Local Sports

Cubs decline $10M option on Kintzler, who has $5M option

The Cubs have declined a $10 million team option on right-hander Brandon Kintzler, who now must decide this week whether to exercise a $5 million player option.

 

A 34-year-old right-hander, Kintzler was 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA for Washington and the Cubs, who acquired him July 31 for minor league right-hander Jhon Romero. He had a $5 million base salary.

 

He was a first-time All-Star in 2017 and has 48 career saves. He also has pitched for Milwaukee (2010-15) and Minnesota (2016-17).

Bulls exercise options on Markkanen, Dunn, Valentine

The Chicago Bulls have exercised contract options for the 2019-20 season on forward Lauri Markkanen and guards Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine.

 

Markkanen and Valentine have not played yet this season because of injuries. Dunn is out with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and has only appeared in one game. All three are important pieces for the rebuilding Bulls.

 

Markkanen averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds last season. He also set a franchise record for a rookie by making 145 3-pointers.

 

Dunn averaged 13.4 points and six assists for Chicago last year after struggling as a rookie with Minnesota. Valentine averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, his second.

Hartman scores twice as Predators beat Golden Knights 4-1

After a lackluster opening period by the Nashville Predators, Ryan Hartman and Kevin Fiala went to work.

 

Hartman scored twice in a 57-second span and Juuse Saros made 23 saves to lead Nashville to a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

 

Calle Jarnkrok and Viktor Arvidsson also scored, and Fiala assisted on both of Hartman's goals for the Predators, who have won two of their last three.

 

Reilly Smith had the lone goal for Vegas, which has dropped three of four.

 

Trailing by a goal after one, Hartman and Fiala connected and turned a deficit into a lead just past the midpoint of the second period.

 

Hartman made it 1-1 at 11:27 of the second. From the left boards, Fiala passed to Hartman in the high slot.

 

Hartman danced around Vegas defender Colin Miller before making a move and beating Vegas goaltender Malcolm Subban high to the stick side, just beneath the crossbar.

 

Fiala and Hartman teamed up again 57 seconds later to give Nashville a 2-1 lead. Nashville entered the Vegas zone on a 3-on-1. Fiala sent a nifty backhand pass from the right circle to Hartman at the left faceoff dot. Hartman did not get all of the puck with his one-timer, but he got enough to beat a sliding Subban high to the stick side.

 

Fiala entered Tuesday with just three points in 11 games.

 

P.K. Subban, the older brother of the Vegas goaltender, picked up the secondary assist on the goal.

Smith scored the game's first goal at 17:14 of the first. With Vegas on a power play, an unchecked Smith skated to the left faceoff dot and snapped a wrist shot past Saros on the far side. Smith's goal was set up by a nice pass from Jonathan Marchessault along the right boards.

 

Making his fifth-straight start due to an injury to Pekka Rinne, Saros was sharp in the first, stopping 12 of 13 shots.

 

Jarnkrok gave Nashville a two-goal lead at 6:37 of the third. On another odd-man rush, Craig Smith sent a pass from the right side to Jarnkrok in the left circle, where he ripped a one-timer past Malcolm Subban, who finished with 24 saves.

 

With the Vegas goaltender pulled for an extra attacker with just over two minutes remaining in the third, Arvidsson was fouled from behind by Nick Holden on a breakaway and a goal was credited to the Swedish winger.

Warriors beat Bulls 149-124

Klay Thompson broke teammate Stephen Curry's NBA record with 14 3-pointers and finished with 52 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 149-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.

 

Thompson set the mark when he nailed a 3 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. He was then mobbed by teammates as the players headed to the sideline for a timeout, with the Warriors leading 113-69. Curry hit 13 3-pointers in a win over New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2016. Thompson played only 27 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter.

 

He had been in a shooting slump to start the season, making just 5 of 36 from behind the arc in the Warriors' first seven games. Thompson was 14 for 24 against the Bulls.

 

The All-Star guard busted out of the slump quickly with 22 points in the first quarter and had 36 at the half as Golden State was up 92-50. It was the second-highest scoring half by an NBA team. Phoenix scored 107 in the first half of a 173-143 victory over Denver in 1990.

 

Curry scored 23. Kevin Durant had 14 points and eight assists. And Chicago product Alfonzo McKinnie added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the two-time defending NBA champions improved to 7-1.

 

Zach LaVine and Antonio Blakeney led the Bulls with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. scored 18.

Chicago probably would have been overmatched even at full strength. But with Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine all out with injuries, this one got ugly in a hurry.

 

Thompson, whose previous season high was 19 points, nearly doubled that in the first half alone. And the Warriors set an NBA record for 3-pointers in a half with 17.

 

Thompson was hit six 3s in the opening quarter. He hit his first three attempts from long range and scored 11 as the Warriors grabbed a 15-5 lead. But he was just getting started.

 

He surpassed his previous season scoring high when he buried a 3 off the dribble with just under three minutes left in the quarter, giving him 22 points and the Warriors a 36-21 edge.

White Sox decline $16 million option on Shields

The Chicago White Sox have declined their $16 million option on James Shields and exercised a $2 million buyout, making the veteran right-hander a free agent.

 

Chicago also exercised a $4.65 million team option on reliever Nate Jones and reinstated right-hander Michael Kopech from the 60-day disabled list Monday.

 

Shields was 7-16 with a 4.53 ERA in 34 appearances - 33 starts - last season. He had a 5.31 ERA in 2½ years with the White Sox, who acquired him from San Diego for prospect Fernando Tatis Jr.

Jones was limited to 33 appearances by a strained muscle in his right arm.

 

Kopech had Tommy John surgery in September after making four starts for the White Sox and will miss next season.

Illinois defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson resigns

 Illinois defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson has resigned, citing personal health-related reasons.

Coach Lovie Smith said Monday that Nickerson told him it was in the program's "best interest" to leave the staff. The former NFL linebacker had been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for more than two seasons after joining Smith and the Illini in 2016.

 

In a statement provided by Illinois, Nickerson said he had to step down now "due to health-related circumstances beyond my control."

 

The Illini (3-5, 1-4) have given up 158 points during a three-game losing streak, hurt by big plays despite a defense that had returned eight starters this season. Cornerbacks coach Donnie Abraham resigned less than three weeks before the season opener, saying he wanted to return home to Florida and spend time with family.

IHSA Football 2nd Round Playoff Schedule

CLASS 1A
#8 Fisher (8-2) at #1 Argenta (A.-Oreana) (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#13 Moweaqua (Central A & M) (7-3) at #12 Albion (Edwards County) (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
#2 Camp Point (Central) (9-1) at #10 Carrollton (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#6 Arcola (8-2) at #3 Concord (Triopia) [Coop] (9-1), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm

 

CLASS 2A
#1 Decatur (St. Teresa) (10-0) at #9 Athens (8-2), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
#4 Pana (H.S.) (9-1) at #12 Downs (Tri-Valley) (6-4), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#2 Maroa (M.-Forsyth) (10-0) at #10 Chester (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#6 Bismarck (B.-Henning-Rossville-Alvin) (9-1) at #3 Tuscola (9-1), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
#8 Chicago (Hope Academy) (8-2) at #1 Gibson City (G.C.-Melvin-Sibley) (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
#2 Orion (10-0) at #10 Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm

 

CLASS 3A
#8 Anna (A.-Jonesboro) (8-2) at #1 Monticello (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 3:00 pm
#6 Monmouth (M.-Roseville) (8-2) at #3 Eureka (9-1), Sat., Nov. 3, 5:00 pm
#6 Williamsville (9-1) at #3 Fairfield (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#2 Carlinville (10-0) at #10 Paxton (P.-Buckley-Loda) (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm

 

CLASS 4A
#8 Columbia (8-2) at #1 Taylorville (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 5:00 pm
#5 Pontiac (9-1) at #4 Rochester (9-1), Sat., Nov. 3, 5:30 pm
#2 Paris (10-0) at #10 Effingham (H.S.) (8-2), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm
#6 Murphysboro [Coop] (8-2) at #3 Kankakee (McNamara) (9-1), Sat., Nov. 3, 3:00 pm

 

CLASS 5A
#8 Decatur (MacArthur) (7-3) at #1 Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 3:00 pm
#7 Mattoon (7-3) at #2 Highland (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 4:00 pm

 

CLASS 6A
#7 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (8-2) at #2 Washington (10-0), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm
#5 Palos Heights (Shepard) (8-2) at #4 Normal (Community West) (9-1), Fri., Nov. 2, 7:30 pm
#3 Chatham (Glenwood) (9-1) at #11 Crete (C.-Monee) (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 2:00 pm

 

CLASS 7A
#6 Rolling Meadows (10-0) at #22 St. Charles (North) (7-3), Sat., Nov. 3, 1:00 pm

IHSA Football Playoffs First Round Scores


1A
Argenta (A.-Oreana) 50, Cerro Gordo [C.G.-Bement Coop] 10
Chicago (Orr) 42, LeRoy 6
Fisher 48, Toledo (Cumberland) 15
Moweaqua (Central A & M) 48, Bridgeport (Red Hill) 40
Arcola 31, Catlin (Salt Fork) 13

 

2A
Decatur (St. Teresa) 45, Staunton 0
Downs (Tri-Valley) 14, Nashville 7
Maroa (M.-Forsyth) 55, Jacksonville (Routt) [Coop] 13
Chester 42, Warrensburg (W.-Latham) 20
Gibson City (G.C.-Melvin-Sibley) 76, Watseka 6
Orion 24, Minonk (Fieldcrest) 21
Tuscola 42, Villa Grove [V.G.-Heritage Coop] 6

 

3A
Monticello 50, St. Joseph (S.J.-Ogden) 7
Paxton (P.-Buckley-Loda) 33, Vandalia 6
Williamsville 50, DuQuoin (H.S.) 20

 

4A
Murphysboro [Coop] 22, Fairbury (Prairie Central) 20
Pontiac 48, Herrin (H.S.) 7
Taylorville 57, Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central) 30
Rochester 53, Breese (Central) 27

 

5A
Decatur (MacArthur) 41, Morton 20
Cahokia (H.S.) 22, Mt. Zion 6
Carbondale (H.S.) 31, Champaign (Central) 28
Mattoon 28, Mascoutah 24

 

6A
Normal (Community West) 34, Peoria (Notre Dame) 21
Palos Heights (Shepard) 51, Springfield (H.S.) 36
Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 34, Quincy (Sr.) 14
Chatham (Glenwood) 24, Lemont (H.S.) 21
Crete (C.-Monee) 41, Bloomington (H.S.) 13

 

7A
St. Charles (North) 44, Normal (Community) 29
 

Bears beat Jets 24-10

Mitchell Trubisky threw for two touchdowns, and the short-handed Chicago Bears beat the New York Jets 24-10 on Sunday.

 

The Bears (4-3) got the win they needed after dropping two in a row to fall out of the NFC North lead, even though star pass rusher Khalil Mack (right ankle) and No. 1 receiver Allen Robinson (groin) missed the game.

 

With Sam Darnold struggling against Chicago's defense, the Jets (3-5) managed just 207 yards and lost their second straight game.

 

Trubisky was shaky but did enough to help the Bears come out on top. He connected with Tarik Cohen for a 70-yard touchdown on a screen in the first quarter and threw a 4-yard scoring pass to Anthony Miller in the third, making it 14-3. But the second-year pro was wild again after struggling with his control against New England the previous week.

 

Trubisky was 16 of 29 for 220 yards. He also ran for 51 on six attempts.

 

Cohen's lone reception was the big touchdown. He also ran for 40 yards on five carries.

 

Jordan Howard ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. He scored from the 2 to make it 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter, sealing the win after tight losses to Miami and the Patriots.

 

But guard Kyle Long had to be helped off the field with a right leg injury in the closing minutes. Tight end Dion Sims rolled into him as the two were blocking for Howard on a run.

 

Coming off his worst game as a pro with three interceptions, Darnold was 14 of 29 for a career-low 153 yards in his eighth NFL start. On the plus side, he did not throw an interception after getting picked off three times last week.

 

Chicago grabbed a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Cohen turned a screen from Trubisky against an all-out blitz into a 70-yard touchdown. It was the longest play from scrimmage by the Bears this season.

 

New York's Jason Myers kicked a 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it a four-point game.

 

It stayed that way until Miller caught a 4-yard pass in the back of the end zone from Trubisky midway through the third to make it 14-3. He kept his feet in bounds as he fell backward with New York's Buster Skrine defending him.

 

A short punt by Lachlan Edwards then gave Chicago possession at midfield. Trubisky converted on fourth-and-1 at the 23, and Cody Parkey made it 17-3 with a 32-yard field goal to start the fourth.

The Jets then went 75 yards, with Darnold throwing a 16-yard TD to Chris Herndon. But Howard then scored from the 2 after breaking off a season-high 24-yard run to the 6 on Chicago's next possession, making it 24-10.

McDavid's OT goal gives Oilers 2-1 win over Blackhawks

Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to their third straight win, 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

 

After two Blackhawks skaters got caught deep in their zone, McDavid finished a 2-on-1 break, taking a cross-ice feed from Leon Draisaitl and beating Cam Ward from the left circle for his eighth goal.

Chicago's Brent Seabrook and Edmonton's Zack Kassian scored in the first period.

 

Chicago's leading scorer, Patrick Kane, assisted on Seabrook's goal to extend his point streak to six games. Kane, who entered with an NHL-leading 11 goals, has been held without a point only once in 12 games.

McDavid has recorded a point in nine of 10 games.

 

Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots as Edmonton improved to 3-1 in overtime games. Chicago is 3-3 in contests that go beyond regulation.

 

Ward made 24 saves as the Blackhawks rebounded with a tighter defensive effort following a 7-3 loss at St. Louis on Saturday.

 

The Oilers and Blackhawks play again at Edmonton on Thursday in their second of three meetings this season.

 

Seabrook opened the scoring at 11:02 of the first period, completing a give-and-go with Kane during a 5-on-3 power-play for his second goal this season.

 

Seabrook passed from the blue line to Kane in the right circle. Seabrook then slipped through the slot, took Kane's return feed and beat Talbot high on the glove side.

 

Kassian's first goal tied it 1-all with 1:34 left in the period to cap a flurry around the Chicago net following a faceoff. Ward made pad save on Darnell Nurse's shot from the point, and then Jujhar Khaira flipped the rebound off the crossbar.

 

Kassian corralled the loose puck at the right side of the net and scooped it in with Ward sprawled on the ice.

Chicago outshot Edmonton 13-7 in the scoreless second.

 

Talbot stopped Nick Schmaltz on a breakaway 3:22 into the period and Marcus Kruger close in with 2:20 left. Ward was tested a couple of times and got lucky when McDavid's shot from the right circle hit the post midway through the second.

 

Tobias Rieder shot wide on a short-handed 2-on-1 break midway through the scoreless third. Talbot stopped Erik Gustafsson from the slot with 17 seconds left in regulation.

Red Sox beat Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 to win World Series title

The Boston Red Sox won their fourth World Series championship in 15 years, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 Sunday night behind David Price's pitching and Steve Pearce's power.

 

Alex Cora became the first manager from Puerto Rico to guide a team to the title. He's just the fifth rookie skipper to do it overall.

 

After posting a team-record 108 wins during the regular season and romping through the AL playoffs, the Red Sox finished off a one-sided Series.

 

Price threw three-hit ball into the eighth inning. Pearce hit two home runs, a night after his homer and three-run double spurred a late rally.

 

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez also connected as the Red Sox hit three homers off Clayton Kershaw.

Los Angeles lost Game 7 of the World Series last year to Houston, also at Dodger Stadium by the same 5-1 score.

Monticello wins first playoff game against St. Joseph-Ogden 50-7

Braden Snyder throws for over 350 yards, and the Monticello Sages go to win the first playoff game against St. Joseph-Ogden 50-7.

 

The game was a bit of a repeat if you saw the last game of regular season for both teams as Monticello traveled to St.Joseph-Ogden during week 8 to beat the Spartans 50-7. This time in the playoffs it would be a different site as the Sages were the home team. 

 

Braden Snyder connected on huge plays throwing for over 350 yards, most of his passing going to Devin Graham who caught a total of 197 yards. Snyder threw 10-11, getting three touchdowns, and rushing 47 yards with one touchdown. Devin Graham caught 5 for 197 yards. Alek Bundy ran six times for 49 yards rushing, along with an interception that was good for a 95-yard touchdown putting Monticello up 22-0 midway through the second quarter.

 

Crayton Burnett led the Spartans; he got a 2-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper late in the fourth quarter putting the score 43-7. Burnett continued to throw for 8-14 over 125 yards. Dwight Colvin ran the ball pushing hard for a total 86, losing one shot in the red zone early in the first quarter. Aiden Meyer led on receptions with two adding up to a total of 34 yards.

 

Monticello will continue to next week's playoff game at home against Anna-Jonesboro. 

 

Play of the Game: Alek Bundy midway second quarter with an interception returning it for a 95-yard touchdown. 
 

UPDATE: Sages vs St. Joe

As heard on WEZC, Monticello dominated St. Joseph-Ogden 50-7 on Saturday afternoon.

IHSA Football Playoffs

High School football playoffs get ready to kick off this weekend.

 

The Monticello Sages after beating St. Joseph-Ogden in the regular last week, get ready to play again Saturday to start their playoff journey. St. J-O will travel to Monticello with kick off starting at 2 pm. 

 

You can catch the Monticello Sages game on 95.9 FM WEZC or stream at dewittdailynews.com.

 

 

Blackhawks beat Rangers 4-1

Nick Schmaltz set up Alexandre Fortin's tiebreaking goal in the second period, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Thursday night.

 

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews also scored as Chicago won for the third time in four games, continuing its surprising start. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist, and Corey Crawford made 18 saves in his fourth game after suffering a concussion last year.

 

New York lost for the third time in four games. Pavel Buchnevich scored in the opener of a four-game trip, and Henrik Lundqvist made 33 stops.

 

The game was tied at 1 when Schmaltz circled around the offensive zone before taking the puck to the net and threading a pass through the goalmouth to Fortin for a tap-in 10:33 into the period. It was Schmaltz's sixth assist of the season, tied for the team lead, and Fortin's second goal.

 

The Blackhawks put it away when Kane knocked one off the post before slamming it home for his team-best ninth goal 15:39 into the third. DeBrincat added an empty-netter with 1:09 left.

 

Chicago jumped in front on Toews' 298th career goal, matching Dennis Hull for sixth on the franchise list.

 

Toews went in all alone on Lundqvist after New York defensemen Brady Skjei and Adam McQuaid got tangled up near the blue line and fell down. The captain then slipped a shot under Lundqvist's legs for his sixth of the season 2:55 into the game.

 

Buchnevich responded for the Rangers, tying it with a hard wrist shot on a rebound at 4:09. It was Buchnevich's third of the year.

