Fast-starting Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead, two-run homer, rookie Andre Pallante got his first big league win in his 17th appearance and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Monday.

Paul Goldschmidt, batting just behind Gorman in the No. 3 slot, also hit two-run homer for the Cardinals.

Gorman, a 22-year-old who was the 19th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, made his major league debut on May 20 and hit his first home run Saturday off Milwaukee's Adrian Houser. Gorman homered on a changeup from Nick Martinez (2-3) for a 2-1 lead in the third inning, had his second three-hit game and is batting .387.

He singled in the first but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. He also walked.

Pallante, a 23-year-old right-hander, allowed one run and five hits over 3 1/3 innings with a career-high five strikeouts and no walks. He was the second of five pitchers in an all-bullpen game for the starting pitcher-short Cardinals.

Goldschmidt hit his 11th home run of the season, a seventh-inning drive off Steven Wilson that was his fifth in seven games. Goldschmidt is batting .352 with a 21-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in a career-high 35 consecutive games, the longest streak in the major leagues this season.

Goldschmidt has 32 RBIs in May, and 17 of his last 29 hits have been for extra bases (nine home runs and eight doubles).

His 22 extra base hits this month tie him with Stan Musial (1954) and Albert Pujols (2009) for the most in any May in Cardinals history.

Packy Naughton, recalled from Triple-A Memphis, started for the Cardinals and went 2 1/3 innings. He fell behind on a third-inning RBI single by Jurickson Profar, who had three hits.

Giovanny Gallegos and Genesis Cabrera each pitched a scoreless inning, and Ryan Helsley got four outs, allowing Manny Machado's RBI single in the ninth.

Tommy Edman boosted the lead to 3-1 with an RBI single in the fifth, but Austin Nola's run-scoring single cut the gap in the sixth.

Yadier Molina added an RBI double in the three-run seventh.

Martinez gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings.

Harrison Bader was back in the Cardinals' lineup Monday. He missed Sunday's game against Milwaukee when he was ill. 

Tyler O'Neill (right shoulder impingement) is back to swinging the bat in the cage. His throwing program is progressing. O'Neill may begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.

Blake Snell (0-2, 6.00) will be making his third start of the year. In his last start, he gave up three earned runs in 5 1/3 in a 4-1 loss to Milwaukee. Adam Wainwright (5-4, 2.13) will be facing the Padres for the first time this season and 18th time. He is 6-0 with a 1.73 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances against San Diego during the regular season at Busch Stadium, never allowing a home run in 58 2/3 innings.

Luis Urias lined three-run homer into the basket in left-center to break a seventh-inning tie, and the Milwaukee Brewers held on to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-6 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader on Monday.

With the score 4-4, Mike Brosseau singled off Daniel Norris (0-3) with two outs and Kolten Wong walked. Urias Urias hit a 3-2 slider for a drive that barely made it over the ivy, his fifth homer this season.

Milwaukee trailed 4-2 before Tyrone Taylor's two-run homer in the sixth off Matt Swarmer tied the score on a warm afternoon with the wind blowing out.

Jace Peterson lofted a long solo drive for Milwaukee, which won its second straight and dealt the Cubs a second straight loss.

Swarmer and Milwaukee's Ethan Small made their big league debuts. It marked the first time in Brewers history that both starters made their debuts and the first for the Cubs since 1944.

Swarmer tossed six innings, allowing four runs - one earned - five hits and one walk in six innings. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out six and was in line for the win before Taylor went deep off him in the sixth to tie it at 4.

P.J. Higgins and Rafael Ortega hit solo shots on consecutive pitches off Trevor Kelley in the fourth. Higgins' homer was his first in the majors; Ortega finished with three hits.

Nico Hoerner had three RBIs on three hits, but the Cubs lost for the fourth time in five games.

Miguel Sanchez (1-1) gave up one hits in two scoreless innings, and Josh Hader worked around a leadoff single by Hoerner in the ninth, striking out three for his 17th save in 17 chances.

Tyrone Taylor homered in again in the nightcap, Aaron Ashby struck out a career-high 12 in the nightcap and the Milwaukee Brewers swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs 7-6 and 3-1 Monday.

Milwaukee led 2-1 in the second game when Taylor homered off left-hander Brandon Hughes in the eighth.

Victor Caratini hit a tiebreaking home run in the fifth inning against his former team, and the Brewers won their third in a row while getting just three hits in the nightcap. The Cubs extended their losing streak to three.

Ashby (1-3) allowed one run and five hits six-plus innings, giving up Willson Contreras' home run over the left-field bleachers and onto Waveland Avenue in the fourth.

He left with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Brad Boxberger struck out pinch hitter Nico Hoerner and got Andrelton Simmons to ground into a 5-2-3 double-play.

Josh Hader remained perfect in 18 save chances by getting his second of the day.

Chicago's Drew Smyly pitched three hitless innings in the second game, but left with right oblique soreness at the start of the fourth. Anderson Espinoza (0-1), a 24-year-old right-hander making his major league debut, allowed two runs and two hits in four innings.

The first game was tied at 4 when Mike Brosseau singled off Daniel Norris (0-3) with two outs and Kolten Wong walked. Urias hit a 3-2 slider for a drive that barely made it over the ivy, his fifth homer this season. Jace Peterson also hit a long solo drive for Milwaukee.

Swarmer and Milwaukee's Ethan Small made their big league debuts in the opener. It marked the first time in Brewers history that both starters made their debuts and the first for the Cubs since 1944.

Swarmer allowed four runs (one earned), five hits and one walk in six innings. Small was charged with two runs and four hits with four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.

Rafael Ortega finished with three hits.

Miguel Sanchez (1-1) gave up one hit in two scoreless innings.

Eric Lauer (5-1, 2.31) is scheduled to start for the Brewers on Tuesday and LHP Justin Steele (1-5, 5.40) for the Cubs.

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, Kaiden Maurer's two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning brought in two runs to lift Maroa-Forsyth past Monticello in Class 2A Supersectional high school boy's baseball action Monday from Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.

Jaxson Grubbs went eight innings of three-run ball, two were earned. He hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning that gave the Trojans a 2-1 lead.

Joey Sprinkle, who fired five innings of one-run ball, hit a game-tying home run in the sixth inning. 

In the top of the eighth inning, Jacob Trusner struck out but beat out the dropped third strike to reach with one out. Trusner ended up at third on a passed ball and sac-fly to right field.

Thomas Swartz struck out and also beat out a dropped third strike and on the throw to first, Trusner broke for home and scored to give Monticello the 3-2 lead.

In the last of the eighth, Triston Foran, who relieved Sprinkle with a scoreless seventh inning, retired the first batter but then walked Rheys Sams-Moore.

He got the next batter but allowed a two-out single to Grant Reid. Then Foran balked while facing Maurer.

Maurer got two strikes against him but battled to foul a couple of pitches and get the count to 3-2 and laced the payoff pitch to left field. A brief bobble gave Reid just enough time to beat out the throw to the plate as the Trojans stormed the field in elation.

Monticello's first five in the batting order were largely silent for most of the night going just 2-for-19 with Sprinkle's home run being the only run-scoring hit from the group.

Thomas Swartz was 2-for-4 and Colton Vance went 3-for-4 from the sixth and seventh spots in the order. 

Sprinkle faced just two batters over the minimum in five innings of two-run ball striking out five, walking one, and allowing two hits. 

Grubbs got the win, going eight innings, allowed three runs, two were earned, on eight hits with seven strikeouts and hit a batter.

The Trojans advance to Friday's state semifinals in Peoria improving to 32-1. 

Monticello finishes its senior season 23-9. 

The Monticello Sages and Maroa-Forsyth Trojans will battle for a chance to go to Peoria and the state finals this afternoon at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield in Class 2A high school boy's baseball supersectional action. 

Jack Buckalew went the distance allowing two runs and got two double plays in the field to limit a high-powered St. Joseph-Ogden offense to just a run. 

The Trojans meanwhile downed Quincy Notre Dame 5-2 Saturday at Pleasant Plains.

Game time this evening is 5 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Class 1A Supersectiona action tonight:

At Illinois Wesleyan

LeRoy         11:00am
Champaign St. Thomas More

Class 1A Girl's Softball Supersectional action:

At Illinois Wesleyan

Newark         11:00am
Heyworth

Class 2A Girl's Softball Supersectional action:

At Millikin 

Macomb         11:00am
Tolono Unity

At Olivet Nazarene 

Pontiac         11:00am
Lombard Montini
 

Corbin Burnes tossed seven shutout innings and Jace Peterson hit a three-run homer to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Lorenzo Cain and Rowdy Tellez also homered for the Brewers, who gained a split of the four-game set.

Burnes retired the first 10 batters he faced and did not allow a hit until Juan Yepez doubled with two out in the fourth

Peterson pushed the lead to 4-0 with his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning off Miles Mikolas (3-3), who gave up six earned runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Burnes and relievers Hoby Milner and Brent Suter combined on a four-hitter.

Tellez hit his 10th homer of the season in the sixth to push the lead to 5-0. Cain added a two-run shot off reliever Nick Wittgren in the eighth. Omar Narvaez had three hits and an RBI for the Brewers.

St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the ninth inning. He has reached base safely in a career-best 34 consecutive games.

Jake Burger hit a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, and the banged-up Chicago White Sox topped the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Sunday in a wild finale to the season series between the crosstown rivals.

Danny Mendick opened the White Sox 12th as the automatic runner, and he advanced on Andrew Vaughn's grounder to second against Robert Gsellman (0-2). Burger then pulled Gsellman's next pitch over a five-man infield for the winning hit.

Matt Foster (1-0) got three outs for the win for a struggling White Sox team that lost shortstop Tim Anderson to a right groin strain in the fifth. Anderson got hurt while making a play on P.J. Higgins' grounder back up the middle.

The Cubs opened a 3-1 lead with two runs in the 10th on reliever Reynaldo Lopez's throwing error and Christopher Morel's RBI single. Morel also robbed Burger of extra bases with a leaping grab in center with a runner on first in the eighth.

The White Sox responded with two runs in the bottom half of the 10th. Vaughn had a sacrifice fly and Jose Abreu tied it at 3 with an RBI single to center.

Rivas hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th for the Cubs, but Engel tied it again with an RBI single.

The Cubs wasted a terrific start by Marcus Stroman, who pitched seven innings of three-hit ball. Stroman helped himself with a pair of solid defensive plays. First, he snared Vaughn's comebacker in the fourth and threw him out at first. Then he jumped on Mendick's sacrifice attempt and cut down Harrison at third for the first out of the sixth.

The White Sox trailed 1-0 before pinch-runner AJ Pollock scored on David Robertson's wild pitch in the ninth. With two out and a runner on third, Josh Harrison bounced out to Nico Hoerner at shortstop.

The unearned run that scored on Burger's error was the only blemish on Dylan Cease's line. The right-hander allowed two hits, struck out five and walked four.

Marcus Ericsson became the second Swede to win the Indy 500 on Sunday when he held off some of the biggest names in North American auto racing in front of the largest crowd of his life.

Ericsson took control of the race late — largely because of teammate Scott Dixon’s speeding penalty — and had the win in reach until a crash by Ganassi teammate Jimmie Johnson with four laps remaining brought out a rare red-flag stoppage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

There were two laps remaining when the race resumed and Ericsson got the jump on O’Ward. The Mexican got one final look for the lead that Ericsson defended and O’Ward knew not to force the issue.

Sage Karam crashed and brought out another caution on the final lap, allowing Ericsson to coast to the victory podium under yellow. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Jack Buckalew threw a complete game allowing just a run leading Monticello to a 7-1 Class 2A high school boy's baseball Sectional Championship over St. Jospeh-Ogden from Millikin University in Decatur Saturday afternoon.

It looked like Monticello might not cash in on early opportunities. Biniam Lienhart started the game with a double down the left field line but was stranded on second base after Hayden Brazelton struck out the next three batters to escape the jam.

After Buckalew walked, a courtesy runner was picked off at first base but Thomas Swartz walked with one out. After Colton Vance struck out, Wade Carroll drew a walk but the inning ended on a Luke Teschke strikeout.

In the St. Joe half of the second inning, Adam Price rolled a base hit through the right side of the infield. Coby Miller popped out to third base and then Charles Voorhees lined a two-strike double to right field. In the next at-bat, Andrew Beyers scored Price from third with a sac fly and Buckalew limited the damage by striking out Griffin Roesch (rush) to end the inning.

The Sages broke through in the third when Lienhart laced a single to left to start the inning. Triston Foran floated a fly ball over second base and Joey Sprinkle drew a walk. On the next at-bat, Trusner laced a one-hop ground-rule double over the left center field fence to score two and give Monticello a 2-1 lead.

Buckalew drew a walk in the next at-bat then Swartz walked to bring in the third run and make 3-1 Monticello. Brazelton was able to get the next two batters on strikeouts. Teschke came to bat and rolled a ground ball to the left side of the infield that third baseman Tyler Autlenbaumer had carom off his glove bringing in another run and everyone moved up a base safely.

Lienhart was hit by a pitch on the left shoulder on the next at-bat to bring in the fifth and final run of the inning before Foran grounded out to shortstop to retire the side.

The defense behind Buckalew was excellent all afternoon. The junior surrendered back-to-back one-out base hits but got Voorhees to ground into a double play on a grounder to Teschke at short and Lienhart made a quick turn to first to end the Spartans threat.

In the top of the fifth inning, Vance started the inning with a walk. A sacrifice attempt by Carroll was unsuccessful and Luke Teschke popped out to deep center field. Lienhart hit a fly ball to right center field where Brazelton and Beyers had a miscommunication and the ball fell in allowing Vance to score from first and Lienhart legged out a triple to make it 6-1 Monticello.

In the sixth inning, Sprinkle started the inning with a walk. Trusner was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat. After Buckalew struck out, Swartz hit a ground ball to shortstop. 

Trusner was out at second base easily and the relay throw to first base was not in time as Swartz beat out the throw but Sprinkle did not stop running at third base and beat a late throw to the play to score and make it 7-1 Sages.

