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Mariners lose 5th straight, 4-3 to Rangers

By WTOP Staff

JOSH LIEBESKIND
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — After winning six of seven on the road, the Seattle Mariners have hit a rough stretch at home.

The latest bump came against the Texas Rangers, who scored the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning to beat the Mariners 4-3 Saturday night to hand Seattle its fifth straight loss — all at home.

“We are in a funk and we’ve got to find a way to come out of it,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “We had a lot of good things happen tonight but the one bad thing is we didn’t the win.”

The Mariners almost did enough to snap the losing streak after fighting back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the score in the seventh, but weren’t able to take advantage with runners in scoring position to take a late lead.

Instead, it was Texas’ Leonys Martin who found a way to get the job done. With two outs in the ninth and two strikes on him, Martin hit a grounder just past the glove of a diving Kyle Seager at third base, driving in Luis Sardinas.

Sardinas singled off Fernando Rodney (1-3) with one out and moved to second on a grounder before Martin’s single scored him without a play at the plate to give the Rangers the 4-3 lead.

The Mariners tied the game in the seventh after taking advantage of a Rangers fielding gaffe. With two runners on and one out, Cole Gillespie hit a grounder to second that looked like it could turn into an inning-ending double play. Elvis Andrus couldn’t handle the throw at second, though, and Seattle loaded the bases.

Robinson Cano followed with a soft line drive to right, scoring Willie Bloomquist and tying the score 3-all.

Despite giving up the single to Cano, Neal Cotts (2-3) earned the win with 1 2-3 innings of relief, striking out four. Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.

The Mariners’ late run spoiled a win for Joe Saunders, who was in line for his first victory of the season after allowing two runs in six innings.

“For me, it’s about getting deeper into games,” said Saunders, who made his fourth start of the season after coming off the disabled list. “I felt like I had good stuff tonight, could’ve been better. So it’s still, in my mind, a little bit of a work in progress. But made some good strides tonight.”

Shin-Soo Choo singled off reliever Danny Farquhar to open the sixth and scored when Adrian Beltre followed with a double into the left-field corner, tying the game 1-1. After a pair of strikeouts, Robinson Chirinos put Texas ahead with a two-run home run to left field.

“Danny has been great for us,” McClendon said. “He just left a curveball up and the guy took advantage of it. Our bullpen is our foundation. We’ve done everything we can to take care of it and we’ll continue to do that.”

Farquhar came on for Erasmo Ramirez, who had skirted danger in five scoreless innings. Ramirez allowed just three hits, but struggled with his command and walked four. The right-hander allowed seven base runners and threw 89 pitches.

The Mariners pushed across a run in the fifth when Stefen Romero hit a sacrifice fly to left to score John Buck from third. Buck led off the inning with a single and moved to third when Seager followed with a base hit. The run snapped a 13-inning scoreless streak for the Mariners.

NOTES: Sunday’s series finale will feature Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma and Rangers RHP Nick Martinez. … The umpires reviewed four calls: two in the first, one in the sixth and one in the seventh. Martin was originally called safe in an attempt to steal second, but it was overturned. A 2-2 count to Beltre was also reviewed, and upheld. A ruling that Cano was safe at home in the sixth was confirmed. Andrus was originally called out at first in the seventh after being involved in a rundown, but the call was reversed. … Seattle’s Jesus Montero, a former top prospect, made his first appearance since being suspended 50 games for his connection to the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug investigation last year. Montero, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday, singled in three at-bats as the DH.

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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