Thursday Night Football Texans beat Dolphins 42-23

This is the Deshaun Watson the Houston Texans have been waiting for all season.

Watson matched his career high with five touchdown passes to lead the Texans to their fifth straight victory, 42-23 over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night.

 

The second-year quarterback has played well at times this year but hadn't had a breakout game while dealing with rib and lung injuries over the past few weeks.

 

The Texans (5-3) have left their 0-3 start behind with their longest single-season winning streak since reeling off six victories in a row in 2012.

 

Watson threw touchdown passes of 13, 2, 73, 49 and 2 yards to give him 34 career scoring passes, moving ahead of Dan Marino (32) for second-most in NFL history after 15 games.

 

Miami's Brock Osweiler, who had one tough season in Houston after signing a $72 million contract in 2016, threw for 241 yards with an interception in his third straight start in place of injured starter Ryan Tannehill.

 

Kenyan Drake had a touchdown run and touchdown reception for the Dolphins (4-4). They lost for the second straight week.

 

Rookie Jordan Thomas caught the first two touchdown passes of his career, Hopkins had 82 yards receiving and two scores, and Will Fuller added 124 yards receiving and a touchdown.

 

Texans running back Lamar Miller, who grew up in Miami and spent his first four seasons with the Dolphins, had 133 yards rushing and a touchdown for his second straight 100-yard game.

 

Houston led by eight when Watson threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 35-20.

 

Watson found the speedy Fuller in front of the defense for a 73-yard touchdown that left Houston up 28-17 late in the third quarter. It was the longest touchdown pass of Watson's career and the longest reception of Fuller's. Fuller has caught 11 touchdown passes in 11 career games with Watson.

 

The Dolphins used a 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 28-20 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. That score came after a drive featuring a crazy 46-yard pass by Osweiler . He threw the ball to Jakeem Grant, who lost it after being hit by two Texans defenders, but it sailed down the field and into the hands of DeVante Parker for the big gain.

 

A 58-yard run by Miller got the Texans to the 9-yard line early in the third quarter. Houston extended the lead to 21-10 when Watson found Thomas again, this time on a 2-yard pass.

 

The Dolphins used some trickery later in the third quarter when Osweiler pitched a lateral to Danny Amendola, who threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Drake to cut the lead to 21-17.

Bulls' Portis out 4-6 weeks with sprained MCL in right knee

Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis will miss four to six weeks because of a moderately sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

 

The Bulls announced Thursday he is out until at least late November.

 

Portis - averaging 10.5 points in his fourth season - joined a lengthy list of injured Chicago players in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's win over Charlotte.

 

Point guard Kris Dunn suffered a similar injury to his left knee in a loss at Dallas on Monday. He also missed the first two games for the birth of his first child. Lauri Markkanen is out until at least mid-November because of an elbow injury. And Denzel Valentine (sprained left ankle) has not played.

Can Dodgers bounce back from 2 down?

Los Angles Dodgers look to bounce back tonight in the World Series. Currently, Boston Red Sox leads 2-0 in the series. Teams are traveling over to la la land now, giving the Dodgers the home field advantage. Boston looks to shut it down in LA where Dodgers look hopeful to head back to Boston. We will see at 7:09 tonight.

Bulls past Hornets with 2 late free throws

Zach LaVine made two free throws with 0.5 seconds left to give the Chicago Bulls their first victory of the season, 112-110 over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

 

LaVine was fouled driving to the basket. He finished with 32 points for his fourth straight 30-point game to start the season.

 

Cameron Payne scored all of his career-high 21 points in the second half, going 7 for 11 on 3 pointers for Chicago in the opener of the home-and-home set with the Hornets.

Kemba Walker had 23 points on 5-for-14 shooting for Charlotte.

 

The Bulls had a 54-53 halftime lead mainly thanks to 35 bench points. Jabari Parker had nine, and Cristiano Felicio and Chandler Hutchison had eight apiece. The trio combined to go 10 for 14 from the field. Before Wednesday, Felicio hadn't played this season and Hutchison had a total of three points in two games.

 

Chicago stretched the advantage to 85-74 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third on a 3-pointer by Payne - his fifth of the quarter.

 

The lead was 88-78 with a minute remaining in the third before Charlotte ran off 11 straight points - capped by Tony Parker's jumper - to grab an 89-88 edge with 10 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth.

After the teams traded baskets and the lead for a few minutes, the Hornets seemingly took control with a 103-98 lead with 5 1/2 left. The Bulls, though, rallied to tie it at 105 on a Payne 3-pointer with 3:34 to play.

 

With the score tied at 110 with 5 seconds to go, Charlotte had a chance for a potential winner, but turned the ball over on the inbounds pass to set up Chicago's winning play.

Northwestern's improbable run to the top of the Big Ten West standings

Northwestern's improbable run to the top of the Big Ten West standings has been marked by come-from-behind wins over Nebraska and Rutgers the last two weeks. Now the Wildcats host No. 20 Wisconsin in a key division game. Penn State's Miles Sanders and Trace McSorley face a big test against Iowa's defense. Illinois has questions at quarterback as it goes to Maryland as an 18 ½-point underdog. Freshman sensation Rondale Moore looks to keep piling up yards in Purdue's visit to Michigan State.

Red Sox past Dodgers 4-2 for 2-0 Series lead

From playoff flop to October ace in two legacy-shifting starts, David Price earned his second postseason victory in a row and moved the Boston Red Sox halfway to yet another World Series title.

 

The Red Sox left-hander pitched six innings of three-hit ball, and major league RBI leader J.D. Martinez broke a fifth-inning tie during another two-out rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

 

Game 3 is Friday in Los Angeles. The Dodgers need a win to avoid an 0-3 deficit that no World Series team has ever recovered from.

 

Mookie Betts had three hits for the Red Sox, who have won 14 of their last 16 World Series games dating to a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. They have won two more championships since then, in `07 and '13.

 

Not bad for a team that went the previous 86 years without a title.

And Price had battled a curse of his own.

 

The one-time Dodgers draft pick has pitched like an ace in the regular season but was 0-9 in his first 10 postseason starts before this October. Whether with Tampa Bay, Toronto, Detroit or Boston, his team had never won a playoff game he started before this year.

 

But the Red Sox have now won his last three postseason starts, including the ALCS Game 5 clincher against the defending World Series champion Astros in which he pitched six shutout innings.

 

On a frigid night at Fenway Park, Price held the highest-scoring team in the NL hitless through three innings and retired the last seven batters he faced. He struggled only in the fourth, loading the bases with nobody out on two singles and a walk as the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead - their first of the Series.

And the Red Sox batters did what they've been doing: scoring with two outs.

 

In an uncanny stretch of clutch hitting that's been their hallmark throughout their 108-win season, the Red Sox scored all their runs in Game 2 with two outs, including a three-run rally in the fifth that only started after Hyun-Jin Ryu set down Ian Kinsler and Jackie Bradley Jr.

 

Christian Vazquez singled, Betts did the same and Andrew Benintendi worked the count full before walking to load the bases, chasing Ryu. Ryan Madson walked Steve Pearce to tie the game before Martinez, who had 130 RBIs in the regular season, dropped a flare in front of right fielder Yasiel Puig for a two-run single that gave Boston a 4-2 lead.

Loyola-Chicago catching everyone by surprise again?

Loyola-Chicago charmed the nation last season with a stunning Final Four run that turned Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt into a celebrity. The Ramblers know what comes next: Everyone else's best shot. With three starters back from a team that became the feel-good story of the NCAA Tournament, Loyola won't be catching anyone by surprise. Loyola opens the season against UMKC at home on Nov. 6.

Trubisky boosted Bears' offense

Mitchell Trubisky's scrambling boosted the Bears' offense but they need better execution and the defense has to pressure Sam Darnold if they're to avoid a three-game losing streak Sunday against the New York Jets.
 

Blackhawks past Ducks 3-1

Patrick Kane scored in the third period, Corey Crawford made 24 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks handed the Anaheim Ducks their third straight loss with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night.

Brandon Saad also scored his first two goals of the season, helping Chicago improve to 1-1 on a three-game homestand.

 

The game was tied at 1 when Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson made a terrific play, slapping a pass to a wide-open Kane in the right circle. Kane converted the easy one-timer for his team-high eighth goal with 12:13 left.

 

Marcus Kruger was whistled for holding at 17:29 and the Ducks pulled goaltender John Gibson, creating a 6-on-4 power play. But Saad put it away with an empty-netter with 34 seconds left.

Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, and Gibson finished with 35 saves. The Ducks have just four goals during their slide.

 

Coming off an ugly 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, Chicago outshot Anaheim 16-6 in the first period and drew four early penalties on the Ducks. With Cam Fowler in the box for delay of game, Saad got the puck in front and knocked it in after Gibson stopped him on his first try.

 

It was Saad's first goal since March 29 against Winnipeg. He had 18 goals and 17 assists last season after he returned to Chicago in a trade with Columbus for Artemi Panarin.

 

Kane had a good look at a 2-0 lead early in the second, but Gibson got over and smothered his shot from the side. Gustafsson banged a shot off the crossbar midway through the period before Rakell intercepted Jonathan Toews' pass and beat Crawford on a breakaway, tying it 1-all at 10:34 with his second goal of the season.

Red Sox beat Dodgers 8-4 at Fenway in World Series opener

The Fenway Funhouse proved too tricky, too cold and just too much for the beach boys.

Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox came out swinging in the World Series opener, seizing every advantage in their quirky ballpark to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on a chilly, windy Tuesday night.

 

Benintendi had four hits, Martinez drove in two early runs and pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez golfed a three-run homer to seal it. The 108-win Red Sox got a solid effort from their bullpen after an expected duel between aces Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw never developed.

 

From the get-go, old Fenway Park caused all sorts of problems for the Dodgers.

Mookie Betts led off for the Red Sox with a popup that twisted first baseman David Freese as he tried to navigate the tight foul space near the stands and gauge the gusts. Lost, he overran the ball and it dropped behind him.

 

Given a second chance, Betts lined a single that set up a two-run first inning.

 

In the seventh, newly inserted left fielder Joc Pederson looked hesitant as he chased Benintendi's soft fly, rushing toward the seats that jut out down the line. The ball ticked off his glove for a ground-rule double, and soon Nunez connected off Alex Wood to break open a 5-4 game.

 

The crowd and cold temperatures were no picnic for Los Angeles, either.

 

The oddly angled ballpark became an echo chamber even before the first pitch. Chants of ''Beat LA!'' began early, Kershaw got heckled with a sing-song serenade and Dodgers villain Manny Machado heard loud boos all evening.

 

Only one person wearing Dodger blue drew a cheer: Roberts, saluted in pregame introductions for the daring steal that turned the tide in Boston's 2004 playoff comeback against the Yankees.

 

It was 53 degrees at first pitch and it dropped into the mid-40s by the end. That was the coldest game for Los Angeles this season and quite a contrast from last year's World Series, when it was a record 103 degrees for the opener at Dodger Stadium against Houston.

 

Game 2 is Wednesday night, when it's supposed to be even colder. David Price, fresh from beating Houston in the ALCS clincher, starts against Hyun-Jin Ryu.

 

Both teams rely heavily on analytics, and it showed: With each manager searching for the most beneficial matchup, the clubs combined to use 12 pitchers and six pinch-hitters.

 

Benintendi scored three times for Boston, trying for its fourth championship in 15 seasons.

 

Matt Kemp homered and Justin Turner had three hits for the Dodgers, aiming for their first crown since 1988. Machado drove in three runs, and his RBI grounder in the fifth inning made it 3-all.

 

Boston retook the lead in the bottom half when Xander Bogaerts hustled to beat out a potential inning-ending double play - Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson seemed to celebrate a little too early.

Rafael Devers followed with an RBI single, making it 5-3 and giving himself an early birthday present. He turned 22 at midnight, three minutes before the game ended.

 

Martinez, who led the majors with 130 RBIs, gave the crowd a scare when his foot slipped rounding second base on a run-scoring double in the third. He fell hard, but soon got up.

 

Steve Pearce, ruled safe at first on a replay review, scored from there on Martinez's double. The ball hit a metal garage-type grate on the far center-field wall and took a weird carom, giving Pearce extra time to score.

 

A garage-style grate, used for groundskeeping vehicles and such. What other park has that in play?

A day before this opener, Kershaw and most of the Dodgers pooh-poohed the prospect that Fenway would cause them trouble. Most of them had never played at the oldest ballpark in the majors, built in 1912, but said they were sure they'd be OK.

 

It didn't quite turn out that way in their first trip to Fenway since 2010.

 

The only other time the Dodgers and Red Sox met in the World Series was 1916, when Babe Ruth helped pitch Boston to the championship. Those games were at Braves Field, the bigger home park of the city's National League franchise.

 

Kershaw and Sale each started out wearing short sleeves, but neither warmed to the possibility of the marquee matchup. In similar outings, both were pulled before getting an out in the fifth.

 

Kershaw took the loss in his first appearance at Fenway, tagged for five runs on seven hits and three walks. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner fell to 9-9 in the postseason, his October results falling short of his brilliant regular-season resume.

 

Sale threw 91 pitches in his first outing since the ALCS opener. He was hospitalized last week for an unspecified stomach illness.

 

Matt Barnes, the first of six Boston relievers, got the win. Eovaldi pitched the eighth and Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth as the Red Sox bullpen held the Dodgers to one run on three hits in five innings.

 

Boston manager Alex Cora won in his first try guiding a club in the Series. This also marked the first World Series game between teams led by minority managers.

Blackhawks assign G Forsberg to Rockford

Blackhawks goaltender Anton Forsberg has been assigned to Rockford of the American Hockey League after clearing waivers.

 

The Blackhawks had been playing with three goaltenders on their roster since Corey Crawford was activated Thursday. Crawford missed the first part of the season after suffering a concussion last year.

The 25-year-old Forsberg did not appear in a game while he was with Chicago. He had a .908 save percentage and a 2.97 goals-against average in 35 games with the Blackhawks last season.

 

Rookie forward Luke Johnson was recalled from Rockford on Tuesday to replace Forsberg on the roster.

Bulls' Kris Dunn out 4-6 weeks with sprained left MCL

The Chicago Bulls say point guard Kris Dunn will miss four to six weeks because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

 

Coach Fred Hoiberg said Tuesday that Dunn was injured going for a layup in the second quarter of Monday's loss at Dallas. Dunn stayed in and finished with nine points and seven assists after missing the first two games of the season for the birth of his first child.

 

Dunn averaged 13.4 points and 6.0 assists for Chicago last season after struggling as a rookie with Minnesota. The Bulls were already missing Lauri Markkanen until at least mid-November because of an elbow injury. And Denzel Valentine has not played because of a sprained left ankle.

 

Chicago - 0-3 - hosts Charlotte on Wednesday.

Mavs top Bulls 115-109

DeAndre Jordan became the first Dallas player in 24 years to start a season with three straight double-doubles, getting 18 points and 16 rebounds to help the Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 115-109 on Monday night.

 

Luka Doncic scored 19 in the 19-year-old's second home game, another win that put the Mavericks (2-1) over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2015-16 season.

 

Zach LaVine scored 34 for the Bulls and is the third Chicago player to open a season with three straight 30-point games. The others were Michael Jordan in 1986 and Bob Love in 1971.

 

Wesley Matthews led six Dallas players in double figures with 20 points. Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith scored 12 apiece.

 

J.J. Barea scored nine, including a long 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer. The 30-footer, Barea's only make in seven shots behind the arc, was part of a 14-2 run covering the third and fourth quarters for a 96-86 lead after neither team had been up by more than five.

 

Jabari Parker scored 20 points for Chicago but had just four after halftime as the Bulls dropped to 0-3 for the second straight year.

 

Chicago cut a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to five in the final minute, but Doncic, the third overall pick, collected a bad pass by No. 7 overall choice Wendell Carter Jr. in the backcourt after a Dallas miss and hit the layup.

 

The last Dallas player with three straight double-doubles to start a season was Popeye Jones in 1994.

Jets over Blues 5-4

The Winnipeg Jets didn't get down about a two-goal deficit Monday night.

 

Bryan Little tied it late in the third period and Jacob Trouba scored in overtime to help the Jets beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4.

 

Trouba took a pass from Kyle Connor and shot into an open side of the net behind goalie Jake Allen. It was Trouba's first goal of the season.

 

St. Louis led 3-1 heading into the third before Ben Chiarot and Mark Scheifele got consecutive goals to tie it.

 

David Perron put St. Louis back ahead 1:14 after Scheifele's tying score with a high shot past goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but Little flipped a rebound past Allen with 1:40 remaining.

Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and two assists for St. Louis, and Vince Dunn and Colton Parayko also scored.

 

Hellebuyck made 30 saves for Winnipeg (6-2-1), which has points in five straight games (4-0-1).

Allen stopped 31 shots for the Blues (2-3-3), who finished a three-game trip (1-1-1) through Canada.

It's the third time this season St. Louis has lost in overtime.

 

O'Reilly scored 47 seconds into the game and Parayko made it 2-0 before Scheifele got one back 12:07 into the period on a power play. Dunn scored midway through the second on a power play to make it 3-1.

Sox, Dodgers gear up for what should be epic World Series

It was 14 years ago that pinch runner Dave Roberts pulled off what has to be the biggest stolen base in the long history of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

 

Tuesday night, Roberts, now a manager, brings his Los Angeles Dodgers, seeking the franchise's first title since 1988, into Fenway for the 2018 World Series.

 

Boston's Chris Sale faces LA ace Clayton Kershaw in Game 1.

 

The Red Sox, winners of a franchise-record 108 games during the regular series, cruised to their fourth Series in 15 years (they won the first three, the last in 2013). They needed just nine games to dispose of the New York Yankees and the champion Houston Astros to continue what has been a yellow brick road.

 

The Dodgers, on the other hand, have survived what has been a gauntlet that started when they were 16-26 back in May. They were in third place in the National League West in September, won a 163rd game to advance to the playoffs and then beat the winners of the East (Atlanta) and Central (Milwaukee) winners to reach the promised land.

 

They won Game 7 on the road at Milwaukee Saturday night and will again be without home field advantage for their second straight World Series.

 

This is a matchup of the first- (Boston) and third-highest payrolls in baseball.

Both are deep teams and Roberts has gotten it done by playing his entire roster -- even sitting veterans like Matt Kemp, who made the All-Star team by carrying the team in the first half.

 

Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig homered and Kershaw closed out the deciding game in Milwaukee.

The Red Sox, who have won four in a row and gone 7-2 in the postseason, haven't played since last Thursday after completing a three-game sweep in Houston.

 

They won those three games without Sale, who started Game 1 (four innings, too many pitches) but missed his Game 5 start due to a stay in the hospital with a stomach ailment he joked (we think) was the result of a belly button ring infection. He was to have started Game 6.

 

While Kershaw has never faced the Red Sox, Sale does own two career appearances -- one start -- against the Dodgers, but they were back in 2011 and '12. He allowed nine hits and seven runs and walked five in six innings.

