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Missouri Western volleyball goes 1-1 Saturday in St. Charles

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Missouri Western volleyball team swept the University of Bridgeport (25-15, 25-18, 25-9) in their first match of the day Saturday but fell to West Texas A&M, 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22), in their final match at the Lindenwood Last Minute Challenge.

SERVES UP
MWSU served nine services aces as a team in the sweep over Bridgeport. Amanda Dalbey, Kayla Ruff and Ali Tauchen each recorded two aces for the Griffons. Mikayla Sellers-Wiebe would add two more aces for the Griffons against West Texas A&M.

HEAVY HITTERS
Stephanie Doak and Ali Tauchen combined for 65 of Missouri Western’s 104 kills in the two matches. Doak finished the day with 37 kills, including a new career-best 21 kills against West Texas A&M. Tauchen finished with double digit kills in both games, highlighted by a career-high 17 kills and .441 hitting percentage in the final match.

MONIES WORTH
Missouri Western and West Texas A&M made sure everyone got their monies worth as both teams battled the entire way. Three of the four sets in the match would be decided by three points or less. After ending the third set on an 8-2 run, MWSU won the set in extra points, 26-24.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Fort Smith, Arkansas on Thursday, Sept. 14 as it takes on Arkansas-Fort Smith at 7 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Adams’ 2 defensive TDs lift No. 19 Kansas State to rout of Charlotte

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kendall Adams hadn’t scored since high school.

On Saturday, the defensive player reached the end zone twice in the first half returning an interception and fumble for touchdowns to lead Kansas State. The No. 19 Wildcats used those scores to rout Charlotte 55-7.

Kansas State (2-0) led 14-0 midway through the first quarter, before Adams took an interception 30 yards up the far sideline and made it 21-0.

“Coach Hayes had help set up what they were going to do,” Adams said. “We had that game plan and I sat on the route, broke on it, got the ball and just ran it in.”

The pick was Adams first of the season. With just over four minutes remaining before halftime, Adams was in the right place again as he picked up a fumble from 46 yards out to make the score 31-7.

“Coaches always tell us to pick up the ball if it’s borderline and that’s what I did, I couldn’t tell if it was a live ball or not so I just picked it up and took it in.”

The last Wildcat to accomplish this feat was Dyshod Carter against Missouri in 1999.

On offense, the Wildcats were just as effective with Alex Barnes, Jesse Ertz and Winston Dimel scoring.

After struggling in the running game a week ago, the Wildcats scored five rushing touchdowns and gained 304 yards on the ground against Charlotte (0-2).

One of the many highlights on the day for the Wildcats was a 20 yard gain by Alex Barnes that ended with him hurdling over a Charlotte defender.

Barnes ended his day with 102 yards rushing along with his one score.

“It just shows how diverse of an offense we are,” Barnes said. “Last week we were not getting it done on the ground so we threw for 400 yards. This week it was a little tougher in the air so wee just grounded the rock all day.”

TAKEAWAYS:

Kansas State: Bill Snyder improved to 19-1 all-time against Conference USA opponents.

Charlotte: Saturday’s loss to Kansas State marks the first time Charlotte has started 0-2 to begin the season since they became a member of NCAA’s FBS division starting in 2015.

INJURY REPORT:

Kansas State right tackle Dalton Risner left in the game’s first series with an injury and did not return for the rest of the game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas State will remain ranked in the AP’s Top 25 this coming week.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats visit Vanderbilt.

Charlotte: The 49ers host North Carolina A&T.

— Associated Press —

Nebraska’s rally comes up short at Oregon

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EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns, and the Oregon Ducks spoiled Mike Riley’s homecoming with a 42-35 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.

Royce Freeman rushed for 153 yards and two scores while Charles Nelson caught eight passes for a career-high 117 yards as the Ducks handed first-year coach Willie Taggart his second straight win to open the season.

The Huskers (1-1) rallied from a 42-14 halftime deficit with three unanswered second-half touchdowns to close the gap, but ultimately fell short.

Tanner Lee finished with 252 yards passing and three touchdowns for Nebraska, but he was intercepted four times, including on the Huskers’ final drive. Tre Bryant ran for 107 yards and a score but had to be helped off the field because of an injury early in the fourth quarter.

