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Kansas State’s rally comes up short against No. 18 Texas

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Texas coach Tom Herman talked with one of his predecessors, Mack Brown, just as he does every week, and the old Longhorns coach warned him about playing Kansas State in Manhattan.

They’re a different team on the road, Brown said. They play with more energy, channeling the will of the crowd, and the team that was trounced by West Virginia last week wouldn’t show up Saturday.

“It was very much the way we told our players it would be,” Herman said.

The No. 18 Longhorns roared to a big lead, bogged down in the second half, then held on through a tense fourth quarter for a 19-14 victory that snapped a five-game road skid against the Wildcats.

“We won ugly, but the key is we won,” Herman said. “They all look pretty on Sunday morning.”

Sam Ehlinger threw for 207 yards and a touchdown, and D’Shawn Jamison returned a punt 90 yards for another score, as the Longhorns opened a 19-0 lead by halftime. Then, Keaontay Ingram churned for a first down with three minutes to go to help the Longhorns (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) seal the win.

“It shows our maturity, being able to overcome a lull in what’s going on,” Ehlinger said. “A lot of offenses would have curled up but we chose to finish.”

Skylar Thompson threw for 96 yards in relief of ineffective quarterback Alex Delton, and he led the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) to a pair of touchdowns in the second half. But after they got the ball back with 7:12 to go, Thompson threw a pair of incompletions as Kansas State went three-and-out, and coach Bill Snyder’s offense never got another opportunity with the ball.

“All losses are painful. There is a variety of different reasons why didn’t win the ballgame,” Snyder said. “I think we became a little better football team, not necessarily because of this game but because of the way we practiced last week.”

The Longhorns leaned on their defense in the opening half, getting a pair of sacks by Charles Omenihu — one for a safety — while shutting down Kansas State’s powerful run game.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ dismal half was summarized by the way it ended, when they had first-and-goal at the Texas 5. Alex Barnes was stuffed, and two runs by Delton went nowhere, before his pass on the final play hit fullback Adam Harter in the hands and dropped incomplete.

The result? Texas carried its 19-0 lead into the break.

The Longhorns were so stingy on defense — and Kansas State so inept on offense — that running back Tre Watson had more yards passing after a 21-yard halfback pass than the entire Wildcats roster in the first half. Delton was 3 of 7 for 14 yards.

In fact, Texas had more yardage in penalties (80) than Kansas State had on offense (64).

The Wildcats switched quarterbacks at halftime and Thompson promptly led them 82 yards on their opening possession, capping the drive by keeping it on third-and-goal for a 7-yard touchdown run.

Suddenly, that herky-jerky offense had found its rhythm.

Texas kicker missed an opportunity to extend the lead when he pushed a 47-yard field goal right, and Kansas State marched downfield again. Thompson hit Dalton Schoen to convert one fourth down, and Barnes plowed in on fourth-and-goal from the Texas 1 to make it 19-14 with 9:55 to go.

“We rallied together as a team and came out with a different mentality than we did in the first half,” Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes said.

But after forcing Texas to punt, the Wildcats went three-and-out and the Longhorns got the ball back. They managed to convert on third-and-11 before getting another first down to ice the win.

“When you look at our record,” Herman said, “you’re not going to see half a `W’ for this. They all count the same, and we told our guys, `Championships are won on the road.”

BECK’S STATUS

Herman said that offensive coordinator Tim Beck was recovering after being hospitalized for a bacterial infection in his elbow and should rejoin the team soon. “He had to be on IV antibiotics and had surgery Thursday to clean all that infection out,” Herman said. “That’s a lesson for all of us, you have one of those nagging deals, you should get it looked at.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Ehlinger now has nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions this season. … Texas had not won in Manhattan since 2002. … Barnes finished with 80 yards rushing for Kansas State. … The Wildcats’ Isaiah Zuber had five catches for just 33 yards. He was coming off back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. … Texas was flagged for 104 yards in penalties.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The march up the rankings will likely continue for the Longhorns, who have followed their season-opening loss to Maryland with their longest win streak since the 2013 season.

UP NEXT

Texas: Face the Sooners next Saturday in Dallas.

