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Author: Dave Riggert

Kansas State defeats Louisiana Tech in three overtimes

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riggertKansasStateMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Joe Hubener spent the week focusing on consistently completing short passes, only to have two of his deep balls to make the difference against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Hubener threw three touchdown passes, including a 31-yard strike to Kody Cook on third and 16 in triple overtime, and Kansas State survived a scare against the Bulldogs, 39-33.

“It’s ironic, but I have to be able to throw long and short,” Hubener said. “I put a lot of emphasis on short throws this week and I think for the most part they were better.”

Hubener completed 15 of 26 passes for 195 yards. Justin Silmon gained 114 yards on 24 carries, becoming the first Kansas State running back since 2013 to break the century mark.

Kansas State (3-0) and Louisiana Tech (1-2) traded scores in overtime, including a 44-yard field goal by Jack Cantele to force the third overtime. The Bulldogs forced overtime with a 45-yard field goal as time expired after driving the length of the field in 1:16.

“For them to drive,” Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz said, “have that 90-yard drive at the end, just to get the game into overtime — you’ve got no timeouts, you’re on your own 9-yard line, the clock’s running — some of the plays those guys made to get it into overtime (were great).”

Jeff Driskel led Louisiana Tech, throwing for 314 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for two more scores. Trent Taylor had 12 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown in the near-upset.

“We’re a talented group,” Driskel said. “We came in with a game plan, a solid game plan, where we were going to take some underneath routes and stuff like that. They changed up what they were doing defensively schematically, and we had to adjust on the fly, but thought we made some plays.”

Kansas State concludes nonconference play without a loss for the first time in three years. It wasn’t easy, though, as the offense proved ineffective for much of the game.

However, Silmon provided a lift in the rushing attack, including 58 yards on a crucial scoring drive late in the third quarter. Catches by Cook capped two scoring drives, including a one-handed grab to tie the game late in the third quarter.

“I just try to be ready so when my name is called I can be prepared to help the offense,” Silmon said. “If that’s the role I have, I’m fine with it. Any way I can help the offense.”

A long punt return and fumble in regulation gave Kansas State an opportunity to rally.

Louisiana Tech grabbed momentum late in the second quarter when Driskel walked into the end zone on a naked bootleg on fourth and goal from the half-yard line to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.

It was the first touchdown allowed by Kansas State this season.

The Bulldogs led 20-13 midway through the fourth quarter when Kansas State returner Dominic Heath ran back a punt 58 yards to the 7-yard line. Charles Jones tied the game two plays later on a 2-yard run.

Consecutive field goals sent the game to overtime.

In overtime, Hubener squeezed a 22-yard pass through three defenders into the arms of Heath. Driskel responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Trent Taylor.

Two overtime periods later, Hubener sent the purple-clad crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium home happy with the game-winning heave to Cook, who came to Kansas State as a quarterback.

“I’m proud of them,” Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said. “This group of young guys has not been in that situation before. Through heck and high water, they managed to carve their way through it. I’m not sure exactly how, but they did.”

— KSU Athletics —

Kansas City drop another extra inning game at Detroit

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riggertRoyalsDETROIT (AP) — Ian Kinsler homered in the 11th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Kinsler led off the 11th against Miguel Almonte (0-1) and hit a 1-2 curveball into the Tigers’ bullpen for his second walk-off homer against Kansas City this season. He also hit one on August 6.

Tom Gorzelanny (2-0) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief.

The celebration at home was Kinsler’s second in three innings, but this one counted.

Kinsler was initially called safe at home on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, setting off a mob scene at the plate. However, a replay review showed Royals catcher Salvador Perez caught Jarrod Dyson’s off-line throw and caught the tip of Kinsler’s shoe with a diving tag to end the inning.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska rallies, then loses in OT at Miami

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riggertNebraskaMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami gave Nebraska the game.

Then Nebraska gave it back.

Corn Elder’s interception on the first play of overtime put Miami in control, and Michael Badgley’s 28-yard field goal gave the Hurricanes a 36-33 win that once seemed absolutely certain and then came perilously close to slipping away in an epic fourth-quarter collapse.

“Give Nebraska credit for the way they played,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “But give our kids a lot of credit for fighting, scratching, clawing, staying together, having poise and finishing it in overtime.”

