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Red Sox rally for 4-3 win over Braves

By WTOP Staff

DOUG ALDEN
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox were charging out of the dugout before the winning run reached home plate.

After a 10-game skid, winning sure feels good.

Atlanta’s third error in the last two innings allowed Jackie Bradley Jr. to score from second as the Red Sox rallied to beat Atlanta 4-3 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.

“They contributed with some balls in play on the defensive side of things,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “Just a good comeback win overall.”

Boston trailed 3-1 before tying it with a pair of runs in the eighth then won it in the ninth.

Bradley and Brock Holt drew back-to-back walks off closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1). Xander Bogaerts followed with a hard grounder to Chris Johnson at third base for an infield single. Johnson stopped it and made a strong throw but La Stella missed the catch with Holt bearing down.

Bradley hadn’t even scored yet when the Red Sox began rushing out of the dugout.

“The arrow’s pointing in the right direction,” Bradley said.

Bogaerts was credited with a single and the error was initially charged to Johnson. The official scoring on the play was changed later and the error charged to La Stella.

The change mattered little to the Braves, who had no errors before taking a 3-1 lead into the eighth.

“You play this game long enough, things like that are going to happen,” said center fielder B.J. Upton, who had one of two errors for the Braves in the eighth. “We’ll get by it and be ready to play tomorrow.”

Koji Uehara (1-1) got the win after eight solid innings by starter Jake Peavy for the Red Sox, who completed a four-game sweep in the home-and-home series with the Braves.

“It’s just unfortunate. I felt like we were making good pitches at the end and the balls were just dropping in,” Atlanta starter Mike Minor said. “They’re a tough team. I feel like every four games we played them, they battled back every time. It’s kind of expected out of them to battle back.”

Minor also pitched well, holding Boston to one run on seven hits in seven innings. Minor didn’t walk a batter and struck out three.

Jason Heyward homered and Freddie Freeman drove in a run and scored once for the Braves, who lost their fourth straight and fifth in six games.

Atlanta led 3-1 when Holt led off the eighth with a bloop single to left off reliever David Carpenter. He went to second when left fielder Justin Upton took his eye off the ball and it bounced past him. Bogaerts followed with an RBI single and Dustin Pedroia reached on a slow roller up the middle that was called a hit.

A.J. Pierzynski followed with another single to center that B.J. Upton let get by him for the second error of the inning, allowing Bogaerts to score and tie it at 3-all.

“I had it lined up right in the middle of my body and went to field it. The grass just kind of took it away from me,” B.J. Upton said.

Atlanta had just gone up 3-1 with a run in the top of the eighth. B.J. Upton led off with a single to left and scored when Freeman followed with a double off the wall in left-center.

Heyward’s homer with two outs in the third gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead. The Braves added a run in the fourth when Freeman led off with a walk, advanced to second on a balk and scored on Evan Gattis’ single.

Boston cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the fifth when David Ross doubled and scored on a two-out double by Holt.

Peavy allowed three runs on eight hits in eight innings. He struck out four and walked one.

NOTES: Boston returns to American League play Friday when Tampa Bay visits Friday with LHP David Price (4-4) facing Boston righty Brandon Workman (0-0). … Boston DH David Ortiz did not start because of a sore right calf, a move manager John Farrell called precautionary. Ortiz pinch hit in the eighth and drew an intentional walk with two outs. … Boston 1B Ryan Lavarnway left the game in the sixth with a sore left wrist. … … Atlanta SS Andrelton Simmons returned to the lineup missing Wednesday’s game with an inflamed right ankle

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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