserved. Thank you for letting me steal you away from your music and keep you here.

I apologize if this column has been a bit of a narcissistic rant, but believe it or not, it applies to you, the reader, too. Thank you for reading the Index. Everything we write, all the hours we work and all the work we do is for you.

As you pass through whatever organization, club or group, take a moment to think about the people who surround you. In the end, it is they who will make the difference during your life. Take a moment to appreciate all they do for you — their talents and their friendship. Chances are they’ll graduate and be gone before you can believe it.  When the world seems against you, and when the sky is falling down around you, it won’t be your possessions or your work that comfort you. It will be the people you choose to surround yourself with.

So to all the people who made these three years possible, thank you.

To my sources, my co-workers, bosses, advisors, friends and John O’Brien — thank you for everything.

It truly has been a privilege.

Sophomore Colman Swisher, secretary of the ECO Club, cleans trash and debris out of Bear Creek on Monday. Swisher said he was pleased by how many students came to help.
Submitted photo

Reports of large amounts of trash and poor water quality in Truman State’s Bear Creek led an assortment of students, including members of Truman’s ECO Club, to take action this Monday, April 22, to try to clean up the mess.

The water quality of Bear Creek, which runs south from West Campus Suites to LaHarpe Street and through the Centennial Hall and Barnett Hall parking lots, has been tested many times and continued to worsen throughout time, senior ECO Club member Daniel Creagor said. Creagor said he was inspired to start a project to clean the creek after he noticed unusually large pieces of garbage in the creek’s water.

“I even saw a car battery sitting in the creek right next to a tire,” Creagor said.

He said the large amount of debris makes the creek less suitable for aquatic wildlife like fish, amphibians and insects, which are an important part of Missouri’s natural ecosystem.

The main goal of the project is to clean up trash from the creek and assess how much garbage there actually is, Creagor said. This is a goal Truman professors were happy to assist with, he said. He said biology  professor Michael Kelrick helped by supplying some of the necessary equipment to clean the creek, while Bill Kuntz, manager of the University Farm, provided a scale to weigh the debris.

Creagor said the motivation for weighing the debris was to show the Truman community how much trash has accumulated in the creek.

“We would like to bring attention to the student body that the creek is getting trashed up, and most of it is probably from us,” Creagor said.

Creagor said a recent survey of the creek’s water quality April 13 indicated a score of eight, or “very poor” on the Missouri Stream Team’s water quality index. Creagor said this low quality score likely is due to the creek’s large amounts of algae and low oxygen levels, two key indicators of water quality.

“Even though there are some fish, the fish diversity is extremely low in Bear Creek,” Creagor said.

Sophomore Michele Woolbright is a member of Truman’s ECO Club and participated in the Bear Creek stream cleaning project.

Woolbright said when she measured the water quality of the creek one year ago as a part of her biology class it scored a 14. While 14 is not a great score, it’s much better than an eight, which is what the creek scored on its most recent water quality assessment, Woolbright said.

Woolbright said she and Creagor want to form a stream team group in Kirksville to collect data about local streams and do more local stream-cleaning projects, although there already is a lot of data about Bear Creek thanks to a stream team led by biology professor Cynthia Cooper.

“We don’t want to use Bear Creek for our stream team because there is already plenty of data from it, but we are currently looking for another location, we just haven’t found it yet,” Woolbright said.

Woolbright said she is hopeful that the Bear Creek cleaning project will make the student population more aware of how polluted local streams are becoming and increase interest in forming more stream cleaning groups and events during the future.

Sophomore ECO Club secretary Colman Swisher helped with Monday’s stream cleaning event.

Swisher said he was pleased by the fact that 20 students responded to the Facebook event and showed up to clean the creek, especially because many who came to help out weren’t ECO club members.

Among the 382 pounds of trash found in the creek during Monday’s event were several items that were more than 10 years old, Swisher said. He said he was actually encouraged by how long some of the debris had been there and said the age of the debris indicated trash actually was taking a long time to build up to alarming levels.

“All it would probably take is a small group of people for an hour or two once a semester to keep the creek clean for a long time,” Swisher said.

Licensed acupuncturist Holly Arbuckle locates a point of tension in a patient’s neck. The needles are placed at these points to encourage blood flow and loosen muscles. Submitted photo

If sticking pins in skin doesn’t sound like something that would be done to alleviate pain, licensed acupuncturist Holly Arbuckle has information to share.

Arbuckle, who has a master’s degree in acupuncture and has been practicing for about 10 years, will be moderating a discussion following the Student Public Health Association’s screening of the film “Escape Fire” at 6 p.m. tonight in Violette Hall 1010.

The movie is about saving the health of the nation and improving American healthcare, said junior Briana Bonner, SPHA professional development chair. Bonner said she wants to show the film to give her organization a better understanding of what members are working toward and to give the public a fun, educational opportunity to learn about things happening beyond Truman State’s campus.