 

Kershaw, who has had his postseason struggles (9-8, 4.09 ERA, lifetime), will be working on short rest but only pitched one inning (15 pitches) Saturday on his throw day. There was some speculation former Red Sox left-hander Rich Hill would start Game 1, but Kershaw makes his first Fenway start.

 

Manny Machado, who quickly became a villain in the NLCS with a questionable slide at second and then a kick at the ankle of Jesus Aguilar, has also had his moments against Boston -- his 2017 slide on Dustin Pedroia injuring the second baseman's knee. It's an injury that's not fully healed as Pedroia missed all but three games this season.

 

Machado played nine games against the Red Sox this season before being traded to the Dodgers, batting .278 with a homer and seven RBIs. Seven of those games were at Fenway, where he hit .310 with the homer and RBIs in seven games.

 

In his career, he has played 95 games against Boston, batting .277 with 16 homers, 52 RBIs and a .796 OPS -- .278 with 8/32/.783 in 49 games at Fenway.

 

Machado is 6-for-19 (.316) with a homer against Sale, while former Minnesota Twin is 12-for-47 (.255) with three home runs against the skinny left-hander.

 

J.D. Martinez is 3-for-8 (.375) with a homer against Kershaw, but Eduardo Nunez is 2-for-12 (.167).

When the series shifts to Los Angles for Games 3, 4 and 5, the Red Sox will add Martinez, their DH, to the lineup in right field. That will move Betts to either centerfield -- or second base. The latter is the spot he was playing as a prospect and he has been working out there in recent days and is ready to go when called.

 

The Series features the first matchup of minority managers -- and Cora and Roberts are also the first managers in MLB history who both played for both World Series teams.

 

Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright, who has been out with knee surgery, could be activated for the Series.

 

This is the second World Series matchup between these two old franchises -- the Red Sox defeating the Brooklyn Robins 102 years ago.

Brady throws 3 TDs, Patriots hang on to beat Bears 38-31

Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and the New England Patriots hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 38-31 Sunday when Kevin White got stopped at the 1 on a 54-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky.

 

About four or five defenders swarmed White after he leaped to haul in that long heave, preventing him from crossing the goal line while preserving the fourth straight win for New England.

 

The Patriots (5-2) also got two special teams touchdowns and came out on top even though they were missing Rob Gronkowski.

 

The five-time Pro Bowl tight end missed the game because of ankle and back injuries. But New England squeezed past the Bears (3-3).

 

Brady improved to 5-0 against Chicago, one of five teams yet to beat him. He was 25 of 36 for 277 yards and an interception.

 

Cordarrelle Patterson ran a kickoff back 95 yards for his sixth career return TD. Kyle Van Noy became the first New England player in 22 years to return a blocked punt for a touchdown.

 

Josh Gordon caught four passes for 100 yards. He spun around a tackler on a 55-yarder early in the fourth that put the ball on the 1 and set up a 2-yard reception by James White to make it 38-24 with 8:40 left.White had 57 yards receiving and two TDs. He also ran for a team-high 40 yards.

 

Julian Edelman had a touchdown catch. Rookie running back Sony Michel left in the second quarter because of a knee injury. But the Patriots beat the Bears for the eighth time in nine games since the 1985 team got routed in the Super Bowl.

 

Chicago has lost two in a row after winning three straight to take sole possession of the division lead for the first time since 2013. Star pass rusher Khalil Mack was largely a non-factor after being listed as questionable because of an ankle injury he suffered last week at Miami, and Trubisky struggled with his accuracy.

 

The second-year pro completed 26 of 50 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for a career-high 81 yards and a score.

 

Trey Burton had nine receptions for a career-high 126 yards, including an 11-yard TD with 4:13 remaining.

Lightning beat Blackhawks 6-3

Brayden Point had a goal and two assists and the Tampa Bay Lightning peppered the Chicago Blackhawks with 33 shots in a three-goal second period in a 6-3 victory Sunday night.

 

The 33 shots are the most in a period since 1997-98, when shots by period became an official NHL statistic.

 

Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each had a goal and assist, and Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde also scored as Tampa Bay fired a team-record 55 shots. Ryan Callahan added an empty-netter with 2:05 left.

 

Blackhawks rookie Alexandre Fortin scored his first NHL goal to tie it late in the first, but the Lightning took charge with their speed and exploited Chicago mistakes to skate away with the win.

David Kampf and Nick Schmaltz scored late in the third period for Chicago.

 

Schmaltz's power-play goal with 3:48 left was awarded after a video review showed the puck had crossed the goal line within the glove of goalie Louis Domingue. It was the first power-play goal allowed by the Lightning in 29 chances this season.

 

Domingue made 33 saves in his second start this season. No. 1 goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy got a night off following a 5-4 overtime loss at Minnesota on Saturday.

 

Cam Ward got the start for Chicago and made 49 saves as the Blackhawks played their third game in four days.

 

Corey Crawford was solid in Chicago's previous two contests, including a 4-1 win at Columbus on Saturday, as he returned from a concussion that had sidelined him since last December.

 

The Lightning took the first six shots of the game, but Chicago came on late and outshot Tampa Bay 17-12 in a first period that ended tied at 1.

 

Kucherov opened the scoring 3:21 in after receiving Victor Hedman's long stretch pass at the Chicago blue line and sprinting in alone past defensemen Brent Seabrook and Erik Gustafsson.

Kucherov finished by beating Ward by lofting a backhander over Ward's glove.

 

Fortin tied it at 1 at 11:40 when he broke alone from the Tampa Bay blue after taking a long pass from Jan Rutta, who whipped the puck from corner of his own zone. After faking, Fortin fired between Domingue's pads.

 

Ward was peppered and came up with tough saves throughout the game to prevent a blowout.

But Domingue's right-toe stop on Patrick Kane during a Chicago power play with 1:40 left in the first period was the flashiest. Kane sped down left wing, took a cross-ice pass and fired from the circle, but Domingue kicked out his legs and spun like a windmill to deny the Chicago star.

 

The Lightning took charge in the second, building a 4-1 lead while outshooting Chicago 33-6

Cirelli made it 2-1 at 4:22 of the period when he kept poking at a puck from a scrum at the right side of the net and eventually knocked it in.

 

Gourde increased it to 3-1 at 12:07 when he slipped between two defenders, took Ondrej Palat's feed from below the goal line and connected from the slot.

 

Point's goal's 1:54 later, on a rebound of Kucherov's shot put Tampa May in charge, 4-1.

Hedman pinched down to the left circle to make it 5-1 midway through the third.

 

Kampf connected from the slot with 4:43 left to cut it to 5-2 Schmaltz made cut it to 5-3 55 seconds later, but Callahan's empty-netter sealed it.

Colts blow out Bills 37-5

Andrew Luck kept pleading with coach Frank Reich to stick with the ground game Sunday.

Reich gladly granted his wish.

 

After throwing 164 passes the previous three weeks, Luck watched his runners deliver the hard shots and took advantage of the openings by throwing for four touchdowns in a 37-5 rout over Buffalo.

 

It seems as though with the Colts getting healthy, the offense is more in sync.

 

Running back Marlon Mack returned from an injured hamstring last week and the Colts responded with back-to-back season-high rushing totals. Even Buffalo's No. 3 ranked defense couldn't slow down the Colts, who ran for 220 yards - the highest total in Luck's seven seasons.

 

Indy hadn't topped 200 yards since Dec. 18, 2011 against Tennessee, and Mack had a career-high 126 yards on 19 carries.

 

Luck, meanwhile, went 17 of 23 with 156 yards, hooked up with receiver T.Y. Hilton for two TD passes, another to Mack and one to Eric Swoope.

 

As a result, Indy (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak, pulled off its most lopsided victory since a 37-3 victory over Jacksonville on Sept. 29, 2013 and finally celebrated the franchise's 300th win since moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984.

 

Indy was in such command, Luck even made the wise decision to run out of bounds at the Bills 1-yard line in the fourth quarter rather than risk an unnecessary hit by reaching for the goal line.

The only thing that didn't go according to script was Adam Vinatieri breaking Morten Andersen's career scoring record.

 

Vinatieri scored five points to move within five of becoming the NFL's scoring leader despite missing two extra points in one game for the first time in his career.

 

But it didn't matter against the Bills' struggling offense. Buffalo (2-5) has lost two straight and three of four despite benching turnover-prone Nathan Peterman and starting 35-year-old Derek Anderson in place of the injured Josh Allen.

 

Anderson went 20 of 31 with 175 yards, three interceptions and lost a fumble in his first start since December 2016.

 

Putting offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on the field for the first time this season didn't help either. Buffalo has two touchdowns and 31 points in its last four games.

 

On Sunday, Luck did all the winning things.

 

He hooked up with Swoope on a 17-yard pass early in the second quarter and found Mack wide open in the right flat for a 29-yard scoring play - just before taking a hit. Mack's conversion run made it 14-0.

 

Hilton's 5-yard TD catch extended the lead to 21-0 and Mike Mitchell's 47-yard interception return just before halftime set up Vinatieri for a 36-yard field goal to make it 24-0.

 

All the Bills could muster in the second half was a 34-yard field goal from Stephen Hauschka and a safety when Ryan Kelly's snap sailed over the head of Luck and rolled through the end zone.

1st Round IHSA Football Playoff Matchups For Area Teams

CLASS 1A

 

#12 LeRoy (5-4) vs. #5 Chicago (Orr) (8-1) at TBA, TBA

#16 Cerro Gordo [C.G.-Bement Coop] (5-4) at #1 Argenta (A.-Oreana) (9-0), TBA

#9 Toledo (Cumberland) (7-2) at #8 Fisher (7-2), TBA

#13 Moweaqua (Central A & M) (6-3) at #4 Bridgeport (Red Hill) (8-1), TBA

#11 Catlin (Salt Fork) (6-3) at #6 Arcola (7-2), TBA

 

CLASS 2A

 

#16 Watseka (5-4) at #1 Gibson City (G.C.-Melvin-Sibley) (9-0), TBA

#15 Minonk (Fieldcrest) (5-4) at #2 Orion (9-0), TBA

#16 Staunton (5-4) at #1 Decatur (St. Teresa) (9-0), TBA

#12 Downs (Tri-Valley) (5-4) at #5 Nashville (8-1), TBA

#15 Jacksonville (Routt) [Coop] (5-4) at #2 Maroa (M.-Forsyth) (9-0), TBA

#10 Chester (6-3) at #7 Warrensburg (W.-Latham) (7-2), TBA

#14 Villa Grove [V.G.-Heritage Coop] (5-4) at #3 Tuscola (8-1), TBA

 

CLASS 3A

#16 St. Joseph (S.J.-Ogden) (5-4) at #1 Monticello (9-0), TBA

#10 Paxton (P.-Buckley-Loda) (6-3) at #7 Vandalia (7-2), TBA

#11 DuQuoin (H.S.) (6-3) at #6 Williamsville (8-1), TBA

 

CLASS 4A

 

#16 Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central) (5-4) at #1 Taylorville (9-0), TBA

#13 Breese (Central) (6-3) at #4 Rochester (8-1), TBA

#12 Herrin (H.S.) (7-2) at #5 Pontiac (8-1), TBA

#11 Fairbury (Prairie Central) (7-2) at #6 Murphysboro [Coop] (7-2), TBA

 

CLASS 5A

 

#9 Morton (6-3) at #8 Decatur (MacArthur) (6-3), TBA

#13 Mt. Zion (6-3) at #4 Cahokia (H.S.) (8-1), TBA

#12 Champaign (Central) (6-3) at #5 Carbondale (H.S.) (7-2), TBA

#10 Mascoutah (6-3) at #7 Mattoon (6-3), TBA

 

CLASS 6A

 

 #12 Springfield (H.S.) (6-3) at #5 Palos Heights (Shepard) (7-2), TBA

#10 Quincy (Sr.) (7-2) at #7 Springfield (Sacred Heart-Griffin) (7-2), TBA

#14 Lemont (H.S.) (5-4) at #3 Chatham (Glenwood) (8-1), TBA

#11 Crete (C.-Monee) (6-3) at #6 Bloomington (H.S.) (7-2), TBA

 

CLASS 7A

#22 St. Charles (North) (6-3) at #11 Normal (Community) (8-1), TBA

 

Week 9 Area Football Scores

Central Illinois:

 

Sullivan 0, Central A&M 48, F

Meridian 3, Tuscola 52, F

Shelbyville 8, Decatur St. Teresa 63, F

 

Illini Praire:

 

Bloomington Central Catholic 0, Tolono Unity 44, F

Champaign St. Thomas More 42, Praire Central 44, F

Illinois Valley Central 34, Olympia 14, F

Pontiac 49, Rantoul 7, F

 

Heart of Illinois (Large):

 

El Paso-Gridley 6, Fieldcrest 26, F

Eureka 21, Tri-Valley 14, F

Deer Creek-Mackinaw 0, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 59, F

 

Heart of Illinois (Small):

 

Fisher 14, LeRoy 46, F

Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 0, Ridgeview 41, F

Heyworth 21, Tremont 40, F

 

Big Twelve:

 

Champaign Centennial 0, Bloomington 41, F

Danville 22, Peoria Notre Dame 55, F

Normal Community West 55, Urbana 26, F

Peoria 14, Normal Community 61, F

Peoria Manual 14, Champaign Central 49, F

 

Central State Eight:

 

Chatham Glenwood 14, Rochester 31, F

Decatur MacArthur 13, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 38, F

Jacksonville 10, Springfield 41, F

 

Sangamo:

 

Maroa-Forsyth 45, Auburn 13, F

 

Non-Conference:

 

Blue Ridge 42, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran 20, F

Lincoln 27, Freeburg 48, F

Macomb 13, Mahomet-Seymour 20, F

Martinsville 7, Decatur Lutheran 48, F

Mt. Zion 19, Triad 15, F

Sangamon Valley 7, Hamilton West Hancock 40, F

Oblong 10, Argenta-Oreana 64, F

Rock Island 61, Peoria Richwoods 9, F

Toledo Cumberland 35, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 7, F

Villa Grove-Heritage 13, Cerro Gordo-Bement 7, F

Monticello Sages Go 9-0 after a win over St. Joseph-Ogden

Last game of regular season high school football played Friday. Monticello traveled to St. Joseph-Ogden to see if they go undefeated. The Spartans showed some promise putting a fight against the Sages early on, but it wouldn't be enough. The Sages would go on to add at least a touchdown in each quarter putting the final score 50-7 in favor of the Sages.

 

The Sages stuck to the ground most game as they would run for a total around 208 rushing with both Alek Bundy and Braden Snyder totaling 88 yards each. Bundy would score on three of this runs and Snyder on a QB keeper.

 

Passing would also be a contributing factor for the Sages as Snyder threw 9-14 for about 150 yards and two touchdowns. One touchdown going to Devin Graham for 15 and another to Alek Bundy on a swing pass.

 

Spartans pushed running the ball but never broke free from Monticello's defense. First play of the game Dwight Colvin ran a power run for 63 yards but turned the ball over two plays later starting the continuous scoring of Monticello. Colvin ran for a total of 123 yards, with Jarrett Stevenson and Keenan Swanson helping put a total 198 yards for the team. 

 

Crayton Burnett for the Spartans struggled in the pocket putting up 59 yards passing and only 6-11 with one interception, returned for a touchdown. 

 

Monticello and St. Joseph-Ogden now get ready for the playoffs and could be playing each other again next week in the first round. Playoff bracket will release at a later date.
 

Clinton Maroons Fall to Warrensburg-Latham

As heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fell to the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals by a score of 21-14 on Friday night. The Maroons were led by Tyrese Petty with 19 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. Ty Berter had 10 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. Berter was 8 of 20 passing for 88 yards.

 

For the Cardinals, they were led by Nathaniel Hayes with 13 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown. Hayes was 9 of 22 passing for 113 yards and an interception.

 

With the loss, the Maroons end the regular season 5-4 and 3-4 in the CIC. Warrensburg-Latham improves to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in conference action, and will secure a seat in the playoffs.

 

Tune in tomorrow night for the IHSA Pigskin Playoff Show on Your Easy Choice 95.9 FM WEZC, and on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW, and also online at dewittdailynews.com. Hear the playoff pairings as they're announced as well as interviews from coaches who make it in.

Friday Night Football

CENTRAL ILLINOIS CONFERENCE

 

Sullivan vs. Central A&M 7:00 PM at Central A&M High School

 

Warrensburg-Latham vs. Clinton 7:00 PM at Clinton High School

 

Macon Meridian vs. Tuscola 7:00 PM at Tuscola High School

 

Shelbyville vs. Decatur St. Teresa 7:00 PM at St. Teresa High School

 

ILLINI PRAIRIE CONFRENCE

 

Monticello vs. St. Joseph-Ogden 7:00 PM at St. Joseph

 

Bloomington Central Catholic vs. Unity 7:00 PM at Tolono

 

St. Thomas More vs. Prairie Central 7:00 PM at Fairbury

 

Illinois Valley Central vs. Olympia 7:00 PM at Chillicothe

 

Pontiac vs. Rantoul 7:00 PM at Pontiac

Coyotes beat Blackhawks 4-1

The handful of former Chicago Blackhawks who play for the Arizona Coyotes were excited to see Corey Crawford back on the ice after an extended absence.

 

Vinnie Hinostroza and company also enjoyed skipping town with a win.

 

Hinostroza scored twice against his former team, Antti Raanta made 33 saves and the Coyotes spoiled Crawford's season debut, beating the sleepy Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night.

 

Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist and Lawson Crouse also scored as Arizona improved to 1-1 on a four-game road trip. The Coyotes entered with just four goals in their first five games.

 

The game was tied when Hinostroza got a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and beat Crawford with a high wrist shot from the right circle 8:37 into the second period. It was Hinostroza's first goal since Chicago traded the speedy forward to Arizona in July so it could shed Marian Hossa's contract.

 

Keller made it 3-1 when he intercepted a pass by Chris Kunitz and scored on a breakaway in the third, and Hinostroza added an empty-netter with 2:20 left.

 

Crawford played his first game since Dec. 23, after missing most of last season because of a concussion. The two-time All-Star finished with 27 saves in a remarkably typical performance given his time away.

 

Erik Gustafsson scored Chicago's only goal in its first game since Sunday. The Blackhawks opened a stretch of three games in four nights with their first regulation loss of the season.

 

The crowd of 21,210 cheered loudly when the 33-year-old Crawford was introduced with the starting lineup. He helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015, and the Blackhawks tumbled into last place in the Central Division while he was out last season.

 

The Blackhawks also celebrated the return of Niklas Hjalmarsson for the first time since they traded the steady defenseman to Arizona in June 2017. He received a standing ovation after he was saluted with a highlight video during a break in the first period, and fought back tears as he raised his left arm to acknowledge the response from the crowd.