In the bottom of the sixth, Luke Landrus started the inning with a base hit to right field. On the next pitch, Aultenbaumer jumped on Buckalew's first pitch and hit to Sprinkle at third who relayed to second and Lienhart laced a bullet to first base to turn a rare 5-4-3 double play that took the air out of any potential rally for the Spartans.

Lienhart finished the day 3-for-4 and a home run short of the cycle. He reached base four times, drove in two, and scored a run. Sprinkle was 0-for-2 but walked twice and scored twice. Trusner was 1-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs, and scored twice.

Buckalew at the plate was 0-for-2 but walked twice. Swartz walked twice and had an RBI.

In total, the Monticello drew nine walks and struck out 11 times.

Buckalew was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.

The Sages improve to 23-8 overall and will take on Maroa-Forsyth at the Lincoln Land Community College Supersectional Monday at 5 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Bradley Brehmer pitched a complete game four-hitter and eighth-seeded Indiana scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to eliminate fourth-seeded Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday night.

The Hoosiers (26-31) bounced back from a heart-breaking 11-inning loss to top-seeded Maryland to face the loser of the Michigan-Maryland game on Saturday.

Brehmer (5-4), a senior transfer from Wright State, had his best outing for the Hoosiers, holding the Illini (31-22) to a sixth-inning run that tied the game 1-1, a tie his teammates quickly broke with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning. He struck out six, walked two and hit a batter.

Five different players drove in a run in the eighth when Indiana used four hits, two errors, a walk and a hit batter to break it open.

Phillip Glasser finished with two hits and two runs batted in, Carter Mathison drove in a pair of runs and Tyler Doanes scored twice.

Illinois dropped its Big Ten Tournament opener, 7-5, late Thursday night and early Friday morning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. 

The Illini tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth and 4-4 in the sixth but could never pull ahead in the loss.

Illinois (31-21) and Michigan (29-25) played in the latest start time ever at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, a 10:54 p.m. CT start. The Illini move on to an elimination game Friday against Indiana at approximately 5 p.m. CT, while Michigan will take on Maryland at 9 p.m. CT.

The Illini scored all five of its runs with two outs. The first two-out rally to tie the game came in the fourth inning, when Cam McDonald sparked the Illini with a single, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Ryan Hampe and Taylor Jackson.

Cal Hejza got the score tied again in the sixth with a two-out RBI single, but Michigan plated two runs on three hits in the eighth inning to take the lead for good.

Jackson led the Illini with three hits and two RBIs. Hampe, Hejza, and McDonald all had two hits.

Joseph Glassey (2-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Cole Kirschsieper started for the Illini and went the first five innings, while allowing four runs on eight hits.

Trevor Story kept up his hot hitting with a three-run homer and four RBIs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the White Sox 16-7 Thursday night to take two of three from Chicago.

Story has seven homers and 21 RBIs in his last seven games, raising his season totals to nine homers and 32 RBIs.

Alex Verdugo had pair of doubles among four hits for Boston, which outscored Chicago 33-13 in the series. The Red Sox opened with a 16-3 win and followed with a 3-1 loss.

Kevin Plawecki pinch hit for Story in the ninth and hit a two-run homer off Josh Harrison, an infielder who made his second big league pitching appearance in a game that lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes. Harrison threw a changeup past Xander Bogaerts for a called third strike in his first mop-up assignment since he got Pittsburgh's last out in a 10-1 loss at Colorado on Aug. 9, 2013.

Andrew Vaughn had a career-high five RBIs, driving in Chicago's first five runs with a three-run double in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth off Michael Wacha.

Vaughn's homer closed it to 7-5, then the Red Sox pulled away.

J.D. Martinez went 3 for 5 with a walk to raise in major league-best batting average to .380 and help the Red Sox rebound after the White Sox ended their six-game winning streak. Martinez is batting .640 (16 for 25) with five walks in his last six games.

Kike Hernandez led off the game with a homer and and Rafael Devers doubled twice as Boston raced to a 6-0 lead after two innings.

Verdugo finished with three RBIs. Christian Vazquez had three hits and two RBIs.

Wacha allowed seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. John Schreiber (2-0) the first of five relievers, got five outs for the win.

Dallas Keuchel (2-5) gave up six runs for his second straight start, lasting just two innings and allowing seven hits - five for extra bases.

The White Sox are off on Friday, then RHP Johnny Cueto (0-0) starts on Saturday on the South Side in the first of a two-game set against the crosstown Cubs. The resurgent 36-year-old righty hasn't allowed a run in his first two starts with Chicago, going six innings in each.

Josh Hader escaped a ninth-inning jam in his 37th straight scoreless appearance and the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Thursday night for their third straight win.

Tyrone Taylor drove in a run for the seventh game in a row and Luis Urias homered as the NL Central leaders increased their edge over the second-place Cardinals to 4 1/2 games.

Milwaukee first baseman Rowdy Tellez helped with his glove, ranging to catch five foul balls for outs. Overall, Brewers fielders caught seven foulouts.

Paul Goldschmidt homered and extended his hitting streak to 17 games for the Cardinals.

Hader, activated from the family medical emergency list earlier in the day, earned his 16th save in 16 tries this season. He gave up a leadoff single to Tommy Edman in the ninth and a one-out walk to Nolan Arenado before retiring Albert Pujols on a foul popup and Juan Yepez on a popout.

It marked Hader's 30th consecutive save conversion. He hasn't allowed a run since last July.

Lauer (5-1) gave up two runs on four hits in the first two innings. His only blemish in his final three frames was a walk. He struck out one and walked four, throwing 96 pitches over five innings.

Urias hit his fourth homer of the season, connecting with one out in the first off Adam Wainwright (5-4).

One out later, Andrew McCutchen hit the first of three consecutive singles by the Brewers and scored on Taylor's hit.

Christian Yelich drove in a run in the second and McCutchen had an RBI hit in the fourth.

Wainwright gave up 10 hits and four runs in five innings with three of the Brewers' runs coming with two outs. He dropped a decision for the first time in four games.

Goldschmidt hit his eighth home run, a solo drive in the seventh off Trevor Gott that made it 4-3. He also singled and his hitting .457 with six homers during his streak.

The Cardinals scored twice in the first. Edman doubled for the first of his three hits, Pujols had an RBI single and Yepez had a sacrifice fly.

Brandon Woodruff (5-2, 4.76) goes for his third consecutive win and his second against the Cardinals this year. He gave up three hits over five innings to get the win in a 5-1 win April 14 in Milwaukee.

Dakota Hudson (3-2, 3.60) seeks his second win in his fifth start of May, during which he's only made it out of the fifth inning once. He took the loss at Milwaukee on April 17, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits in just three innings as the Brewers won 6-5.

Kyle Farmer homered twice, had four hits and tied his career-high with five RBIs in a 20-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Nick Senzel also had four hits, and Brandon Drury, Tommy Pham and Albert Almora Jr. had three apiece. Drury Pham, Almora and Matt Reynolds each had three RBIs.

The Reds entered with a .217 batting average, 28th among the 30 teams, and finished with 20 hits in all.

Cincinnati trailed 3-0 before scoring twice in the second and bursting ahead with eight runs in the third.

The Reds scored the most runs since a 22-3 win at Philadelphia on Sept. 4, 1999, while Chicago gave up its most since a 21-8 defeat at the Phillies on July 3, 1999.

Cubs shortstop Andrelton Simmons made his big league pitching debut, allowing five runs in the eighth.

Hunter Greene (2-6) won for the first time since his major league debut on April 10 despite giving up five runs, seven hits and two walks in five innings. He had been 0-6 with a 5.50 ERA in his previous seven starts.

Willson Contreras and Ian Happ hit back-to-back homers in the fifth. Nico Hoerner also homered for the Cubs.

Cubs starter Justin Steele (1-5) gave up seven runs, seven hits and two walks in two-plus innings.

The game was delayed by rain for 59 minutes at the end of the fifth.

The Cubs open a two-game series at the Chicago White Sox following an off day Friday.

Ryan Blaney edged Denny Hamlin by 0.226 seconds in overtime to win the non-points all-star race at Texas last weekend as NASCAR and its top series head to Charlotte for the annual Memorial Day Weekend race. 

Blaney is the only driver in the top five in points without a victory in races that affect the season standings. Chase Elliott leads Blaney by 52 points in the standings. Kyle Busch is third, 58 behind. There have been 11 different winners through 13 races. William Byron and Ross Chastain, fourth and fifth in points, respectively, are the only drivers with more than one victory. 

This Sunday’s race begins the second half of the regular season.

Kyle Larson won from the pole last year.  

Practice and qualifying is tomorrow night at 6 pm and the green flag drops at 5 pm on Sunday night. 

Tyler Reddick went from third to first with 31 laps to go and won at Texas in only the second start of the season for the 2019 series champion as the XFinity Series heads to Concord, North Carolina this weekend. 

Reddick became the second non-contender for the championship to win in 12 races this season. 

A.J. Allmendinger has finished in the top 10 in all 12 races and leads Noah Gragson by 44 in the points race. Gibbs is third, 52 points back. Gibbs has led a series-best 349 laps, one more than Gragson. Riley Herbst is second with nine top 10 runs, but has led just one lap and is eighth in points, 150 behind.

Ty Gibbs won after starting eighth last year. 

Practice and qualifying for the XFinity racers is this afternoon at 2:30 pm and the green flag drops Saturday at noon. 

Stewart Friesen grabbed the lead after an overtime restart and won at Texas, his first victory in the last 53 races. The Camping World Truck Series takes to Charlotte Motorspeedway this weekend. 

John Hunter Nemechek won after starting fourth and assumed the series points lead by four over defending series champion Ben Rhodes with Chandler Smith 18 back and Friesen 21 behind. Zane Smith leads all drivers with three victories, 210 laps led and seven top-10 runs through nine races, but is just fifth in points, 32 off the pace.

Practice and qualifying is this afternoon at 12:30 pm and the green flag drops tonight at 7:30 pm.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, a three-run third inning was all the offense Luke Teschke needed as the sophomore fired six innings of two-run ball to lead Monticello to a 4-2 win over Eureka in Class 2A high school boy's baseball sectional semifinal action Thursday from Millikin University in Decatur.

Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the second, Jack Buckalew saved a run with a diving catch on a line drive to right field by JJ Boles. In the top of the third, Buckalew drove in a run on a base hit. Thomas Swartz followed with a sac-fly RBI to center field and Colton Vance hit his third double of the postseason that drove in the fourth and final run for the Sages.

Teschke allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. He set down 11 of the first 12 batters he faced but labored through the final two innings to get his second win this postseason. 

Joey Sprinkle closed the game out with a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout. 

Sprinkle and Jacob Trusner finished 2-for-4 while Buckalew was 1-for-2 with a walk. Vance was 1-for-3. 

Ben Jablonski finished 2-for-2 with a triple and a walk for the Hornets. 

Eureka finishes the regular season 26-7 while Monticello moves to 22-8.

The Sages will take on Illini Prairie Conference rival St. Joe-Ogden Saturday morning at 11 am at Millikin University. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

After picking up a Regional title Saturday morning over GCMS, the Monticello Sages boy's baseball team will battle Eureka this afternoon at Milliking University in Decatur.

The Sages used a run of 11-unanswered runs to roll past the Falcons on a soggy Saturday morning.

Eureka toppled El Paso-Gridley Monday to advance to the Sectional title. Eureka's Regional championship game was postponed to Monday due to weather.

The Sages enter action 21-8 overall while Eureka is 25-4 and ran the table to win the Heart of Illinois Conference this year finishing 11-0.

The winner battles St. Joseph-Ogden Saturday. The Spartans beat Pontiac 4-3 Wednesday.

Game time this afternoon is 5 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Class 2A High School baseball Sectional semifinal scores from Wednesday:

At Pleasant Plains

Quincy Notre Dame 2

Shelbyville 1

Class 1A High School baseball Sectional semifinal scores from Wednesday:

At Bloomington @ Illinois Wesleyan

Delavan 8

Henry-Senachwine 1

At Champaign St. Thomas More

Champaign St. Thomas More 6

Armstrong 1

Class 3A High School baseball Regional semifinal scores from Wednesday:

Chatham-Glenwood 13

Springfield Southeast 2

Mascoutah 21

Taylorville 2

Washington 14

Peoria Notre Dame 0

Metamora 0

Peoria Richwoods 5

Morton 11

Limestone 7

Lincoln 3 susp./game will continue Thurs. at 4:30pm

East Peoria 3

Springfield 15

Decatur MacArthur 0

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 4

Mt. Zion 1

Rantoul 0

Normal U-High 10

Class 3A high school softball Regional semifinal action Wednesday:

Rantoul 0

Mahomet-Seymour 15

The Illinois State baseball team had its season end with a 9-4 loss to Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in a game that featured two rain delays, totaling more than four hours on Tuesday prior to postponement and a 13-minute rain delay at Hammons Field on Wednesday. The game concluded 20 hours and 50 minutes after starting.

Sophomore Ryan Cermak provided a key two-run double to put the 'Birds up, 4-2, in the 5th inning before the first delay (three hours and 33 minutes). Missouri State homered in four-straight innings to take control prior to the second delay (unofficially 35 minutes).

Illinois State finishes 2022 at 20-31.

In a game heard on WHOW, Jake Burger hit a three-run homer off Rich Hill, Lucas Giolito overcame a shaky first inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Red Sox 3-1 Wednesday night to end Boston's six-game winning streak.

The White Sox won for the fourth time in six games and moved over .500 to 22-21.

Burger, recalled Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte after Luis Robert was placed on the COVID-19 injured list, hit an 0-2 breaking pitch in the fifth inning that traveled an estimated 444 feet.

Giolito (3-1) threw 27 pitches in the first but still allowed fewer than two runs for the fourth time this season.

Hill (1-2) held the White Sox hitless through four innings but lost his lead quickly. Jose Abreu led off the fifth with an opposite-field double to right, and AJ Pollock reached on a throwing error by third baseman Rafael Devers that preceded Burger's homer.

Liam Hendriks got the final four outs to earn his 14th save in 17 tries.