For a while, everything was looking great for Miami — sans for the final 8:36 of the fourth quarter, when Nebraska stormed back from a 33-10 deficit on the strength of three touchdown passes by Tommy Armstrong. His fourth scoring throw of the game went to Stanley Morgan with 33 seconds remaining, and the Cornhuskers then tied it when Jordan Westerkamp hauled in a 2-point conversion toss.

But Elder snared Armstrong’s third interception of the night to start OT, an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty allowed Miami to start its ensuing drive at the Nebraska 13 instead of the 25, and after three running plays Badgley’s fifth field goal won it for the Hurricanes (3-0).

“I really like this team,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. “You can’t help but appreciate what happened in the second half today but there’s always going to be something that gnaws at you because you know it didn’t have to be like that.”

The Cornhuskers (1-2) have a losing record after three games for the first time since 1981.

“We’re going to keep battling,” Westerkamp said.

They did Saturday, for certain. And it nearly paid off.

Miami gave Nebraska plenty of help in the final minutes. The Hurricanes lost safeties Deon Bush and Jamal Carter after both were ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter, and Nebraska found the end zone on both of those drives — with Armstrong finding wide-open receivers against a rapidly depleting Miami defense. The Hurricanes had two would-be scores from Mark Walton taken off the board by holding penalties in the second half as well.

But the last mistake was made by Nebraska, and it basically decided everything.

“I didn’t really see the corner. That’s on me,” Armstrong said. “I made throws. Some were great. Some were bad. That one cost us the game. There were three guys on the pattern. There was only one I could throw to. I underthrew it.”

Brad Kaaya threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns for Miami, while Joe Yearby ran for 125 yards and a score and Rashawn Scott caught nine passes for 151 yards. Artie Burns became the first Miami player since Sean Taylor in 2003 with an interception in three straight games, and Christopher Herndon and Tyre Brady had their first career touchdown catches in the first quarter as Miami raced to a 17-0 lead.

In the end, the Hurricanes needed every bit of that cushion. And Elder helped Miami avoid disaster.

“I didn’t have a receiver to my side so I was basically just playing the field,” Elder said of his interception at the goal line to start the extra period. “I saw him scramble, I took off deep, he threw it and it came right to me.”

It was Nebraska’s first true road game in the Sunshine State since visiting Miami in 1951. The Huskers’ last 22 Florida trips were for bowl games, 17 of them Orange Bowls including three where this Nebraska-Miami rivalry was forged. In all, they’ve played four times to decide the national championship, Miami winning three — starting with 1983, when Nebraska went for a two-point conversion when an extra-point probably would have been enough to clinch the title.

Miami deflected that pass away, and Hurricane football forever changed that night.

And, ironically, two 2-pointers for Nebraska in the fourth quarter weren’t enough on Saturday. The Cornhuskers have never won game in which they trailed by 21 points — but nearly changed that.

“We won the game,” Kaaya said. “That’s all that matters.”

— Associated Press —

Missouri State gets hammered by Arkansas State 70-7

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riggertMSUJONESBORO, Ark. – Despite a promising showing by the Missouri State offense that saw the Bears total 341 yards, Arkansas State used a series of big plays to build a 42-point halftime lead en route to a 70-7 victory Saturday evening before an announced crowd of 26,634 at Centennial Bank Stadium.

After tallying just 26 total points in its first two contests of the 2015 season, ASU (1-2) scored 28 points in less than 16 minutes of play Saturday to pave the way to its first victory of the season. The Red Wolves logged five different scoring plays of 26 yards or more in the first half, then tacked on three more touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the second half to seal the outcome.

A-State racked up 624 total yards in the game, including 344 on the ground. Quarterback James Tabary connected with 11 different receivers in completing 21-of-24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of play, while four ASU running backs combined for 320 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

The Bears (1-2) generated a significant offensive push of their own, despite finding the end zone on just one occasion. MSU rushed for 179 yards, getting a career-high 77 yards on eight carries from Jason Randall, while quarterback Brodie Lambert finished his night with 162 yards on 16-of-32 passing.

Ryan Heaston, who rushed for 67 yards on eight carries to complement Randall’s performance, broke up the Red Wolves’ shutout bid with a 35-yard scoring run that completed a 75-yard scoring drive for MSU. Heaston carried the ball five times for 55 yards during the drive, including a 13-yard run that set up his burst through the right side that put the Bears on the scoreboard for the first time late in the third period.