Riley had two stints as coach at Oregon State between 1997 and 2014. Saturday was his first trip back to the state for a game since he took over as head coach of Nebraska two seasons ago.

Riley grew up in Corvallis, some 50 miles north of Eugene, and played quarterback for Corvallis High School. His dad was an assistant at Oregon State.

During his time with the Beavers, Riley was 1-6 at Autzen Stadium in Civil War rivalry games. The only win was in 2007 when the Beavers beat the Ducks 38-31 in double overtime.

Autzen was certainly inhospitable to Riley in the first half on Saturday. The Ducks got off to a quick 14-0 start, scoring on their opening drive when Herbert hit Brenden Schooler with a 32-yard touchdown pass, and then some two minutes later when Herbert found Charles Nelson with an 8-yard scoring pass.

After De’Mornay Pierson-El’s stunning TD catch on Lee’s 23-yard pass narrowed it for Nebraska, Freeman ran for a 2-yard touchdown to put the Ducks up 21-7.

Bryant rushed for a Nebraska score before Freeman extended Oregon’s lead with a 1-yard TD dive. The Ducks’ running back, who decided to stay for his senior season after meeting with Taggart, rushed for 150 yards and four scores in Oregon’s 77-21 season-opening win over Southern Oregon last weekend.

The Ducks added a pair of touchdowns to go into the half with a 42-14 lead but Lee threw a pair of scoring passes, of 18 and 28 yards, to Stanley Morgan Jr. to close the gap in the second half. The rally energized the big travelling contingent of Husker fans.

Mikale Wilbon ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:47 left in the game for Nebraska. The Huskers’ next drive was thwarted when Lee was picked off by Ugochukwo Amadi.

Freshman Thomas Graham Jr. finished with two interceptions for the Ducks.

The Huskers were coming off a 43-36 victory over Arkansas State last Saturday. They went 9-4 last season, their second under Riley.

Taggart took over at Oregon in December after the Ducks went 4-8 last season and dismissed coach Mark Helfrich.

TAKEAWAYS

Nebraska: There was no immediate word about the severity of Bryant’s injury. Trainers were looking at his right knee on the sidelines after it occurred. … The Huskers were 23-8 against Pac-12 foes going into the game. … The game completes the home-and-home series against Oregon. Last season Nebraska beat the Ducks 35-32 in Lincoln.

Oregon: Receiver Charles Nelson surpassed 100 catches for his career at Oregon in the opening quarter. … It was Nelson’s second career game with more than 100 receiving yards.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Huskers host Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium next weekend.

Oregon: The Ducks visit Wyoming next weekend.

— Associated Press —

Kansas loses at home to Central Michigan

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Shane Morris threw for 467 yards and five touchdowns on an efficient 28 of 37 attempts while leading Central Michigan to a 45-27 victory over Kansas on Saturday.

In their first road game of the season, the Chippewas rolled into Memorial Stadium and took control late in the second quarter after a quiet start to the game for both teams.

A Kansas field goal made the score 10-6 in Central Michigan’s favor with just under five minutes left until halftime, as the two teams seemed to be fairly evenly-matched.

Less than two minutes later, however, Chippewa tight end Logan Hessbrook took a Morris pass 40 yards to the end zone. Then, with just six seconds remaining, receiver Corey Willis snagged a six-yard score as well. Suddenly, it was 24-6.

The Jayhawks responded with a quick 14 points out of the break, cutting the lead to just four, but the Chippewas drove down on the following possession and extended it back to 11 with Devon Spalding’s touchdown run from the 1. From there, they wouldn’t look back.

Offense was the key for Central Michigan, racking up 590 total yards. Most of their work came through the air, but five Chippewas combined for 123 yards on the ground as well.

“Our offensive production was outstanding,” coach John Bonamego said. “I think (offensive coordinator Chris Ostrowsky) called a good game. Shane Morris executed the offense. Our receivers ran, got open, and caught balls, and we were able to grind some yards in the running game as well.”