Hill extended his streak of allowing four earned runs or fewer to 79 starts, the longest active stretch in the majors.

He had no margin for error, as the Red Sox were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Boston averaged nine runs per game during their winning streak but stranded 12 runners Wednesday.

Alex Verdugo's two-out single scored J.D. Martinez in the first, but the Red Sox failed to add more despite putting runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings against Giolito.

Giolito retired his final seven batters, capped by a diving catch by right fielder Andrew Vaughn that robbed Christian Vazquez of a hit to end the sixth.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh against Aaron Bummer and Kendall Graveman, but Verdugo grounded to second.

White Sox reliever Joe Kelly struck out two in the eighth but walked slowly off the field due to left hamstring tightness. He will be evaluated Thursday morning.

The start of the game was delayed by 30 minutes because of rain.

Michael Wacha (3-0, 1.76) will face the White Sox on Thursday. Wacha allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-3 win over the Mariners on May 20. Dallas Keuchel (2-4, 6.60) will face the Red Sox on Thursday. Keuchel allowed six runs in four innings in a 7-5 loss to the Yankees on May 21.

Joey Votto homered and tripled, then shouted at Cubs reliever Rowan Wick during a tense ending to the Cincinnati Reds' 4-3 win over Chicago on Wednesday night.

Votto had a solo homer in the second inning off Kyle Hendricks (2-5) and a two-run triple in the third as Cincinnati snapped a two-game skid.
 

Wick brushed back the 16-year veteran in the eighth, then walked him. Votto barked at Wick as he made his way to first base, and he also had words for Chicago's dugout.

An inning later, Reds reliever Hunter Strickland plunked Patrick Wisdom. Cubs manager David Ross was ejected by plate umpire Dan Merzel after leaving the dugout to protest. Wisdom scored on Nico Hoerner's pinch-hit single.

Luis Castillo (1-2) needed 32 pitches to get through a two-run first for Cincinnati, but he allowed only two hits over his final four innings. He walked one and had a season-high six strikeouts.

Castillo was making only his fourth start after beginning the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain that caused him to miss all of spring training,

Ian Happ doubled in two runs in the fifth inning a day after ending a 10-game hitting streak against Cincinnati.

Hendricks pitched four innings for his shortest start since April 13. He allowed four earned runs and threw 68 pitches.

Willson Contreras pinch-hit for Chicago in the ninth and was robbed of extra bases by a leaping grab from center fielder Nick Senzel. Contreras had missed the previous four games with a strained right hamstring.

The four-game series between the two NL Central rivals concludes on Thursday afternoon.

Justin Steele (1-4, 3.82) is the 11th left-hander in Cubs history to strike out nine or more batters in consecutive starts, and he will look to extend that streak in Thursday's series finale. Rookie RHP Hunter Greene (1-6, 5.49) will make his 11th start for Cincinnati.

Tyler Bozak scored 3:38 into overtime and the Blues fended off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, overcoming a pair of deficits in a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

Bozak, a fourth-line center, unleashed a shot from near the blueline that got past Darcy Kuemper, capping a remarkable comeback for St. Louis.

Robert Thomas had two goals, including the tying tally with 56 seconds left in regulation, for a resilient Blues team. It's the latest game-tying goal for the Blues when facing elimination, according to NHL Stats. Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Faulk also scored, Nick Leddy had four assists and Pavel Buchnevich had two.

They never doubted - even down 3-0 late in the second period and 4-3 late in the third.

The comeback offset a hat trick from Nathan MacKinnon, who looked like he might have just turned in a signature moment with goal No. 3. He went end-to-end, working his way around Blues defenseman Leddy with nifty stick work and lifting a shot over goaltender Ville Husso for a 4-3 lead. It was his second career postseason hat trick.

Game 6 is Friday in St. Louis.

The Blues have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a playoff series twice in their history - 1999 against Phoenix and 1991 versus Detroit.

Class 1A Sectional semifinal scores:

LeRoy 6

Meridian 11

Tuscola 2

Heyworth 5

Class 2A Sectional semifinal scores:

Pontiac 3

Manteno 2

Maroa-Forsyth 1

Tolono Unity 9

Effingham St. Anthony 8

Bloomington Central Catholic 6

Class 3A Regional semifinal scores:

Washington 9

Morton 2

Chatham-Glenwood 15

Decatur MacArthur 0

Taylorville 13

Springfield Lanphier 2

LaSalle-Peru 9

Dunlap 1

East Peoria 10

Peoria Richwoods 0

Normal West 6

Bartonville Limestone 0

Metamora 11 F-5

Galesburg 1

Springfield 21

Jacksonville 3

Mt. Zion 16

Decatur Eisenhower 0

Lincoln 1 F/9

Urbana 0

Five members of the Fighting Illini baseball team were selected to the All-Big Ten Second and Third Teams, the Big Ten conference announced on Tuesday morning. Justin Janas, Branden Comia, Cam McDonald, and Cole Kirschsieper were named to the Second Team, while Danny Doligale was named to the Third Team.

Taylor Jackson was selected as Illinois' Sportsmanship Award honoree.

Janas currently leads the Big Ten in on-base percentage this season, reaching base more than half the time (.505 OBP) over the course of 166 at bats. Janas is also in the top ten in the conference in batting average (.355).

Comia is currently third on the team in hits with 70 and leads the Illini in extra-base hits with 28. Comia is also second on the team in RBI, driving in 49 runs this season.

McDonald has reached base in every game during the 2022 campaign and is currently on a 62-game on-base streak dating back to 5/8/21. He leads the Illini in batting average (.369), hits (75), RBI (58), and slugging percentage (.576). 

Kirschsieper is currently fourth in the Big Ten in innings pitched (82.1) and sixth in ERA (3.17). His 85 strikeouts ranks sixth and his seven wins rank fourth in the Big Ten.

Kirschsieper has appeared and started in all 14 games for the Illini this season and has allowed opponents to hit just .223 against him.

Doligale is third on the Illini in batting average (.351) and second in on-base percentage (.448) this season. 

Illinois opens the Big Ten baseball tournament tonight against Michigan at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

Sophomore Ryan Cermak was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MVC to headline a group of seven Illinois State baseball student-athletes honored by the conference, as announced Tuesday morning. 

Cermak is the third player in MVC history to earn a specialty award in back-to-back seasons (Mike Pelfrey, 2004-05; Joe Carter, 1980-81) and the first earn Defensive Player of the Year twice. 

Illinois State's seven players recognized is tied for second in the conference behind Evansville's eight. 

Cermak was First-Team All-MVC, junior Jared Hart was named Second-Team All-MVC while seniors Nick Gile and Colin Wyman and junior Derek Salata were named Honorable Mention All-MVC. Cermak, sophomore Greg Nichols, and sophomore Luke Cheng were All-Defensive Team as Illinois State's three All-Defensive Team honorees were tied for the MVC-high. 

Cermak's 157 putouts are 16 more than any other MVC outfielder and has not made an error. Cermak is hitting a team-best .339 and has scored a team-high 45 runs. He ranks second in the conference with 19 home runs and is the only Redbird since 1999 to hit at least 15 home runs in a season. 

Hart leads the MVC in ERA at 2.04 (next closest is Matthew Steidl at 2.54).

Gile has smacked nine home runs while recording 30 RBIs and a team-high 14 doubles. 

The Illinois State baseball team had its single-elimination game against Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament suspended after eight innings in a game that featured two rain delays, totaling more than four hours at Hammons Field on Tuesday. 

The game is scheduled to resume at 10:00 a.m. CT Wednesday with Missouri State leading, 9-4.

Third-year Ryan Cermak provided a key two-run double to put the 'Birds up, 4-2, in the 5th innings before the first delay (three hours and 33 minutes). Missouri State homered in four-straight innings to take control prior to the second delay (35 minutes unofficially)

Illinois State finished 2022 at 20-31 overall while Missouri State (26-26 overall) is scheduled to play an opponent still to be determined at a time to be determined on Wednesday. 

Trevor Story and Christian Vazquez each hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs as the Boston Red Sox set season highs in runs and hits in a 16-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Story's homer off Dylan Cease capped a four-run first inning. Vazquez hit a three-run shot off Matt Foster to highlight a six-run sixth. Kike Hernandez hit Cease's first pitch for a homer, and Rafael Devers led off the fourth with a homer off Jose Ruiz as the Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games.

The White Sox fell for the fourth time in seven games.

Designated hitter J.D. Martinez had four of the Red Sox's 19 hits.

Boston's 16 runs were its most since scoring 20 in a win over Tampa Bay on Aug. 11, 2021.

Nick Pivetta (3-4) was staked to a 10-0 lead after 4 1/2 innings and pitched six innings of five-hit ball. Pivetta has allowed five earned runs in his last 28 innings (1.61 ERA).

Story is 11 for his last 31 (.355) with seven homers and 18 RBIs. Story is 5 for 10 lifetime against Cease.

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu hit his first home run since May 4, a two-run shot off Pivetta in the fourth. Tim Anderson had two hits, including an RBI single in the fifth.

The seven runs allowed by Cease (4-2) were his most since Aug. 29, 2019, when he surrendered eight against the Twins. Cease had his shortest outing since Sept. 11, 2021, when he lasted 2 2/3 innings against the Red Sox. Cease pitched five innings of one-run ball at Boston on May 7.

Rich Hill (1-1, 3.90) will face the White Sox on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Hill allowed four runs in two innings of a 12-6 win May 19 over the Mariners. Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.84) will face the Red Sox on Wednesday. Giolito allowed two runs in five innings of a 6-2 loss May 18 at Kansas City.

Frank Schwindel homered twice in a game for the first time in his career, Marcus Stroman recovered from a rough start to pitch five effective innings, and the Chicago Cubs rolled past the Cincinnati Reds 11-4 on Tuesday night.

The Cubs have hit a major league-leading 19 homers since May 14, going deep in 10 of 11 games. Schwindel has three homers in the first two games of the four-game series at Cincinnati.

Stroman (2-4) needed 37 pitches to get through the first, allowing four singles and two runs to the first five batters. But he cruised after that, retiring 14 of his final 16 batters with two walks. He struck out eight.

Robert Gsellman worked the final three innings, allowing two runs, for his first save.

The Cubs led 3-0 in the first against Tyler Mahle (2-5) thanks to a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki and Schwindel's two-run homer.

Alfonso Rivas drove in two runs in the third with his first career triple to put the Cubs ahead 5-2.

Schwindel went deep against Mahle again in the Cubs' five-run fifth, his sixth homer this season. He has five multi-hit games in eight appearances against the Reds, batting .333 in that span.

Andrelton Simmons added a two-run single later in the fifth. Mahle was charged with a season-worst eight runs in four-plus innings. He has allowed 16 homers to the Cubs, his most against any team.

Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 4.89 ERA) is looking to rebound after allowing a career-high-tying four homers on Friday against Arizona. RHP Luis Castillo (0-2, 4.60) will make his fourth start since beginning the season on the IL with a right shoulder strain.

Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer and a solo shot, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 on Tuesday night.

Kevin Gausman (4-3) threw six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. He allowed four hits and beat the Cardinals for the first time in eight appearances.

Toronto split the two-game series and ended the Cardinals' winning streak at four.

Jordan Hicks (1-4) pitched three-plus innings in his first career start against the Blue Jays. He allowed four runs on four hits with five walks.

Adam Wainwright (5-3, 2.87) starts the opener of a home series against Milwaukee on Thursday night. He is 20-13 against the Brewers, his second-most wins against any opponent, trailing Pittsburgh (23).

Dawson Magrini's big day at the plate helped Champaign St. Thomas More overcome a fast start by Mt. Pulaski and lead the Sabres to an upset of the top-seed Hilltoppers 7-5 in Class 1A high school boy's baseball Regional final action from Mt. Pulaski High School Monday afternoon.

The Regional final was rained out Saturday and moved to Monday.

Magrini reached base four times finishing 3-for-3 with a double, triple and a walk. He was a home run short of the cycle. Magrini drove in one. Wilson Kirby and Drew Staab drove in two runs apiece. Ryan Hendrickson drove in another run for STM. 

Kirby and Andrew Tay finished 2-for-3. Tay doubled for the Sabres.

Evan Cooper, Landon Smith, and Chance Payne each had two hits apiece for the Hilltoppers. Payne reached base all four times at bat for Mt. Pulaski drawing two walks. 

Evan Cooper, Smith, Payne, Lucas Kuhlman and Gavin Smith had RBIs for the Hilltoppers who finish the season 22-6 overall. Gavin Smith and Aylesworth doubled.

The Sabres are 12-11 overall. They advance to host Armstrong Wednesday at 4:30 pm at Champaign St. Thomas More High School in Sectional semifinal action.

Class 1A Regional Final Action from Monday rescheduled from Saturday:

At Catlin 

Decatur St. Teresa 5

Salt Fork 2

At Delavan

Delavan 6

Heyworth 1

At Roanoke

Roanoke-Benson 0

LeRoy 3

Class 2A Regional Final Action from Monday rescheduled from Saturday:

At Forsyth

Maroa-Forsyth 6

Williamsville 4

At Virden 

Shelbyville 10 F-5

Auburn 0

Class 3A Regional Quarterfinal Action Monday:

At Bartonville 

Limestone 16 F-4

Peoria 1

At Centralia 

Centralia 0

Mattoon 4

At Galesburg 

Galesburg 7

Dunlap 3

At Springfield 

Springfield Southeast 6

Springfield Lanphier 5

Class 1A Girl's Softball Regional Final Action Reschedule from Saturday

At Milford

Fisher 0

Heyworth 3

At Tuscola

Tuscola 6

Argenta-Oreana 5

Paul Goldschmidt hit a walkoff grand slam in the 10th inning Monday night, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

St. Louis native David Phelps (0-1) began the 10th and a wild pitch sent pinch-runner Lars Nootbaar - who was on second as the automatic runner - to third. After striking out two, Phelps walked Tommy Edman. Ryan Borucki, the sixth Toronto pitcher, came in and walked pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa.

Goldschmidt, who sat out Sunday, struck out three times and hit into a double play in his previous four at-bats.