Kansas State: Heads to Baylor next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball falls in five sets to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 4-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers escaped Bearcat Arena with a five-set win over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. The Lopers won by set scores of 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-11.

UNK extended its win streak to six in a row, while snapping Northwest’s nine-match winning streak. UNK moves to 19-1 overall and 6-1 MIAA play. Northwest falls to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in MIAA action.

Bearcat sophomore Hallie Sidney recorded a career-high 27 kills. Sidney’s 27-kill performance tied for the eighth-best kill effort in school history.

Senior Olivia Nowakowski tied for the eighth-most digs in a five-set match in Bearcat history with 35 against the Lopers.

Northwest jumped out to a two-set lead behind the play of Sidney, who tallied 14 kills in the opening two sets.

UNK used a balanced offensive attack with Julianne Jackson (13 kills) and Emma Benton (11 kills) to rally from the two-set deficit.

The Bearcats recorded a season highs in digs (114) and kills (71).

Northwest will remain at home and play a pair of matches in Bearcat Arena coming up this Friday vs. Central Oklahoma (6 p.m.) and Saturday vs. Pittsburg State (3 p.m.)

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska’s skid continues with 42-28 loss to Purdue

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Even as badly as Nebraska is playing right now, a win over the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium is always cause for celebration.

That was especially true for Purdue, which beat the Huskers 42-28 on Saturday for its second straight win after an 0-3 start.

“It’s big, it’s big for our program,” said quarterback David Blough, who threw for 328 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. “Nebraska, no matter what, at home is a tough team to beat, whatever their record is. We knew we had to come, do the little things right, take care of the football. We had some penalties go our way.”

Some?

The Huskers, in losing their program-record eighth straight game, amassed 582 total yards and 30 first downs but couldn’t overcome five personal fouls and a total of 11 penalties for 136 yards. The Huskers (0-4, 0-2 Big Ten) also set a program record with their seventh straight home loss on a chilly and misty afternoon.

“In three of our games, we’ve played well enough to win a game,” Nebraska first-year coach Scott Frost said. “In my opinion, we looked like one of the most undisciplined teams in the country, and it kills me.”

Nebraska has the second-longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. UTEP took a 16-game losing streak into its game at UTSA.

The Huskers’ most recent win was Oct. 28, 2017, against the Boilermakers. Their most recent home win was Sept. 23, 2017, against Rutgers.

Markell Jones gave Purdue (2-3, 1-1) a 42-21 lead with a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

“I think it’s a huge win for us,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “I don’t care what Nebraska’s record is, coming into the venue against this team that’s on the ropes a bit. Every team in our conference is going to be a challenge.”

Devine Ozigbo rushed for a career-high 170 yards for the Huskers, and he scored from 23 yards out to make it a 14-point game with 13:04 left. But Adrian Martinez was intercepted and the Huskers turned the ball over on downs on their last three possessions.

Martinez, a true freshman starting his second straight game, threw for 323 yards and ran for 91 in his best performance.

“We don’t accept losing — coach Frost doesn’t and the players don’t,” Martinez said. “It’s not something I’m used to, he’s not used to it and we’re not going to put up with it. He’s given his heart out to us and we have to respond and play. I feel like we let him down a little bit. We need to come back firing this next week.”

D.J. Knox led Purdue with 87 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Rondale Moore caught eight passes for 85 yards and Brycen Hopkins had five receptions for 103.

“We knew this would be a tough football game,” Brohm said. “We knew the team would be hungry for a win and the fans would come out like they always do. We had to block that out. Our guys just played well. When Nebraska made some runs we could have easily shut that down. We are happy to come out with the victory.”

THE TAKEAWAY:

Purdue: The Boilermakers, coming off a win over then-ranked Boston College, were able to win their first road game thanks to Nebraska’s undisciplined play. Blough completed 25 of 42 passes and ran seven times for 38 yards, and Moore made a number of dazzling plays.

Nebraska: The Huskers had the better offensive numbers, but penalties continue to kill them. Their 582 yards were the most in a loss since they amassed 610 against Colorado in 2007.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE

Purdue scored on all six of its red-zone opportunities and did not turn over the ball for the first time this season. The Boilermakers finished with 516 total yards.