Mark Chapman led the game with 168 yards on eight receptions, and reeled in three touchdowns as well. He delivered the knockout blow, turning a short Morris pass into a 75-yard dash to the end zone after the Jayhawks had started to trim the deficit in the fourth.

“I think that’s the best play in football,” Morris said. “I just got to throw a little bubble out there, and he does the rest. He made a great play. I thought he was going to get tackled on the sideline honestly, but just shot it and he went. I mean, that’s an unbelievable play.”

Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender had a poor start to the game, but played decently once he got things together. He finished with 323 yards on 32 of 62 passing, but failed to find the end zone and threw two picks.

Jayhawks true freshman running back Dom Williams accounted for two touchdowns on the ground, and led the game in rushing with 64 yards. Receiver Ryan Schadler also ran it in for a score on a 33-yard reverse.

THE TAKEAWAY

Central Michigan: The Chippewas played an almost spotless game, their lone turnover coming off a punt return slip up. With just one game left before competition begins in what should be a tough Mid-American Conference, Central Michigan has reason to be confident.

Kansas: Not a good look for the Jayhawks in this one. After a strong opener against Southeast Missouri State, things seemed to be trending in the right direction for coach David Beaty’s team. But after this one, it seems Kansas could be heading for the same level of mediocrity they’ve carried in seasons past.

UP NEXT

Central Michigan: The Chippewas will next travel to Syracuse for their final non-conference game of the season against the 1-1 Orange.

Kansas: The Jayhawks will play their first road game of the season next Saturday as they travel to 1-1 Ohio in their non-conference season finale.

— Associated Press —

Area High School Football Scores – Friday, September 8

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CITY
Park Hill South 23 (2-2, 1-0 Suburban Red)
Central 22 (1-3, 0-2 Suburban Red)

Savannah 0 (0-4, 0-2 MEC)
@ Lafayette 53 (4-0, 2-0 MEC)

Benton 0 (0-4, 0-2 MEC)
@ Smithville 42 (4-0, 2-0 MEC)

Bishop LeBlond 6 (2-2, 1-1 MEC)
@ Maryville 54 (3-1, 1-1 MEC)

St. Joseph Christian 42 (0-3, 0-3 GRC)
@Stanberry 56 (4-0, 4-0 GRC)

AREA
Chillicothe 60 (4-0, 2-0 MEC)
@ Cameron 0 (0-4, 0-2 MEC)

Plattsburg 21 (2-2, 0-2 KCI)
@ East Buchanan 32 (3-1, 2-0 KCI)

Mid-Buchanan 21 (0-4, 0-2 KCI)
@ Hamilton 54 (3-1, 1-1 KCI)

Lathrop 47 (4-0, 2-0 KCI)
@ West Platte 3 (1-3, 0-2 KCI)

Lawson 37 (3-1, 2-0 KCI)
@ North Platte 26 (1-3, 1-1 KCI)

Maysville 6 (1-3, 0-2 GRC)
@ South Harrison 44 (1-3, 1-1 GRC)

Polo 6 (3-1, 1-1 GRC)
@ Gallatin 42 (3-1, 2-0 GRC)

Princeton 52 (4-0, 2-0 GRC)
@ Trenton 32 (1-3)

8-MAN
Kansas City East Christian 6 (1-2)
@ North Andrew 58 (3-0, 2-0 GRC)

King City 74 (2-1, 1-1 GRC)
@ Pattonsburg 58 (2-2, 2-2 GRC)

Albany 14 (0-4, 0-2 GRC)
@ Worth County 64 (4-0, 2-0 GRC)

Braymer 64 (1-3, 0-3 GRC)
@ North Shelby 24 (1-3)

Rock Port 46 (4-0, 4-0 275)
@ North-West Nodaway 0 (1-3, 1-3 275)

Southwest Livingston 40 (1-3, 1-3 275)
@ Mound City 86 (4-0, 3-0 275)

East Atchison 50 (4-0, 4-0 275)
@ DeKalb 0 (0-4, 0-3 275)

Platte Valley 0 (0-4, 0-4 275)
@ South Holt / Nodaway Holt 54 (2-2, 2-1 275)

Menke breaks two records as Griffon soccer shuts out Northern State

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ABERDEEN, S.D. – Cassidy Menke became Missouri Western soccer’s all-time leading goal and point scorer in a 3-0 win at Northern State Friday afternoon.