Goldschmidt sent a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for his seventh homer. It was his seventh career grand slam, his seventh career winning homer and his seventh extra-inning home run. It extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

It was the first walkoff grand slam in St. Louis since April 27, 2017, when Matt Carpenter hit one against Toronto.

Genesis Cabrera (2-1) was the fifth St. Louis pitcher and pitched the 10th inning to pick up the victory as the Cardinals won their fourth straight overall and improved to 1-1 in extra innings.

George Springer homered for Toronto, which fell to 1-2 in extra-inning games.

Each team scored twice in the seventh to chase the starting pitchers.

Miles Mikolas pitched 6 2/3 innings before giving way to rookie reliever Andrew Pallante, who came in to a bases-loaded situation. Mikolas filled the bases on a single and a walk before hitting a batter. Pallante walked Springer and Santiago Espinal, giving Toronto a 3-1 lead before getting out of the jam.

Rookie Juan Yepez hit his fourth home run with one out in the seventh off Jose Berrios, who then gave up two singles.

Adam Cinder relieved and allowed a run-scoring single by Harrison Bader before getting a double play.

The Blues Jays tied it at 1 when Springer led off the sixth with a homer to left.

The Cardinals struck for a run in the second on a one-out run-scoring double by rookie Brendan Donovan. Nolan Arenado led off the inning with a single.

Toronto 2B Santiago Espinal singled in the first inning, giving him a 16-game hitting streak. It's the longest active streak in MLB.

Yadier Molina was placed on the bereavement list. Molina's son injured his arm playing baseball in Puerto Rico and will have surgery Tuesday morning. Rookie C Ivan Herrera was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Herrera was batting .310 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 20 games at Memphis. RHP Angel Rondon was optioned to Memphis. RHP Junior Fernandez was promoted Monday afternoon from Memphis to help in the bullpen. Rookie LHP Matthew Liberatore was recalled from Memphis, as was Nootbaar.

Steven Matz (left shoulder impingement) was placed on 15-day injured list. Matz was removed from Sunday's start after just four pitches. OF Dylan Carlson (left hamstring strain) went on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 22). Carlson left Saturday's game after two innings in the field.

Kevin Gausman (3-3, 2.52) faced St. Louis once last year when he was with San Francisco. In seven career appearances, including three starts against St. Louis, Gausman is 0-3 with a 3.97 ERA.

Jordan Hicks (1-3, 4.21) will be making his first career appearance and start against the Blue Jays. It will be his first career start against an interleague opponent and his first career appearance against an AL East team.

Iann Happ hit a three-run homer and an RBI double to his impressive body of work at GABP, powering the Cubs to a 7-4 win over the Reds on Monday night.

There's something about Cincinnati for Happ.

The Cubs left fielder played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati, a few miles away from Great American Ball Park. And for reasons not entirely known to him, he really likes to hit there.

The Pittsburgh native now has 14 homers among 24 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs in 35 games at Great American.

Happ is hitting .383 in his last 15 games, pushing his season average to .286.

He drove in Seiya Suzuki with a fourth-inning double before Patrick Wisdom hit a three-run homer, his team-leading 10th of the season.

Then, with Chicago holding a 4-3 lead with two outs in the seventh, Happ drove the first pitch he saw from reliever Luis Cessa into the right-field bleachers.

Aristides Aquino hit two home runs for the Reds.

Drew Smyly (2-5) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and four hits while striking out five. He seemed to be on the way to one of his best outings of the season, retiring 13 at one point, but got in trouble in the sixth when Tommy Pham hit a solo homer and Aquino launched a two-run shot to center field.

Aquino, who had spent the last few weeks in the minors because of lack of production, hit another long drive in the eighth, hitting Chris Martin's slider 429 feet off the facing of the second deck in left field.

Aquino, who has struggled in recent years after a big rookie season, began the game with just one home run in 45 at-bats for the Reds in 2022.

David Robertson closed for his sixth save.

Reds starter Vladimir Gutierrez (0-6) continued to struggle. He lasted four innings, allowing four runs and four hits and striking out five. He pitched for the first time since May 11 as the Reds pondered moving him to the bullpen.

Happ might have had another home run if not for Reds center fielder Nick Senzel, who was back in the lineup for the first time after missing 17 games with COVID-19. Senzel made a leaping catch at the center-field wall to rob Happ of a home run in the second inning. The next batter, Yan Gomes, hit a liner that Senzel ran down in the left-center field gap, making the stab over his head. 

The Cubs send RHP Marcus Stroman (1-4, 4.88) to the mound to face Reds RHP Tyler Mahle (2-4, 5.23) on Tuesday night.

Nazem Kadri scored three goals, including two during a four-goal second period barrage, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference series.

Kadri's outburst came after he received racist death threats on social media following a first-period collision with Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Kadri, who was booed heavily every time he touched the puck, skated towards the glass and appeared to salute the Blues fans after each of his first two goals, inciting even more jeers. It was his first career playoff hat trick.

Erik Johnson and Devon Toews also scored and Mikko Rantanen added an empty netter for the Avalanche, while Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves.

David Perron scored twice and Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist for the Blues. Ville Husso, making his first start since Game 3 of the first round against Minnesota, made 31 saves.

The Avalanche took control of the game - and the series - with three goals in less than a two-minute span early in the second period.

Perron and Buchnevich each scored power play goals late in the second to bring the Blues back within one, but Kadri's goal midway through the third scuttled the comeback attempt.

Game 5 is Wednesday in Colorado.

Illinois completed the sweep over Penn State on Saturday afternoon with a 7-4 win over the Nittany Lions. The two teams were tied heading into the final frame when a three-run ninth inning gave Illinois the win over Penn State. The Illini finish the regular season 31-20 and 17-7 in the B1G, the best conference mark since 2015.

The Illini and Nittany Lions traded the lead throughout the middle innings as Penn State (25-27, 11-13 B1G) scored first before the Illini took the lead back with two runs in the fourth inning on a Cam McDonald home run, his seventh of the season.

Tied at four heading into the ninth inning, Cal Hejza put the Illini on top with a sacrifice fly, followed by a two-out, two-RBI single by Branden Comia which gave Illinois a 7-4 edge heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Ryan Kutt started the game for the Illini, going 5.0 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out four. Offensively, Branden Comia and Ryan Hampe each had multi-hit games while Comia also added three RBI.

Joe Glassey shut the door in the bottom of the ninth, entering the game and immediately getting a 6-4-3 double play. He earns his third save of the season while Ty Rybarczyk is credited with the win, moving to 4-1. Penn State's Miller (3-3) takes the loss.

The Illini will be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Big Ten baseball tournament in Omaha (May 25-29), the conference office announced on Saturday night. Illinois will play No. 5-seeded Michigan at approximately 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday night in its first-round matchup at Charles Schwab Field.

This is the first time the Big Ten tournament has been played since 2019 as the Big Ten season was canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020 and the conference did not hold a tournament in 2021. Illinois went 0-2 with losses to Maryland and Michigan in the 2019 Big Ten tournament.

This season, the Illini went 17-7 in Big Ten conference play and finished in a three-way tie with Rutgers and Iowa for second place in the conference standings. Illinois currently owns a 31-20 overall record heading into the conference tournament.

Johnny Cueto pitched six more scoreless innings, AJ Pollock hit a tiebreaking home run off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth and the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-1 on a calm Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader.

There didn't appear to be any carryover of the anger and tension at Yankee Stadium from the previous afternoon. On Saturday, the benches cleared and Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson, who is white, acknowledged calling Chicago star Tim Anderson, who is Black, ''Jackie'' - a reference to pioneering baseball icon Jackie Robinson that elicited criticism from both managers.

Anderson didn't play in the opener. Manager Tony La Russa said he wanted the star shortstop to play only one game.

Pollock hit a leadoff homer against Chapman (0-2), who also gave up an RBI double to Adam Engel. Chapman has given up at least one run in each of his last five appearances.

Liam Hendriks, who used an expletive earlier Sunday to describe how he didn't believe Donaldson's explanation that he made the ''Jackie'' reference as part of an inside joke with Anderson, struck out two in a perfect ninth to preserve the win for Kendall Graveman (1-1).

Hendriks pumped his fist and yelled loud enough to be heard three levels away after whiffing Jose Trevino for the final out.

Aaron Judge briefly tied the game for the Yankees by homering off Graveman with one out in the eighth.

Anderson was originally penciled in as the leadoff batter before La Russa scratched him, citing a desire to save him for the cooler nightcap. The temperature at Sunday's first pitch was 90 degrees.

Donaldson, starting at third base and batting fifth, was 0 for 4 but came within a few feet of a much bigger day. With two on and two outs in the first, Donaldson lined out to third base, where Yoan Moncada - inserted into the lineup in place of Anderson - saved a run by snaring the ball at his shoetops. In the fourth, Donaldson flied out to the wall in left field.

Judge's 15th home run cost Cueto a chance at the win. The resurgent 36-year-old righty allowed six hits, walked two and struck out five in his second major league outing of the season.

Yankees starter Jameson Taillon allowed one run on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in a season-high seven innings.

Anderson hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and then put a finger to his lips to silence fans booing and chanting ''Jackie'' at him, capping a tumultuous weekend and helping the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-0 Sunday night for a doubleheader sweep.

Anderson had already hit two singles when he homered over the right field wall with two outs, finishing off a five-run inning.

Anderson took a slow trot and put his hands to his lips in a shushing gesture as he rounded the bases. He clapped his hands several times upon crossing home plate and pointed skyward before again making a silencing motion.

Michael Kopech returned from paternity leave Friday after going home to witness the birth of his second child. He retired the first 17 batters before Rob Brantly doubled in the sixth.

Kopech (1-1) allowed just the one hit and two walks while striking out six over seven innings.

Luis Severino scattered eight hits over seven scoreless innings. Jonathan Loaisiga (1-2) lost in relief.

After an off-day Monday, RHP Dylan Cease (4-1, 3.09 ERA) is slated to start against the Boston Red Sox as the White Sox begin a five-game homestand.

Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel hit consecutive homers against Ian Kennedy in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Sunday to avoid a four-game series sweep.

Wisdom had a bouncer go just foul right before he connected for his ninth homer, sending a leadoff shot deep to center field. Schwindel then drove a 1-0 pitch from Kennedy (3-3) into the bleachers in left for his fourth homer.

P.J. Higgins drove in three runs with his first career triple for Chicago. Keegan Thompson (4-0) worked three innings of one-run ball for the win.

The Cubs had dropped four in a row, blowing a 4-0 lead on Saturday.

Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith each had two hits for Arizona, which was trying for its first sweep at Wrigley Field since Aug. 9-11, 1999. David Peralta snapped a tie with a fielder's choice that drove in Geraldo Perdomo in the seventh.

The Diamondbacks had lost six in a row before they arrived in Chicago, including a four-game sweep at the Dodgers.

Chicago grabbed the lead in the second. With two out and the bases loaded, Higgins lined his second big league hit into the corner in right and used a headfirst slide to beat the throw into third.

Before Higgins' clutch swing, it looked as if Merrill Kelly might escape the inning unscathed. After the first three batters reached - including Wisdom's infield single on a popup that dropped in front of third baseman Drew Ellis - Alfonso Rivas struck out looking and Andrelton Simmons fouled out.

The Diamondbacks rallied in the sixth, tying it at three on two-out RBI singles for Marte, Smith and Jake McCarthy. Marte's hit drove in Ellis, who led off with a double to center for the team's first extra-base hit against Wade Miley.

Willson Contreras (right hamstring) is day to day after he left Saturday's 7-6 loss in the third inning. Higgins was promoted from Triple-A Iowa, and INF Ildemaro Vargas was designated for assignment.

Drew Smyly (1-5, 3.97 ERA) pitches Monday night at Cincinnati in the opener of a four-game series. The Reds have not announced their starter.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Molina gave up a pair of homers and four runs while working the ninth inning, eventually completing the Cardinals' three-game sweep.

But it was not all fun and games for St. Louis. Starter Steven Matz lasted only four pitches before being pulled with stiffness in his left shoulder.

Pujols boosted his career home run count to 683. Pinch-hitting for Nolan Arenado with St. Louis up 11-0 in the fifth inning, Pujols launched a 425-foot drive off the left-field rotunda.

The 42-year-old slugger added a three-run homer in the ninth off Pirates infielder Josh VanMeter in the ninth. Pujols is fifth on the all-time homer list, 13 behind Alex Rodriguez in fourth, and his 32 at PNC Park are the most by an opposing player.

Exactly a week after Pujols took the mound for the first time in his big league career, Molina got his turn with St. Louis ahead 18-0. Pujols was behind the plate to warm up his longtime teammate between innings.

A perennial All-Star and Gold Glover at catching pitches, the 39-year-old Molina didn't do quite as well throwing them. He gave up a solo homer to Yoshi Tsutsugo and a three-run drive by Jack Suwinski. His velocity topped out at 69 mph.

Overall, Molina allowed four hits in his one inning, throwing 14 of 20 pitches for strikes, without a strikeout or walk.

Pujols also permitted four runs and two homers in one inning while finishing out a rout of San Francisco last Sunday night. Pujols gave three hits, walked one and struck out none.

Naturally, the two stars poked each other over who threw it best. Both currently have a 36.00 ERA, by the way.

After Matz exited, Angel Rondon (1-0) entered to strike out Ke'Bryan Hayes with his first pitch. Rondon allowed just one hit in five innings for his first win in the majors, striking out four and walking three.

After being recalled from the taxi squad before the game, Rondon made his third major league appearance and first since June 12, 2021.

Touted prospect Nolan Gorman doubled in the first, putting the Cardinals ahead with his first major league RBI. He got three hits and went 5 for 10 with two doubles in his first series in the majors.

Tommy Edman also had three of the Cardinals' 20 hits. He hit two doubles and helped key a six-run second against Bryse Wilson (0-3).

Harrison Bader also homered off VanMeter, who made his first pitching appearance in the majors and gave up five runs in the ninth. Usually a second baseman and outfielder, VanMeter was pressed into duty as a catcher for the first time in an emergency situation.

Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. He gave up four runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 4 2/3 innings during his major league debut Saturday.