KNOCK OFF THE DANCING

Before kickoffs, a group of Nebraska players danced to music playing over the public-address speakers — and Frost didn’t like it.

“When we were down 13 points and we had backups and reserves dancing on our sideline before kickoffs, they look like they love losing and they look undisciplined,” Frost said.

UP NEXT:

Purdue visits Illinois on Oct. 13.

Nebraska visits No. 15 Wisconsin on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas loses at home to Oklahoma State 48-28

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — After last week’s 24-point loss to Texas Tech that knocked them out of the top 25, Oklahoma State came to Kansas on Saturday needing a big win. Almost right away, you could tell that wouldn’t be a difficult goal.

Taylor Cornelius passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns, Justice Hill ran for 189 yards and the Cowboys (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) cruised to a 48-28 win over the Jayhawks (2-3, 0-2 Big 12).

Oklahoma State found the end zone on each of its first three possessions and scored on their first four, setting the tone early.

“I was proud of how our guys started the game,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Sometimes we’ve not played real good up here in the first half. I thought our defense and offense really took the field and motivated themselves and played well early in the game, which was very important.”

Kansas’ defense was simply no match.

“They had a really good gameplan, and they executed it,” coach David Beaty said. “That was the key.”

Cornelius got things going early, throwing to Tylan Wallace on a slant route for the 11-yard touchdown before hitting Landon Wolf for a 42-yard score on a deep ball the next drive.

Cornelius’ first incompletion didn’t come until the third drive, when he overthrew a wide-open Braydon Johnson streaking down the field. Kansas would not learn from that lucky break, though, as Tyron Johnson got open on almost an identical route on the next play on his way to a 64-yard score.

“It was just something we worked on all week, those shot plays,” Cornelius said. “Missed Braydon on the first one, then we were confident enough to come back with a different little scheme the next time. Tyron did a great job getting open. Just made the throw that time.”

Hill was a steady counterweight to the passing game, averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 31 rushes. He scored in the third quarter, running in from 10 yards out after a pair of big passes got the Cowboys in the red zone.

“Our plan going in was to let him carry the load, and it worked out well for us,” Gundy said. “He made the extra guy miss several times. We’re lucky to have a guy special enough to do that.”

Kansas turned to Carter Stanley for his first start under center all year, benching Peyton Bender who had previously started all four games. Stanley responded well, throwing for 247 yards on 24-of-32 passing and three touchdowns.

“I was definitely happy to be out there, no doubt,” Stanley said. “Felt good. But me personally, I know I can — on some simple stuff, some simple stuff that may not seem like a big deal — I know I can be a lot better in certain situations.”

True freshman Pooka Williams shined once again, picking up 97 yards rushing and 60 yards in the passing game. This included a 60-yard ground burst for a score in the Jayhawks’ first drive of the second half, his fourth touchdown on the year.

MISSING MILES

Kansas quarterback Miles Kendrick did not play after sustaining a shoulder injury last week against Baylor. Kendrick had been in a timeshare with the now-replaced Peyton Bender all season, but seemed to be earning a larger role after playing the entire second half in Week 3 before going down.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

Oklahoma State finished with 92 penalty yards to Kansas’ 43. There were multiple instances in which the Jayhawks got significant help from the Cowboys’ mistakes, most noticeably in the passing game.

“Eight penalties for 92 yards, that’s crazy,” Gundy said. “We gave up a plus-40 in the penalty (margin). So way too many penalties, off a couple offensive pass interferences. But we’ve got to improve in that area.”

WOLF’S WELCOMING

Wolf entered the game with just four catches on the year for 41 yards, all coming in Oklahoma State’s first two games against lesser competition. As a two-year walk-on put on scholarship before this season, his role in the offense seemed firmly limited.

But when Jalen McCleskey announced his plans to redshirt and transfer, opportunity arose for Wolf. He wouldn’t let that go to waste, finishing with 116 yards on six catches including the 42-yard score.

“That dude, he stepped up today,” Cornelius said. “He played good. He knows how to get open, he runs good routes. I’m so happy for him.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State grabs a much-needed first Big 12 win after taking a drubbing last week at the hands of Texas Tech. Big victories like these will help the Cowboys make it back into the Top 25.