Menke’s record breaking 14th career goal and fifth of the young season, came in the 33rd minute. In the 73rd minute she assisted on Ashley Mathis’s first career goal for Menke’s 31st career point.

BREAKING NEW GROUND
The win moved Missouri Western to 3-0 on the season for just the second time in program history. The Griffons scored 14 goals through the first three games of the season and allowed just one. The 14 goals at this point in the season are nearly double the most any Griffon team had scored through three games before 2017. The previous high was eight in 2014. Four previous MWSU soccer teams didn’t even score 14 goals in a season, and the Griffons are already more than halfway to the team goals in a season record of 26 set in 2009.

MENKE RE-WRITING RECORD BOOK
At this point, there are actually few records left for Menke to break, but her own. Three games into her junior season, she’s MWSU’s all-time leader in goals, points and game winning goals. She broke the school record for goals in a season in 2016 with nine and has already scored five this year. Her six game winning goals in 2017 were also a single season record, she has one this season.

DON’T FORGET THE DEFENSE
Not only are the Griffons experiencing unprecedented scoring, they’re handcuffing opponents as well as any previous Missouri Western team. And that’s saying something. The one goal allowed through the first three games is only one more than the 2014 Griffons’ record of three season-opening shutouts. After holding Northern State to just nine shots – three in the second half – MWSU opponents are averaging just over seven shots per game compared to the Griffons’ 29. Opponents have only got 23 of their shots on frame and all three MWSU goalkeepers have combined to save 22 of them.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western stays in South Dakota this weekend, finishing its road trip at Sioux Falls on Sept. 10. Sioux Falls is 2-1 after a 2-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Friday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals drop second straight to Minnesota

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With the start Eddie Rosario gave Minnesota, manager Paul Molitor was hoping to for an easier win. This time of year, of course, he’ll take it.

Rosario homered and drove in four runs over the first four innings, helping the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Friday night.

Rosario had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, hit his 21st home run in the third inning off Ian Kennedy (4-11) and knocked a two-out, bases-loaded single in the fourth to score Robbie Grossman and Joe Mauer. Rosario has 10 home runs and 28 RBI in his past 30 games.

Ervin Santana (15-7) gave up four runs and five hits over five innings for the victory. He is 4-0 in nine starts since a July 21 loss, and he’s tied for the AL lead in victories.

Eduardo Escobar had three hits and homered for the Twins in the fifth. Still, reliever Trevor Hildenberger had to clean up a mess left by Taylor Rogers in the seventh before Matt Belisle finished for his seventh save.

“There were a lot of momentum changes,” Molitor said. “When you score the first five innings of a game and you have your best pitcher out there, you would like to think the game would be a little less stressful. But credit to the Royals and their fight, they kept finding ways to inch closer.”

Kennedy was pulled after giving up three runs, four hits and three walks over three innings. He is winless in a club-record 18 straight home starts. He is 0-9 since his last home victory on Aug. 20, 2016.

“His shoulder started tightening up in the second inning,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s got (rotator) cuff fatigue. He’s been dealing with it for about a month.”

The Twins jumped to a 5-1 lead, but the Royals trimmed it with Eric Hosmer’s solo home run in the third and Whit Merrifield’s two-run double.

Ramon Torres’ seventh-inning single scored Alcides Escobar, cutting the Minnesota lead to 6-5. Hildenberger replaced Rogers with two runners on base and none out and induced Merrifield into a groundball double play.

“Once I saw he wasn’t bunting, I was pitching for a ground ball,” Hildenberger said. “I enjoy ground balls right at people.”

The Twins added two in the eighth with Grossman tripling in one run and Mauer doubling in another.

“The guys just kept battling,” Yost said. “We just couldn’t overcome it.”

HERRERA NO LONGER CLOSER

Yost has removed RHP Kelvin Herrera, who blew a save Thursday, from the closer’s role. He gave up two runs on two hits in the eighth inning Friday.