Miles Mikolas (3-2, 1.68) will take the mound Monday as St. Louis heads home for the first of two games against the Toronto Blue Jays. Mikolas has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts this season.

1A:

Tuscola 0, Okaw Valley 7, F

2A:

St. Joseph-Ogden 10, Clifton Central 0, F-5

Jack Buckalew struck out nine and threw five innings of one-run ball leading Monticello to a 11-1 five-inning, ten-rule win over GMCS and took home a Regional Championship Saturday morning from Tolono Unity.

Buckalew allowed a run on three hits and a walk. 

Each Monticello starter reached base led by Joey Sprinkle who finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Biniam Lienhart, Triston Foran, and Jacob Trusner each drove in two runs apiece. 

Foran tripled in the bottom of the third inning that drove in two. Sprinkle brought Foran home on the next at-bat with a base hit to left field.

Colton Vance started the fourth inning with a base hit to left field. Tylor Bundy and Luke Tecshke drew back-to-back walks. Two batters later, Sprinkle drove in two more with a ground-rule double and Trusner singled in a run on the next at-bat. 

The Sages would score seven runs in the fourth inning. 

Up 10-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Foran reached third on a three-base error in right field and Joey Sprinkle grounded to shortstop on the next at-bat and Foran slid under the throw to the plate and Monticello walked away with the ten-run rule win.

Ty Cribbett hit a lead off home run for the Falcons to start the game. 

The Falcons finish the season 17-9 overall.

Monticello improves to 21-8 overall and will head to the Millikin Sectional next Thursday at 4:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

1A:

LeRoy 6, Blue Ridge 2, F

Casey-Westfield 10, Central A&M 0, F

Meridian 10, Villa Grove 4, F

2A:

Maroa-Forsyth 2, Normal University 1, F

Pontiac 11, Lexington 1, F

Tri-City 5, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 1, F

Olympia 1, Williamsville 10, F

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, the Bloomington Central Catholic Lady Saints overcame a fast start by Monticello to take home a Regional title 10-3 in Class 2A Regional championship action Friday from Monticello.

Lizze Stiverson hit a two-run home run to right center field to cap a 3-0 start for the Lady Sages before an out was recorded but BCC's Emily York settled down and allowed only five base runners the rest of the way. 

The Lady Saints scratched a run across in the third inning and tied the game on a two-run double by Izzy Campbell in the third inning.

Summer Clark started the fourth inning with a home run to left field to put BCC in front for good at 4-3. The Lady Saints would add three more runs in the frame. They rallied to score three more runs in the fifth inning to break the game open.

Monticello had chances to extend its lead. In the third inning, Addison Wallace started the inning with a single. Lizzie Stiverson hit a high drive to right center field for a second time but because center fielder Clark looked like she had a play, Wallace could only wait between first and second and made it to third on the Stiverson double.

York reitred the next three batters to evade the threat. In the fourth inning, Catie Swartz doubled to start the inning but again was left stranded in scoring position. Swartz would add another bloop single in the sixth inning with two outs. 

York allowed three runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. 

Stiverson's efforts earned her the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County player of the game. She finished 2-for-3 with the two-run home run and a double. 

Addison Wallace was 2-for-4 and Marrissa Miller was 1-for-4 with a triple and run scored. Swartz finished 2-for-3.

The Lady Sages finish the season 11-14 and BCC advances to the Maroa-Forsyth Sectional next week. 

Luis Robert homered and drove in four runs as the Chicago White Sox rallied past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 Thursday to win the five-game series.

Robert delivered a pair of RBI singles before hitting a two-run homer into the left field stands in the eighth. His sixth home run of the season capped Chicago's sixth come-from-behind win.

Pinch-hitter Adam Engel gave the White Sox their first lead with an RBI single in the seventh off Gabe Speier (0-1) that broke a 4-all tie.

Tim Anderson had two hits, two walks, two RBIs, and stole two bases, recording his 10th multi-hit outing in his last 18 games.

Chicago took three of five from the Royals. It was the first five-game series at Kauffman Stadium since Chicago also won three of five in April 2018.

Bennett Sousa (2-0) earned the victory as four Chicago relievers held Kansas City scoreless over the final four innings. Liam Hendriks worked around a pair of singles for his 12th save.

Hunter Dozier had three hits and drove in three runs for the Royals. He had a two-run homer in the first and an RBI single in the third.

Kansas City scored in each of the first three innings against Vince Velasquez, recording an extra-base hit in each frame. He went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, fanning three.

Royals starter Carlos Hernandez struggled with his control, walking five and allowing five hits in three-plus innings.

Chicago loaded the bases on consecutive hits to start the fourth before Anderson hit a two-run single, driving Hernandez from the mound.

The White Sox continue their road trip in New York where LHP Dallas Keuchel (2-3, 5.54 ERA) faces Yankees LHP Nelson Cortes (2-1, 1.35 ERA). 

Pete Alonso ended an afternoon of twists with a two-run homer into the left field second deck leading off the bottom of the 10th for a 7-6 victory that sent the Mets flying even before they headed to Colorado for the start of a six-game trip.

There have been two constants to the Mets' season: injuries and wins.

They learned Thursday that Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list for a lengthy stretch. Then New York wasted a ninth-inning lead against the St. Louis Cardinals and fell behind in the 10th.

New York took three of four from the Cardinals and at 26-14 is tied for the fourth-best 40-game start in Mets history. In a game with four lead changes, Jeff McNeil had a tiebreaking, two-run single, three RBIs and made two snazzy catches.

The Mets said during the game that Scherzer had been diagnosed with a strained oblique muscle in his left side after leaving Wednesday night's win following a pitch. Scherzer is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, another blow to a team that leads the NL East despite missing deGrom, No. 5 starter Tylor Megill and catcher James McCann to injuries, along with relievers Sean Reid-Foley and Trevor May.

McNeil, hitting .400 with runners in scoring position, had a run-scoring infield groundout in the first and a two-run single in the fifth off Nick Wittgren that put the Mets ahead 5-3.

He climbed the wall in left-field foul territory to grab Paul Goldschmidt's seventh-inning sacrifice fly, pushed off with his right foot and threw to second to nab Brendan Donovan, who tried to tag up from first. Then, with a runner on first in the eighth, McNeil made a sliding catch on a soft liner to deny Dylan Carlson and threw to second from his back.

Goldschmidt had four RBIs for the banged-up Cardinals, who trailed 2-0 before rookie Juan Yepez homered in the second for the first of his three hits.

Goldschmidt went deep in the third off Chris Bassitt and his RBI double gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead in the fifth but Brandon Nimmo's RBI grounder tied the score in the bottom half.

Harrison Bader reached on an infield hit leading off the ninth for his third single, stole second for the second time on the day and advanced to third on a groundout. Goldschmidt tied the score 5-all with a two-out infield single off a foot of third baseman Eduardo Escobar as Edwin Diaz blew a save for the second time in 11 chances.

With the Cardinals in extra innings for the first time this year, Albert Pujols brought home the automatic runner with a run-scoring double-play grounder off Colin Holderman (1-0) in the 10th.

Alonso took a slider from Giovanny Gallegos (0-2) and turned on a fastball for a 114 mph drive, his third game-ending home run. Alonso has 10 home runs and leads the major leagues with 36 RBIs.

New York moved a season-high 12 games over .500 and finished 5-2 against the Cardinals to win the season series for the first time since 2014. The Mets have won 10 of 12 series this year and are 3-0 in extra innings.

Bassitt allowed four runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, while Hudson gave up four runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Hudson paused for a four-to-five-second stop in every pitch from the stretch, contributing to a 3-hour, 41-minute game time.

Matthew Liberatore, the 17th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, will be brought up by the Cardinals to start at Pittsburgh on Saturday in his major league debut. Libertore, acquired from Tampa in January 2020, is 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis selected the contract of Nolan Gorman from Memphis, and he is to start at second base on Friday. Outfielder Tyler O'Neill (right shoulder impingement) was placed on the 10-day and RHP Jack Flaherty (right shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Adam Wainwright (4-3, 3.15) takes the mound on Friday. Pittburgh starts RHP Zach Thompson (2-3, 5.47).

Zac Gallen pitched five effective innings, Daulton Varsho homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday night, stopping a six-game slide.

Gallen (3-0) allowed one run and two hits, continuing his strong start to the season. The right-hander issued three walks and hit a batter, but he wiggled out of a jam in his last inning while earning his first win in his fourth career start against Chicago.

The Cubs got Marcus Stroman back from the COVID-19 injured list, but they went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Yan Gomes doubled home Willson Contreras in the fourth for the team's only run in the opener of a four-game series.

Stroman (1-4) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings in his first start since May 1. The right-hander struck out six and walked none.

Stroman retired his first nine batters, but Varsho drove his first pitch of the fourth deep to center for his seventh homer. Josh Rojas and David Peralta tacked on two-out RBI singles for a 3-0 lead.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the fifth on Christopher Morel's 11-pitch walk in his third big league game, Andrelton Simmons' eight-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 and a hit by pitch for Contreras. But Ian Happ bounced to second on the 10th pitch of his at-bat, ending the inning.

Sean Poppen, Joe Mantiply, Ian Kennedy and Mark Melancon then combined for four innings of two-hit relief. Kennedy struck out Patrick Wisdom with runners on second and third in the eighth, and Melancon earned his eighth save.

Right-handers Humberto Castellanos and Kyle Hendricks pitch on Friday afternoon. Castellanos (2-1, 4.15 ERA) tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball in a no-decision against the Cubs at Chase Field on Sunday. Hendricks (2-3, 4.03 ERA) has permitted just one run in 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts for Chicago.

David Perron scored twice as St. Louis juggled its offensive pairings, Jordan Binnington made 30 saves and the Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Thursday night to tie their second-round series at a game apiece.

Jordan Kyrou added a goal and Brandon Saad sealed it with an empty-netter for the Blues, who rode another superb performance from Binnington. The Blues goaltender stopped 51 shots during a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1.

Binnington's flashing his 2019 form, when as a rookie he led the Blues to a Stanley Cup title with a 16-10 mark and a 2.46 goals-against average.

It was also his 20th career playoff win. There are only two other goaltenders who have as many postseason wins as him since 2019 - Andrei Vasilevskiy (40-21) and Tuukka Rask (22-16), according to NHL Stats.

Gabriel Landeskog scored on a power play early in the third for Colorado to make it 2-1. But Perron answered right back with his seventh goal of these playoffs.

Darcy Kuemper stopped 28 shots. Two of the goals he allowed were redirected off the stick of a defenseman.

The difference in the game was this: Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche found open ice a scarce commodity against a physical, hard-checking and more determined Blues squad.

Among the line changes by the Blues was pairing Pavel Buchnevich with Ryan O'Reilly and Perron. Buchnevich finished with two assists.

The Blues had a 5-on-3 advantage late in the second period when Devon Toews was called for tripping and Valeri Nichushkin for goaltender interference after slamming into Binnington, whose stick went flying. The Blues went with five forwards on the play.

Perron made them pay when his liner deflected off the stick of Josh Manson - who scored the OT winner in Game 1 - and past Kuemper.

Earlier in the second, Kyrou's shot deflected off the stick of defenseman Samuel Girard and over the shoulder of Kuemper.

Game 3 is Saturday in St. Louis.

Kurt Busch passed Kyle Larson with eight laps to go and won at Kansas to become the 11th different winner through 13 races this year.

The NASCAR Cup Series shifts to Texas for the All-Star race. Larson won at Texas, his second all-star victory.

Larson’s victory last season in the non-points race came during a stretch when he won four consecutive main events in the series on his way to becoming the season champion. 

Busch ended a 27-race winless streak at Kansas and gave 23XI its first victory as a team. Busch has now won Cup Series races for five different car owners and with four different manufacturers. 

Chase Elliott’s points lead is now 52 over Ryan Blaney and 58 over Kyle Busch.

The Cup cars practice and qualify Saturday night starting at 6 pm with All-Star race festivities beginning at 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon.

Justin Allgaier ended a 34-race winless streak with his second consecutive victory at Darlington two weeks ago, beating teammate Noah Gragson and leading a second consecutive 1-2 finish for JR Motorsports. 

The Xfinity Series takes to Texas this weekend. 

A.J. Allmendinger leads Gragson by 25 points in the standings through 11 races. Allmendinger also leads with 11 top-10 finishes, but Gragson leads with 8 top-five runs. Ty Gibbs is 41 points back despite a series-best three wins. The top six drivers in the standings have all won at least once.

Kyle Busch won after starting 14th last year. 

Xfinity practice and qualifying is this afternoon at 4 pm central time. 

Zane Smith led 108 of 134 laps to win at Kansas, his series-best third victory of the season in the Camping World Truck Series as the series heads to Texas this weekend.

Smith climbed to third in the points race, 21 behind Ben Rhodes and one point behind Nemechek. 

Smith also leads with seven top-10 finishes and has led a series-high 201 laps through eight races. Rhodes has one victory and leads with five top-five runs. Ty Majeski was second at Kansas.

John Hunter Nemechek won from the pole at Texas last year. 

Practice and qualifying for the trucks is tonight at 5 pm and the green flag drops at 7:30 pm tonight.

Kurt Busch passed Kyle Larson with eight laps to go and won at Kansas to become the 11th different winner through 13 races this year.

The NASCAR Cup Series shifts to Texas for the All-Star race. Larson won at Texas, his second all-star victory.

Larson’s victory last season in the non-points race came during a stretch when he won four consecutive main events in the series on his way to becoming the season champion. 

Busch ended a 27-race winless streak at Kansas and gave 23XI its first victory as a team. Busch has now won Cup Series races for five different car owners and with four different manufacturers. 

Chase Elliott’s points lead is now 52 over Ryan Blaney and 58 over Kyle Busch.

The Cup cars practice and qualify Saturday night starting at 6 pm with All-Star race festivities beginning at 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon.

Justin Allgaier ended a 34-race winless streak with his second consecutive victory at Darlington two weeks ago, beating teammate Noah Gragson and leading a second consecutive 1-2 finish for JR Motorsports. 

