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Huge 11th inning sends Red Sox over Blue Jays

By WTOP Staff

IAN HARRISON
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — To Mike Napoli, it was “just another homer.”

Napoli hit a shot into the fifth deck, the first at Rogers Centre in more than three years, as part of Boston’s seven-run 11th inning and the Red Sox held on for a 11-7 win on Tuesday night.

Allen Craig also homered in the big inning, Dustin Pedroia homered and had four RBIs and Boston won its second straight game following an eight-game losing streak.

“Standing at home plate, it’s hard to imagine hitting a ball that far, but he did,” Craig said.

Toronto fell to 6-16 in August and, at 66-66, dropped to .500 for the first time since May 15. The Blue Jays have played four straight extra-inning games, losing three.

“It’s tough,” Toronto’s Casey Janssen said. “We lost another tough game in extra innings.”

Mookie Betts singled off Janssen (3-2) to begin the 11th and was called out at second on Christian Vazquez’s sacrifice, with the call overturned after a challenge by Red Sox manager John Farrell. Janssen was charged with an error when he bobbled Brock Holt’s bunt, loading the bases for Pedroia, who singled through the drawn-in infield to score a pair.

Sergio Santos came on and struck out Yoenis Cespedes before Napoli, who was hit on the helmet by a pitch earlier in the game, crushed with a towering three-run homer into the fifth deck. It’s the 17th upper deck homer in the 25-year history of Rogers Centre, and the seventh by an opponent.

“I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, trying to get a single with a runner in scoring position,” Napoli said. “I guess it’s pretty cool.”

Daniel Nava doubled before Craig homered, his first with Boston.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, who’d already used all his available relievers, responded by calling designated hitter Steve Tolleson out of the dugout to take the mound. Tolleson struck out Will Middlebrooks and got Betts to fly out to the warning track.

Napoli was hit on the brim of the helmet by a wayward knuckleball from Dickey in the fifth, knocking it off his head. His face showing concern, Dickey held his hands up in apology.

“It doesn’t feel good,” Napoli said of being beaned by a knuckler, insisting he had no lingering effects.

Junichi Tazawa (3-3) worked one inning for the win. Heath Hembree allowed three runs in the 11th, but Boston held on.

Pedroia homered off R.A. Dickey in the first and Middlebrooks made it 3-0 with a two-out double, but Toronto tied with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth.

The Red Sox reclaimed the lead against Dustin McGowan in the seventh on an RBI single by Cespedes, but Jose Bautista led off the bottom half with a tying homer off Alex Wilson, snapping an 0 for 17 slump.

SUSTAINED POWER

Bautista is the third player in Blue Jays history to record five consecutive seasons with 25 or more home runs. The others are Joe Carter, who did it six times between 1991 and 1996, and Carlos Delgado, who did it nine times from 1996 to 2004.

PROTEST DENIED

Major League Baseball denied a protest filed by Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon in Saturday’s game, which Toronto won 5-4. Maddon protested after crew chief Bob Davidson allowed Gibbons to challenge a pickoff play at first base after pitcher Mark Buehrle had returned to the rubber and batter Yunel Escobar had returned to the box. “We might have been winless for the week if they’d nailed that thing,” a relieved Gibbons said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: DH David Ortiz (right foot) sat out his second straight game. Ortiz left Sunday’s game against Seattle in the sixth, two innings after fouling a ball off his foot. Manager John Farrell said Ortiz, who skipped batting practice, could play Wednesday.

Blue Jays: OF Colby Rasmus (illness) was scratched from the lineup shortly before first pitch and replaced by Kevin Pillar, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier Tuesday. Toronto designated OF Nolan Reimold for assignment to make room for Pillar.

UP NEXT

Red Sox RH Joe Kelly (0-1) takes on Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (7-5) in Wednesday’s series finale. Stroman has lost his last three decisions and allowed a career-high 10 hits in his previous start, Aug. 22 against Tampa Bay.

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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