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Cubs rally in 9th, fall to Braves 3-2 in 10th

By WTOP Staff

CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — The Cubs extended the game with a rare ninth-inning rally against Braves closer Craig Kimbrel.

Left-hander Wesley Wright couldn’t take advantage of the break.

Wright opened the 10th inning with two walks, one intentional, and then gave up Freddie Freeman’s run-scoring single up the middle as Chicago fell to Atlanta 3-2 Friday night.

Freeman’s single drove in Jason Heyward from second base.

Wright (0-1) walked Heyward to lead off the 10th. Heyward stole second base, setting up Wright’s intentional walk to Justin Upton.

Freeman ended the game with his single. Heyward slid home with the winning run as Ryan Kalish’s throw from center field was off target.

“Wesley has been fantastic for us,” Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. “I’d give him the ball again.”

Jason Hammel allowed only two runs in seven innings — his fifth straight start in which he lasted at least seven innings. Atlanta’s Julio Teheran was even better, allowing only one hit — Mike Olt’s homer — in eight innings.

“Teheran threw a great game,” Hammel said. “That’s where it starts. It was a good old-fashioned pitchers’ duel, I guess, tonight. He was even better.”

Chris Johnson’s two-run single off Hammel in the third inning gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead.

Chris Coghlan led off the ninth with a single off Kimbrel. Coghlan moved to second on Emilio Bonifacio’s groundout and scored on a single to left by Kalish, who advanced to second on Upton’s fielding error. Kalish moved to third on Anthony Rizzo’s grounder to first. Kimbrel walked Starlin Castro before ending the inning on another grounder by Nate Schierholtz.

“There’s definitely a lot of fight in this team,” Olt said. “As long as we keep fighting we’re going to find a way to come up with some wins.”

Kimbrel suffered his second blown save in 11 chances, but the Braves bailed him out in the 10th.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Renteria faced a tough decision in walking Upton to face Freeman.

“You’ve got to pick your poison,” Gonzalez said.

Luis Valbuena led off the 10th with a single to right field off Alex Wood (3-5), who then recorded three straight outs in his first relief appearance of the season. The Braves announced before the game that Wood was moving to the bullpen for one week.

The Braves earned only their second win in their last 10 games. The Cubs, last in the NL Central, have lost five of six but took some solace in the ninth-inning comeback off Kimbrel.

“All in all, I take away we fought a pretty good battle, but we just fell a little short,” Renteria said.

Teheran retired 17 consecutive batters after Olt’s homer in the third inning.

Teheran began the night fifth in the majors with a 1.80 ERA and he lowered the mark to 1.71. He had a season-high nine strikeouts with two walks.

The Braves’ only runs against Hammel came on a string of three straight two-out hits in the third. Freeman and Evan Gattis singled, Gattis moved to second on a wild pitch and Johnson drove both runners in with a single to left field.

“For a fastball-hitting team like (Atlanta), you’ve got to be really careful about being down,” Hammel said. “In that inning, the ball was running back over the plate and they were able to get the barrel to it.”

NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 18 minutes by rain. … Johnson capped his big night with an eighth-inning single before stealing second — his first stolen base since 2012 and only the 11th of his career. … Wood had been scheduled to start Sunday against the Cubs. Instead, RHP Aaron Harang will make Sunday’s start. Gonzalez said Wood will be back in the rotation on May 17 against St. Louis. … The series continues Saturday night, when Braves RHP Ervin Santana (3-0) faces Cubs RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-3).

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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