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White Sox sweep doubleheader from Twins

By WTOP Staff

SARAH TROTTO
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Abreu showed off his powerful bat again on Saturday night. The rookie slugger also showed off his impressive focus in the ninth.

Abreu drew a walk during a 14-pitch at-bat to set the stage for Dayan Viciedo’s winning two-run homer that gave the Chicago White Sox a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins and a sweep of their doubleheader.

Abreu started the winning rally with his leadoff walk against Glen Perkins (3-3). Pinch-runner Jordan Danks was erased when Avisail Garcia grounder into a fielder’s choice, but Viciedo drove a full-count pitch over the wall in left for his 21st homer.

“I went into the at-bat thinking to myself that I would do whatever I could to get on base and help tie the game,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “I just tried to work as much as I could to get the right pitch.”

The White Sox have won four in a row, matching a season high. They last won four straight from May 4-7.

“Great closer, he just keeps wearing him out to where he gets a walk,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “Those are the kinds of things you need to do to win games.”

Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia homered for Minnesota. Pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki had a tiebreaking RBI double in the top of the ninth against Jake Petricka (1-4).

In the first game, Jose Quintana struck out a career-high 13 and Alexei Ramirez homered to lead the White Sox to a 5-1 victory.

Quintana (8-10) allowed a run and two walks in seven innings. He said teammate Chris Sale’s dominance motivates him. Sale threw eight scoreless innings against Oakland on Thursday.

“I’m just excited because he’s the best in the American League,” Quintana said. “I try to follow him with a good performance every time.”

Phil Hughes (15-10) had a career-high 11 strikeouts for Minnesota. He allowed five runs — three earned — in seven innings.

Minnesota got off to a fast start in the second game, scoring four times in the first against Scott Carroll. Arcia had the big blow, a three-run drive to center for his 17th homer.

The White Sox responded with two homers of their own, a three-run shot in the first for Garcia and a solo drive for Abreu in the fifth.

It was Abreu’s first homer since Aug. 22 at the New York Yankees. The Cuban slugger joins Hal Trosky (1934), Ted Williams (1939) and Albert Pujols (2001) as the only major league rookies with 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.

“Just the bat speed, everything else, it’s there,” Ventura said. “Everybody’s going through little issues of fatigue. It’s a long season, but in the end you know he’s the guy you want to put your buck on just because he’s the guy.”

Carroll left the game after five innings due to a torn fingernail on his pitching hand.

Daniel Webb replaced Carroll and allowed a solo homer to Plouffe in the sixth for a 5-4 Twins lead.

The White Sox tied it again on pinch-hitter Conor Gillaspie’s two-out RBI single in the seventh.

Minnesota’s Logan Darnell allowed four runs – three earned – in 4 1-3 innings in his fourth career start.

The last-place Twins have lost four straight.

“It was a long day, a tough day and probably about as tough a loss as you’ll have,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

The doubleheader was scheduled after rain postponed Friday’s series opener.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Darnell pitched in place of LHP Tommy Milone (neck). Milone also missed his last start because of left shoulder fatigue, which he said has improved.

White Sox: Carroll (fingernail) said he’s day to day. “They thought it’d be best to call it quits after the fifth and not try to risk further injury,” he said.

UP NEXT

Twins RHP Trevor May (2-4, 8.38 ERA) will face White Sox RHP Hector Noesi (8-9, 4.69) in Sunday’s series finale.

HEART OF THE ORDER

Abreu, Garcia and Viciedo combined for six hits, three home runs and six RBIs in the second game.

“We are all working toward the same thing,” Viciedo said. “When we are going well, it shows that we’ve put in the work.”

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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