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Padres beat Braves 3-2 in 12 innings

By WTOP Staff

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tim Stauffer and Will Venable stepped up when the San Diego Padres needed it most.

Stauffer escaped a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the top of the 12th and Venable lined a game-winning single in the bottom of the inning off closer Craig Kimbrel to lift the Padres to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Kimbrel (0-3) walked the bases loaded with one out before Venable hit a fastball on a line over the head of right fielder Jason Heyward, who was already playing shallower than normal.

“With that guy, the bases loaded and less than two outs and the winning run on third base, it takes the slider down out of play,” Venable said. “He doesn’t want to end the game on a wild pitch. With him you have to get ready for the fastball anyway so it made things simple.”

Yangervis Solarte walked to start the 12th, and Jedd Gyorko and Chris Nelson drew consecutive one-out walks before Venable’s game-winning single.

“When you go out there and throw a lot of balls and walk guys, that’s what happens,’ Kimbrel said.

Stauffer (3-2) pitched two innings but it was his escape in the 12th that kept San Diego in the game. The Braves loaded the bases with no outs, but Stauffer got Evan Gattis to hit into a third-to-home-to-first double play and retired Chris Johnson on a groundout.

“I think that was the game right there,” Stauffer said. “I think that kind of put the stamp on it.”

The Padres won for the fourth time in five games. Atlanta extended its losing streak to five games.

“All we needed was a lousy run and sometimes it’s hard to get a lousy run,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Atlanta tied the game at 2 in the eighth on Heyward’s single, a walk and Johnson’s RBI single.

Trailing 1-0, the Padres went ahead in the seventh. Rene Rivera led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on Solarte’s two-out single. After San Diego loaded the bases, Jordan Whalden relieved Ervin Santana and threw a wild pitch that allowed Solarte to score for a 2-1 lead.

Santana allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with six strikeouts and four walks.

San Diego’s Tommy Medica had two more hits, including a second-inning single that gave him hits in six consecutive at-bats. Medica went 5 for 5 on Friday with two two-run homers, setting career highs for hits, RBIs and runs with four.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: Heyward was back in the starting lineup after missing four games with a strained back. “It’s been four days, but it seems like it’s been a month,” Gonzalez said.

Padres: Right-hander Andrew Cashner (right shoulder soreness) will make a rehab start Friday with Single-A Lake Elsinore. … Left fielder Carlos Quentin, on the 15-day DL (left knee soreness), will get a second opinion in Los Angeles sometime in the coming week. … Catcher Yasmani Grandal (fluid in right knee) was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game.

ON DECK

Braves: Right-hander Aaron Harang (9-6, 3.43) pitches in the series finale at Petco Park where he resurrected his career by going 14-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 2011, his only season with San Diego.

Padres: Right-hander Tyson Ross (10-10, 2.60) has thrown eight consecutive games of six or more innings while allowing two or fewer runs, the longest streak in the NL and second in the majors to Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, who has done it 14 straight games.

PASSING OF BRAVES BROADCAST LEGEND

Former Braves broadcaster Pete Van Wieren, 69, passed away Saturday morning after a long bout with cancer. “One of the nicest people I ever met,” Gonzalez said about Van Wieren, who broadcast Braves games for 33 years.

PRACTICE IS OVERRATED

Despite having little practice, the Padres ground crew did a commendable job in working the seldom-used tarp before the game at Petco Park, where a light drizzle hit in the afternoon. The Padres have had just 16 rainouts in 46 seasons, and only one in Petco’s 10-year history

FINALLY OVER .500

The Padres went over the .500 mark at home (1,821-1,820) for the first time since Aug. 28, 2010.

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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