Missouri State won the time of possession battle and was flagged just two times on the night, but ASU limited the Bears to 3-of-14 third-down conversions and turned three MSU turnovers into 21 points.

Arkansas State wasted little time in setting the tone for the evening, using a 19-yard scoring pass from Tabary to tight end Darion Griswold on its third play from scrimmage to take an early seven-point lead. The Red Wolves defense forced a three-and-out on the Bears’ opening possession of the game, and Chris Murray returned a Chris Sullens punt 34 yards to the MSU 28, before Tabary connected on three consecutive pass attempts to put ASU on top just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest.

The Missouri State defense held firm on A-State’s second possession of the night to force a punt, and the Bears offense appeared poised for a promising drive after moving the chains with a pair of Heaston rushes for 11 yards and a nine-yard Lambert completion to Eric Christophel. But Khari Lane snatched a deflected pass out of the air and returned the interception 44 yards to pay dirt, stretching the ASU lead to 14-0.

ASU hammered out an 11-play, 65-yard drive late in the opening period to extend the margin further. Tabary completed all four of his pass attempts for 22 yards on the drive, while Michael Gordon accounted for 40 rushing yards — the last 26 of which capped the scoring drive and made it a three-possession game.

Tabary connected with J.D. McKissic (14 yards) and Warren Leapheart (20 yards) on back-to-back plays to set up another Red Wolves touchdown early in the second quarter. Warren Wand completed the drive with another 26-yard scoring scamper to hand ASU a 28-point lead just 58 seconds into the period.

Tabary, who completed 15-of-18 first-half passes for 174 yards, connected with McKissic on a 49-yard touchdown toss later in the second as part of a 92-yard scoring drive. Johnston White scored the first of his three touchdowns with a 56-yard run to complete the first-half scoring for ASU, which rolled up 353 yards of total offense and averaged 9.1 yards per play in the first 30 minutes of action.

MSU kicked its offense into gear in the second quarter as well, racking up 153 yards of offense in the period and 201 for the half. Lambert hooked up with Eric Christophel for a 46-yard completion midway through the second to give the Bears their best scoring opportunity of the half. But the Red Wolves thwarted the threat, forcing a 39-yard Shelby Harris field goal try, which was wide to the left.

Lambert was successful of 13-of-23 attempts for 158 yards, and Erik Furmanek hauled in four receptions to pace the Bears’ attack in the opening half.

Dylan Cole led the Bears in tackles for the third consecutive game, finishing with a game-high 11 stops, including 1.5 for losses. Redshirt freshman safety Tre Betts turned in a career-high nine tackles, six of which were solo stops for the Bears.

Following a break in the schedule next weekend, the Bears return to action Oct. 3, when they open the Missouri Valley Football Conference season with a 2 p.m. game against Indiana State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

— MSU Athletics —

Cardinals lose second straight game at the Cubs

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riggertCardinalsCHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant got another Chicago Cubs rookie record.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Cubs and Cardinals might just want to just get at each other.

Jorge Soler and Bryant hit back-to-back homers, and tempers flared for the second straight game as Chicago beat St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Saturday for its fifth straight win to tighten the NL Central race.

Chicago is five games behind first-place St. Louis, which got a two-run homer from Matt Carpenter in the ninth. The Cubs entered the contest one game behind Pittsburgh for the top NL wild-card spot.

Cubs pitchers hit St. Louis batters three times. After closer Hector Rondon plunked pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to lead off the ninth with Chicago leading 5-1, both he and manager Joe Maddon were ejected.

“Obviously, we’re not trying to do that right there,” Maddon said.

Bryant’s drive against the wind and into the last row of the left field bleachers gave him 25 homers and tied the Cubs record for a rookie set by Billy Williams in 1961. Bryant, who sparkled at third base, also drove in a run with a double and scored in the first as he went 2 for 3 with a walk.

“He’s been outstanding,” Maddon said. “Great defense, wonderful hitting, one of the best baserunners in the National League already.

“He is the rookie of the year.”

Soler went deep for the first time since missing 23 games with a left oblique strain. Starlin Castro, who had six RBI on Friday, and Tommy La Stella also drove in runs for Chicago.