Kansas slides to 2/3 and 0-2 in the Big 12. After a promising start to the year, one has to think Beaty’s leash is growing shorter with every loss.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home to face Iowa State on Saturday.

Kansas hits the road Saturday to take on No. 12 West Virginia.

Several Griffons earn personal bests at Rim Rock Farm Classic

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LARWENCE, Kan. – Missouri Western Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed at the Rim Rock Farm Classic on Saturday. The women finished eighth in the team standings in the 6k run while the men finished tenth in the 8k. The meet featured 16 teams from various NCAA division ranks.

The Griffon women’s team earned an average time of 24:08.16. In a field of 149 runners, three Griffons finished in the top-50. Megan Gillen was again the top-finisher for the Griffons with a time of 23:22.8, good for 32nd place. Not far behind Gillen was Allison Goos who placed 38th with a time of 23:34.2. Kelsey Cox was the next Griffon at 24:04.3.

The men’s team finished tenth with an average time of 26:35.74 in the 8k race. Riley Gorham was the leading Griffon for the first time this season. Gorham placed 36th out of the 189 runners with a team-best 26:06.3 time. Brandon Colner was again one of the top performers for the men’s team as he ran a 26:24.6. Christian Arbuthnot rounded out the top-three performers for the Griffons on Saturday.

Missouri Western Cross Country will be back in action on October 6 as both teams travel to Emporia State for the ESU Invitational.

— MWSU Athletics —

Area High School Football Scores – Friday, September 28

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CITY
Lee’s Summit 15 (4-2, 3-1 Suburban Red)
@ Central 6 (1-5, 1-4 Suburban Red)

Chillicothe 6 (1-5, 1-3 MEC)
@ Lafayette 56 (5-1, 3-1 MEC)

Benton 8 (1-5, 1-3 MEC)
@ Maryville 58 (5-1, 4-0 MEC)

St. Piux X 51 (4-2, 3-1 MEC)
@ Bishop LeBlond 26 (0-6, 0-4 MEC)

Worth County (5-0, 3-0 GRC)
@ St. Joseph Christian (0-4, 0-4 GRC)

AREA
MEC
Cameron 20 (2-4, 0-4 MEC)
@ Savannah 77 (4-2, 4-0 MEC)

KCI
Mid-Buchanan 28 OT (3-3, 1-3 KCI)
@ East Buchanan 34 (6-0, 4-0 KCI)

Lawson 7 (5-1, 3-1 KCI)
@ Lathrop 21 (6-0, 4-0 KCI)

North Platte 18 (2-4, 2-2 KCI)
@ West Platte 14 (1-5, 0-4 KCI)

Hamilton 42 (4-2, 2-2 KCI)
@ Plattsburg 6 (1-5, 0-4 KCI)

GRC
Polo 18 (0-6, 0-4 GRC)
@ Maysville 24 (1-5, 1-3 GRC)

South Harrison 22 (4-2, 3-1 GRC)
@ Gallatin 23 (5-1, 4-0 GRC)

Milan 43 (6-0, 4-0 GRC)
@ Trenton 22 (1-5, 1-3 GRC)

Putnam County 15 (1-5, 0-4 GRC)
@ Princeton 42 (4-2, 3-1 GRC)

8-MAN
GRC
Stanberry 44 (6-0, 6-0 GRC)
@ North Andrew 36 (3-3, 1-3 GRC)

Albany 66 (3-3, 2-2 GRC)
@ Braymer 18 (0-6, 0-4 GRC)

Norborne / Hardin-Central 8 (3-3)
@ Pattonsburg 66 (5-1, 4-1 GRC)

King City 66 (3-3, 1-3 GRC)
@ Rock Port 20 (4-2, 4-1 275)

275
East Atchison 12 (4-2, 4-2 275)
@ Mound City 62 (6-0, 5-0 275)

Stewartsville 8 (1-5, 1-4 275)
@ South Holt / Nodaway Holt 58 (3-3, 3-2 275)