 

Hjalmarsson had three of Arizona's 27 blocked shots, helping Raanta improve to 16-0-3 at the United Center. Raanta made his NHL debut with Chicago in 2013 and became good friends with Crawford while he was with the Blackhawks.

 

Arizona jumped in front when Crouse and Keller skated in for a 2-on-1 in the first period. Keller played it over to Crouse, who one-timed the pass by Crawford at 11:43 for his first point of the season.

 

The Blackhawks tied it in the second when Jonathan Toews set up Gustafsson for a one-timer 6:34 into the period. It was Gustafsson's first goal of the season.

Brady playing against the Bears

Tom Brady looks to remain unbeaten against the Bears when the New England Patriots visit Chicago on Sunday. The Bears are 0-4 and one of five teams never to beat him. Atlanta (5-0), Dallas (4-0), Minnesota (4-0) and Tampa Bay (4-0) are the others. The 41-year-old Brady already had more victories than any other quarterback when the Patriots (4-2) beat the Kansas City Chiefs 43-40 last week. That made him the first with 200 regular-season wins.

Red Sox finish off Astros in 5 games

What a birthday present for rookie manager Alex Cora. He's taking the Boston Red Sox back to the World Series.

 

David Price put his postseason woes behind him, pitching the Red Sox past the defending champion Houston Astros 4-1 Thursday night in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.

 

Next stop for the 108-win Red Sox is Fenway Park for the World Series opener Tuesday night against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers.

 

But before leaving Minute Maid Park, the Red Sox surrounded the 43-year-old Cora in the clubhouse and heartily sang "happy birthday!" Wearing goggles and championship gear, the team saluted the first manager from Puerto Rico to lead a team to the World Series.

 

Cora was hired a year ago as he prepared to go to the Series as Houston's bench coach. He got the job a month after Hurricane Maria devastated his island homeland, and immediately went to work helping with relief efforts.

 

Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer as the Red Sox stunned Justin Verlander to win the best-of-seven set 4-1.

 

ALCS MVP Jackie Bradley Jr. , outfielder Mookie Betts and the Red Sox will try to bring Boston its fourth crown in 15 years - this is their first trip since winning it all in 2013.

 

Los Angeles has a 3-2 lead in the NLCS going into Game 6 on Friday night at Miller Park.

Pitching on only three days' rest after Boston ace Chris Sale was ruled out while recovering from a stomach illness, Price struck out nine in six shutout innings of three-hit ball . The left-hander, who has had a rough time in Boston since signing a $217 million contract before the 2016 season, entered 0-9 with a 6.16 ERA in 11 career postseason starts.

 

Price was thrilled that he won't be questioned anymore about not having a postseason win as a starter.

Price was warming in the bullpen as Game 4 ended, perhaps jeopardizing his readiness for Thursday. Instead, that session may have keyed his dominant performance.

 

Price tipped his cap to a few hundred Red Sox fans assembled behind the Boston dugout while they cheered as he walked off the field following postgame interviews.

 

The only time thing that didn't go smoothly for Price came when he brought 1-year-old son Xavier into the postgame news conference and the little one wouldn't quit shrieking and wriggling away from him .

 

Price pulled him back onto his lap, repeating the words: ''This is big, dude. This is big.''

After dropping the opener at home, Boston took four straight - including three in a row in Houston to improve to 5-0 on the road in these playoffs.

 

The Red Sox are the first team to win four straight postseason games against a 100-win club since the 2004 Red Sox against both the Yankees and Cardinals, STATS said.

 

Left fielder Andrew Benintendi caught a long fly for the last out - not nearly as dramatic as his game-saving diving grab the previous night. Just the same, it capped off a win.

 

There was a smattering of boos from the home crowd as the Red Sox charged onto the field, embracing as they jumped around near the middle of the diamond. They posed for a team picture on the mound a couple of minutes later as members of Houston's pitching staff slowly walked by, glancing at the revelry on their way back from the bullpen.

 

Despite leading the majors in wins during the regular season, the Red Sox were underdogs against a Houston team that defeated the Dodgers in last year's World Series and romped past Cleveland in the Division Series this month.

 

But stars Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and the Astros hobbled to the finish in a humbling defeat. Still, no team has repeated as World Series champs since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.

 

Altuve, last year's AL MVP, didn't want to make excuses but said this was ''absolutely'' the worst pain he's ever played with.


Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez hit an early homer off Verlander , and Price made the lead stand up into the late innings. Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his third save of the series.

 

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is taking his third organization to the World Series. He won two championships as general manager of the Florida Marlins, then oversaw two pennants as GM of the Detroit Tigers. Dombrowski was hired by Boston in 2015.

 

It was the 14th pennant for the Red Sox, who are 8-4 in World Series appearances. They took the American League flag in 1904, but the World Series wasn't played that year.

Boston ended an 86-year championship drought in 2004.

 

Verlander had pitched 24 scoreless innings over his previous three starts with his team facing postseason elimination, and he came in 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA in five potential elimination games during his career.

 

Houston's only run came on a homer by Marwin Gonzalez in the seventh off Matt Barnes .

Devers connected in the sixth for a 4-0 lead.

 

Devers, who turns 22 on Wednesday, has 12 RBIs in 10 postseason games. He joined Mickey Mantle, Andruw Jones and Miguel Cabrera as the only players in major league history to have nine or more RBIs in the postseason at age 21 or younger.

Red Sox hold off Astros 8-6 for 3-1 ALCS lead

Andrew Benintendi charged in hard and left his feet. Make the catch, Boston wins. If not ... no telling.

 

On this night, though, even a ball the Red Sox didn't grab went their way.

 

Benintendi made a diving play in left field with the bases loaded for the final out, and Boston held off the Houston Astros 8-6 Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.

 

Boosted by a questionable fan interference call and another home run from Jackie Bradley Jr. in a gripping, back-and-forth game, the Red Sox moved within one victory of their first World Series trip since winning the 2013 title.

 

Craig Kimbrel earned a shaky six-out save, helped by a rocket throw from right fielder Mookie Betts and Benintendi's daring grab of Alex Bregman's sinking liner. Had the ball scooted past Benintendi, it easily could have scored three runs and won the game for Houston.

 

With that, the Red Sox improved to 4-0 on the road in these playoffs and inched closer to eliminating the defending World Series champions.

 

Game 5 is Thursday night in Houston, where ace Justin Verlander will pitch for the Astros with their season on the line. David Price, who was warming up in the bullpen late in Game 4, will start for Boston on three days' rest after Chris Sale was ruled out Wednesday while recovering from a stomach illness.

 

Bradley hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, his latest huge swing for a Red Sox team that got knocked out of last year's playoffs by Houston in the Division Series.

 

Boston has won three straight after a Game 1 loss, and this one came with some controversy.

Astros star Jose Altuve was denied a potential two-run homer in the first inning and called out after fans reaching for the ball interfered with Betts' attempt at a leaping catch.

 

Boston trailed by one with two outs in the sixth when Christian Vazquez doubled to deep right-center. Center fielder George Springer nearly made a jumping grab, but the ball glanced off his glove.

 

Bradley, who hit a grand slam in Game 3 and a three-run double in Game 2, put the Red Sox on top 6-5 with his soaring shot to right field on the next pitch from rookie Josh James.

 

Boston got some insurance in the seventh when Lance McCullers walked in a run after taking over for Ryan Pressly with the bases loaded and two outs. J.D. Martinez added an RBI single in the eighth.

 

Houston cut the margin to two on an RBI groundout by Altuve in the eighth. Right fielder Josh Reddick made a diving catch of Betts' liner with the bases loaded to end the top of the ninth.

 

Red Sox starter Rick Porcello allowed seven hits and four runs over four innings in a wild game that took 4 hours, 33 minutes. Joe Kelly was the winner after giving up a run in the fifth.

 

Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts had two RBIs apiece for the Red Sox, who have outscored their opponents 36-12 on the road this postseason.

 

Houston's Carlos Correa, who has struggled with back problems for months, had three hits and two RBIs for his first multihit game this postseason. Springer and Tony Kemp each hit a solo homer for the Astros, who left 13 runners on base.

 

A rusty Charlie Morton gave up three hits, three runs and two walks in just 2 1/3 innings. He also threw two wild pitches in his first outing for the Astros since the regular-season finale on Sept. 30.

James took over and yielded three runs while striking out five in 3 2/3 innings during his second postseason appearance.

 

Devers' two-run single gave the Red Sox two runs in the first inning for the third straight game.

The disputed call came in the bottom of the inning when umpires ruled a fan interfered with Betts as he tried to snag Altuve's drive above the right-field wall.

 

Crew chief Joe West, working the right-field line, signaled fan interference after the ball ricocheted back onto the field.

 

The call stood after a replay review that lasted 3 minutes, 13 seconds.

 

Altuve was ruled out and Springer was sent back to first base. Cora, for one, wasn't surprised. Altuve was disappointed with the call but not mad at the fan.

 

Kemp gave Houston its first lead at 4-3 in the fourth when he knocked a slider from Porcello over the wall in the right-field corner.

 

Benintendi's second double came in the fifth and he scored on a two-out single by Bogaerts to tie it at 4. Correa's run-scoring single made it 5-4 in the bottom of the inning.
 

Dodgers beat Brewers 5-2, lead NLCS 3-2

Clayton Kershaw put his previous flop behind him and pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers forward - one victory from a return trip to the World Series.

 

With so much at stake, the three-time Cy Young Award winner bounced back from one of his worst postseason starts with one of his best, pitching the Dodgers past the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 Wednesday for a 3-2 lead in the NL Championship Series.

 

Max Muncy hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning for the defending NL champs. Kershaw held the lead, scoring an insurance run in the seventh and then exiting.

 

Roughed up in the NLCS opener, Kershaw mixed his fastball and slider on a hot day to shut down the Brewers. The Dodgers ace didn't allow a baserunner past the third inning.

 

Game 6 is Friday night in Milwaukee. The Brewers will start left-hander Wade Miley, who walked Cody Bellinger to open Game 5 before getting pulled in an interesting piece of strategy by manager Craig Counsell. Hyun-Jin Ryu will go for the Dodgers.


The Dodgers haven't been in back-to-back World Series since losing to the Yankees in 1977 and `78. They were beaten by Houston in Game 7 last year.

 

If the Brewers rally to win the series and this ends up being Kershaw's last start for the Dodgers, he left behind a gem. The left-hander can opt out of the last two years and $70 million remaining on his contract after the World Series and become a free agent. He said Tuesday he hasn't made a decision about his future.

 

The teams reconvened less than 15 hours after the Dodgers eked out a 2-1 victory Tuesday night on Cody Bellinger's RBI single with two outs in a 13-inning game that lasted over five hours.

 

Pitching in 82-degree sunshine, Kershaw was well-rested and masterful in allowing one run and three hits over seven. He struck out nine, all on breaking pitches, and walked two.

 

Kershaw recovered from the shortest postseason start of his career. He lasted just three innings in losing the NLCS opener while giving up five runs - four earned - at Miller Park.

 

Kershaw pitched in and out of trouble in the third, when the Brewers loaded the bases and scored their lone run. Kershaw struck out Jesus Aguilar to end the third, the first of 13 consecutive batters that the left-hander retired.

 

Curtis Granderson hit an RBI double in the ninth. Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers' third pitcher of the ninth, came in for the last two outs and the save.

 

Yelich, who nearly won the NL Triple Crown this season, was hitless in four at-bats. He is 3 for 20 without an RBI in the NLCS.

 

The Dodgers' offense broke loose with five runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings that had the sellout crowd of 54,502 on its feet whipping blue towels and cheering loudly.

 

The team that hit a franchise and NL-leading 235 home runs in the regular season did it playing small ball instead, driving in all but one of its runs on singles.

 

The Dodgers tied the game 1-all on Austin Barnes' RBI single up the middle in the fifth. Chris Taylor singled leading off, took second on shortstop Orlando Arcia's throwing error and stole third.

 

Muncy grounded a 1-2 pitch from Brandon Woodruff into left field, scoring Turner, who led off with a single. Yasiel Puig singled to center with two outs, bringing home Manny Machado after he was hit by a pitch from Corbin Burnes.

 

Los Angeles extended the lead to 5-1 in the seventh on Turner's RBI single that scored Kershaw, who walked, and pinch-hitter Brian Dozier's RBI groundout.

 

Kershaw has struggled in the postseason during his career, with his numbers never matching his excellence during the regular season.

 

But his outing Wednesday nearly matched what he did in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta. Kershaw allowed two hits over eight shutout innings, struck out three and walked none in the best postseason outing of his career.

 

The Brewers led 1-0 in the third on Lorenzo Cain's RBI double to deep center.

Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack day to day with ankle injury

Chicago Bears star pass rusher Khalil Mack is day to day because of an ankle injury, coach Matt Nagy said on Wednesday.

 

Mack was hurt early in last week's overtime loss at Miami and his 2018 streak of at least one sack and one forced fumble in each game ended. Playing without the two-time All-Pro would be a huge blow, particularly with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots visiting on Sunday.

Dodgers over Brewers 2-1 in 13 to tie NLCS

By the time Manny Machado rounded third base, the Los Angeles Dodgers had already started streaming out of the dugout.

 

After more than five hours of tension-filled baseball, they were certainly eager to celebrate.

Cody Bellinger singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning Tuesday night to give Los Angeles a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that tied the NL Championship Series at two games apiece.

 

The slumping Bellinger, who began the night 1 for 21 in these playoffs, was chased all the way into left field by teammates. Even manager Dave Roberts ran out to congratulate his outfielder, who got soaked with a Gatorade shower.

 

Bellinger laced a full-count pitch from Junior Guerra into right field to score Machado, who was nearly picked off second base moments earlier. Instead, he slid home and touched the plate with his left hand to beat Christian Yelich's throw and finally end an October nail-biter that took 5 hours, 15 minutes.

 

It was the fourth extra-inning postseason game in Dodger Stadium history, and the home team's first such win since beating Philadelphia in Game 4 of the 1978 NLCS.

 

After a quick turnaround, Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday afternoon, with Wade Miley pitching for the Brewers on three days' rest against fellow lefty Clayton Kershaw.

The teams return to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday.

 

With one out in the 13th, Machado hit a broken-bat single to left field and went to second on Guerra's wild pitch. With first base open and a struggling Yasmani Grandal on deck followed by the pitcher's spot, the Brewers chose to pitch to Bellinger - and it cost them.

 

Bellinger, who entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, also made a diving catch on his belly of a ball hit by Lorenzo Cain leading off the 10th, spreading his arms out and sliding like a snow angel in right field.

 

Both teams used all their position players and wasted numerous chances. Los Angeles went through its entire bullpen.

 

The Dodgers struck out 17 times - all against Milwaukee relievers - and have whiffed 49 times in the series. The Brewers fanned 15 times.

 

Dodgers starter Rich Hill allowed one run and three hits in five innings.

 

The Brewers tied it 1-all in the fifth on pinch-hitter Domingo Santana's RBI double that took one hop against the right-field wall with Yasiel Puig scrambling in pursuit.

 

The Dodgers led 1-0 on Brian Dozier's RBI single in the first off Gio Gonzalez, who left after twisting his ankle while trying to field an infield single by Puig in the second.

 

Gonzalez has a high ankle sprain and might need to be replaced on the roster, Counsell said.

The sellout crowd of 53,764 was considerably noisier than on Monday, when Enrique Hernandez criticized Dodgers fans for being too quiet. Joc Pederson and Bellinger waved blue rally towels in the dugout.

 

But the Dodgers again struggled at the plate after going 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position during a 4-0 loss in Game 3.

 

Milwaukee put the potential go-ahead run on third in the seventh before Cain grounded out against Dylan Floro.

 

The Dodgers had runners at the corners in the eighth against hard-throwing Josh Hader, who pitched for the second consecutive day. Pinch-hitter Matt Kemp struck out to end the threat.

 

The Brewers had another chance in the ninth against closer Kenley Jansen. With fans on their feet, pinch-hitter Travis Shaw struck out with a runner on third to end the inning.

 

In the 10th, Ryan Braun singled with two outs and stole second against Jansen, who struck out Jesus Aguilar.

 

And when Bellinger finally ended it, the only NLCS game that had lasted longer was the New York Mets' 15-inning victory over Atlanta in Game 5 in 1999, which took 5 hours, 46 minutes.

Red Sox beat Astros 8-2 in ALCS

Jackie Bradley Jr. didn't let his demeanor change this season, even as fans begged Boston to trade him during a miserable first-half slump.

 

Stayed steady after the biggest swing of his career, too.

 

Bradley belted a grand slam for his second big hit in the AL Championship Series, helping the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 8-2 on Tuesday for a 2-1 series lead. His low-key personality was on display as he rounded the bases without the hint of a smile. He greeted his screaming, excited teammates at home plate with one small jump and a few high fives.

 

Bradley's slam backed a solid start by Nathan Eovaldi, who hushed Houston a day after some social media smack talk from Alex Bregman.

 

Game 4 is Wednesday night, with Boston's Rick Porcello opposing Charlie Morton.

 

Steve Pearce hit a tiebreaking homer for the Red Sox off Joe Smith in the sixth, a drive that sailed just inside the foul pole in left field for a 3-2 lead.

 

Bradley's slam capped a five-run burst in the eighth against Roberto Osuna. The Astros closer got two outs but allowed two singles and plunked consecutive batters to force in a run. Bradley then crushed a 1-1 fastball into the right field seats to send Houston fans streaming toward the exits.

Osuna was acquired from Toronto this season while serving a 75-game ban under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. He had a 1.99 ERA over 23 games for Houston in the regular season after he returned.

 

With his childhood hero and fellow Alvin, Texas, native Nolan Ryan sitting behind the plate, Eovaldi turned in another solid start. He allowed six hits and two runs with four strikeouts in six innings for the win in the second playoff start of his career.

 

Bregman had shared a video Monday on Instagram of Houston hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs off Eovaldi in his previous outing against the Astros in June. Eovaldi downplayed the post when asked about it Monday.

 

Bregman did much of the damage against Eovaldi, getting two hits, an RBI and a walk in three plate appearances. Bregman has reached base safely in 20 of 28 plate appearances this postseason.

Bradley hit a three-run double during Boston's Game 2 victory, giving him three RBIs in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Moments after his slam, fans at TD Garden in Boston began chanting ''JBJ!'' during the Celtics season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.

 

Bradley had caught the ire of many Red Sox fans while batting .210 during the first half of the season.

 

Boston jumped on Dallas Keuchel for two runs in the first, but the Astros cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning and tied it on an RBI double by Bregman in the fifth.

 

The Astros went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position in the first home game of the series, which was played in front of a sellout crowd of 43,102 and included Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell and Houston Rockets stars James Harden, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. Bregman's double was the only extra-base hit for a team which entered the game having hit at least one homer in a record 14 straight playoff games.

