The Custer Granite men's baseball team traveled to Alliance, Neb., this weekend to play a South Hills Grassland League doubleheader. The team split the games winning 10-4 and losing 4-3 in the nightcap.

Casey Finn was on the mound for the first game and pitched six strong innings before the flu knocked him out of the game. Finn gave up four runs on two hits and four walks and was trailing 4-1.

The Granite trailed 4-1 when he left but scored seven times in the eighth and added two more in the ninth on a Dave Barner two-run double.

Travis Meyer was 2-for-4, Zach Derr, Don Ringstad and J.R. Krogstad each had a two hits. Krogstad relieved Finn and pitched three scoreless innings with six strikeouts for the victory. Custer batters struck out a record 20 times in the game.

In the nightcap, Krogstad took the loss as shoddy defense allowed three runs late in the game. Krogstad struck out 14 Alliance batters in the nine innings and allowed no earned runs. Custer could manage only four hits in the game, but did make it exciting as it tallied twice in the top of the ninth leaving a runner on third to end the game Custer plays a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on June 14 at home.

Governor to honor Northern State coach

Gov. Mike Rounds and the South Dakota Highway Patrol will recognize Northern State University men's basketball coach Don Meyer this week for wearing his seatbelt.

The governor will present Meyer with a "saved by the seatbelt" award during the Boys State Governor's Address on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at NSU in Aberdeen.

Meyer was involved in a serious accident last September in Faulk County when the car he was driving collided with a semi truck. The impact of the crash demolished Meyer's vehicle. Meyer suffered severe internal injuries, broken bones and lost part of his leg because of the crash. However, because he was buckled up, he survived.

Stevens graduate to swim for Morningside

Morningside College (Iowa) head swimming coach Steve Mohs announced that Rapid City's Hanna Mortimer will enroll at the school in the fall and compete for the Mustangs.

Mortimer, a 2009 graduate of Rapid City Stevens, competed for the Greater Rapid City Ellsworth Area and Rapid City Racers swim teams.

Mohs said Mortimer will help the Mustangs in the distance freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke.

SDSU earns award from Summit League

The Summit League announced that South Dakota State's Summit League peers honored the Jackrabbits with the 2008-09 Summit League Sportsmanship Award.

The league presents the sportsmanship award annually to the league institution judged by its peers as the best in the league in living up to the ideals of sportsmanship. Areas for evaluation include student-athlete conduct, staff/administrator conduct, coaches' conduct and event management.

UMKC won the first sportsmanship award presented following the 1998-99 academic year, while Centenary earned the honor last season. Southern Utah owns the most Sportsmanship Awards with five, while Centenary won two while IUPUI and Valparaiso each captured one.

Baseball tourney set for Labor Day weekend

The third-annual Mike Coley Memorial wood bat baseball tournament will be Sept. 5 through Sept. 7 in Rapid City.

Games will be played on McKeague and Pete Lien Memorial fields. There will be two divisions: over 48 and over 58 years of age.

In 2008, five teams participated - the South Dakota Pheasants, Denver Shredders, South Dakota Rushmores, Rapid City over 48, and the Custer/Rapid City Old timers. The Rapid City over 48 team won the overall championship as it was undefeated.

There is no admission for baseball fans. The tournament honors Mike Coley, a longtime Rapid City ballplayer who died from cancer three years ago.