DeKalb 42 (2-4, 1-4 275)
@ North-West Nodaway 40 (0-6, 0-6 275)

Platte Valley 6 (1-5, 1-4 275)
@ Southwest Livingston 52 (5-1, 5-1 275)

MWSU volleyball falls in three sets to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney

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ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western (9-9, 2-4 MIAA) fell in three sets (25-21, 25-20, 28-26) to the No. 4-ranked Nebraska Kearney Lopers (18-1, 5-1 MIAA) on Friday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

NOTABLES

  • The No. 4-ranked Lopers entered Friday’s night game as the highest-ranked opponent the Griffons have faced this season.
  • Friday’s loss was only the third time the Griffons have been swept this season, with one of the other sweeps coming against another ranked team in No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State.
  • The Griffons nearly won the third set and were leading 22-17 after an Ali Tauchen solo block.
  • Last year, the Griffons were swept in their first match against Nebraska Kearney before winning the rematch at the end of the season against the then fifth-ranked Lopers.
  • Missouri Western will have another chance to take down Nebraska Kearney on November 2.

STATS AND LEADERS

  • The Griffons totaled nine blocks as a team, with five of those coming in the third set.
  • Rachel Losch was the most efficient player on the court tonight, hitting .571 on her nine kills.
  • Liv Winker led all players with 34 assists.
  • The Griffons struggled to hit consistently on offense. Their best-hitting set came in the first at .209.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will face off against Fort Hays tomorrow on Saturday September 29 at 2:00 p.m.
  • The Tigers have lost eight straight matches and have been swept in seven of those eight losses.
  • Saturday’s match will be the second match of five straight at home for the Griffons.

    — MWSU Athletics —

Bearcat volleyball sweeps Fort Hays State for ninth straight win

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MARYVILLE, Missouri – The Northwest Missouri State volleyball team ran its win streak to nine in a row with a decisive 3-0 victory over Fort Hays State Friday in Bearcat Arena. Northwest won by set scores of 25-18, 25-11, 25-17.

Northwest (14-3 overall, 6-0 MIAA) hit .375 and posted an 80.9 sideout percentage in the sweep. Fort Hays State (6-12 overall, 0-6 MIAA) hit .141 for the match.

Senior Maddy Bruder and sophomore Hallie Sidney provided the offensive punch against the Tigers. Bruder had a match-high 15 kills (.438), while Sidney added 14 kills (.467). Sophomore Maddy Ahrens tallied 42 assists. Senior Olivia Nowakoski paced the defense with 13 digs.

Northwest jumped out to an 11-5 advantage in the opening set and never looked back in a 25-18 win. The Bearcats hit .318 in the opening set with 17 kills to go against three attack errors. Senior Sofia Schleppenbach went for five kills in five attempts in the first set.

The Bearcats rolled to a 25-11 triumph in the second set. The Bearcats opened up a 17-5 lead. Northwest pounded out a .522 hitting percentage with 14 kills and two errors, while holding Fort Hays State to .000 attack percentage with seven kills and seven errors. Bruder went 6-for-7 in kills in the second.

Northwest closed out its 13th sweep of the season with a 25-17 triumph in the third set. Fort Hays State trailed 14-13 before Northwest compiled a 6-1 run to open up a 20-14 lead. The Bearcats rode Sidney in the final set with a six kills.

Northwest will return to its home floor Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Nebraska-Kearney. Admission is free.

NOTES: Northwest’s nine-game win streak is tied for the fourth-longest in school history … Northwest had a pair of nine-game win streaks in 1984 and 1994 … Northwest is 6-0 in MIAA for the first time in school history … Nowakowski moved into third place in school history in career digs … Nowakowski has posted 1,497 digs and trails only Page Spangenberg (2007-2010) with 2,489 digs and Jill Quast (1997-2000) with 1,924 digs) … Nowakowski moved past Jennifer Pittrich (1993-1996), who posted 1,488 digs, and Tori Beckman (2010-2012), who tallied 1,488 digs.