 

Jose Altuve, at designated hitter on Tuesday because of a bruised knee, walked with two outs in the fifth and scored from first on the double by Bregman, which bounced past third baseman Rafael Devers and into the corner of left field to tie it at 2-2. Altuve also bunted for a single in the seventh.

Eduardo Nunez started at third base for Boston after Cora benched him in favor of Devers in Game 2. Devers took over at third in the bottom of the fourth after pinch-hitting for Nunez in the top of the inning.

Rangers hire Shiraz Rehman as assistant GM from Cubs

The Texas Rangers have hired Shiraz Rehman as assistant general manager after he spent the past seven years in baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs.

 

Rehman will assist Rangers general manager Jon Daniels in the day-to-day management of major league operations, including player acquisitions, roster management, player contracts, and salary arbitration.

 

Texas announced the hire on Tuesday.

 

Rehman joined the Cubs as assistant to the GM in November 2011, shortly after Chicago hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations and Jed Hoyer as general manager. Rehman was most was recently assistant GM for strategic initiatives for the Cubs, and had previously spent six seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball operations department.

Bulls announce deal with Zenni, will wear sponsorship patch


The Chicago Bulls and Zenni Optical have announced a five-year deal that makes the online eyewear retailer the first company to place a sponsorship patch on the franchise's jersey.

 

The patch will be on the left breast of the team's jerseys, starting with the opener at Philadelphia on Thursday. Chicago's first home game is against Detroit on Saturday.

 

The agreement announced Tuesday also encompasses marketing elements, community initiatives, digital assets and signage at the United Center.

Brewers' bullpen blank Dodgers 4-0 for 2-1 NLCS lead

The Milwaukee Brewers know they can count on their intimidating bullpen to get outs. They may not have been expecting a twice-demoted shortstop to generate so much offense.

 

Jhoulys Chacin combined with four relievers on a five-hitter and Orlando Arcia hit a two-run homer in a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday that gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series.

 

Los Angeles loaded the bases against Jeremy Jeffress in the ninth inning, but the struggling closer shut the door. He struck out Yasmani Grandal and pinch-hitter Brian Dozier to complete Milwaukee's third shutout in six playoff games this year.

 

Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, with Rich Hill starting for Los Angeles against fellow lefty Gio Gonzalez.

 

Ryan Braun had an early RBI double off rookie Walker Buehler, who struck out eight in seven innings. Travis Shaw tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.

 

Arcia connected for his third postseason homer in the seventh, his second in two games.

Chacin scattered three hits over 5 1/3 innings before giving way to Corey Knebel, who worked 1 2/3 perfect innings and struck out his last four batters.

 

With a runner on second and the Brewers nursing a 2-0 lead, Knebel got Manny Machado to ground out before whiffing Cody Bellinger to end the sixth. The right-hander then fanned Yasiel Puig, Grandal and Enrique Hernandez in the seventh.

 

Joakim Soria retired Chris Taylor on a foul popup for the first out of the eighth. Josh Hader, who didn't pitch in Game 2 after tossing three scoreless innings in the opener, needed only eight pitches to strike out pinch-hitters David Freese and Matt Kemp to end the eighth.

 

Hader rarely pitches on consecutive days, but his light workload Monday could give Counsell some options.

 

Justin Turner singled and Machado doubled to start the ninth for Los Angeles. Bellinger popped out and slammed his bat before Puig drew a walk, but Counsell stayed with Jeffress, who settled down and came through.

 

Milwaukee's vaunted bullpen delivered after the Dodgers hit .333 and scored eight of their nine runs against Brewers relievers during the first two games in Milwaukee, both decided by one run.

The Dodgers also came up empty against Chacin with the bases loaded in the second, when Buehler took a called third strike to end the inning.

 

The Brewers became the first visiting team to pitch a postseason shutout at Dodger Stadium since the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the 1983 NLCS. Los Angeles had gone 50 consecutive home playoff games without being blanked, the second-longest streak in major league history behind 61 straight for the Boston Red Sox, according to STATS.

 

The 1905 New York Giants and 1966 Baltimore Orioles were the only other teams to toss three shutouts in their first six games of a postseason, STATS said.

 

The Brewers entered these playoffs with one shutout in their postseason history.

 

Chacin returned to the scene of the Brewers' worst loss of the season, a 21-5 rout on Aug. 2. In that game, he was charged with nine runs - eight earned - and five hits, including a grand slam by Bellinger.

Chacin was much better when it counted most. The right-hander struck out six and walked two while outpitching Buehler.

 

Milwaukee got to Buehler in the first on Braun's double into the left-field corner that scored Christian Yelich, who walked.

 

The Brewers struck again in the sixth. Bellinger was slow to chase Shaw's triple off the top of the center-field wall and missed making the catch by inches before the ball caromed away.

 

Shaw scored on Buehler's wild pitch to Jesus Aguilar. The ball bounced off Grandal, who scrambled after it near the third-base line while Shaw ran to the plate, making it 2-0.

 

In the seventh, Erik Kratz doubled and Arcia followed with a two-run shot to right field.

 

Puig chased the ball as it drifted into the lower right-field seats on a night when the first Santa Ana winds of the fall arrived, buffeting the stadium with cool, sustained gusts for most of the game.

 

It was the latest big hit in October for Arcia, the talented young shortstop who was sent to the minors twice this season as he slumped at the plate. He has three home runs in 20 playoff at-bats, matching his total in 348 at-bats all season.

 

Buehler gave up five hits and a walk in the longest outing by a Dodgers starter during the series so far.

Forsberg lead Predators over Wild 4-2

Ryan Johansen and the Nashville Predators are off to a solid start this season.

Scoring first has been a big key.

 

Johansen and P.K. Subban each had two assists, and the Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Monday night for their fifth win in six games.

 

Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg and Miikka Salomaki scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne finished with 29 saves.

 

Minnesota lost for the fourth time in five games. Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist for the Wild, and Matt Dumba also scored.

 

After Smith and Dumba exchanged goals in the first period, Nashville opened a 3-1 lead in the second.

 

As a penalty on Nashville's Ryan Ellis was expiring, Johansen began an odd-man rush with Ekholm trailing. From the right faceoff dot, Johansen found Ekholm in the slot, where he beat Alex Stalock with a wrist shot.

 

Forsberg made it 3-1 at 12:02 of the second. Just inside the Predators' blue line, Kyle Turris forced a turnover by Eric Staal. Turris then pivoted and found Forsberg at the other blue line with a perfect stretch pass, sending the Swede in on a breakaway for his fourth goal of the season.

 

Stalock finished with 24 saves in his first start of the season.

 

Koivu's first goal of the season at 15:03 of the second cut Nashville's lead to 3-2. Rinne preserved the win by denying Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway with 2:41 remaining.

 

Salomaki added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.

 

Smith put Nashville in front 6:01 into the game. With a tripping minor on Minnesota's Jonas Brodin in its final seconds, Smith collected the rebound of Subban's wrist shot from the center of the blue line through traffic and put it past Stalock for his second of the season.

 

Nashville has scored first in five of six games this season.

 

Dumba evened the game at 13:29 on the power play. Koivu's backhand pass from the right corner ricocheted off the stick of Nashville's Nick Bonino and into the high slot. Coming down from the left point unchecked, Dumba stepped into a slap shot and beat Rinne high on the glove side.

Chicago Cubs hire Rangers' Anthony Iapoce as hitting coach

The Chicago Cubs have hired Anthony Iapoce as its major league hitting coach, replacing the fired Chili Davis.

 

Iapoce was the major league hitting coach for the Texas Rangers the last three seasons. He spent the previous three years in the Cubs organization and the team said he is familiar with many members of the big league club.

 

During Iapoce's three years in Texas, the Rangers ranked fifth in the American League in runs and fourth in home runs. The 2017 Rangers were the first MLB team with nine players to reach at least 17 homers in the same season.

 

Chicago won 95 games in a franchise-record fourth straight playoff season, but its offense was inconsistent. The Cubs finished fourth in the National League in scoring but managed one run or zero in 39 regular-season games. They scored just two runs over 22 innings in losing the NL Central tiebreaker game against Milwaukee and the NL wild-card game to Colorado.
 

Longtime Eastern Illinois football coach Bob Spoo dies at 80


Former Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo, whose players included future NFL quarterbacks Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo, has died at age 80.

 

The university says Spoo died Monday in Rockford, Illinois. School spokesman Rich Moser says Spoo had been ill in recent weeks.

 

Spoo retired in 2011 after 25 years as the Eastern Illinois coach. He had a career record of 144-131-1 and nine FCS playoff appearances.

 

He had an 11-5 record playing quarterback for Purdue in 1957-58 before becoming a high school coach in the Chicago area. He was an assistant coach at Wisconsin and Purdue before taking over the Eastern Illinois program. It plays in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Dolphins rally past Bears 31-28 in OT

Jason Sanders kicked a 47-yard field goal on the final play of overtime after Cody Parkey missed a 53-yard try for the Chicago Bears, who blew an 11-point lead in the final 16 minutes of regulation and lost to the Miami Dolphins 31-28 Sunday.

 

Miami's Brock Osweiler threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns subbing for Ryan Tannehill, who sat out because of an injured throwing shoulder. Albert Wilson turned two short passes into long touchdowns in the fourth quarter and finished with 155 yards on six receptions.

 

The Dolphins took the kickoff to start overtime, marched 74 yards and were on the verge of victory when Kenyan Drake fumbled just before crossing the goal line. Eddie Goldman recovered for the Bears, who then drove to the Miami 35.

 

But former Dolphin Parkey was wide right on his attempt with 2 minutes left.

 

Miami (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and ended a three-game winning streak for Chicago (3-2).

 

The Bears' offense came alive after they trailed 7-0 at halftime. Miami then rallied from a 21-10 deficit in the final 16 minutes of regulation to tie the game twice and force overtime.

 

Mitchell Trubisky threw for 316 yards and three second-half touchdowns, but the Bears were hurt by two turnovers in the red zone. Jordan Howard lost a fumble at the 1, and Trubisky was intercepted in the end zone by T.J. McDonald.

 

Trubisky then threw a 29-yard pass to Anthony Miller for a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, but Miami needed only one play to tie it again, with the dynamic Wilson weaving through the secondary for a 75-yard score.

 

Wilson earlier scored on a 43-yard catch and run.

 

Chicago's Tarik Cohen scored on a 21-yard run and had a long catch and run. Kyle Fuller had two interceptions, the second of which set up a Bears touchdown.

 

But Miami contained the Bears' Khalil Mack, ending his streak of at least one sack and one forced fumble in every game this season.

 

Miami netted 541 yards without Tannehill, who had been nursing a shoulder injury for several weeks. He worked out before the game, and it was then decided he should sit.

 

Frank Gore rushed for 101 yards. Osweiler, who signed with Miami as a free agent in March, went 28 for 44 and overcame two interceptions.

Purdue rolls over Illinois 46-7

Purdue rolled over Illinois 46-7 on Saturday, dampening the Illini homecoming festivities and dimming their postseason hopes.

 

Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) arguably played its worst game of the year. Purdue (3-3, 2-1) scored 46 unanswered points after the first series. Illinois began the game scoring on a five-yard keeper by quarterback AJ Bush following a 52-yard pass to Reggie Corbin.

 

Purdue racked up 611 yards in total offense compared to Illinois' 250. The Illini, which led the Big Ten in takeaways and ranked sixth in the nation in turnovers gained per game, forced its only turnover late in the third quarter when Cameron Watkins tipped a David Blough pass and it was intercepted by Sydney Brown. Illinois was unable to capitalize on the interception.

 

Purdue sacked Bush four times and pressured him all game. D. J. Knox gained 150 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Boilermakers. Markell Jones had seven carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. Alexander Horvath also scored a touchdown.

 

Bush finished 12 of 25 for 170 yards passing and one interception. Bush also was the Illini's leading rusher, gaining 24 yards on 20 carries.

 

Blough finished the day 25-of-36 passing for 377 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught a seven-yard touchdown pass on a reverse from wide receiver (and former quarterback) Jared Sparks. It was Sparks' first career touchdown pass.

 

The previously effective Illinois running game all but disappeared on Saturday. Running back Mike Epstein, an effective offensive weapon throughout the season, didn't touch the ball until late in the first half when he caught a four-yard Bush pass. Epstein ended the day with one carry for 10 yards. Illinois kicker Chase McLaughlin, who leads the nation in field goals of 50-plus yards going into the game, missed a 38-yard attempt midway through the second quarter that would have drawn Illinois to within four points.

Red Sox bounce back, beat Astros 7-5

David Price went home a winner in a postseason start for the first time in his career.

That, he insisted, is all he ever cared about.

 

Price was good enough, the Red Sox relievers were even better, and Jackie Bradley Jr. delivered a go-ahead, three-run double off the Green Monster to lead Boston to a 7-5 victory over the Houston Astros and tie the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.

 

Price fell one out short of qualifying for the win, which would have been his first in 11 postseason starts. But it was the first time his team had won a playoff game he started, snapping a record run of October futility.

 

Game 3 is Tuesday in Houston, followed by two more at Minute Maid Park and a chance for the defending World Series champions to clinch a second straight AL pennant at home. Marwin Gonzalez homered for the Astros, who had won five straight postseason games dating to Game 7 of the 2017 Series.

 

Price was spotted a two-run lead in the first inning and then fell behind 4-2 before Bradley clanged one off the left-field wall that Gonzalez chased helplessly as it bounced back toward the infield.

Price left leading 5-4 with two on with two out in the fifth before Matt Barnes struck out Gonzalez to end the inning and then pitched a perfect sixth to earn the victory. Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless inning and erstwhile starter Rick Porcello set the Astros down 1-2-3 in the eighth.

 

Closer Craig Kimbrel gave up Jose Altuve's RBI single with two outs in the ninth before Bregman launched a high fly to left that Andrew Benintendi caught a step in front of the Monster.

 

Gerrit Cole, who was so dominant in his Division Series start against Cleveland, gave up a double to Mookie Betts - the first batter of the game - as Boston sent eight batters to the plate in the first and scored twice.

 

The AL West champs tied it in the second on George Springer's two-run double down the right-field line. And when Gonzalez cleared the Monster - and the seats above them - with a two-run homer in the third, it looked like Price was headed for another loss (he has won two postseason games in relief.)

 

But Boston, which won the AL East and a franchise-record 108 games, came back in the bottom half, starting with Xander Bogaerts' one-out single and then a double by Steve Pearce that sent Gonzalez crashing back-first into the metal scoreboard on the left-field wall. He fell to the warning track, but after the training staff and manger AJ Hinch went out to check on him he stayed in the game.

 

Cole walked Devers on four pitches to load the bases and struck out Ian Kinsler on three before Bradley lofted one down the left-field line and off the Monster. As the ball bounced back toward the infield, it hopped on the padding along the side wall, just out of Gonzalez's reach.

Betts scored an insurance run in the seventh, walking to lead off the inning and coming around to make it 6-4 on a wild pitch and a pair of passed balls. He gave Boston a 7-4 lead with an RBI double in the eighth.

Week 8 Area Football Scores

Central Illinois:

 

Central A&M 35, Meridian 13, F

Decatur St. Teresa 62, Warrensburg-Latham 12, F

Tuscola 49, Shelbyville 0, F

 

Illini Prairie:

 

Bloomington Central Catholic 10, Illinois Valley Central 41, F

St. Thomas More 0, Pontiac 40, F

St. Joseph-Ogden 28, Olympia 7, F

Tolono Unity 22, Rantoul 14, F

 

Heart of Illinois (Large):

 

Tri-Valley 13, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 6, F

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 63, El Paso-Gridley 6, F

Fieldcrest 14, Eureka 21, F

 

Heart of Illinois (Small):

 

Ridgeview 14, Fisher 41, F

LeRoy 28, Heyworth 7, F

Tremont 41, Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 0, F

 

Big Twelve:

 

Bloomington 51, Peoria 40,F

Champaign Central 20, Normal Community West 35, F

Peoria Richwoods 12, Danville 38, F

 

Central State Eight:

 

Chatham Glenwood 66, Springfield Southeast 28, F

Jacksonville 6, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 48, F

Springfield 42, Normal University 0, F

Springfield Lanphier 12, Rochester 41, F

 

Apollo:

 

Effingham 41, Mattoon 21, F

Mahomet-Seymour 0, Lincoln 14, F

Mt. Zion 22, Taylorville 30, F

 

Sangamo:

 

Riverton 0, Maroa-Forsyth 77, F

 

Little Okaw Valley (Northwest):

 

Argenta-Oreana 50, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 21, F

Cerro Gordo-Bement 34, Sangamon Valley 22, F

Decatur Lutheran 36, Arcola 37, F

 

Non-Conference:

South Newton, IN 12, Blue Ridge 43, F

Monticello wins Illini Prairie Conference!

Prairie Central went to Monticello for senior night, and what a perfect night for the seniors at Monticello as they would win the Illini Prairie Conference and go 8-0 as they beat the Hawks, 49-20.

 

Braden Snyder and Devin Graham would lead the team as Braden Snyder would throw 14-21 for over 251 yards getting 5 touchdowns, and 1 rushing touchdown. Snyder would rush around 30 yards. Graham caught 3 of Snyders passes for touchdowns, receiving for more than 139 yards.

 

Prairie Central's Collier Palmore and Wyatt Steidinger led the Hawks, Steidinger totaled around 100 yards rushing, and 170 receiving getting a touchdown on a 28-yard buck sweep. Palmore threw for around 175 yards, rushing for about 44 yards, and throwing 4-9 passes and two touchdowns.

 

Monticello will travel to St. Joseph-Ogden for the next game to see if they can go undefeated in the regular season.

 

Play of the Game: In the 1st quarter Snyder looked downfield on a one-on-one coverage to Graham for a 60-yard touchdown pass, putting the game at 14s.
 

Maroons Blank Redskins 35-0

In a game heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons defeated the Sullivan Redskins by a score of 35-0 on Friday night. The Maroons were led by Ty Berter who was 8 of 19 passing for 176 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. Berter also had a touchdown run. Tyrese Petty had 12 rushes for 83 yards, one touchdown, and an 11 yard touchdown catch. Clayton Welch had 3 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Garrett Wayne had 2 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. 

 

The Redskins were led by quarterback Cameron Kesterson who had 15 carries for 49 yards, was 4 of 9 passing for 43 yards, and an interception.

 

With the win, the Maroons improve to 5-3 on the season and 3-3 in conference action. Sullivan falls to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in the CIC.

 

Tune in next week as the Maroons take on the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals for senior night. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.