“He’s not sharp,” Yost said. “He’s pitching about once over five days. We need to get him more in a pitching rhythm. It’s not enough to keep him sharp. We can pitch him in the seventh and eighth innings and get him in more games instead of holding him back for save situations and try to get him sharp again and then reinsert him.”

Yost said he would use a closer by committee, mentioning LHPs Scott Alexander and Mike Minor and RHPs Brandon Maurer and Peter Moylan.

TWINS’ ROTATION

Molitor said RHPs Kyle Gibson and Santana would start Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres on their normal four days of rest, while others would be pushed back with the team off Monday. Gibson is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his past four starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: LHP Adalberto Mejia (left arm strain) will make a rehab start Saturday for Double-A Chattanooga. If he has no setback, he could rejoin the Minnesota rotation next week. … 3B Miguel Sano (left shin) ran and hit in the Target Field cages and might hit on the field Saturday. … Molitor said LHP Hector Santiago (upper back pain) likely will not pitch again season. He went on the disabled list July 5.

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (tightness in quads) was the DH. Paulo Orlando started in center. … 3B Mike Moustakas (sore right knee) was not in the lineup and likely will be held out again Saturday. … RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session with no problems.

ON DECK

Twins: RHP Jose Berrios is 0-1 with an 8.20 ERA in four career starts against Kansas City.

Royals: RHP Jake Junis has won five straight decisions.

— Associated Press —

MWSU volleyballs sweeps Illinois-Springfield & St. Mary’s

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Missouri Western volleyball team swept both matches in day one of the Lindenwood Last Minute Challenge Friday.

In the first match, MWSU swept Illinois Springfield (25-23, 25-21, 25-13) and swept St. Mary’s (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) in the second match of the day. In the two matches, the Griffons finished with 89 kills, 19 blocks and five service aces.

MORNING GLORY
Stephanie Doak hammered down 17 kills and hit .324 in the sweep of UIS. Her 17 kills are a new career-best and tied for the second most in a three-set match in program history. Doak’s hitting percentage of .324 is also the second highest in her career. In the sweep, Missouri Western as a team knocked in 44 kills, had a season-best hitting percentage of .327 and recorded five solo blocks, the most since Oct. 13, 2012.

LATE RALLIES FUEL LEADS
Down 22-21 in the first set of the opening match, Missouri Western outscored Illinois Springfield 5-1 to close out the set and take an early 1-0 match advantage. With a 22-20 second set lead, MWSU used a 4-1 rally to pull away from the Prairie Stars and take a commanding 2-0 match lead.

COMPLETE CONTROL
The Griffons had complete control against St. Mary’s as they never trailed in the first two sets. MWSU wasted little time starting the match as it opened with an 11-2 run in the first set. The Rattlers led for only two points in the third set before Missouri Western answered with four straight points and would never trail again.

TAYLOR SHINES BRIGHT
Shellby Taylor led the Griffons with her season-high 14 kills and hit .481 in the second match. For the season, Taylor has three matches of at least 10 kills or more.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western (3-3) concludes the Lindenwood Last Minute Challenge with two games on Saturday, Sept. 9. MWSU opens play at 9 a.m. with University of Bridgeport and its final match is scheduled for 2 p.m. against West Texas A&M.

— MWSU Athletics —

Northwest volleyball splits two games Friday in Illinois

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The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Quincy University Tournament on Friday.

– The Bearcats, which is now 2-3 on the year, opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of host Quincy University.

– Northwest fell to McKendree University in the afternoon match, 0-3.

Match One Key Statistics (Northwest 3, Quincy 0)
– The Bearcats took all three sets, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-15 and 25-23.

– Northwest hit .147 as a team and held the Hawks to a .050 attack percentage.

– Maddy Bruder and Alexi Williams led the way with nine kills each. Bruder added 15 digs and Williams contributed a pair of blocks defensively.

– Sarah Dannettell had 29 assists and 13 digs.

– Olivia Nowakowski had 19 digs, five assists and a service ace.

– Darcy Sunderman had 13 digs defensively with six kills and a service ace.

– Hallie Sidney had eight kills, six digs and three blocks.