Bonner said she had exchanged emails with Arbuckle, who expressed passion about the issues documented by “Escape Fire.”

Arbuckle said one of the reasons she encouraged Bonner to show the film was its mention of battlefield acupuncture, a form of acupuncture Arbuckle has implemented in her practice. She said she traveled to the Washington, D.C. area to train with acupuncturist John Howard and Dr. Joan Orman, the doctor who implemented the acupuncture program at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

With Orman’s guidance, Arbuckle learned battlefield acupuncture protocol, which was created by Dr. Richard Niemtzow, a retired Air Force colonel, as a method for rapid pain reduction for soldiers.

The method of battlefield acupuncture differs slightly from other techniques Arbuckle used in the past, Arbuckle said. Battlefield acupuncture involves inserting gold needles in the ear and leaving them in for a few hours or as long as two weeks.

“The theory is [the points] are connecting to parts of the brain and helping to interrupt the pain pattern,” Arbuckle said. “By putting these two points in, they’re able to reduce pain within minutes.”

Arbuckle said the pins are placed in the ear, in an area that corresponds to the cingulate gyrus in the brain. The cingulate gyrus is involved in emotion formation, processing and memory. Another point is placed in the ear that corresponds with the thalamus, which is involved in relaying information to the body. At first, Arbuckle said she was skeptical of battlefield acupuncture because of how quick and effective it was said to be, but after trying it with a few patients, she said she has had great results that she is excited to share with her patients. She hasn’t had the opportunity to work with any veterans or active service persons, but said she is offering a discount for veterans that served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Part of what appealed to me is that acupuncture can sometimes be viewed as strange or voodoo or a miracle cure, but it’s not any of that,” Arbuckle said. “When you get something like the military using acupuncture, to a certain extent I think that really adds credibility to the field.”

This method of acupuncture currently is being used at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Andrews Air Force Base and overseas in combat zones, Arbuckle said. She said this students will see this method in “Escape Fire” when a soldier goes through battlefield acupuncture therapy with Dr. Niemtzow at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

While battlefield acupuncture is featured only briefly in “Escape Fire,” Arbuckle said she thinks the message the movie sends is similar to the message she tries to send to her acupuncture patients — that ultimately, each person is responsible for his or her own health.

“I think that no matter how good your doctor is or how good your acupuncturist is … at the end of the day, you are the person making the biggest choices about your health,” Arbuckle said. “I feel like the movie brings home that when you take care of [yourself], your body is going to heal a lot of things on its own.”

The Truman F.C. poses for a picture after winning the first annual Spring Classic. The Bulldogs beat out rival SIUE during the championship game to nab the tournament victory last weekend.

As senior team captain and club vice president Mike Manougian saw his diving header hit the back of the net during the golden goal overtime of the Truman Football Club’s championship game it wasn’t just the championship he celebrated as teammates swarmed him.

Manougian had been working for months to organize the First Annual Truman F.C. Spring Classic tournament, something the Truman club team never has hosted since the club was formed during 2007. He said while winning the tournament was rewarding by itself, the fact that the club had just successfully finished organizing and running its first tournament will have the most lasting impact for the program.

Manougian said the Spring Classic is going to become an annual event for the club, as it provided the team with more revenue and extra experience it usually doesn’t get during the spring season.

The tournament consisted of six teams — SIUE, Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, Washington University and two Truman teams. While the initial lineup had Quincy University and Purdue University slated to participate, they both dropped out at the last minute. Manougian said this is one of the few problems he had to deal with during the last week of planning.

“From the beginning, I really didn’t think it would be that difficult and I definitely underestimated the whole thing,” Manougian said. “The biggest thing about creating a tournament is just communication. … I knew going into this process that the best thing I could do is communicate with these teams as much as possible.”

Truman F.C. had to split up into two teams, Truman White and Truman Black, the eventual champion, because of the round-robin format of the Spring Classic and the teams dropping from lineup. All the schools were guaranteed three games, with the top four teams going into a playoff to determine the victor.

The White and Black teams were two of the four teams that made it to the playoff, with both squads finishing the preliminary rounds 1-1-1. After points were totaled and seeds determined, the White and Black teams were pitted against each other during the semifinal match.

Senior club president Curt Ooton, who was on the Black team, said the game against his teammates was an unusual experience because every player on the field knew the other team’s style and strengths.

“Just knowing each other and how the players play, it’s kind of cheap because the smarter players will use that against the opponent,” Ooton said.

The Black team won the matchup 3-0, with two goals coming from the boot of Ooton and one from junior Tyler Payton. As the team headed into the championship match they realized they would be facing a familiar opponent in SIUE, a team they had tied 1-1 during the first preliminary match of the weekend.

“The past couple of years we have literally tied them at least 50 percent of our contests,” Manougian said. “[The win] felt awesome. That’s what I was saying in the huddle before overtime, I was just like, ‘I am so sick of us underestimating this team. We just have to come out and win this game.”