The Xfinity Series takes to Texas this weekend. 

A.J. Allmendinger leads Gragson by 25 points in the standings through 11 races. Allmendinger also leads with 11 top-10 finishes, but Gragson leads with 8 top-five runs. Ty Gibbs is 41 points back despite a series-best three wins. The top six drivers in the standings have all won at least once.

Kyle Busch won after starting 14th last year. 

Xfinity practice and qualifying is this afternoon at 4 pm central time. 

Zane Smith led 108 of 134 laps to win at Kansas, his series-best third victory of the season in the Camping World Truck Series as the series heads to Texas this weekend.

Smith climbed to third in the points race, 21 behind Ben Rhodes and one point behind Nemechek. 

Smith also leads with seven top-10 finishes and has led a series-high 201 laps through eight races. Rhodes has one victory and leads with five top-five runs. Ty Majeski was second at Kansas.

John Hunter Nemechek won from the pole at Texas last year. 

Practice and qualifying for the trucks is tonight at 5 pm and the green flag drops at 7:30 pm tonight.

Monticello started fast and never looked back rolling to a 14-3 ten-run rule, five-inning win over Westville in Class 2A Regional semifinal action from Tolono Unity High School Thursday afternoon. 

Drew Wichtowski homered in the top of the first inning for the Tigers but it was all Monticello after that.

Triston Foran doubled in Biniam Leinhart in the Sages half of the first inning and then Jacob Trusner brought in Foran with a sac-fly RBI to put Monticello up 2-1.

Foran doubled in two more in the bottom of the second inning, Joey Sprinkle drove in Foran on a base hit and Colton Vance capped the five-run inning with an RBI double. 

Sprinkle would double in another run, Trusner brought in a run with a hit, and Vance capped the four-run third with another run-scoring hit.

The Sages capped its offensive outburst with another three-run inning capped by back-to-back doubles by Jack Buckalew and Thomas Swartz. Buckalew's double scored two.

Leinhart was 2-for-2 with three runs scored. Foran was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Sprinkle was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Trusner was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Buckalew was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Vance finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. 

Luke Teschke threw four innings of three-run ball. He struck out eight and walked three. He also hit two batters.

There were seven hit batters in the game.

The Tigers end its season at 19-11 overall and the Sages move to 20-8.

Monticello takes on GCMS Saturday morning at 9 am for a Regional title. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

The Mt. Pulaski bats came to life late and helped the Hilltoppers surge past Decatur LSA 12-2, ten-run rule win in first-round Class 1A Regional semifinal win in high school boy's baseball action Wednesday from Mt. Pulaski High School.

Clayton Aylesworth drove in four runs with a double and RBI sacrifice fly. Jackson Fricke finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs apiece. Landon Smith tripled going 2-for-2 and scored three times with a run batted in. 

Smith struck out 11 over five innings of two-run ball, one was earned. He allowed two hits and walked three. 

Gavin Smith struck out the side in a scoreless sixth inning to put the game away. Liam Smith had a double and drove in two. 

The Hilltoppers advance to Saturday's Regional Championship game opposite the winner of this afternoon's matchup between Champaign St. Thomas More and Argenta-Oreana.

Class 1A Boy's Baseball Regional semifinal action Wednesday:

Central A & M 3

Okaw Valley 13

Decatur St. Teresa 13

Villa Grove 3

LeRoy 13

Lexington 3

Class 2A Regional semifinal action Wednesday:

St. Joseph-Ogden 15 F-4

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 0

Illinois Valley Central 6

Monmouth-Roseville 0

Maroa-Forsyth 11

Warrensburg-Latham 3

Tolono Unity 5

Gibson CitY-Melvin-Sibley 6

Shelbyville 6

Pana 1

The Monticello Sages track and field teams are headed to Sectionals today with girl's state this weekend in Charleston and boy's state next weekend.

Monticello track coach Cully Welter has been pleased with how his team has done this season. The Sages took third in both the boy's and girl's conference meet.

This spring has been one for the books for a lot of programs across central Illinois. Coach Welter says it's been frustrating for him in trying to maintain forward momentum with his student-athletes.

Coach Welter indicates while some sports like baseball depend on a somewhat dry day, track can run through the rain and even cold but he says sometimes wind plays a big factor in a decision to ultimately run a meet. 

In a game heard on WHOW, Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez homered and fellow rookie Emmanuel Rivera hit a go-ahead triple, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Chicago White Sox 6-2 Wednesday night.

Witt, Melendez and Rivera each had two hits.

Rivera's sinking liner escaped a diving Adam Engel, rolling into the right field corner for a triple that drove in Melendez with the tiebreaking run in the sixth.

Melendez padded the lead with a two-run homer, his second, in the eighth.

Witt hit his fourth home run, a 436-foot drive off White Sox starter Lucas Giolito.

In his return from the COVID-19-related injured list, Giolito labored early, needing 54 pitches to complete the first two innings, allowing four hits and two walks.

After Witt's leadoff homer in the third, however, he struck out six of the next seven batters and permitted only a pair of singles before being lifted after five innings.

Royals starter Zack Greinke hasn't won since Aug. 13 last year, while with the Astros. He allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.

Greinke walked Engel in the fifth, his first free pass since April 21 against Minnesota, a span of 128 batters.

The second of Tim Anderson's three singles drove in Engel to make it 2-all. Anderson has nine multi-hit performances in his last 17 contests, batting .378 (28 for 74) in that span.

Rookie Collin Snyder (3-1) recorded the final out of the sixth for the win. Reynaldo Lopez (4-1) took the loss.

The White Sox and Royals conclude their five-game series Thursday. RHP Vince Velasquez (2-3, 5.53 ERA) starts for the White Sox against RHP Carlos Hernandez (0-3, 9.11 ERA).

Max Scherzer had a four-run lead in the sixth inning and everything was rolling right along for the New York Mets - same as all season.

Until the three-time Cy Young Award winner signaled to the dugout he was done.

Scherzer pulled himself from a start Wednesday night with discomfort in his left side before New York finished off an 11-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He plans to get an MRI on Thursday.

Pete Alonso homered and drove in four runs for the Mets (25-14), already missing ace starter Jacob deGrom and his effective replacement in the rotation, Tylor Megill, because of injuries.

Still, they improved to 13-1 following a loss. The only time they dropped consecutive games this season was April 10-11.

Jeff McNeil had an early two-run single and Alonso snapped a 2-all tie with an RBI single off rookie reliever Jake Walsh (0-1) in a four-run fifth. Dominic Smith singled home a run and Luis Guillorme drove in another with a nicely executed safety squeeze.

Mets batters were hit by pitches three times, increasing their major league-leading total to 28. That includes eight by Cardinals pitchers in six games - the teams got into a bench-clearing melee in St. Louis last month.

Both clubs were warned Wednesday night after Mark Canha was hit near the ribs by a 98 mph fastball from Cardinals starter Jordan Hicks in the third, but there was no trouble between the teams.

Canha scored three times and followed Brandon Nimmo's run-scoring triple with an RBI single as the Mets broke open a 6-4 game with a five-run eighth capped by Alonso's three-run homer off struggling lefty T.J. McFarland.

Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals in the eighth. Albert Pujols got two hits to pass Eddie Collins for 10th place on the career list with 3,314, including an early two-run single off Scherzer (5-1).

The 37-year-old right-hander left with two outs in the sixth and a 1-1 count on Pujols.

With two runners on, Scherzer threw a slider in the dirt and immediately motioned to the New York bench that he was finished.

Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, manager Buck Showalter and a trainer came out to the mound. After a quick discussion, Scherzer walked off the field.

Scherzer threw 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes and left with a 6-2 lead against his hometown team. Adam Ottavino was given all the time he needed to warm up, and he struck out Pujols to end the inning.

The 42-year-old Pujols, who stole second off Scherzer, also grounded out with the score 6-4 and a runner on against Seth Lugo to end the eighth.

Dakota Hudson (3-2, 3.06 ERA) faces RHP Chris Bassitt (4-2, 2.34) in the series finale Thursday afternoon. Bassitt pitched six innings of two-hit ball for a 3-0 win April 26 in St. Louis.

Rookie Jack Suwinski, who attended high school 20 minutes from Wrigley Field, hit a tiebreaking home run and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cubs 3-2 Wednesday night, ending Chicago's four-game winning streak.

Suwinski made his major league debut this season and began the day hitting .183 with two homers.

With the score 2-all, the 23-year-old outfielder from Taft High School opened the fifth inning with a drive off Drew Smyly (1-5) that barely cleared the center field wall.

Michael Chavis' single in the third snapped the Pirates' scoreless streak of 20 innings. They scored in the eighth inning of Sunday's 1-0 win over the Reds despite being no-hit by Hunter Greene and Art Warren, then lost 9-0 and 7-0 earlier this week at Wrigley Field.

Pirates relievers Mitch Keller, Duane Underwood Jr. and David Bednar allowed four hits over the final seven innings. Wil Crowe went two innings in his first start of the season after 13 relief appearances.

Underwood and Bednar combined to retire 13 of the final 15 batters they faced. Bednar pitched the final two innings to earn his eighth save in as many chances to preserve the win for Keller (1-5).

Smyly struck out a season-high five in the first two innings, but the Pirates solved him quickly the second time through the order.

Ke'Bryan Hayes snapped an 0-for-12 slump with a double that hit the top of the net in center field before caroming into play. Chavis hit an RBI single past a diving Jonathan Villar at second, and Daniel Vogelbach beat the shift with a single through a large hole between second and third to cap a two-run third.

Ian Happ's homer in the first off Crowe staked the Cubs to an early lead. Happ is batting .345 (29 for 84) with six doubles and four homers in his last 25 games against the Pirates.

Frank Schwindel hit a tying single in the Cubs fourth but was caught wandering off second base too far after Villar's subsequent single to left.

Marcus Stroman (1-3, 5.13) will face the Diamondbacks on Thursday at Wrigley Field. Stroman threw seven scoreless innings May 1 in a 2-0 win at Milwaukee.

The Monticello Sages girl's softball team overcame a blown call that resulted in a game-tying inside the park home run and beat Warrensburg-Latham 4-3 in a Class 2A Regional semifinal matchup from Monticello High School Wednesday afternoon.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, the Lady Sages jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring both runs with two outs after Lizzie Stiverson tripled, Rosa Baker doubled and Hannah Uebinger singled.

Daytona Fowler laced a solo home run to left center field in the fourth inning to get the Lady Cardinals on the board. During the next at-bat, pinch hitter Shelby Oakley smashed a grounder down the right field line. Rolling past a dodging first base umpire, the ball rolled into an open area in foul territory that bound up against a fan just past a marker in the field signifying the boundary of play. 

Right fielder Lucy Leatherwood and several other Monticello defenders threw their hands in the air to signal the ball had left the field of play but umpires were unaware of the situation and no calls were made allowing Oakley to continue around the bases and ultimately score. 

The Lady Sages would take the momentum right back in the top of the sixth inning when Marissa Miller reached on a bloop to shallow left field and hustled out a two-base error. After Addison Wallace struck out, Lizzie Stiverson was intentionally walked to put runners at first and second with one out.

Rosa Baker blistered a one-hopper that the Lady Cardinals' third baseman couldn't handle and skipped into shallow left field allowing Miller to score from second. At the same time, Stiverson moved up to third and Baker took second.

Hannah Uebinger grounded out to second base to allow Stiverson to score easily and make the score 4-2.

The Lady Cardinals got a run back in the sixth but Macy Hicks finished the complete-game victory after another contentious call was made at first base on a grounder by Kora Speasl. 

Hicks went seven innings and struck out four allowing three earned runs. Her efforts earned her the Piatt/DeWitt County ServPro Player of the Game. 

Warrensburg-Latham potentially left runs on the field in the first three innings with poor base running decisions. The Lady Cardinals were caught stealing in each of the first two innings, in the second it was a strike out-throw out double play, and then had another base runner thrown out trying to from second to third on a ground ball to third base after the throw across the infield in the third inning. 

The Lady Cardinals finish the season 18-11 overall.

Monticello improves to 11-13 overall and will battle Illini Prairie Conference rival Bloomington Central Catholic for the Regional title Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard Tuesday afternoon on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons fell to the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans 4 to 0 in the Class 2A Regional Semifinal at Illinois Wesleyan University.  
 

The Trojans managed 2 runs in the bottom of the first, and then 2 more in the bottom of the third.  Clinton managed only two hits in the game, both with two outs in the top of the 6th.  A two out walk loaded the bases, but a fly out to right ended the threat.  
 

Trojan Senior Marina Rohman pitched a gem. She struck out 10 while walking only 1 in the two-hit shutout win.   Megan Holub went 3 for 4 for the Trojans with two doubles and two runs scored.  Tori Thomas also went 2 for 3 with a triple, double, and 3 runs batted in.  
 

Clinton's Ashley Armstrong pitched well, but took the loss.  The junior allowed 4 runs on 10 hits with one strikeout and no walks.   Freshman Mea Kivlehan broke up the no-hitter in the sixth to earn the WHOW/Serv Pro of Piatt Dewitt County Player of the Game.  Sophomore Brooke Reeves also went 1 for 3 for the Maroons. 
 

Clinton ends its season at 4-20 on the year. Maroa-Forsyth improves to 25-8 on the season, and advances to Friday's Regional Championship against Normal U-High.  The Pioneers topped Tri-Valley, 4 to 2, Tuesday night. 

Saegen Pierce drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and Olympia walked off Clinton 3-2 in high school boy's baseball Class 2A regional quarterfinal action from Stanford Monday afternoon. 

Pierce finished 2-for-3 for the Spartans. 

Mason Walker was terrific on the bump for Clinton twirling 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball. He allowed five hits, issued three walks and struck out four.

Caiden Rich scored the tying run for Clinton in the sixth inning. 

The Maroons finish the regular season 8-8.