Friday Night Lights

CENTRAL ILLINOIS CONFERENCE


Central A&M vs. Macon Meridian 7:00 PM at Meridian High School


Clinton  vs. Sullivan 7:00 PM at Sullivan High School


Decatur St. Teresa vs. Warrensburg-Latham 7:00 PM at Warrensburg-Latham 


Tuscola vs. Shelbyville 7:00 PM at Shelbyville High School

 

ILLINI PRAIRIE CONFERENCE


Bloomington Central Catholic vs. Illinois Valley Central 7:00 PM at Bloomington


St. Thomas More vs. Pontiac 7:00 PM at Champaign


Prairie Central vs. Monticello 7:00 PM at Monticello


St. Joseph-Ogden vs. Olympia 7:00 PM at Stanford


Unity vs. Rantoul 7:00 PM at Rantoul

Perron's hat trick lifts Blues to over Flames 5-3

 David Perron likes his new line.

 

Perron scored his fourth career hat trick, Alexander Steen had a goal and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Thursday night.

 

Joel Edmundson also scored and Brayden Schenn had three assists as the Blues won for the first time this season. Jake Allen made 31 saves.

 

Before the game, Blues coach Mike Yeo moved Perron up to the second line with Schenn and Jaden Schwartz.

 

James Neal, Derek Ryan and Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames. Mike Smith was pulled following the second period after allowing five goals on 24 shots.

 

Perron gave the Blues a 2-1 lead midway through the first period. Edmundson, making his season debut after missing the first two games with a sore groin, made it 3-1 Blues with 2:38 left in the first, beating Smith high glove side.

 

Perron's second goal early in the second made it 4-1. Smith misplayed the puck behind the net, allowing Schenn to steal it and find Perron alone in front with an empty net.

 

Perron, playing in his third stint with the Blues, completed the hat trick with 35 seconds left in the second. His last hat trick also came at Calgary's expense on Oct. 22, 2016.

 

Neal gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at 7:32 of the first. Sam Bennett set it up with a nice move in front, causing Allen to commit and leaving an opening for Neal.

 

Steen answered for the Blues just 16 seconds later. The goal gave Steen 453 career points, surpassing Al MacInnis for seventh in Blues history.

 

Allen got help from his post on Sean Monahan's penalty shot late in the first period. He also made several tough saves as the Blues killed off a 5-on-3 for 1:35 late in the second period.

 

Ryan and Backlund scored in the third for Calgary to cut the deficit to two.

Wild 4-3 comeback win vs. Blackhawks

Ryan Suter tied it with 23 seconds left in the third period and Jason Zucker scored in overtime, rallying the Minnesota Wild past the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Thursday night.

 

Zucker had two goals and an assist, including a breakaway backhander 3:25 into overtime. Zach Parise sent a long pass across the red line to a streaking Zucker, whose shot went between Cam Ward's pads to give the Wild (1-1-1) their first win of the season.

 

Suter's takeaway gave the Wild possession on that play, after he batted in a backhander off a short-handed rebound of Parise's shot to make it 3-3.

 

Alex DeBrincat had two goals and an assist for the Blackhawks, including a go-ahead score on a power play early in the third period, but the Wild put together their most complete offensive performance to date with 46 shots on goal. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the Wild.

 

Eric Staal scored for Minnesota in the second period on assists from Suter and Zucker, and Zucker tied it with 2.8 seconds left before the second intermission by snagging Staal's off-target pass and moving the puck from his backhand to his forehand.

 

Jonathan Toews kept up his season-opening surge with two assists for the Blackahwks. He set up DeBrincat's first score during a 4-on-4 with a hard stop on a rush to slide the puck across the slot. Then he fed rookie Dominik Kahun for his first NHL goal less than three minutes later.

 

Patrick Kane assisted on DeBrincat's second score, giving the Toews-Kane-DeBrincat trio a whopping 22 points in four games. Toews has a team-leading five goals and three assists for the Blackhawks (2-0-2), who have 18 goals in four games after missing the playoffs last spring for the first time in 10 years.

 

Ward, keeping the net warm for the expected return next week of Corey Crawford from a concussion that cut short his 2017-18 season, made a season-high 42 saves for the Blackhawks. Each of their four games have been decided in overtime.

 

The 20-year-old DeBrincat, playing on the Toews-anchored first line with Kahun, has 59 points in 86 career games coming off his solid rookie season.

Brewers get ready for Dodgers

The Milwaukee Brewers get ready for their first playoff game tonight. The MVP favorite Christian Yelich and the Brewers will be playing at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game will start at 7:09 PM.

Bears and Tribusky


Mitchell Trubisky's six-touchdown effort against Tampa Bay provided the first indication he could live up to the player the Bears thought he'd be when they drafted him second overall in 2017. Now he's hoping to establish consistency beginning with Sunday's game in Miami.

Tex Winter, innovative basketball coach, dead at 96

Tex Winter, the innovative "Triangle Offense" pioneer who assisted Phil Jackson on NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, has died. He was 96.

Kansas State University said Winter died Wednesday in Manhattan.

 

Winter published "The Triple-Post Offense" in 1962 and teamed with Jackson to use the system to great success with Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Winter assisted Jackson on championship teams with the Bulls in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998, and the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002. He was a consultant with Los Angeles' 2009 title team, and the Lakers also won in 2010.

 

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, Winter spent more than six decades in coaching. He was 451-336 as a college head coach at Marquette (1951-53), Kansas State (1954-68), Washington (1969-72), Northwestern (1975-78) and Long Beach State (1978-83). He coached the Houston Rockets in 1972-74, going 51-78.

 

Born Morice Fredrick Winter in 1922 near Wellington, Texas, he grew up in Huntington Park, California, and starred at Oregon State and Southern California in basketball and as a pole vaulter. He entered coaching at Kansas State in 1947 under Jack Gardner.

Bulls young talent

With a core of promising young players, the Chicago Bulls believe they are setting themselves up to make a jump after going 27-55 and missing the playoffs for the second time in three years. They're banking on Lauri Markkanen building on an impressive rookie season and Zach LaVine showing he really is a cornerstone piece. It wouldn't hurt, either, if Jabari Parker stayed healthy after signing with his hometown team in the offseason. The season opener is Oct. 18 at Philadelphia.

Red Sox hold off Yankees in Game 4

The Boston Red Sox gathered around exhausted closer Craig Kimbrel, hugging and celebrating after the New York Yankees' two-run rally in the ninth inning fell short.

 

But wait!

 

In 21st century baseball, the game doesn't always end when it seems, hanging in limbo until umpires in a downtown Manhattan replay room agree .

 

A Yankee Stadium crowd of 49,641 wondered and the Red Sox paused as they watched from the infield in suspended celebration, fixated on the center-field video board.

 

After 63 seconds that felt like a lot longer, crew chief Mike Winters heard the decision, took off his headset, raised his right fist and made it official: The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3 Tuesday night to win the AL Division Series 3-1, setting up a postseason rematch with the World Series champion Astros.

 

J.D. Martinez and the 108-win Red Sox reached the AL Championship Series for the first time since Boston won the title in 2013. A year after losing to Houston in a four-game ALDS, the Red Sox open the best-of-seven matchup against the 103-win Astros on Saturday night at Fenway Park. Houston went 4-3 against Boston this year.

 

A New Jersey native who grew up a Mets fan, Rick Porcello held the Yankees to one run over five innings for his first postseason win in 13 appearances. Barnes and Ryan Brasier followed with a perfect inning each to protect a 4-1 lead.

 

Red Sox ace Chris Sale told Cora when he arrived at the ballpark that he wanted to pitch, and he followed with a 1-2-3 eighth in a rare relief appearance that extended the Yankees' streak of consecutive outs to 11.

 

New York had not put a leadoff runner on until Kimbrel, a seven-time All-Star closer, walked Aaron Judge on four pitches leading off the ninth.

 

Didi Gregorius singled and Giancarlo Stanton struck out, Luke Voit walked on four pitches, and Kimbrel hit Neil Walker on a leg with a next pitch , forcing in a run that made it 4-2.

 

Gary Sanchez fell behind 0-2 in the count, worked it full and sent a drive that had the crowd roaring only for Andrew Benintendi to catch it on the left-field warning track, a few feet short of a series-tying grand slam .

 

A night after Boston romped to a record-setting 16-1 rout in a game that included three replay reversals, Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Nunez drove in runs in the third inning off a wobbly CC Sabathia, who took the loss. For the second straight night, Yankees rookie manager Aaron Boone hesitated to remove his starting pitcher early.

 

When Boone brought in Zach Britton to start the fourth, and Christian Vazquez led off with an opposite-field drive over the short porch in right field for his first career postseason homer.

Not even the presence of 1978 AL East tiebreaker star Bucky Dent for the ceremonial first pitch could inspire the 100-win Yankees, who were outscored 27-14 in the series, including 20-4 in the final two games. New York set a major league record this year for most home runs in a season, but didn't go deep in the two games at Yankee Stadium and hit .214 in the series, which included 3 for 14 by Gregorius, 1 for 15 by Andrew McCutchen and 3 for 15 by Sanchez.

 

Stanton, New York's big acquisition last offseason, was 4 for 18 (.222) with no RBIs.

Dent's home run over Fenway Park's Green Monster in the 1978 AL East tiebreaker propelled the Yankees to their second straight World Series title, but Boston eliminated its rival in the Bronx in the teams' second straight postseason meeting. In the 2004 ALCS - with Barnes in the crowd as a teen, rooting for the Yankees - the Red Sox became the first big league team to overcome 3-0 postseason deficit, winning the final two games on the road and going on to sweep the World Series for its first title since 1918.

 

Boston added championships in 2007 and 2013, becoming one of baseball's elite clubs. But the Red Sox were knocked out in the Division Series in 2016 and `17, had not reached the sport's final four since their last title.

 

A lanky, bearded 29-year-old right-hander, Porcello lived a traffic jam from Yankee Stadium in Chester, New Jersey, and is a 2007 graduate of Seton Hall Prep in West Orange - the baseball field there was renamed in his honor last year after he helped fund artificial turf and pro-style dugouts. The 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner entered with a 0-3 in 12 previous postseason appearances, which included four starts.

 

He didn't allow a run until a sacrifice fly in the fifth by Brett Gardner , like Sabathia playing perhaps his last game for the Yankees. Aaron Hicks missed a two-run homer by about 4 feet on a foul drive down the right-field line.

 

Sabathia escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first when Kinsler hit an inning-ending flyout to Gardner in front of the left-field wall. Sabathia nicked Benintendi on the right shoulder with a slider on his first pitch of the third, Pearce sliced a cutter into right-center to put runners at the corners and Martinez hit a third-inning sacrifice fly for second straight night , giving him a series-high six RBIs.

 

With David Robertson starting to warm up, Kinsler hit a two-out double over a leaping Gardner for a 2-0 lead and Nunez singled on the next pitch for his first RBI of the postseason.

 

New York's starting pitchers allowed 15 runs in 13 innings, and Masahiro Tanaka was the only one to get an out in the fourth - a sign the Yankees may pursue top free-agent pitchers such as Dallas Keuchel and Patrick Corbin.

Brewers are among the three best bullpens remaining in the postseason

But given all that, the Brewers have the bullpen to watch in this year's playoffs. They had the fifth-best ERA in the majors despite throwing the fifth-most innings. They had the third-highest strikeout percentage, behind only the Yankees and Astros. And looking at their best guys, they have the second-best ERA from their five most-used pitchers (in terms of appearances) of any team in baseball.

 

And they had two stars who did it in different ways. Jeremy Jeffress led the team with 73 appearances, posting a 1.29 ERA -- the lowest ERA by a pitcher with 70 appearances since Wade Davis's insane season four years ago (when he had a 1.00 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 72 innings).

Josh Hader led the team in innings by a reliever, pitching 81.1 innings in 55 appearances, and put up a 2.43 ERA. He had 143 strikeouts, second-most on the team despite being fifth in innings pitched! He struck out 46.7 percent of the batters he faced, the highest in a single season in MLB history (min. 80 innings pitched). And so far in the postseason, he's retired all seven batters he's faced, striking out four of them.

 

Hader led the league in relief outings of more than one inning pitched with 33 of them, and the Brewers went 29-4 in those games. Hader had a 1.71 ERA in those outings with 100 strikeouts against just 21 walks.

 

And both guys did it in big spots -- Jeffress and Hader were second and fifth in the majors, respectively, in Win Probability Added in relief appearances, and were the top two in the National League.
 

Red Sox rout Yankees 16-1

Brock Holt had one thing in mind: He was swinging for the fences.

 

After all, the game was decided long ago. And everything else went Boston's way all night, so why not this?

 

The part-time utilityman put the finishing touch on a Red Sox blowout, becoming the first player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game as Boston routed the New York Yankees 16-1 on Monday to seize a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five AL Division Series.

 

Andrew Benintendi lined a three-run double and Holt tripled home two more in a seven-run fourth inning that quickly turned the latest playoff matchup between these longtime rivals into a laugher. Handed a big early lead, Nathan Eovaldi shut down his former team during New York's most lopsided defeat in 396 postseason games.

 

Game 4 is Tuesday night in the Bronx, where the 108-win Red Sox can put away the wild-card Yankees for good and advance to the AL Championship Series against Houston. Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch against New York lefty CC Sabathia.

 

Boston battered an ineffective Luis Severino and silenced a charged-up Yankee Stadium crowd that emptied out fast on a night when Red Sox rookie manager Alex Cora made all the right moves.

By the ninth, backup catcher Austin Romine was on the mound for New York and he gave up a two-run homer to Holt that completed his cycle.

 

Boosted by noisy fans in their homer-friendly ballpark, the Yankees entered 7-0 at home the past two postseasons - against out-of-division opponents. But the Red Sox, frequent visitors who clinched the AL East crown at Yankee Stadium just 2 1/2 weeks ago, were hardly intimidated.

Mookie Betts, in fact, hit a 405-foot flyout to the center-field warning track to begin the game.

 

Making his first playoff start this year, Holt opened the fourth with a single off Severino and capped the 26-minute outburst with a triple to right field. The 2015 All-Star also doubled home a run in the eighth and finished with five RBIs. Holt also hit for the cycle against Atlanta on June 6, 2015.

 

Every starter had at least one hit for the Red Sox, who piled up 18 in all. The only time they scored more runs in the postseason was a 23-7 win over Cleveland in 1999.

 

Eovaldi pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16 before injuring his elbow, which required a second Tommy John surgery. Boston acquired him from Tampa Bay in July and the hard-throwing righty compiled a 1.93 ERA in four starts against New York this season - three with the Red Sox.

 

Bumped up a day in front of Porcello, he delivered a gem in his first postseason appearance. Eovaldi allowed one run and five hits in seven innings, throwing 72 of 97 pitches for strikes.

Going with Eovaldi was one of several choices that paid off for Cora.

 

Looking to play left-handed hitters against Severino, the first-year skipper inserted Holt at second base and Rafael Devers at third. Christian Vazquez started at catcher over Sandy Leon.

 

Devers singled twice, stole a base, scored two runs and knocked in another. Vazquez's infield single off Severino's glove drove in the first run.

 

Benintendi, already a Yankees nemesis, was on base four times and scored twice. Betts also scored two runs and drove in two.

Dodgers finish off Braves in NLDS with 6-2 win

The Los Angeles Dodgers went through all the expected motions after winning a playoff series.

They broke out T-shirts and caps. They posed for pictures in the middle of SunTrust Park. They doused each other with beer in the clubhouse. Then, just like that, their focus turned to bigger goals ahead.

 

For a power-packed team that hasn't won a World Series since 1988, nothing less will do.

Manny Machado hit a three-run homer and David Freese came through again in the postseason to lead the Dodgers into the NL Championship Series for the third year in a row. Los Angeles moved on to face the Brewers after taking out the Baby Braves 3-1 in the best-of-five series.

 

Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee, the Dodgers' fourth championship series in six seasons.

Of course, this is just what the Dodgers had in mind when they bolstered their already power-packed lineup by acquiring the slugging shortstop - and free agent-to-be - from lowly Baltimore back in July.

Machado had only three hits in the series, but two of them were homers to go along with six RBIs. He got the Dodgers going in Game 4 with a run-scoring double in the first , and effectively wrapped up the series with his seventh-inning shot off rookie Chad Sobotka that cleared the Dodgers' bullpen in left.

 

Coming off a tense victory in Game 3, the Baby Braves grabbed the lead on pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki's two-run single in the fourth.

 

But Freese, the 2011 World Series MVP with St. Louis, countered with a pinch-hit single of his own in the sixth off Brad Brach , driving home Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig for a 3-2 lead.

Ryan Madson earned the win by getting the final two outs in the fifth to escape a bases-loaded jam. The Braves' final gasp came in the eighth, when Lucas Duda's drive into the second deck in right drifted foul with two on against Kenta Maeda. Duda flied out to end the inning, and Atlanta went down quietly in the ninth.

 

The Braves' return to the postseason for the first time since 2013 yielded a familiar result.

Atlanta has lost nine straight playoff appearances, their last victory coming 17 long years ago against a team that is no longer in the National League. Since a sweep of Houston Astros in the 2001 NL Division Series, October has been a month of misery for the Braves.

 

Getting back to the playoffs ahead of schedule after a massive rebuild, Atlanta simply didn't have the experience, depth or power to stick with the power-packed Dodgers. Los Angeles had a franchise-record 235 homers during the regular season and eight more against the Braves, accounting for 14 of its 20 runs.

 

Tinseltown has become Boomtown.

 

Los Angeles also benefited from some shaky Atlanta defense during its go-ahead inning. Puig kept the sixth going with a popup down the line off loser Jonny Venters that fell between second baseman Ozzie Albies and right fielder Nick Markakis .

 

Puig stole second without drawing a throw and came home when backup shortstop Charlie Culberson failed to knock down Freese's sharp grounder up the middle. A super sub during the regular season, Culberson had to start in the playoffs because of an injury to regular Dansby Swanson.
 

Saints thrash Redskins 43-19

Before Drew Brees could blow kisses to the adoring Superdome crowd, before he could embrace his wife and children on the sideline, the Saints' 39-year-old quarterback had to shred one of the NFL's top pass defenses with ruthless efficiency.

And so he did.

Brees passed Peyton Manning to become the NFL's all-time leader in yards passing with a 62-yard touchdown to rookie Tre'Quan Smith on Monday night that sent New Orleans on its way to a lopsided 43-19 victory over the mistake-prone Washington Redskins.

Brees entered the game needing 201 yards to eclipse Peyton Manning's previous mark of 71,940 yards. He had 250 yards and two touchdowns by halftime and finished 26 of 29 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this season. He did, however, make his eighth career reception on his own deflected pass, and pushed across the line of scrimmage to add an extra yard to his career total.

The Saints' Smith, a third-round draft choice last spring, caught two touchdown passes from the 18th-year pro. Brees also hit Smith for a 35-yard score down the right sideline early in the third quarter.

Any hope Washington had of coming back was all but snuffed out when Justin Hardee, a special teams regular who was in the game because of Marshon Lattimore's concussion symptoms, snagged Alex Smith's underthrown pass at the Saints' 19-yard line and returned his first career interception to the Washington 4.