Rondon hitting Garcia nearly sparked a St. Louis comeback.

Carpenter homered off Zac Rosscup to cut it to 5-3. Tommy Pham and Jason Heyward followed with singles, but Pedro Strop got the final three outs — including a sac fly by Yadier Molina that trimmed it to 5-4 — for his third save.

“It was a very intense game,” Carpenter said. “But you know what? Every game from here on out is going be an intense game.

“We had a nice little ride there at the end. It just came up a little short.”

Shortstop Addison Russell ended it by diving up the middle to grab Stephen Piscotty’s grounder and flipped to second to force out Heyward.

“That was a base hit the moment it left the bat,” Maddon said. “(Russell) just willed his glove on the ball at the end of it.”

After St. Louis’ Kolten Wong was hit for a second time in the eighth, plate umpire Bruce Dreckman issued a warning.

Maddon used eight pitchers in a patchwork effort to cover for an empty spot in Chicago’s rotation. The second pitcher, Trevor Cahill (1-3), entered with two outs in the third and earned his first win with the Cubs by pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Michael Wacha (16-6) had won five of his previous six decisions, but gave up four runs — on six hits and four walks — in five innings.

The Cardinals’ magic number to clinch a fifth straight postseason berth remained at one.

Maddon’s ejection came after the manager called the Cardinals a “vigilante group” Friday night. He was upset when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch by Matt Belisle in Chicago’s 8-3 win. Dan Haren had hit Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday in the head with a pitch in the fifth.

30-30

Rizzo has been hit by a pitch an MLB-leading 29 times this season. He also leads the Cubs with 30 homers.

“It (being hit by a pitch) is part of the game,” Rizzo said. “It’s what teams do. I’m used to getting hit — one more and I’m 30-30.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Matt Holliday suffered only a bruise when he was hit by Haren, Matheny said. But Holliday continues to improve slowly from a right quadriceps strain that sidelined him for 41 games. He ran the bases before Saturday’s game, but was available only off the bench. “We’ve had some significant steps forward and times where we’ve just had to pause until more healing happens,” Matheny said. … C Yadier Molina started Saturday after being rested for two games.

Cubs: Soler was back in the starting lineup in right field for the first time since going on the DL on Aug. 24 and batted second. He struck out Friday as a pinch hitter in his first appearance since returning.

UP NEXT

St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (13-7, 3.02) faces LHP Jon Lester (10-10, 3.38) in the series finale on Sunday. Martinez hasn’t won since Aug. 27 and is 0-1 with two no-decisions in his last three starts. Lester is coming off his first complete game as a Cub, a 2-1, five-hit gem at Pittsburgh last Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

Area High School Football Scores – Friday, September 18

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riggertFootballCITY
Central 17 (1-4, 0-1 SUB Red)
@ Raymore-Peculiar 36 (3-2, 0-1 SUB Gold)

Benton 13 (2-3, 1-2 MEC)
@ Savannah 24 (2-3, 1-2 MEC)

Lafayette 7 (1-4, 1-2 MEC)
@ Smithville 35 (4-1, 3-0 MEC)

Bishop LeBlond 7 (3-2, 1-2 MEC)
@ Chillicothe 28 (4-1, 2-1 MEC)

Norborne/Hardin Central 50 (4-1, 0-0 CRC)
@ St. Joseph Christian 22 (3-2)

AREA
Cameron 0 (1-4, 0-3 MEC)
@ Maryville 63 (5-0, 3-0 MEC)

East Buchanan 38 (5-0, 3-0 KCI)
@ Mid-Buchanan 0 (3-2, 1-2 KCI)

Plattsburg 12 (1-4, 0-3 KCI)
@ Hamilton 29 (4-1, 3-0 KCI)

Lathrop 7 (1-4, 1-2 KCI)
@ Lawson 14 (3-2, 3-0 KCI)

West Platte 48 (2-3, 1-2 KCI)
@ North Platte 14 (2-3, 0-3 KCI)

King City 26 (3-1, 2-0 GRC)
@ Maysville 8 (2-3, 1-1 GRC)

Princeton 8 (1-4, 0-3 GRC)
@ Polo 26 (4-1, 3-0 GRC)