Truman struck first, with a goal from senior forward Mike Pierro coming during the 38th minute off a corner kick to the near-post. But Ooton said if the team’s past games against each other had any bearing, the championship game was far from over.

He said the team’s past problem against SIUE was a quick start for Truman, followed by a late comeback. So when the game-tying goal came during the late stages of the match, it wasn’t a surprise.

The game was tied 1-1 at the end of the regulation, with a single 15-minute overtime golden goal period followed by penalty kicks. With two minutes to go during the overtime period, a corner kick met the head of a diving Manougian, giving Truman Black the tournament championship.

The Truman F.C.’s last action of the spring season is next weekend, as the team heads to Manhattan, Kan., to participate at the 32nd annual Ed Chartrand tournament hosted by Kansas State University. Ooton said the club likes its chances at the tournament since they’ve played all of the teams participating before.

“All the teams that are going there, we’ve tied or beaten in the past,” Ooton said. “We know we can compete with these guys and even beat them and win the whole thing.

Sophomore first baseman Paul Trenhaile stares down a pitch during Tuesday’s game against the No. 8 University of Central Missouri Mules. The Bulldogs dropped both games 3-1 and 10-7. The Bulldogs played a doubleheader prior to Central Missouri against No. 4 St. Cloud State University and split the series losing 2-1 and winning 7-5.
Adam Antor/Index

The baseball team played two games Sunday and two games Tuesday against the No. 4 and No. 8 teams in the nation. During these four games, the Bulldogs scored 16 total runs and kept those highly-ranked teams to 20.

Truman State split the opening series against St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, closely losing the first game 2-1 and winning the second game by 7-5. St. Cloud at the time was ranked No. 4 in all of Div. II baseball and the Bulldogs scored more total runs in the doubleheader, with a chance to take both games as the first game was neck and neck throughout. With the win, Truman ended St. Cloud’s 15-game winning streak dating back to Feb. 25 when they lost to the University of North Dakota.

The ’Dogs recently cancelled a home series against Missouri Western because of inclement weather and St. Cloud had to do the same thing. Even though St. Cloud is a non-conference opponent, head coach Dan Davis said St. Cloud was unable to play this past weekend because of snow, so he set up a doubleheader.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to play a pretty good team and have a chance to get better,” Davis said. “We want to play games against the best teams we can so our guys can have the opportunity to win against good teams.”

Senior pitcher Matthew Grosch had a well-thrown game throughout six innings of work. He gave up six hits and two earned runs, but the pitching and defense for the St. Cloud Huskies was too strong for the Bulldog offense.

During the second game, the ‘Dogs capitalized on mistakes from the opposing pitching staff and scored six runs during the first two innings. Sophomore reliever Austin Olendorff came in for the Bulldogs and threw four hitless innings, and after he had to pitch in a bases loaded scenario in the second, his accurate pitching location made the Huskies put up goose eggs during his remaining three innings of work.

“I felt like I performed at a pretty good level and I’m hoping that it shows that I can go long in relief,” Olendorff said. “I don’t mind, though, doing what I have to do in order to help the team win even if we’re losing.”

Tuesday saw some cold weather, but the rain stayed away for Truman to face off against their conference rivals, the University of Central Missouri Mules. The Mules, ranked No. 8 in the nation, defeated the Bulldogs in both games, but both games were close throughout.

The Mules took the first game by a score of 3-1, but junior pitcher Tim Lee never gave up more than one run during an inning and pitched the entire length of the game for the third straight time this season. Even his two starts past that were both eight-inning performances pitching late into the game.

During Tuesday’s second game, the Mules scored a run during the first, but during Truman’s half of the first inning, junior Chris Zrostlik came to the plate as the designated hitter. All three batters had reached base prior to his at bat and Zrostlik powered one over the fence for a grand slam.

Zrostlik recently has been the designated hitter because his other fielding position, third base, has been well-played by senior Blake Marino, who is having a successful year at the plate along with covering a lot of ground at third base.

As for Zrostlik’s offensive abilities, it was his third home run for the season, and each run has come with two or three runners aboard. He hit it during his first at bat of the game, so he had only seen the pitcher throwing to the last three batters. Zrostlik said he still had a game plan going up to the plate with the bases full.

“There were no outs with the bases loaded, and I was looking for something up to maybe get a sac fly,” Zrostlik said. “With the bases loaded I knew he wasn’t going to try and pitch around me since he wouldn’t want to walk me home, so I looked for something I could drive and got all of it.”

Zrostlik now has started 30 of the 32 games this season, and is three home runs behind sophomore first baseman Paul Trenhaile, who has four blasts. Trenhaile and Zrostlik also are one-two for the Bulldogs in the RBI department, with 32 and 22, respectively.

Truman now is 9-29 for the season, and is looking ahead to this weekend’s series against the Fort Hays State University Tigers, who are 21-17 for their season. The Bulldog’s next home series will be a doubleheader against the Lincoln University Blue Tigers Tuesday, April 23 at Bulldog Baseball Park.