That set up change-of-pace QB Taysom Hill's 1-yard touchdown run that put the Saints (4-1) up 40-13.

Smith completed 23 of 39 passes for 275 yards for the Redskins (2-2). He ran for a short touchdown late in the first half that pulled Washington within 26-13.

White Sox OF Avisail Garcia has surgery on right knee

The Chicago White Sox say outfielder Avisail Garcia has had surgery on his right knee.

Limited to 93 games because of discomfort in the knee, Garcia went from batting .330 in a breakout All-Star season in 2017 to .236 this year. The team announced Monday he had surgery.

The White Sox also said catcher Kevan Smith had ankle surgery and pitcher Tyler Danish has refused his outright assignment, making him a free agent.

Chicago finished fourth in the AL Central at 62-100 - six losses shy of the franchise record.
 

Bears place backup linebacker Acho on IR, sign OL Witzmann

The Chicago Bears have placed backup linebacker Sam Acho on injured reserve because of a torn pectoral muscle and signed offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann.

Coach Matt Nagy said last week that Acho will miss the remainder of the season. He was injured against Tampa Bay on Sept. 30.

Witzmann started 13 games for Kansas City last season. He was released by Minnesota on Friday.

The NFC North-leading Bears (3-1) announced the moves on Monday. Chicago - coming off a bye - visits Miami this week.
 

Lions Win Over Packers 31-23

The Detroit Lions took advantage of some mistakes they forced Green Bay to make and were fortunate some breaks simply went their way.

Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and LeGarrette Blount ran for two scores, lifting the Lions to a 31-23 win over the Packers on Sunday.

Detroit (2-3) earned a win it desperately needed under first-year coach Matt Patricia, going into its bye week.

Green Bay (2-2-1) was doomed because veteran Mason Crosby had the worst game of his life and two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers lost two fumbles for just the third time in his 14-year career.

Crosby missed a career-high four field goals in one game and failed to make an extra point to boot. He connected on a field goal with 2 seconds left, but that wasn't of much consolation after his poor performance.

Detroit recovered an onside kick to seal the win, preventing Rodgers from getting another chance at a game-winning Hail Mary in Detroit like the one he threw in 2015.

The Lions built a big lead in the first half, picking up where they left off in their last home game, a 16-point win over the New England Patriots.

Blount had a pair of 1-yard TD runs in the first quarter and Stafford's 8-yard pass to Marvin Jones late in the second quarter put Detroit up 24-0.

Patricia, though, didn't think the Lions' cushion was comfortable.

Rodgers, missing injured receivers Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, threw short TDs to rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Lance Kendricks in the third to pull the Packers within 10 points.

Stafford answered with a 5-yard TD pass to Kenny Golladay early in the fourth quarter to give Detroit a 31-14 lead.

Rodgers connected with Davante Adams on a 12-yard throw for a third TD pass, but Crosby hit the left upright on the extra point to let the Lions keep an 11-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Adams has scored in 10 straight road games, equaling a league record set by Tommy McDonald of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1959 to 1961.

Rodgers was 32 of 52 for 442 yards - the second-highest total of his career - with three TD passes.

Illini Wins another 38-17

After a career that included stops at Nebraska, Iowa Western Community College and Virginia Tech, AJ Bush is getting a chance to play as a graduate transfer at Illinois, and he's helping to turn the program around.

Bush ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns and threw for another in his return to the lineup as Illinois used a big ground game to beat Rutgers 38-17 Saturday, sending the Scarlet Knights to their fifth straight loss.

The win not only snapped a two-game losing streak for Illinois (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten), but it also ended a 13-game losing streak in the Big Ten, dating to 31-27 decision over Michigan State in 2016.

Bush, who missed the last two games - both losses - with a hamstring injury, scored on runs of 3 and 41 yards in the first half. He iced the game with an 11-yard TD pass to Ricky Smalling early in the fourth quarter.

Reggie Corbin ran for a career-high 137 yards, including a 73-yard scoring dash, as the Illini rushed for 330 yards and had 419 yards in total offense. Mike Epstein added 41-yard touchdown run with 5:07 to go.

The three wins in a season ties the most for Smith in his two-plus seasons. The Illini were 2-10 last season and winless in the league.

Jonathan Hilliman scored on a 32-yard run and freshman Art Sitkowski added a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Vokolek to get Rutgers (1-5, 0-3) within 24-14 at the half. Gavin Haggerty added a 20-yard field goal with less than six minutes to play, but Epstein scored on the first play after Illinois recovered an onside kick.

Illinois, which had seven interceptions coming into the game, picked three more, including one on the first pass of the game by Sitkowski (29 of 49 for 267). It set up a 39-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin for a 3-0 lead after less than four minutes.

Hilliiman's TD run gave Rutgers its only lead, but Bush scored twice and Corbin went the distance in opening a 24-7 Illini lead.

Maple Leafs beat Blackhawks 7-6

Morgan Rielly scored 19 seconds into overtime, John Tavares had three goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled Chicago's home opener with a wild 7-6 victory over the Blackhawks on Sunday night.

Auston Matthews added two goals and two assists for Toronto in the opener of a four-game trip. Rielly also had two assists and Kasperi Kapanen finished with a goal and an assist, helping the Maple Leafs bounce back from Saturday night's 5-3 loss to Ottawa.

Garret Sparks, who is from the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, made 25 saves to get the win in his first NHL game since 2016.

Chicago was looking for its first 3-0 start since the 2012-13 season, but it was unable to clamp down on Toronto's high-scoring lines. Patrick Kane scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation, and defensemen Duncan Keith and rookie Henri Jokiharju each had three assists.

Week 7 Area Football Scores

Central Illinois:

 

Meridian 20, Shelbyville 36, F

Warrensburg-Latham 21, Tuscola 35, F

Decatur St. Teresa 66, Sullivan 0, F

 

Illini Prairie:

 

Prairie Central 36, Olympia 14, F

Illinois Valley Central 19, St. Joseph-Ogden 16, F

St. Thomas More 17, Tolono Unity 22, F

Bloomington Central Catholic 28, Rantoul 42, F

 

Apollo:

 

Charleston 34, Effingham 56, F

Mahomet-Seymour 12, Mt. Zion 27, F

Mattoon 17, Taylorville 54, F

 

Big Twelve:

 

Danville 8, Normal Community 36, F

Normal Community West 36, Peoria Manual 8, F

Peoria 20, Champaign Central 4, F

Peoria Notre Dame 28, Bloomington 56, F

Urbana 0, Peoria Richwoods 17, F

 

Central State Eight:

 

Decatur MacArthur 48, Springfield Lanphier 15, F

Normal University 21, Chatham Glenwood 49, F

Rochester 61, Springfield 24, F

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 62, Decatur Eisenhower 14, F

Springfield Southeast 44, Jacksonville 14, F

 

Little Okaw Valley (Northwest):

 

Arcola 9, Argenta-Oreana 20, F

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 34, Cerro Gordo-Bement 41, F

 

Sangamo:

 

Maroa-Forsyth 21, Athens 20, F

 

Non-Conference:

 

Covington, IN 44, Blue Ridge 14, F

Fisher 19, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 18, F

Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 0, El Paso-Gridley 44, F

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 48, LeRoy 0, F

Woodstock North 41, Lincoln 6, F

Heyworth 0, Tri-Valley 44, F

Ridgeview 14, Fieldcrest 47, F

Monticello triumphs over Pontiac 42-14

The Illini Prairie Conference had its top dogs duke it out Friday night. In the battle, the two teams would battle it out as the Monticello Sages win over the Pontiac Township Indians 42 to 14.

Both teams 6-0 coming into the Friday night game. Braden Snyder and Asher Bradd continued to dominate on offense. Bradd would put up the first points early in the first quarter on a seam route for 25 yards. Both teams would play tough defense throughout the game holding the teams at bay through the rest of the first quarter. 

The second quarter Devin Graham gets the second touchdown from Snyder, on a 15 yard go route. Both teams struggled after to find any other scoring drives. 

The second half would bring more points for both teams. Monticello's Alek Bundy broke free on a rush, running all the way down to the 1-yard line where he fumbled the ball turning it over. Pontiac's Ben Schuler turns it around throwing to Colton Clesson for a 99-yard touchdown pass bringing the score 14-7. After that Devin Graham for Monticello returned a kick return for 67 yards bringing the Sages around the 25-yard line. From there Alek Bundy rushed up the middle on a dive running for a 25-yard touchdown. Ben Schuler continued to pressure finding Coby Parra on a go route for a 31-yard touchdown pass bringing the score 21-14 ending the third quarter. 

The 4th quarter Coach Welter drew up a play to separate the teams. Snyder and Bradd ran a trick play, with Snyder tossing back to Bradd then turning around throwing to Snyder for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Bundy then continued to add points on a 15-yard touchdown drive. Bradd then continued to stop Pontiac's Schuler on an interception putting the final points on the board making final score 42-14.

Stats
Passing
Sages-Braden Snyder 8-17 for 125 yards 3td, 1 int
Indians-Ben Schuler 15-37 for 241 yards, 2td, 2 int

Rushing
Sages-Alek Bundy 151 yards 2 Tds 
Indians-Austin Norman 67 yards

Maroons shutout by Raiders

As heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fall to the Central A&M Raiders by a score of 31-23 on Friday night. The Maroons were led by Kolby Winter with 13 carries for 84 yards. Tyrese Petty had 10 carries for 32 yards, 1 touchdown.  Ty Berter had 6 carries for 18 yards, was 6 of 24 passing for 88 yards and an interception. Garrett Wayne had 2 catches for 56 yards.  Brandon Atten had 1 touchdown.

 

For the Raiders, Conner Heaton was 16-23 passing for 339 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  Jacob Paradee had 12 carries for 12 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 10 catches for 26 yards.

 

The Clinton Maroons falls to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the CIC. Central A&M Raiders improves to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the CIC.

 

Tune in next week as Clinton takes on Sullivan at 7:00pm. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app

Friday Night Lights

CENTRAL ILLINOIS CONFERENCE

 

Central A&M vs. Clinton 7:00 PM at Clinton High School
Macon Meridian vs. Shelbyville 7:00 PM at Shelbyville High School
Warrensburg-Latham vs. Tuscola 7:00 PM at Tuscola High School
Decatur St. Teresa vs. Sullivan 7:00 PM at Sullivan High School

 

ILLINI PRAIRIE CONFERENCE

 

Monticello vs. Pontiac 7:00 PM at Pontiac
Prarie Central vs. Olympia 7:00 PM at Prairie Central
Illinois Valley Central vs. St. Joseph-Ogden 7:00 PM at Illinois Valley Central
St. Thomas More vs. Unity 7:00 PM at Unity
Bloomington Central Catholic vs. Rantoul 7:00 PM at Bloomington
 

Blackhawks beat Senators 4-3

Patrick Kane scored 38 seconds into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.

Alex DeBrincat, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook also scored, and Cam Ward stopped 22 shots. Maxime Lajoie scored for Ottawa in his NHL debut, Colin White and Zack Smith added goals, and Craig Anderson made 37 saves.

Seabrook tied it midway through the third period, with Kane find the defenseman alone in front for a one-timer.

The teams combined for five goals in the first period.

Chicago opened the scoring when DeBrincat used Thomas Chabot as a screen before firing a shot past Anderson. Ottawa tied it when Smith's shot deflected off Duncan Keith. The goal was Smith's first since Feb. 21, also against Chicago.

The Hawks regained the lead when Toews came down the wing and fired a shot off Anderson's shoulder.

The Senators tied it in Lajoie's one-timer, and White made it 3-2 on a power play.

 

Brewers top Rockies in opener

Extra innings, two outs and the winning run on third in Game 1 of the playoffs.

Short on playoff experience, the Milwaukee Brewers dealt for veteran Mike Moustakas over the summer to produce in just this kind of spot.

Good deal.

Moustakas scored MVP front-runner Christian Yelich with a two-out single in the 10th inning, and the Brewers bounced back to beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 Thursday in their NL Division Series opener.

After giving up two runs in the ninth that made it 2-all, the Brewers regrouped and soon celebrated. Making their first postseason appearance since 2011, they won their ninth straight game overall.

Moustakas had already produced for Kansas City in October, hitting .304 in the 2015 World Series to help beat the Mets.

He's doing it again in Milwaukee after being acquired from the Royals in late July.

Chants of ''Mooose!'' echoed around Miller Park after the winning hit.

Game 2 is Friday in Milwaukee with Colorado's Tyler Anderson opposing Jhoulys Chacin, who led Milwaukee with 35 starts this year. He started Monday when the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the NL Central tiebreaker at Wrigley Field.

Yelich hit a two-run homer in the third inning, then opened the 10th with a walk against Adam Ottavino, coming back from an 0-2 count.

Yelich made his postseason debut, though the even-keeled star spoke as if he had been through this before.

Yelich advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home on Moustakas' line drive to right field. After almost winning the Triple Crown this year, Yelich got two hits, scored twice and stole a base in his playoff debut.

Josh Hader and the Brewers allowed just one hit over eight innings in a dominant bullpen game and led 2-0 before Jeremy Jeffress gave up three straight singles to open the ninth. Charlie Blackmon grounded an RBI single shortly after his ground-rule double was overruled on replay review, and Nolan Arenado added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to tie it.

But Colorado couldn't come through in extras again after outlasting the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in 13 innings in the NL wild-card game on Tuesday.

Joakim Soria picked up the win in the opener with a scoreless 10th.
 

Brady reaches 500 TD passes in Patriots' 38-24 win

On a night when he reached 500 career touchdown passes, Tom Brady welcomed back a buddy with one of his three scoring tosses Thursday, then connected with a newcomer who could help him reach more milestones.

Brady also sneaked in for a rushing touchdown and the New England Patriots put together their second straight win after a mediocre start to the season, beating Indianapolis 38-24.

Brady's 500th went to Josh Gordon, recently acquired from Cleveland, where he basically was unavailable through NFL suspensions for all but five games over the past three seasons. But, as he often does, Brady spread the wealth, hitting running back James White 10 times for 77 yards, and greeting the return of buddy Julian Edelman by completing seven for 57 yards to him.

As for 500 TD passes, third on the career list behind Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508), Brady called it a collective mark.

The five-time NFL champion also tied Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, a former teammate, for most victories with 226. Brady finished 34 for 44 for 341 yards.

As everyone in Gillette Stadium except, apparently, the Colts knew, Brady started off with a pass to Edelman, who was wide open for 9 yards. That drew the first of many loud cheers for the 10th-year veteran receiver in his first game since the 2017 preseason, when he tore up a knee. Edelman was suspended for the first four games this year for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers.

That was the first of three receptions for 28 yards for Edelman on the opening 75-yard touchdown drive Brady capped with a 1-yard toss to Cordarrelle Patterson .

From there, even though the Colts (1-4) had a drive deep into New England (3-2) territory, usually reliable Adam Vinatieri missed a 38-yard field goal.

Nothing was going right for Indianapolis, particularly after Brady led a 72-yard march to his sneak from the 1. Then he took the Patriots 68 yards near the end of the half and hit workhorse White for a 6-yard score to lead 21-3.

Under pressure, Andrew Luck threw a poor pass that Patrick Chung intercepted at midfield, and Stephen Gostkowski made a 45-yard field goal for a 24-3 halftime lead.

Luck did extend his string of games with a touchdown pass by hitting Eric Ebron on a 14-yarder in the third quarter. Showing a strong arm all night - remember, Luck missed all of 2017 with shoulder issues - he has a TD throw in 28 successive games, tops of any current quarterback.

After Matthias Farley's interception of a pass bobbled by Chris Hogan, Indy could do nothing. Rookie Jordan Wilkins had the ball stripped from his hands by Devin McCourty four players later.

But a second pick of Brady that was not his fault - Rob Gronkowski had the ball stolen and Najee Goode wound up with it - helped the Colts get back into it for a short time.

Looking like vintage Luck, he brought his team 80 yards, including a pair of big third-down throws to Ebron, and Eric Swoope caught a 13-yard scoring pass to make it 24-17.

That's when everyone saw vintage Brady as he hit the half-century mark for TD throws by connecting with newcomer Gordon for 34 yards, the 71st player to catch a touchdown pass from Brady, an NFL mark.

Bears Bye Week

The Chicago Bears rolled into their bye with their most lopsided victory in six seasons and sole possession of the NFC North lead for the first time in five years. For a team long buried at the bottom of the division, it's a different look.

Russell 40-game suspension

Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell has accepted a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. MLB had been investigating domestic violence allegations against Russell made by his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy. Russell's unpaid suspension includes the 11 regular-season games he missed after being placed on administrative leave Sept. 21. Russell will be eligible to return on May 3 against St. Louis, barring any postponements.

Maddon to return for fifth season as Cubs manager

Theo Epstein says Joe Maddon will return for a fifth season as manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago's president of baseball operations confirmed Maddon will stay on for at least the final year of his contract. Epstein says there are no ongoing discussions about an extension for Maddon.

Though he acknowledged some disagreements, Epstein insists he has a "terrific" relationship with Maddon.

Maddon is 387-261-1 in four years with Chicago - 95-68 this season. He has led the Cubs to the NLCS three times and a drought-busting World Series championship in 2016.

But the Cubs blew a five-game lead to Milwaukee in the NL Central, then dropped a tiebreaker to the Brewers at Wrigley Field. Chicago was eliminated by Colorado with a 2-1, 13-inning defeat in the NL wild-card game Tuesday.

Giannis, Bucks cruise in new arena's opener


Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks put on a smashing opening-night performance at their new arena.

Antetokounmpo had 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and the Bucks routed the Chicago Bulls 116-82 on Wednesday night in the first game at the Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks had the look of contenders under new coach Mike Budenholzer, scoring 63 points in the first half of their preseason opener and leading by as much as 34 points.

Their new arena opened in August and the Bucks looked right at home there against the Bulls, overwhelming them on the backboards with a 64-43 rebound advantage.

Bobby Portis led Chicago with 17 points and Kris Dunn added 10.

BUCKS: Eric Bledsoe added 16 points, Khris Middleton scored 15 and Pat Connaughton had 12 points on four 3-pointers. ... First-rounder Donte DiVincenzo scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting but grabbed seven boards in 19 minutes ... Budenholzer spent the last five seasons as Atlanta coach.

BULLS: Jabari Parker was 1 of 12 from the field and scored two points in his return to Milwaukee, where the Bucks' former No. 2 pick played his first four seasons. ... No. 7 pick Wendell Carter Jr. had nine points on 4-of-8 shooting.

 

Portis scored 17 points (7-15 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT) while adding three rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench during Wednesday's preseason loss to the Bucks.

He led the Bulls in both court time and scoring on the night, with Kris Dunn being the only other Chicago player to reach double digits. Portis' role in the frontcourt was up in the air this season after the team added Jabari Parker in free agency and drafted Wendell Carter with the seventh overall pick, but Lauri Markkanen's elbow injury should keep the 23-year-old in the mix at least until mid-late November.

