Minnesota
UCLA baseball remains perfect in Big Ten by beating Minnesota
Could a UCLA baseball team that’s perfect in Big Ten play get better?
Bruins coach John Savage thinks so, which is a frightening prospect for the rest of a seemingly overmatched conference.
While Savage’s top-ranked Bruins completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota on Sunday with a 5-2 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium — stretching their Big Ten winning streak to 21 games — he said there’s more upside to be realized.
“Offensively, we just really couldn’t get a lot going,” Savage said after his team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners. “We just weren’t able to put a lot together, but when that pitching and defense shows up every day, it gives yourself a chance to win, and that’s kind of what we did all three games, really.”
Those elements were so good Sunday that they overshadowed Roman Martin’s solo homer in the third inning and Will Gasparino’s two-run shot in the sixth.
Bruins left fielder Dean West made three superb catches — two leaping and one diving — and four relievers combined to give up only one run in 4 ⅔ innings. Closer Easton Hawk needed only six pitches to record a 1-2-3 ninth inning while notching his third save in as many days.
Savage credited Minnesota’s pitching after the Golden Gophers (22-17 overall, 5-13 Big Ten) held the Bruins (36-3) to an average of five runs during the series and said many of his team’s offensive struggles were situational.
“We have very, very good offensive players — some of them are in … little ruts right now, but that’s OK,” Savage said. “These guys play a lot and get a lot of at-bats; there’s a lot of ups and downs.”
When it comes to UCLA’s conference record, it’s all been up.
What it means
UCLA’s sweep is further evidence that the Bruins aren’t getting complacent because of their record.
“This culture is really solid, and these guys truly believe in one another and they’re playing for the team,” Savage said. “We’re very fortunate to have this group, and so they love playing together, so there’s no complacency and there’s no reason to because we haven’t done anything; I mean, you’re 36-3, that’s great, but at the end of the day it’s about getting better and playing your best baseball the next 75 days.”
Turning point
Spotting a dominant team an early lead is never a good idea.
That’s what happened when the Bruins struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
West led off with a single to center field, took third on Roch Cholowsky’s double to left and scored on a balk. With one out, Martin hit an RBI infield single off the pitcher’s glove. UCLA was up 2-0, and the Golden Gophers could never catch up.
Did you see that?
Minnesota did not like it when Gasparino admired his home run by lingering in the batter’s box before commencing his trot around the bases.
There was consensus in both dugouts because Savage also didn’t care for it.
“I thought he probably stayed in the box a little too long for me,” Savage said. “That’s kind of not who we are, and they didn’t like that; I wouldn’t like that either, really.”
MVP
West saved multiple extra-base hits with his catches.
Which was his favorite?
“Probably the diving one,” West said. “I think that was the coolest one. I got to leave my feet and make a play on it.”
Up next
The Bruins will open a five-game stretch of nonconference games when they host Hawaii on Tuesday evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
A man suffered serious injuries on Sunday when he hit two cows in the road while driving in central Minnesota, authorities said.
The man was on Kandiyohi County Road 29 near 13th Street Northwest in Lake Andrew Township when he struck the animals just before 11 p.m., the sheriff’s office there said.
The 22-year-old from Pennock, Minnesota, then went into the ditch and hit a tree before his vehicle rolled onto its side. He was treated at the scene and then taken to a hospital. The sheriff’s office said his injuries were not life-threatening.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Sunday was the deadline for Minnesota to complete the revalidation of thousands of Medicaid providers in “high-risk” programs as the state fights with the federal government over about $2 billion in funding.
What is Minnesota Revalidate?
The backstory:
Earlier this year, state leaders announced an effort to revalidate more than 5,500 providers in Minnesota’s Health Care Programs. The revalidation was part of an effort to combat fraud and to satisfy demands from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has withheld up to $2 billion in Medicaid funds from Minnesota.
The deadline to finish the revalidation was on Sunday, May 31.
What we know:
As of last month, state officials said only 550 providers have had applications approved, site inspections completed and been re-enrolled.
At that point, 1,510 applications were incomplete, and 160 providers had been disenrolled. State officials said mostly because they had failed to respond to state inquiries.
There were an additional 990 who had been submitting claims but failed to respond to state notices.
Medicaid funding lawsuit
Local perspective:
In January, Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would withhold $2 billion in Medicaid funding for Minnesota.
The decision followed an audit by the centers of Minnesota’s Medicaid programs. The funding suspension also followed a new batch of federal Medicaid fraud charges that came down in December. During a news conference, as prosecutors announced new charges and guilty pleas related to fraud, federal prosecutors estimated that fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid programs could total as high as $9 billion since 2018.
The other side:
Since that press conference, the $9 billion figure has been heavily disputed by state leaders who say there is currently no evidence that fraud in Minnesota is that rampant. Gov. Walz and other state leaders say that while fraud is an issue, President Trump has weaponized it to commit political retribution against the state.
What’s next:
FOX 9 has reached out to state officials to see how many providers are facing disenrollment as the deadline hits on Sunday.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit over the pulled Medicaid funds. This month, a judge granted a mutual motion for a stay in the case – a 120 pause – to give the federal government and Minnesota time to resolve the funding issue. An update is due to the court by early September.
A 29-year-old man drowned at a lake in northern Minnesota on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said the man drowned at the swimming area at Little Emily Lake Park. The man was at the park with family and friends at the time.
First responders arrived at the scene to try and rescue him, but he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said.
Little Emily Lake is about 40 miles north of Brainerd.
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