— Northwest Athletics —

Western soccer rallies for dramatic OT win over Emporia State

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ST. JOSEPH – The fans at Spratt Stadium earned every penny of their ticket on Friday night, as the Griffons outlasted the Hornets in a back-and-forth game that saw three ties and four lead changes. Griffon Soccer (6-3) defeated Emporia State (6-2-1) in overtime on Friday night by a score of 4-3 to pick up their first MIAA conference win. The Griffons were down 3-2 with under a minute left when Claire Meyers kept the team’s hopes alive with her game-tying goal to take the game into overtime. In overtime, it was Menke who sent the Hornets home after converting on the penalty kick.

NOTABLES

  • Claire Meyers’ goal to send the game into overtime came with just 14 seconds left in the game. Her third goal of the season now ties her for the second-most on the team.
  • Claire Meyers also drew the caution in the box in overtime that set up the game-winning goal for the Griffons.
  • Cassidy Menke drilled the game-winning penalty kick goal in the right corner to give Missouri Western its first MIAA conference win of the season.
  • The Griffons’ last overtime game came on October 8 of last season, a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Fort Hays.
  • Missouri Western’s last overtime win came on October 7, 2016 in a 2-1 win at Nebraska Kearney.
  • Friday night’s game against the Hornets marked the first time the Griffons scored four goals in an MIAA game since scoring five against Missouri Southern on September 29 of last season.

STATS AND LEADERS

  • Cassidy Menke’s two-score performance on Friday night elevates her team-leading goal total to five and puts her tied for fourth in the MIAA.
  • Lillian Davis led all Griffons with three shots on goal, with one of those earning Davis her second goal of the season.
  • Anna Mayer’s win move her up to 6-2 on the season.
  • Friday’s four-goal game puts Missouri Western into the top-five in MIAA scoring average.

UP NEXT

  • Missouri Western will host Washburn on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Spratt Memorial Stadium.
  • The Ichabods come to St. Joseph with a 5-4 overall record after defeating Northwest Missouri on Friday night to pick up its first conference win.

    — MWSU Athletics —

Royals give up 10-run seventh inning in loss to Cleveland

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam and double during a 10-run seventh inning, powering the Cleveland Indians past the Kansas City Royals 14-6 Friday night.

The AL Central champion Indians improved to 90-70, marking the third time in team history they’ve won at least 90 in three straight years.

Jason Kipnis’ homer in the Cleveland third was the game’s only run in the first six innings.

But the Indians then broke loose for their first 10-run inning since doing it on Sept. 30, 2012, against the Royals in Cleveland.

Cleveland began the nine-hit inning with a double before singles by Yonder Alonso and Melky Cabrera chased Royals started Ian Kennedy (3-9).

Kipnis and Roberto Perez greeted reliever Tim Hill with singles. Francisco Lindor followed with a chopper to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn against a drawn-in Royals infield, and his wild throw home let two more runs score.

One out later, reliever Jake Newberry walked Jose Ramirez and gave up an RBI single to Edwin Encarnacion. Donaldson, acquired Aug. 31 in a trade with Toronto, launched his fifth career grand slam and second this season. He also had one in April for the Blue Jays.

Adam Rosales, who pinch-ran for Alonso earlier in the inning, doubled and later scored on a double by Greg Allen, who pinch-ran for Kipnis.

The 10 runs were the most the Royals had allowed in an inning this season.

It was a welcome outburst for the Indians, who had only scored two runs in the first 16 innings of the series.

Mike Clevinger (13-8) was the beneficiary of the bonanza. He allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Brian Goodwin hit a grand slam in the Royals ninth off Adam Plutko. It was the second career grand slam for Goodwin, acquired in a July trade with Washington. He also had one March 31 for the Nationals.

Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 18 games for the Royals. It’s the longest active streak in the majors and one shy of his career best.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: Manager Terry Francona essentially ruled out INF Erik Gonzalez for the remainder of the weekend. He said Gonzalez, who was hit in the head by a pitch Wednesday at the Chicago White Sox, remains in concussion protocol. The team hopes Ramirez will be available for an intrasquad game Tuesday in preparation for the AL Division Series, which starts Friday in Houston.

NEXT UP

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (20-7, 2.83 ERA) will make his final appearance before the ALDS. RHP Jakob Junis (8-12, 4.42) is scheduled to start for the Royals.

— Associated Press —

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