South Harrison 41 (3-2, 2-1 GRC)
@ Gallatin 8 (1-4, 1-2 GRC)

Braymer 46 (3-2, 0-2 GRC)
@ Wentworth 0

Trenton 13 (3-2)
@ Pembroke Hill 6 (2-3)

8-MAN
North Andrew 72 (5-0, 3-0 PVC)
@ Stewartsville 0 (1-4, 1-1 PVC)

Rock Port 20 (2-3, 2-3 275)
@ Mound City 48 (3-2, 1-2 275)

Worth County 62 (5-0, 4-0 275)
@ North West Nodaway 14 (1-4, 1-3 275)

Southwest Livingston 80 (4-1, 1-0 PVC)
@ Pattonsburg 0 (0-5, 0-3 PVC)

Stanberry 82 (5-0, 3-0 275)
@ Sacred Heart 26

Albany 44 (3-2, 2-2 275)
@ South Holt/Nodaway-Holt 42 (2-3, 1-2 275)

DeKalb 32 (4-1, 1-1 PVC)
@ South Nodaway 22 (0-5, 0-1 PVC)

Western volleyball extends win streak to eight with two victories Friday

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MWSUST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western volleyball team improved to 8-2 on the season after winning its seventh and eight games in-a-row Friday night over Oklahoma Baptist and Henderson State.

Missouri Western 3, Oklahoma Baptist 1

The Griffons racked up 63 kills while allowing just 39 in a three set to one victory over Oklahoma Baptist to open the night. Missouri Western won the first set before dropping the second, its only dropped set of the night. The Griffons hit .301 as a team and held OBU to a .116 hitting percentage.

Jessie Thorup nearly matched her career high for kills in a match for the second time this season with 24. Jordan Chohon and Rachel Friedrichs each added eight kills. Lindsey Partridge led the team with eight total blocks and Jordan Chohon totaled 50 assists. Kayla Ruff (16), Amanda Dalbey (13) and Chohon (13) all finished with double-digit digs.

Missouri Western 3, Henderson State 0

The Griffons were barely challenged, accumulating 51 points to Henderson State’s 23. The Griffons finished with 41 kills to Henderson State’s 19 and held the Reddies to a -.028 hitting percentage.

Shellby Taylor  and Thorup each finished with 10 kills. Ruff had 15 digs as the team completed the straight-set win over Henderson State and completed their portion of the MIAA/GAC Crossover.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals rally in ninth, then blow 12th inning lead at Detroit

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riggertRoyalsDETROIT (AP) — The Tigers and Royals had just about everything on Friday night.

The start of the game was delayed by 23 minutes when a light tower malfunctioned, and there was another delay in extra innings because of a problem with the mound. Detroit took a two-run lead in the eighth, only to blow it in the ninth.

Finally, the Royals took a lead in the 12th only for Dixon Machado’s bases-loaded single off Greg Holland to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory.

“That’s a couple of games where the guys have fought back, this time after being down in extra innings,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. “We fought back and got a great win.”

The game — which lasted 4 hours, 9 minutes — wouldn’t have been able to go much longer, as heavy rains hit Comerica Park about 20 minutes after the final out.

The Royals took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 12th after Salvador Perez singled and pinch-runner Terrance Gore stole second, took third on Jarrod Dyson’s bunt and scored on Paulo Orlando’s groundout.

“Dyson and Gore are a great pair of weapons,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “VerHagen’s delivery to the plate was 1.29 seconds, and (James) McCann’s throw was outstanding and in a perfect spot, and Gore still stole the bag and got us into scoring position.”

However, Anthony Gose led off the bottom of the 12th with a single off Holland (3-2), and after Ian Kinsler popped out, Miguel Cabrera singled and took second when no one covered the bag as Gose went to third. Holland intentionally walked J.D. Martinez to face Victor Martinez with the bases loaded.

Holland got the strikeout he needed, but walked Tyler Collins to force in the tying run. Machado then lined a 2-2 slider down the left-field line for the winning run.

“I knew I couldn’t take a deep breath when I got Victor, because if you relax in a situation like that, you are going to implode,” Holland said. “I just couldn’t consistently get the ball where I needed it in the zone, so I walk Collins and then hang a two-strike slider to Machado.”

