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Fister’s winning streak snapped by Cardinals, 5-2

By WTOP Staff

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A five-game winning streak for Washington pitcher Doug Fister is over.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat Fister and the Nationals 5-2 on Sunday to sweep a three-game series.

Fister (5-2) pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. He took the blame for the loss.

“I didn’t do my job today,” Fister said. “It basically comes down to poor execution. I’ve got to a lot better when it comes to critical pitches. That’s what it comes down to.

Matt Adams homered for the third straight game — all with his father in attendance — and Matt Holliday also went deep off Fister.

Adams gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch, his sixth homer of the season. Adams’ father, Jamie, has been visiting from Pennsylvania on Father’s Day weekend.

Adams has homered in all three games since coming off the disabled list with a torn calf muscle.

Holliday put St. Louis up 3-0 in the third.

“The home runs were the two biggest things for me,” Fister said. “I need to find a better effort.”

While Fister had Adams down in the count, he couldn’t put him away.

“I was trying to get him to swing at it and get a ground ball,” Fister said. “I got too much of the plate and that’s what he does and does well. He made me pay for it.”

Adams maintained he was just protecting the plate.

“I knew the guy could throw it anywhere in the zone and I was just ready to get the barrel on the ball,” Adams said.

The Nationals loaded the bases in three innings, stranded 10 runners and scored on two bases loaded walks.

“It’s the ebbs and flows of the game,” Washington manager Matt Williams said. “It’s that time of the year where heavy legs start to set in a little bit. We had the bases loaded three times and just didn’t get it done today.

“We’ll regroup and get ready to go. The off day will come at a good time.”

Jaime Garcia (3-0) pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and a run for St. Louis. He struck out six and walked two. Trevor Rosenthal got the final out for his 20th save.

St. Louis has won 12 of the last 14 regular-season meetings with Washington. The Nationals are 2-18 in the newest version of Busch Stadium.

Garcia pitched out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the second. Third baseman Matt Carpenter caught Sandy Leon’s grounder on a short hop and threw out Scott Hairston at home. Garcia then struck out Fister.

Jayson Werth drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1 before Garcia escaped with a groundout.

“I think we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities,” Hairston said. “I don’t know how many runners we left on base, quite a few I know, and that can’t happen. Their pitcher was good.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny agreed.

“Jaime has been around for a little while,” Matheny said. “He did a good job of getting out of those innings.”

St. Louis got the run back in the fifth, when Kolton Wong snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Holliday, who has 999 RBIs in his career.

Craig doubled home Holliday in the seventh for a 5-1 lead.

Rosenthal walked pinch-hitter Adam LaRoche in the ninth with the bases loaded to make it 5-2.

NOTES: Reliever Carlos Martinez will make his second career start Monday when the Cardinals host the New York Mets. Martinez is taking the start in place of Adam Wainwright (elbow). … Before Sunday’s game, the Cardinals purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Nick Greenwood from Triple-A Memphis and optioned outfielder Randal Grichuk back to the affiliate. … After starting 1,114 MLB games at third base, and 12 in left field, Ryan Zimmerman started Sunday at first base for the Nationals. … Washington’s Danny Espinosa was hit by a pitch in the second inning, the eighth time this season. … Washington CF Denard Span was scratched from the lineup due to back stiffness and replaced by Nate McLouth. … St. Louis native boxer Devon Alexander threw out the first pitch. Alexander (25-2 with 14 knockouts) is a former WBC and IBF light welterweight champion and a former IBF welterweight champion. He has a welterweight fight against Robert Guerrero (31-2-1) on June 21. … Randy Choate’s one-pitch win in Saturday’s game made him the sixth pitcher in Cardinals history to throw one pitch and record a victory.

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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