Class 2A Regional quarterfinal action from Tuesday:

Fithian-Oakwood 12

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 14

Dee-Mack 17

Fieldcrest 11

Pana 9

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 0

Warrensburg-Latham 7

Buffalo Tri-City 6

Class 1A Regional Quarterfinal Action from Tuesday:

Ridgeview 9

Dwight 10

Decatur LSA 8

Cerro Gordo 2

Meridian 8

Central A & M 9

Villa Grove 13

Broadlands-Heritage 3

Monticello used a balanced attack to get by Okaw Valley 7-3 in the regular-season finale of the high school boy's baseball season from Bethany Monday afternoon. 

Triston Foran, Jack Buckalew, and Thomas Swartz drove in two runs apiece and Luke Teschke from the nine-spot drove in a run for the Sages.

Foran threw two innings of two-run ball for Monticello. Dawlton Chupp followed with three innings of one-run ball and Spencer Mitze and Joey Sprinkle fired a scoreless inning each to fins out the win. 

Monticello finishes the regular season 19-8 overall. It's off to the postseason next for the Sages who take on Westville in Regional semifinal action Thursday from Tolono Unity.

Hear the action starting at 4:30 pm on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW, Luis Robert hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning after Johnny Cueto's impressive Chicago debut, and the White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Monday night in the opener of a five-game series.

Yasmani Grandal also had a two-run shot for the White Sox, who squandered a 3-0 lead in the eighth.

The 36-year-old Cueto pitched six shutout innings in his first major league start this season after getting promoted from Triple-A Charlotte. He allowed just two hits and two walks, striking out seven. Only one runner reached second base against him.

Ryan Burr (1-1) worked a scoreless ninth and Liam Hendriks earned his 10th save in 13 tries.

Barlow got five outs without giving up a hit until Robert went deep.

Brad Keller also was solid for Kansas City. He allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings - with many of the hits coming on soft contact.

The White Sox got their first run on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Vaughn in the third. Adam Engel led off with a fly ball that dropped between left fielder Andrew Benintendi and center fielder Michael A. Taylor. Engel then stole second and scored on Vaughn's fly to right.

Grandal made it 3-0 when he lined an 0-2 pitch into the right-field bullpen. He drove in Robert, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with an infield single.

The Royals tied it in the eighth against Kendall Graveman. Whit Merrifield lined a two-run double off the wall in left-center. He went to third on the throw home and scored on a single by Benintendi.

The White Sox will send RHP Dylan Cease (3-1, 3.55 ERA) to the mound in the opener and wait until after that game to determine who gets the ball for the nightcap. Tony La Russa said it's possible RHP Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.70) could return from the COVID-19 injured list.

The Royals will have Jonathan Heasley (0-1, 2.70 ERA) pitch one game and Brady Singer (0-0, 6.35) the other. Kansas City manager Mike Matheny had not announced the order.

Willson Contreras led off with a double and became a rare leadoff hitter with a first-inning grand slam as the Chicago Cubs burst to an eight-run lead and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0 on Monday night.

Contreras became the 10th leadoff hitter since 1901 with a first-inning slam, the first since Houston's George Springer off Kansas City's Edinson Volquez on June 24, 2016. The slam was the 100th homer of Contreras' career, making him the third Cubs catcher to reach that mark along with Gabby Hartnett and Jody Davis. Contreras became the first Cub with two extra-base hits in an inning since Javier Baez on May 1, 2019.

Wade Miley (1-0) retired his first 14 batters before Michael Chavis lined a single to left and ended a 13-inning hitless streak for Pittsburgh batters. The Pirates didn't get any hits in a 1-0 win over visiting Cincinnati on Sunday and had not gotten a hit since Rodolfo Castro's seventh-inning single during Saturday's 3-1 win.

Miley started the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation and made his second start with Chicago after he was claimed on waivers from the Reds in November. He allowed one runner in seven innings and struck out six, throwing 83 pitches.

After getting a big early lead, the left-hander worked fast and kept Pirates hitters off balance.

Michael Rucker finished with two-hit relief, and the Cubs won their third straight.

Pittsburgh is batting .223 this season.

Ian Happ had three hits, including a double in the first, and scored three runs as Chicago ended a six-game slide at home and improved to 5-11 at Wrigley Field. Yan Gomes also had three hits, including a double.

Contreras led off with a double off Dylan Peters (3-2) and scored Chicago's first run, then lined his fourth slam to left- center off Bryse Wilson on the first pitch of his second at-bat.

Happ also had two hits in the first as the Cubs chased Peters, who faced seven hitters and retired only two. All five Cubs who reached against Peters scored.

Wilson was charged with the next three Chicago runs.

Pittsburgh RHP JT Brubaker (0-3, 5.34) starts against Chicago RHP Keegan Thompson (2-0, 1.67) on Tuesday night.

The game between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets scheduled for Monday night was postponed because of rain in the forecast and will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday at Citi Field.

The first game will begin at 3:10 p.m., with the nightcap to follow 30-40 minutes after the opener ends.

The teams are set to play a four-game series - their first meeting since getting into a bench-clearing scuffle last month in St. Louis.

With heavy thunderstorms in the evening forecast, the game was postponed a little more than 3 1/2 hours before it was supposed to begin.

Miles Mikolas (3-1, 1.49 ERA) had been slated to pitch for the Cardinals, who arrived in New York off a 15-6 blowout of the San Francisco Giants at home Sunday night.

The Mets were expected to tab long man Trevor Williams (0-2, 5.73) for a spot start in place of injured Tylor Megill.

The team said Williams and fellow right-hander Taijuan Walker (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will start Tuesday, with the order to be announced.

Walker and former Mets lefty Steven Matz (3-3, 6.40) were the scheduled starters Tuesday night before Monday's game was called off.

New York lost 8-7 at home to Seattle on Sunday, dropping two of three to the Mariners over the weekend for its first series loss this season. The Mets entered Monday with the best record in the National League at 23-13.

Tuesday will mark the Mets' fourth doubleheader this year. They swept the Giants on April 19 and the Atlanta Braves on May 3, both at home, before splitting a twinbill in Philadelphia on May 8.

It will be the first doubleheader this season for the Cardinals (19-15).

New York took two of three games in St. Louis from April 25-27.

In a game heard Monday afternoon on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons topped the Cerro Gordo-Bement Broncos, 7 to 1, in Class 2A Regional softball action.  
 

Clinton jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first two innings, and never trailed.  
 

The Lady Maroons were led by the Serv Pro of Piatt Dewitt County Player of the Game - Ashley Armstrong.  The junior pitched seven innings for the win, only allowing 1 run on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts and no walks.  Armstrong also went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 runs batted in.  

In addition, the Maroons saw Heidi Humble go 2 for 3 with a triple and two runs scored. Alaina Soberalski also went 2 for 3 with an RBI. 
 

Serena Throneburg took the loss for the Broncos.  She gave up 7 runs on 10 hits with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts.  CGB committed six errors in the game.  The Broncos season ends at 1-21. 
 

Clinton improves to 4-19 on the year.  They advance to take on Maroa-Forsyth Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 at Illinois Wesleyan University. Hear all the action on all WHOW platforms! 
 

In a game heard Monday afternoon on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons topped the Cerro Gordo-Bement Broncos, 7 to 1, in Class 2A Regional softball action.  
 

Clinton jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first two innings, and never trailed.  
 

The Lady Maroons were led by the Serv Pro of Piatt Dewitt County Player of the Game - Ashley Armstrong.  The junior pitched seven innings for the win, only allowing 1 run on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts and no walks.  Armstrong also went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 runs batted in.  

In addition, the Maroons saw Heidi Humble go 2 for 3 with a triple and two runs scored. Alaina Soberalski also went 2 for 3 with an RBI. 
 

Serena Throneburg took the loss for the Broncos.  She gave up 7 runs on 10 hits with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts.  CGB committed six errors in the game.  The Broncos season ends at 1-21. 
 

Clinton improves to 4-19 on the year.  They advance to take on Maroa-Forsyth Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 at Illinois Wesleyan University. Hear all the action on all WHOW platforms! 
 

The Fighting Illini walked off in the bottom of the ninth inning after coming back from a four-run deficit to take the final game of the series against Nebraska, 5-4. 

The game had two rain delays totaling four hours and fifty-three minutes as the originally scheduled 2 p.m. game ended at 9:45 p.m. CT.

All four of Nebraska's runs came on a grand slam in the top of the third inning. The Illini scored a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to get within one of the Huskers, and Justin Janas's 2-out single led the Illini to their second walk-off win of the season.

Ty Rybarczyk started for the Illini and Joe Glassey came in out of the bullpen, throwing five innings and giving up just one hit while striking out six. Tommy Green entered after the second rain delay, throwing one scoreless inning and earning the win to move to 2-2 on the season. Nebraska's Hawkins moves to 0-2 with the loss.

The Illini took two of three on the weekend. 

Illinois is on the road next weekend at Penn State for the final B1G series of the season before heading to Omaha, Neb. for the B1G Tournament (May 25-29).

Sophomore Ryan Cermak and junior Jake McCaw blasted back-to-back home runs in the 8th inning to lift the Illinois State baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Missouri State at Hammons Field on Sunday.

Cermak's 18th home run of the season tied the game at 3-3 before McCaw's 12th home run of 2022 put the Redbirds (19-27 overall, 6-12 Missouri Valley Conference) on top for good.

Sophomore Justin Schubert threw 4.1 innings in relief, recording the win as he did not allow a run in the 7th, 8th, or 9th innings. Senior Colin Wyman also had a solid showing on the mound, allowing one run in 4.2 innings. Wyman was forced to exit the game after a 1:41 rain delay.

Cermak robbed what would have been a game-tying home run in the 4th inning.

The Bears drop back to .500 at 24-24 overall and move to 7-11 in the MVC.

Illinois State is scheduled to play at Indiana on Tuesday with a 6:00 p.m. CT start, seeking to defeat its fourth Big Ten team in 2022.

Nestor Cortes pitched a career-high eight innings to lead the New York Yankees to a 5-1 victory over Michael Kopech and the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

New York managed just two hits: a second-inning single for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and a two-run homer by Joey Gallo in the ninth. But it was more than enough, thanks to the crafty Cortes (2-1).

The 27-year-old left-hander, who carried a no-hitter into the eighth in his previous outing against Texas, allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked none in another brilliant performance. He has permitted two runs or fewer in each of his seven starts this year.

Since his first big league outing of last season, on May 30, 2021, Cortes has an AL-low 2.44 ERA over 133 innings. He has allowed three runs or fewer in 16 straight starts, matching Luis Severino in 2018 for the second-longest such streak in franchise history.

Clay Holmes finished the four-hitter for New York's 18th win in 21 games. The major league-leading Yankees took three of four in the series.

Kopech (0-1) pitched six innings of one-hit ball for Chicago. The right-hander had five sharp innings - and one real bad one.

New York got to Kopech for three runs in the second after he retired the first two batters, making the most of four walks, a wild pitch and Kiner-Falefa's single to left. Aaron Hicks and DJ LeMahieu each walked with the bases loaded, and Jose Trevino scored on the wild pitch.

Kopech threw 41 pitches in the second, 17 for strikes. He threw a total of 50 pitches in his other five innings, 33 for strikes.

Kopech's shaky stretch provided more than enough run support for Cortes, who retired 15 in a row after Luis Robert extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a first-inning single.

Adam Engel homered for Chicago with one out in the eighth, but Cortes retired the next two batters. Pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal flied out to the warning track in right for the second out.

The White Sox open an eight-game trip Monday night at Kansas City. The White Sox haven't announced their starting pitcher, and the Royals plan to go with RHP Brad Keller (1-3, 2.70 ERA).

Frank Schwindel had a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 on Sunday.

Patrick Wisdom and Rafael Ortega also homered for the Cubs, who have won four of six after a 3-14 stretch.

Wisdom doubled to deep center field to lead off the ninth against Ian Kennedy (2-2) and Schwindel reached out and hit a soft line drive over first base for his second hit of the game.

Scott Effross (1-1) gave up a single to open the ninth. Rowan Wick allowed a single to the first batter he faced before getting his fourth save in as many chances on a foulout and double-play grounder.

Chicago starter Justin Steele struck out a career-high 10 and gave up one earned run and three hits in six innings. It was his first appearance since being removed from last Sunday's start after four innings because of thumb soreness.

Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk in his second straight start after missing three starts with an ankle injury.

Suzuki also made two outstanding plays in the field, a sliding catch on Christian Walker's line drive in front of him in the first inning and a backhanded, over-the-shoulder catch on Josh Rojas' flyball to the warning track in the seventh.

Arizona lost its first series in six. The Diamondbacks had won their previous last five one-run games - they are 7-4 in one-run games this season after going was 10-31 in such games last season.

Ortega hit the second pitch of the game for a 428-foot homer and Wisdom led off the second with a 414-foot homer for a quick 2-0 lead off Humberto Castellanos.

Daulton Varsho had an RBI single and shortstop Ildemaro Vargas made a two-out error as the Diamondbacks tied it at 2-all in the fourth.

Walker and Pavin Smith singled to open the ninth before Varsho fouled out and Peralta grounded into a double play started by second baseman Jonathan Villar. Peralta's ball was measured at 107 mph.

Wade Miley (0-0) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh RHP Bryse Wilson (0-2) in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Monday.

Albert Pujols made his first career pitching appearance Sunday night, closing out a 15-6 blowout for the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants that gave Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina the major league record for wins by a starting battery.

Molina homered and drove in four runs, Wainwright tossed six effective innings and St. Louis roughed up Carlos Rodon early. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each added a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who took two of three in the series after losing two of three to struggling Baltimore. Goldschmidt had three RBIs.

Pujols, the Cardinals' designated hitter, entered to pitch in the ninth inning for the first time in his 22-year career. He gave up a three-run homer to Luis Gonzalez and a solo shot to Joey Bart but managed to get the final three outs with plenty of margin to spare.

Wainwright and Molina broke the major league mark with their 203rd victory as a starting battery. They passed Warren Spahn and Del Crandall, who amassed 202 wins for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves from 1949-63.

Joc Pederson hit a two-run homer for San Francisco, which lost its second in a row after winning six straight.

Molina capped a four-run outburst in the first inning off Rodon (4-2) with a two-run single. The 39-year-old catcher added a two-run homer off reliever Zack Littell in the fifth to make it 11-0.