Justin Verlander allowed one run and four hits with a walk, and has posted a 2.02 ERA in his last 11 starts. In that stretch, he has walked 14 batters and struck out 69 in 80 1/3 innings.

Ausmus pulled him to tremendous boos with a 3-1 lead and two out in the ninth after Eric Hosmer’s single. Perez crushed Alex Wilson’s second pitch for a game-tying homer.

“I’m a big believer in positive energy, and I don’t think that was a good situation to boo,” Verlander said. “We had a lot of good things going; here comes our reliever in to a bunch of boos. Obviously, they weren’t for him, but I’m a believer in positive vibes.”

Royals starter Johnny Cueto also got a no-decision, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk in seven-plus innings. He gave up a first-inning run for the fourth straight start, but settled down for his best outing since allowing one run in eight innings against the Angels on Aug. 15.

“I take a lot of pride in what I did tonight, because I threw the ball really well,” Cueto said through an interpreter. “I got myself into a rhythm and finally felt the way I’m supposed to feel out there.”

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first on Cabrera’s double, but he was easily thrown out at the plate by Orlando on Victor Martinez’s two-out single.

Orlando tied the game with a two-out double in the fifth, but Kinsler prevented a second run by making a sliding stop of Alcides Escobar’s grounder, then threw Escobar out from his knees.

Cueto and Verlander dueled until the bottom of the eighth, when Gose led off with a double. That brought Wade Davis into the game, and after almost hitting Kinsler with his first pitch, he allowed a single on the second.

Cabrera then lined a sacrifice fly to right, bringing home Gose with the go-ahead run. Kinsler took third when Davis threw away a pickoff attempt, and J.D. Martinez drew a walk.

Victor Martinez followed with another sacrifice fly to right, making the first run Davis had allowed in over a month, ending a string of 13 scoreless outings that started on Aug. 18.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 2B Omar Infante left the game in the fifth inning with a left oblique strain and was replaced by Zobrist. Infante, who had 7 RBI in Thursday night’s win over Cleveland, will be evaluated tomorrow. . Alcides Escobar left the game after being hit with a pitch in the 10th inning, but is expected to play Saturday.

Tigers: 3B Nick Castellanos was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game with a groin strain, but pinch-hit in the 11th inning. . SS Jose Igleisas was undergoing tests on his broken finger to see if he will be cleared to play before the end of the season.

UP NEXT:

The teams continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday night, with Edinson Volquez (13-8, 3.59) facing Detroit’s Matt Boyd (1-5, 8.02). Boyd has an 8.50 ERA in his last four starts, once against Kansas City, having allowed 17 runs on 22 hits in 18 innings.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis drops series opener at Chicago 8-3

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riggertCardinalsCHICAGO (AP) — Starlin Castro remembered the previous time he had six RBI in a game.

“Yeah, my debut,” he said. “That was a long time ago.”

Castro accomplished that in his first big league appearance, at Cincinnati on May 7, 2010 at Cincinnati.

He did it again Friday, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth inning and a three-run drive in the sixth to lead the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 Friday for their fourth straight win.

Castro went 3 for 3 with a walk in the third multihomer game of his career. He put the Cubs ahead 5-3 in the fifth with his drive off Seth Maness (4-2), then connected off Steve Cishek in the sixth for his 10th homer this season.

Castro, who lost his starting shortstop job in early August, has not lost his swing and upbeat attitude, according to manager Joe Maddon. And the infielder loved the curtain call following his second homer.

“I have like six years here and that never happened, never,” Castro said. “That’s my first time and I enjoyed it so much.”

Maddon was heartened by Castro’s performance and recognition.

“When his name has been called, he’s been ready,” Maddon said. “I’ve been nothing but impressed with him this whole time.

Chicago began the day two games behind Pittsburgh for the NL’s top wild-card berth. The Cubs closed within six games of the NL Central-leading Cardinals.

Tommy Hunter (2-0), the second Chicago reliever, got one out in the fifth, and Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Fernando Rodney and Neil Ramirez combined for four scoreless innings of two-hit relief.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn lasted 3 1/3 innings and threw 83 pitches, allowing three runs, four hits and six walks. He is 0-2 with a 9.26 ERA in his last three starts, giving up 12 runs, 15 hits and 11 walks in 11 2/3 innings.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny and a trainer went to the mound to speak with Lynn with one out in the fourth. Lynn walked Dexter Fowler and was replaced by Tyler Lyons.