Match One Key Sequence
– Up 20-19 in the first set, Northwest got back-to-back kills from Sidney and Williams to take a three-point lead, 22-19. After a bad set from Quincy, Sidney put away a kill to give the Bearcats set point. Quincy got a point back on a service error but Williams gave Northwest the early lead with a kill of an assist from Dannettell.

– Late in the third set, Northwest held a six-point lead, 22-16. But the Hawks responded by taking the next four point to close the gap to 22-20. After a Bearcat timeout, the two teams traded points and a kill from Williams gave Northwest match point at 24-21. Quincy would win the next two points to and had the serve with a chance to tie the set with the score at 24-23. But Bruder came up with a kill off a Dannettell assist to give Northwest the win.

Match Two Key Statistics (McKendree 3, Northwest 0)
– McKendree won all three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-21.

– Sidney led the Bearcats with six kills. She had two assists, two blocks, two digs and added a service ace.

– Bruder had five kills with five digs and a service ace.

– Sunderman had five kills with nine digs, two blocks and a service ace.

– Dannettell had 20 assists with four digs and four kills.

– Nowakowski had 13 digs with two assists.
Up Next

– The Bearcats will face Minnesota State-Moorhead at 9 a.m. on Saturday followed by a 4:30 p.m. contest against Wayne State (Mich.) at 4:30 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Weaver, Nicasio pitch Cardinals past Pirates 4-1

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to make the playoffs, rookie starter Luke Weaver will be a big reason why.

Weaver pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and also drove in a run Friday night, helping the Cardinals improve their postseason hopes with a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“It’s just real fun to watch him take advantage of an opportunity like this this time of season,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

The Cardinals have won seven of nine, pulling within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs. St. Louis is even closer in the chase for the second wild-card spot.

The Pirates have lost three in a row.

Weaver (5-1) has won five straight decisions and his last four starts, not allowing more than two runs in any of them. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings.

“I thought it was good,” Weaver said. “I was getting a little more movement on the fastball than usual, so the ball was kind of leaking out over the plate a little bit. Gave up a few hits on just fastballs that weren’t commanded very well but just rebounded well. Got some groundballs, some double plays and that was big and just tried to manage it the best I could.”

Weaver drove in the Cardinals’ first run with a broken-bat groundout and scored a run.

Juan Nicasio made his St. Louis debut and got four outs for his third save. The Cardinals got him from Philadelphia for a minor leaguer earlier in the week.

Nicasio pitched most of the season with Pittsburgh before being plucked off waivers by the Phillies in late August. He spent just six days with the Phillies, appearing in two games.

“I’m really happy to be part of this organization,” Nicasio said through a translator. “Even more to be part of this postseason run.”

Trevor Williams (6-8) allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals returned home in the early-morning hours after going 7-3 on a road trip that finished in San Diego. The Pirates began a nine-game swing after going 4-3 at home to start September.

Williams gave up runs in the third and fourth, and a two-run single in the fifth to Jose Martinez.

“The pitch to Martinez is the one that hurt,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “Two strikes, elevated fastball. (Williams) wasn’t able to make pitches later on in some situations he got himself into. The fifth inning hurt.”

Pinch-hitter Adam Frazier singled in the seventh for Pittsburgh’s run.

TAKING A BREAK

Cardinals rookie INF Paul DeJong didn’t start for the first time since July 6. He was coming off an 8-for-42 (.190) road trip. DeJong is hitting .284 with 21 home runs and 55 RBI.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (sore back) is expected to be back in the lineup Saturday night. Manager Mike Matheny said he thought Wong would be available to pinch hit. … 3B Matt Carpenter (right shoulder strain) returned to the lineup and hit leadoff.

Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco and Frazier were both reinstated from the disabled list for Friday’s game. Polanco batted third and played right field.

UP NEXT Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (11-10, 3.34) faces the Pirates on Saturday. He is 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA in 11 career starts vs. Pittsburgh. Martinez established a new single-season high with 192 strikeouts in his previous start.

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (7-10, 4.32) will make his fourth start of the season vs. St. Louis. Kuhl is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA against the Cardinals. Kuhl has allowed more than two earned runs just four times in his last 18 starts.

— Associated Press —

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