Rockies top Cubs 2-1 in 13

Tony Wolters waited and waited as the NL wild-card game went deep into Tuesday night. He stretched a couple of times and tried to figure out when he might get a chance to play.

When that opportunity arrived, he was ready.

Wolters hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the 13th inning and the Colorado Rockies outlasted the Chicago Cubs 2-1 at Wrigley Field in the longest win-or-go-home postseason game in major league history.

The 26-year-old Wolters, claimed off waivers from Cleveland in 2016, entered as part of a double switch in the bottom of the 12th. The reserve catcher came up with runners at the corners and drove in Trevor Story with a two-strike hit back up the middle off losing pitcher Kyle Hendricks, quieting the crowd of 40,151 on a crisp fall night.

After playing its third big game over three days in three different cities, Colorado now heads to Milwaukee to open a best-of-five Division Series against the NL Central champion Brewers on Thursday.

Scott Oberg, the sixth Colorado pitcher, fanned Kris Bryant for the final out of the 12th and then struck out the side in the 13th to end the longest postseason game at 104-year-old Wrigley. Terrance Gore tried to sell that he was hit by a pitch, but was sent back to the plate after a replay review confirmed the initial call.

After Albert Almora Jr. struck out swinging for the final out, Wolters ran out and grabbed Oberg. They were soon joined by the rest of the excited Rockies in a rollicking purple mob near the mound.

Wolters got his first hit since Sept. 10 in his playoff debut, and it was just the second postseason game for Oberg. Previously, the longest winner-take-all games in the postseason were 12-inning affairs in the 2014 AL wild-card round and Game 7 of the 1924 World Series.

This one lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes, and had pretty much everything, too. Hendricks was the third starting pitcher used by the Cubs, after Jon Lester worked six solid innings and Cole Hamels was pressed into action after the teams were tied at 1 through nine. Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado exchanged a memorable hug with Javier Baez after he tagged the excitable Cubs star in the 11th.

Colorado moved on to the Division Series for the first time since 2009. The Rockies lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game a year ago.

The Cubs made it to the NLCS in each of the previous three seasons, winning the 2016 World Series to break a 108-year drought, but they were plagued by an inconsistent offense all season long. Chicago finished with six hits and left 10 runners on base after managing only three hits in Monday's 3-1 home loss to the Brewers in the NL Central tiebreaker.

This time, it was Kyle Freeland cruising through Maddon's lineup.

Starting on three days' rest for the first time in the pros, Freeland struck out six in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. The Denver native looked quite comfortable in his first career playoff appearance, helping his hometown team bounce back from Monday's NL West tiebreaker loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Lester helped Chicago stick around by matching a career playoff high with nine strikeouts in his 26th postseason appearance. But he took a little while to settle into the game, and the Rockies took advantage.

Charlie Blackmon led off with a five-pitch walk. DJ LeMahieu followed with a ground-rule double on a 3-2 pitch - with the ball getting stuck in the famed ivy in left-center - and Arenado's sacrifice fly drove in Blackmon.

Lester then limited the damage by striking out Story and Matt Holliday with LeMahieu on third.

That one run looked as if it might hold up as Freeland cruised into the seventh. After Story robbed Daniel Murphy of a hit with a diving grab at shortstop, manager Bud Black replaced Freeland with Adam Ottavino.

Chicago loaded the bases with two outs, getting some help when Drew Butera was called for catcher's interference, but Ottavino struck out pinch-hitter Jason Heyward to end the inning.

The Cubs got another chance when Anthony Rizzo singled with two outs in the eighth, and Maddon went for it. He ran for his star first baseman with the speedy Gore, who promptly swiped second.

Ottavino had an 0-2 count on Baez when his third pitch got too much of the plate. The free-swinging slugger drove it into the gap in left-center for a tying double , easily scoring Gore from second and sending a charge through the crowd.

Hitters had been 0 for 36 against Ottavino with an 0-2 count this year.

No timetable on finishing Russell investigation

Commissioner Rob Manfred says Major League Baseball has no timetable for finishing its investigation of domestic violence allegations against Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell by his ex-wife.

Manfred says the league wants to "make sure we have all the facts." He says it's "conceivable" a decision is announced before the end of the playoffs, though he would not say if it's likely. Manfred spoke prior to Tuesday's wild-card game between Chicago and Colorado.

Russell has denied the accusations. He was placed on administrative leave Sept. 21 when after ex-wife, Melisa Reidy, re-iterated claims of domestic abuse. He was not on the wild-card roster.
 

MLB attendance dropped

Major League Baseball's average attendance dropped 4 percent to 28,830, its lowest since 2003 after 14 consecutive seasons topping 30,000, and six stadiums set record lows. In a season of unusually cold and wet weather, 17 of the 30 teams experienced drops. The average is down 14.4 percent from its high of 32,785 in 2007, the last year before the Great Recession. There were 54 postponements, the most since 1989, and 26 of them were higher-drawing weekend games.

Brewers beat Cubs 3-1 for NL Central title

Christian Yelich's easy smile and champagne-soaked T-shirt said it all.

A division title is much more fun than a Triple Crown.

Yelich collected three more hits as the Milwaukee Brewers won their first NL Central title since 2011, beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Monday in a tiebreaker game. The silky-smooth slugger stalled in his bid for the league's first Triple Crown in decades, but he starred once again as the Brew Crew captured the biggest prize of the day.

Lorenzo Cain hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning to help Milwaukee to its eighth straight win and home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. The Brewers will host the wild-card winner starting Thursday in the best-of-five Division Series.

Chicago stays at Wrigley for Tuesday night's wild-card game against Colorado. The Rockies lost 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Monday's second tiebreaker for the NL West title.

It's a quick turnaround after falling short in their bid for a third straight division title, but the Cubs will have ace left-hander Jon Lester on the mound for the elimination game.

Yelich singled home Milwaukee's first run and won the NL batting title with a .326 average. He had 110 RBIs, one behind the Cubs' Javier Baez, and finished with 36 home runs, two shy of Colorado's Nolan Arenado. The tiebreakers were game 163 of the regular season and Arenado's homer counted in the totals.

Joe Medwick in 1937 was the last NL player to win the Triple Crown. Miguel Cabrera did it for Detroit in 2012.

Milwaukee trailed Chicago by as many as five games in September, but manager Craig Counsell's club pushed the season to an extra day with a furious finish and then used its deep lineup and bullpen to outlast the playoff-tested Cubs.

Orlando Arcia, batting in the eighth slot, had a career-high four hits, and Josh Hader closed out another dominant relief performance for the Brewers.

Jose Quintana pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning, but Chicago's bullpen faltered at a key moment. Rizzo, Baez and Daniel Murphy accounted for the Cubs' three hits.

The game was tied at 1 before Milwaukee opened the eighth with three straight hits. Arcia singled on a 0-2 pitch from Justin Wilson (4-5), Domingo Santana had a pinch-hit double and Cain greeted Steve Cishek with a single back up the middle.

After Yelich struck out swinging - a rare occurrence during an extraordinary stretch for the NL MVP favorite - Ryan Braun got the Brewers an insurance run with a run-scoring single to center.

It was more than enough for Milwaukee's vaunted bullpen. Corey Knebel (4-3) extended his scoreless streak to 16 1/3 innings with a perfect seventh, and Hader worked two innings for his 12th save.

Rizzo had one last chance for Chicago, but he flied to right with Baez on second for the final out . When it was over, Hader wrapped his arms around catcher Erik Kratz as the rest of the Brewers poured out of the dugout.

A sizable portion of Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 38,450 chanted ''Let's go Brewers! Let's go Brewers!'' - a rarity at Wrigley over the past few years.

Yelich also heard repeated ''MVP!'' chants when he singled in each of his first three at-bats. He drove in Arcia with his two-out hit in the third.

Jhoulys Chacin sailed into the fifth inning with the lead, retiring 11 of his first 12 batters. But Rizzo led off with a massive drive to right for his 25th homer, tying it 1.

The crowd roared as Rizzo rounded the bases and then popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.

Chicago had a chance to grab the lead in the sixth, but Joakim Soria escaped the threat by striking out Baez with runners on first and second.

Chacin allowed one hit in 5 2/3 innings, setting up Milwaukee's bullpen quite nicely. The right-hander struck out three and walked two in another solid effort in a career year.

Quintana kept the Cubs in the game with another stingy performance against Milwaukee, allowing one run in five-plus innings. The left-hander is 4-1 with a 2.13 ERA in seven starts against the Brewers this year.

Dodgers top Rockies 5-2

What a day for Walker Buehler. The rookie with the preternatural calm pitched the Los Angeles Dodgers to a record sixth consecutive NL West title.

Buehler tossed one-hit ball into the seventh inning, and Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy launched two-run homers to beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 in a tiebreaker on Monday.

The defending NL champion Dodgers became the first major league team to win six straight division crowns since the Yankees captured nine AL East titles in a row from 1998-2006.

Los Angeles now hosts Atlanta in the best-of-five NL Division Series beginning Thursday.

Denied their first division title in franchise history, the Rockies head to Wrigley Field to play the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card game on Tuesday night.

Pitching in 90-degree heat, Buehler was oh-so-cool in closing out a regular season that ended with Game 163 after both teams had identical records of 91-71.

The soft-spoken 24-year-old from Lexington, Kentucky, has been so steady of late that manager Dave Roberts had no qualms about giving Buehler the ball for the crucial game that helped decide the Dodgers' postseason fate.

Buehler's only slip-up came on the field after the game when he let loose with an inadvertent expletive, having been handed the mic after fans demanded to hear from him. He clasped his hand to his mouth and apologized.

No need to be sorry, though, after that performance.

Buehler settled in quickly, retiring his first six batters in a row, and never did allow a run.

Buehler (8-5) had his no-hit bid broken up in the sixth on Charlie Blackmon's single, one of his two hits for the Rockies.

Buehler even helped himself offensively, hitting a single in the sixth for his first professional RBI and extending the Dodgers' lead to 5-0.

After giving up a two-out walk to Carlos Gonzalez in the seventh, Buehler exited to a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 47,816. He waved his right hand and quickly strode to the dugout as fans chanted his last name. The right-hander struck out three and walked three.

Despite posting the best road record in franchise history (44-38), the Rockies couldn't get untracked. They didn't advance a runner past second base until the ninth when Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered back-to-back off closer Kenley Jansen.

Jansen then retired the next three batters in a row.

The Dodgers' two homers extended their franchise and NL-leading total to 235 on the season.

Bellinger got the Dodgers on the board with his 25th homer in the fourth, a two-out shot to left that made it 2-0. Muncy struck out leading off but was safe at first on a passed ball by catcher Tony Wolters. After Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal struck out, Bellinger connected on a 1-0 pitch from German Marquez (14-11).

Joc Pederson doubled to deep right-center leading off the fifth. One out later, Muncy hit his 35th homer to left-center, extending the lead to 4-0 and chasing Marquez.

Marquez gave up four runs - two earned - and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.

The Dodgers played their first tiebreaker since 1980, when they lost to Houston for the division title.

The Rockies were on a roll coming into the club's second tiebreaker and first for the NL West title, having won nine of 10 since being swept at Dodger Stadium from Sept. 17-19.

Chiefs past Broncos, 27-23

Patrick Mahomes is athletic, agile - and ambidextrous, apparently.

Thanks in part to a nifty left-handed throw as he was about to get sacked by Von Miller at midfield on the game-winning drive, the right-handed Mahomes rallied the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs past the Denver Broncos 27-23 on Monday night.

By overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Chiefs (4-0) took a two-game lead over the Broncos (2-2), their AFC West rivals whom they've now beaten six straight times.

The only other remaining unbeaten team is the Los Angeles Rams.

Down 23-13, Mahomes directed a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up more than six minutes and culminated with a 2-yard TD toss to tight end Travis Kelce.

After a three-and-out by Denver, Mahomes added a 60-yard touchdown drive, handing off to Kareem Hunt for the 4-yard score with 1:39 remaining.

On that last drive, Mahomes was getting dragged down by Miller on third-and-5 at midfield when he shifted the ball to his left hand and threw it to Tyreek Hill a yard past the first-down marker at the Broncos 49.

 

It was the first time since 2004 that the Broncos blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at home.

Bears pound Buccaneers 48-10

From the moment they identified him as the quarterback to lift their struggling franchise, the Chicago Bears envisioned big games from Mitchell Trubisky.

As breakthroughs go, this was a huge one.

Trubisky threw a career-high six touchdown passes - one shy of the NFL record - and the NFC North-leading Bears pounded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-10 on Sunday.

The Bears (3-1) won their third straight with Trubisky delivering the sort of performance general manager Ryan Pace envisioned when he traded up a spot to draft the prized quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick last year.

He finished one TD pass short of the franchise mark set by Sid Luckman against the New York Giants in 1943. Luckman is tied with seven others in NFL history to throw seven TD passes in a game. The Bears also racked up 483 yards in this one, nearly matching their record of 488 in that same game, on the way to their highest point total since 51-20 victory over Tennessee in 2012.

The defense did its part, harassing Ryan Fitzpatrick before Jameis Winston took over to start the second half. And the Bears (3-1) matched their longest win streak since a 3-0 start in 2013.

Trubisky had never thrown for more than two touchdowns in a game. But he tossed five in the first half alone as Chicago grabbed a 38-3 lead. The only other player with more in a single half since 1991 was Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers with six in the first two quarters against the Bears in a romp at Lambeau Field in November 2014.

Trubisky had no trouble finding wide-open receivers against a struggling secondary, completing 19 of 26 passes for 354 yards.

Khalil Mack had a strip-sack in the first half against Fitzpatrick. That made him the first player with a sack and forced fumble in four straight games since Robert Mathis for Indianapolis in 2005. He also appeared to tip the ball as Winston released a pass that Danny Trevathan picked off on the first drive of the second half.

Cubs beat Cardinals 10-5

Anthony Rizzo had four hits and scored three times, and the Chicago Cubs set up a tiebreaker game for the NL Central title by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 on Sunday.

Shortly after Milwaukee completed an 11-0 victory over Detroit, Jorge De La Rosa worked a hitless ninth inning to move the Cubs back into a tie with the Brewers at 95-67. The crowd of 39,275 roared in delight after Francisco Pena flied to right for the final out on a wet, cool afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Now, everything gets real crazy.

Chicago hosts Milwaukee on Monday afternoon and the Colorado Rockies visit the Los Angeles Dodgers as baseball holds a pair of tiebreaker games on the same day for the first time. At stake is the postseason road for each club.

The winner at Wrigley gets a spot in the division series and home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. The loser plays again Tuesday night, hosting the runner-up in the NL West in the wild-card game.

St. Louis (88-74) was in contention heading into the final week of the season, but it was swept by Milwaukee before dropping two of three against Chicago. Catcher Yadier Molina, outfielder Marcell Ozuna and infielders Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko were held out of the finale due to nagging injuries.

St. Louis missed out on the playoffs for a third straight year for the first time since it went 75-86 in 1999. It finished with a 41-28 record under Mike Shildt, who took over as manager after Mike Matheny was fired on July 14.

The only other time Chicago began the final day of the regular season tied for the lead in its division or league was in 1908, when it beat Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants 4-2 at the Polo Grounds for the NL pennant. The Cubs then won their second straight World Series title before enduring a championship drought that cruised past a century before they won it all again in 2016.

Rizzo and company are looking for another October run, but they have been plagued by an inconsistent offense. It looked like more of the same when Jack Flaherty (8-9) cruised into the third inning with a 2-0 lead and then retired the first two batters.

Then everything changed.

The next six batters reached for Chicago, producing four runs. Rizzo hit a tiebreaking double to give him 100 RBIs on the year, waving his arms in the air as he coasted into second. Jason Heyward added an RBI single.

The Cubs broke it open with four more in the fifth. Kris Bryant roped a two-run double into the left-field corner. Two batters later, Willson Contreras hit a drive to left for his first homer since Aug. 1.

Allen Webster (1-0), the first of eight Chicago relievers after Mike Montgomery was pulled in the third, got two outs for the win.

Jose Martinez, Paul DeJong and Patrick Wisdom each had two hits for St. Louis, which left 12 runners on base. Yairo Munoz finished with three RBIs.

Up next for the Cubs Jose Quintana is expected to start the tiebreaker game for Chicago. The veteran left-hander is 6-2 with a 1.60 ERA in 10 career starts against Milwaukee.

Mauer catches in emotional likely finale with Twins

Joe Mauer received one more pitch as catcher for the Twins, and Minnesota likely said goodbye to the longtime face of its franchise during an emotional 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Mauer was playing the final game of an eight-year, $184 million contract. He doubled into the left-center gap with a line drive of Juan Minaya in his final at-bat.

The 2009 AL MVP then made a surprise appearance behind the plate in the ninth, his first time catching in a game since Aug. 19, 2013. He caught one pitch from Matt Belisle, then walked off to a final standing ovation and was replaced by Chris Gimenez.

Mauer is a three-time AL batting champ and six-time All-Star over 15 major league seasons, all with Minnesota. A three-sport star from St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall High School, Mauer was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft and made his debut with the Twins in 2004.

Max Kepler and Jake Cave homered for the Twins, and reliever Andrew Vasquez (1-0) earned the victory for the Twins with one perfect inning of relief. Trevor May replaced Belisle and got three straight outs with the tying run on second in the ninth to earn his third save.

The White Sox lost their 100th game of the year, the first time they've done so since 1970. Meanwhile, the Twins won their sixth straight game to end the season, giving them 78 victories - seven fewer than last year, when they were the AL's second wild card.

Dylan Covey (5-14) gave up five runs over six innings.

Kepler hit a two-run home, his 20th of the season, onto the plaza in right field in the sixth.

Eastern Illinois flies past Tennessee Tech, 52-38

Harry Woodbery threw for 339 yards and five touchdowns and Eastern Illinois beat Tennessee Tech, 52-38 Saturday night in an Ohio Valley Conference game that saw the teams combine to score 42 points in the fourth quarter.

Woodbury and Tennessee Tech quarterback Bailey Fisher combined to throw for 722 yards and nine touchdowns.

Woodbury's 37-yard strike to Aaron Gooch put the Panthers (1-4, 1-1) up for good, 14-10 and his eight-yard strike to Alexander Hollins put them up 21-10 at the half. His second touchdown pass to Hollins, from 15-yards out, made it 38-17 to start the fourth quarter. Isaiah Johnson added a 46-yard touchdown run and Jamal Scott ran 21 yards for another score to make it 52-24 with 4:08 to play.

Woodbury completed 32 of 49 passes for Eastern Illinois. Fisher was 27 of 41 for 383 yards and four touchdowns and was picked off once.

Fisher threw two touchdown passes to Jeremiah Edwards in the final three minutes for the Golden Eagles (0-5, 0-2).

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