“I was a little caught on the mound. That happens sometimes as the game goes on,” Lynn said.

Chicago starter Dan Haren gave up three runs — one earned — and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Matheny and Matt Belisle, the sixth St. Louis reliever, were ejected in the seventh after Belisle hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch.

“Obviously there was a warning, but I had to try to pitch in, so what can you do,” Belisle said.

Plate umpire Dan Bellino had issued a warning after St. Louis pinch hitter Matt Holliday was struck on the back of the helmet by a pitch from Haren in the fifth. After walking to first, Holliday was replaced by pinch-runner Pete Kozma.

Matheny said Holliday sustained only a bruise. Holliday returned from the disabled list this week after being sidelined 41 days with a right quadriceps strain, and Matheny had planned to run for him.

Haren said hitting Holliday was accidental.

“Going inside on him is one of the only places I can go, and I just lost it,” Haren said. “The ball popped out my hand.”

Maddon was angry over what he claimed was retaliation by the Cardinals.

“There was no malicious intent on Dan Haren’s part,” Maddon said. “So to become this vigilante group that all off a sudden wants to get their own pound of flesh, that’s absolutely insane, ridiculous and wrong. … And furthermore, we won’t start stuff, but we will end stuff.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Cardinals: Matheny held C Yadier Molina out of the starting lineup for a second straight day to give him rest.

Cubs: Rookie Kris Bryant didn’t start despite having six hits, including four doubles, in the previous two games. He grounded out as a pinch hitter in the sixth and stayed in the game at third base.

UP NEXT

Ace RHP Michael Wacha (16-5, 2.96) will start for St. Louis on Saturday and LHP Travis Wood (5-4, 4.11 ERA) for Chicago.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs suffer stunning loss to Denver Thursday 31-24

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riggertChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The curse of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos lives on in Kansas City.

Bradley Roby returned Jamaal Charles’s second fumble 21 yards for a touchdown with 27 seconds left Thursday night, completing a stunning comeback for a 31-24 victory over the Chiefs.

Manning threw for 256 yards and three scores, the last to Emmanuel Sanders with 36 seconds left as the Broncos (2-0) appeared to force overtime.

But on the next play by the Chiefs (1-1), Charles was stripped by Brandon Marshall and the ball bounced right into Roby’s hands.

“I’m not quite sure I’d ever been in one quite like that,” Manning said. “That was a new one for me.”

The dramatic about-face came after Knile Davis gave Kansas City the lead with 2:27 left on an 8-yard run, raising hope among a sellout crowd that the Chiefs might finally end some curses.

Instead, Denver pushed its winning streak to seven straight over its AFC West rival, while the ageless Manning quieted his many doubters by improving to 14-1 in his career against the Chiefs.

Charles finished with 125 yards rushing and a touchdown, but he will only remember his fumbles — one in the red zone early in the game, the other deep in his own territory late in the game.

Alex Smith threw for 191 yards for Kansas City, but he also was picked off twice.

Manning threw a pick-six of his own, but he responded when it mattered the most.

The Broncos had taken over at their own 20-yard line with 2:27 left and trailing 24-17, and the seven-time All-Pro marched them calmly down field. He found Demaryius Thomas for three long receptions to get deep into Chiefs territory, then hit Sanders over the middle on third-and-10 from the Chiefs 19 for the tying touchdown that kept the Broncos alive.

The late-game dramatics transpired after the Chiefs bolted to a 14-0 lead in their home-opener, energizing a boisterous, red-clad crowd that had been tailgating all afternoon.

But like he has so often against the Chiefs, Manning answered by leading Denver on an 80-yard TD march late in the first half. The capper was a pass over the middle to Sanders, who slipped between the safeties and somersaulted into the end zone for the 16-yard touchdown reception.

Two plays later, Aqib Talib picked off Smith on a poorly thrown play in the flat, and the Broncos needed just four plays for Manning to find Virgil Green with the tying touchdown toss.

After swapping field goals, the Chiefs appeared to put the game away when Davis took a handoff from Smith as the quarterback fell down and raced into the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

Turned out to be not late enough for Manning and the Broncos.

— Associated Press —

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