Wainwright (4-3) gave up two runs and three hits. He struck out five and walked two. The 40-year-old right-hander retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. Gonzalez got the Giants' first hit with a two-out single in the fifth.

Rodon allowed eight runs and 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings. He had given up just seven earned runs over his previous six starts this season.

Every St. Louis starter had a hit by the sixth inning. Pujols was 2 for 3 at the plate with a double. He scored twice and drove in a run.

St. Louis outfielder Juan Yepez singled in the first inning. He has reached safely in each of his first 11 games, the longest streak by a Cardinals rookie since Luis Alicea went 23 successive games to begin his career in 1988.

The Cardinals were 0-4 in Sunday night games last year before winning in their first try this season.

Gonzalez came in from the outfield to pitch in the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs. He gave up a run-scoring single to Dylan Carlson before getting Harrison Bader to fly out.

Miles Mikolas (3-1, 1.49 ERA) faces the Mets in the opener of a four-game set Monday night in New York - though a storm is in the forecast. Mikolas has allowed two runs or fewer in all seven starts this season. The Mets had not announced a starter yet.

Kurt Busch survived a weary day of tire attrition, then pinched his way past Kyle Larson for the lead with eight laps to go, before driving away from the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion to win for the first time at Kansas — and give the up-and-coming 23XI Racing team owned by Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan its second win ever.

Larson had the dominant car, riding the top line around the mile-and-a-half oval, but Busch was able to put his Toyota just about anywhere he wanted. That paid off when the two were side-by-side with eight to go and Busch squeezed by Larson, who brushed the wall and lost just enough momentum to surrender the lead — and the win.

Busch pulled his No. 45 car — one of the numbers that Jordan wore during his career — to a stop at the start-finish line and climbed out the window before throwing his arms up in triumph, the familiar Jumpman logo splashed across his fire suit.

It was the second win for 23XI after Bubba Wallace triumphed last year at Talladega, and it came at the most unexpected of times; neither of the team’s drivers had finished in the top 10 this season.

Kyle Busch, who earlier this week welcomed daughter Lennix Key into the world, managed to avoid the tire trouble and hold off Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott to win the first stage Sunday. His older brother, Kurt, beat him to the line to take the second stage with Elliott again coming across in third.

Christopher Bell parlayed his third pole of the season into a fifth-place finish. Martin Truex, Jr. bounced back from his tire issue to finish sixth with Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman and Wallace rounding out the top 10.

The series takes a regular-season break before the Coca-Cola 600 and heads to Texas for next weekend’s All-Star race.

The Clinton Maroons used a five-run second inning to propel them past Warrebsurg-Latham 8-3 in Central Illinois Conference high school boy's baseball action from Clinton Friday afternoon.

Josh Carter and Brooks Cluver combined to shut down the Cardinals on the mound and Cluver and the Walker brothers led the way at the plate.

Carter went two innings allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. Cluver finished the game with five shutout innings allowing two hits, walking four and striking out seven. 

Cluver and Mason Walker went 2-for-4 with a double apiece and freshman Colton Walker finished 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Joey Young hit a solo homerun for Warrensburg-Latham. The Cardinals drop to 16-10 overall with a 9-5 mark in the CIC. 

The Maroons finishes the regular season 8-7 overall and 8-6 in the CIC. 

Next week it's off to postseason play at Olympia for Clinton in Regional action in the 2A playoffs.

The Monticello Sages used an eight-run sixth inning to get by Mt. Zion 11-2 in non-conference high school boy's baseball action from Millikin University in Decatur on Friday afternoon.

Jacob Trusner tripled twice in and drove in four runs as part of a 3-for-4 afternoon at the plate. Biniam Lienhart hit third on Friday and finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and had two runs batted in.

Triston Foran finished 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot. Jack Buckalew added a triple and Joey Sprinkle doubled for the Sages. 

Buckalew struck out ten across six innings of two-run ball, both runs were unearned. He issued two walks and permitted four hits. 

Sprinkle struck out the side in a scoreless seventh for Monticello. 

The Sages improve to 18-8 overall. They conclude the regular season Monday afternoon and head to postseason action on Thursday at Tolono Unity taking on Westville. 

Hear Thursday's action from Tolono on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

The Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers started fast and rolled at 12-1 five-inning, ten-run rule win over Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy in non-conference high school boy's baseball action Friday afternoon in Bloomington. 

The Hilltoppers started with a seven-run first inning to open things up and never let up from there. Kolin Gibbs was 3-for-3 with a double, four RBIs, three runs scored and swiped two bags.

Jackson Fricke was 2-fof-3 with a double and a pair of runs batted in while Lucas Kuhlman scored three times in a 2-for-2 afternoon with a stolen base.

Luke Farris went four innings allowing a run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout for the Hilltoppers.

Mt. Pulaski goes to 21-4 overall. They'll wrap up the regular season this morning at New Berlin. 

Meridian used a quick start and shut down Clinton for a 7-2 win in Central Illinois Conference High School girl's softball action Friday afternoon from Meridian.

Katy Hendrick struck out 17 in a complete game, two-run effort in circle for the Lady Hawks. Hendricks walked four and permitted four hits. 

Hendricks went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Lucy and Lizzie Snow each tripled as well for Meridian. Sophie Roe and Kristina Smith added a double apiece in the victory. Hendricks and Snow had two RBIs apiece. 

Brooke Reeves and Chloe Griffin finished 1-for-4 for the Lady Maroons and Heidi Humble was 2-for-3 with a double and drove in both Clinton runs. 

Meridian moves to 22-5 overall and 13-1 in the CIC.

Clinton drops to 3-19 overall and 2-12 in the CIC.

The Lady Maroons are off to postseason play next week against Cerro Gordo-Bement to open Regional action from Clinton High School. Hear the action at 4:30 pm on Monday afternoon on The Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

The Clinton Lady Maroons could only muster six baserunners against Tuscola's Keri Pierce and fell 10-0 in Central Illinois Conference high school girl's softball action Thursday from Clinton High School. 

Pierce struck out five over seven scoreless innings and issued a walk while permitting five hits.

The Lady Warriors committed an error and Ashley Armstrong was hit by a pitch. 

Armstrong, Chloe Griffin, and Heidi Humble recorded hits for the Lady Maroons. 

Clinton falls to 3-18 overall and 2-11 in the CIC. They wrap up regular season play this afternoon at Meridian. 

The Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers boy's baseball team racked up 17 hits and rolled to a 15-5, five-inning, ten-run rule win over El Paso-Gridley in non-conference high school boys baseball action Thursday afternoon at Mt. Pulaski High School.

Gavin Smith was 3-for-4 with five RBIs while Evan Cooper finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Landon Smith and Jackson Fricke finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Chance Payne was also 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and Lucas Kuhlman was 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored four times. 

AJ Bailey scored four runs and doubled for the Hilltoppers. 

Cooper went five innings, allowing five runs, two were earned on five hits with a walk and strikeout. 

With Thursday's win, Mt. Pulaski tops the 20-win mark for the third straight season going to 20-4 overall. 

The Hilltoppers take on Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy this afternoon and finish out the regular season tomorrow morning at New Berlin. 

Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and drove in a career-best six runs, and New York beat the Chicago White Sox 15-7 on Thursday night for its fourth straight victory.

Aaron Judge and Josh Donaldson also connected for the major league-leading Yankees in the opener of an eight-game trip. Judge had four RBIs, and Donaldson drove in three runs.

Led by its relentless lineup, New York won for the 16th time in 18 games. Stanton and Co. are off to the franchise's best start since the Yankees also opened 23-8 in 2003.

Chicago tied it at 7 on Yoan Moncada's first homer of the season, a three-run drive to center against Jonathan Loaisiga (1-1) in the seventh. It was the third homer allowed by Loaisiga this year after he yielded a total of three in 70 2/3 innings in 2021.

Didn't matter all that much.

After Joe Kelly (0-1) retired the first two batters in the eighth, New York put together its highest scoring inning this season.

Three straight walks loaded the bases for Judge, who beat out a grounder up the middle for a two-run infield single. Torres ignored third-base coach Luis Rojas' stop sign and slid home safely for a 9-7 lead.

Stanton added a two-run single, and Donaldson capped the rally with a three-run shot to left against Tanner Banks.

Judge's major league-leading 11th homer leading off the seventh traveled an estimated 456 feet to left-center.

Chicago right-hander Dylan Cease matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts in four innings, but he was tagged for a season-high six runs to go along with six hits. He yielded a total of nine runs in his first six starts of the year.

The White Sox had won seven of eight.

Gerrit Cole (2-0, 2.67 ERA) pitches Friday night for New York. The right-hander has allowed one run and struck out 25 in 19 innings over his last three starts. Vince Velasquez (2-2, 3.97 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago. The right-hander is going for his third straight win.

Rylan Bannon became just the third Baltimore player since 2000 to get a hit on the first pitch of his big league career, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Bemboom homered and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Thursday.

Bannon a 26-year-old third baseman, was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game and singled on a pitch from Steven Matz (3-3) with two outs in the second inning, one batter after Mateo homered to put the Orioles ahead.

Bannon went 1 for 4 with a strikeout and two flyouts. The 2017 Big East Player of the Year at Xavier, he was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth round of the 2017 amateur draft and traded to Baltimore in July 2018 in the deal that brought Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bemboom hit his first big league home run since September 2020 in the seventh, and Cedric Mullins added an RBI single off Genesis Cabrera later in the inning for a 3-0 lead.

Matz lost his second straight start, allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Baltimore took two of three from the Cardinals and improved to 4-1 in rubber games this season after going 7-5 in such games in 2021.

Keegan Akin (1-0), the second of six Orioles pitchers, got just his fourth win in 16 big league decisions, allowing one hit over 2 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out four on a bullpen day for the Orioles.

Bryan Baker gave up one hit in 2 1/3 innings of his first big league start.

Dylan Carlson hit a solo homer off Cionel Perez in the seventh after Tyler O'Neill bounced into a double play. Nolan Arenado added a sacrifice fly in the eighth against Joey Krehbiel.

Felix Bautista got four straight outs for his second save of the series and the season.

Trey Mancini singled twice and has a hit in eight of nine games since returning from bruised ribs on May 3.

Jordan Hicks (1-2, 3.78) is slated to start in Friday's series opener against Francisco. Hicks has not gone longer than 4 1/3 innings in six starts this season.

Joey Logano used a bump-and-run to ease leader William Byron out of the way on the next-to-last lap and won at Darlington, ending a 40-race winless streak. 

Logano's maneuver has been all the talk in the NASCAR world this week as the series shifts to Kansas after a lengthy run at short and intermediate tracks. 

Kyle Busch won after starting ninth in the spring race last year. 

Logano became the 10th different winner through 12 races. He also extended to 11 his streak of years with at least one victory. 

Byron and Ross Chastain are the lone two-time winners. Chase Elliott now leads Byron and Ryan Blaney by 65 points. Logano is fourth, 79 points back, with Chastain, Busch and Martin Truex Jr. all 89 behind. 

The race will be followed by the non-points all-star race at Texas, a virtual one-week break from the championship battle at the regular season midpoint for the premier series.

The Adventhealth 400 races at 2 pm central time Sunday with practice and qualifying Saturday afternoon at 4 pm. 

Pole winner John Hunter Nemechek held off Carson Hocevar by 0.552 seconds in overtime at Darlington to earn his first victory of the season in the Camping World Truck Series last weekend at Darlington. 

Nemechek became the sixth different winner in seven races this season. Zane Smith is the only two-time winner. Nemechek jumped to second in the points race, 30 behind Ben Rhodes. Chandler Smith is 32 back. Zane Smith all leads all drivers with 6 top-10s, but is fifth in points, 42 back.

Busch won after starting second in the spring race last year. 

The Camping World Truck Series races at 7 pm Saturday night with practice and qualifying Saturday morning at 11 am. 

The XFinity Series takes the week off and returns next week at Texas. Justin Allgaier ended a 34-race winless streak with his second consecutive victory at Darlington, beating teammate Noah Gragson and leading a second consecutive 1-2 finish for JR Motorsports.

Dom Thayer went the distance striking out 14 and Clinton downed Meridian 9-1 in Central Illinois Conference high school boy's baseball action from Meridian Wednesday afternoon. 

Thayer followed an exceptional pitching performance Tuesday by Mason Walker and for the second straight game, a Maroons pitcher went the distance helping preserve arms and pitch counts heading to postseason play starting next week.

Thayer allowed a run, one hit, and walked five in facing six batters over the minimum Wednesday. 

Brooks Cluver, Payton Cross, and Walker each had three hits apiece. 

Cluver finished 3-for-4. Walker was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles. Cross was 3-for-4 with a double and Wes Harrold drove in a pair of runs going 2-for-3 for Clinton.

The Maroons get back to .500 at 7-7 overall and move to 7-6 in the Central Illinois Conference. 

The Maroons wrap up the regular season at home Friday hosting Warrensburg-Latham and begin Regional play at Olympia next week.

The Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers used a four-run fourth inning to propel them past Havana 6-2 in non-conference high school boy's baseball action Wednesday afternoon in Havana.

Gavin Smith struck out 12 across 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, one was earned. Smith permitted two hits and walked four. Liam Smith closed the game out with two strikeouts across an inning and two-thirds.

Freshman Chance Payne was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Clayton Aylesworth was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Lucas Kuhlman walked three times and Jackson Fricke was 1-for-2 with an RBI and walked twice.

Smith scored two runs for the Hilltoppers.

Mt. Pulaski goes to 19-4 overall. 

The Hilltoppers host El Paso-Gridley this afternoon.

Shelbyville scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 4-all tie and got by Clinton 9-4 in Central Illinois Conference High School girl's softball action from Shelbyville Wednesday afternoon.

Brooke Reeves pitched a scoreless inning to start for Clinton and the wheels fell off late for Ashley Armstrong who allowed all nine runs, but six were earned. She walked two, struck out four and permitted 11 hits.

Reeves was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI to lead the Lady Maroons offense. Heidi Humble finished 2-for-2 with a triple, pair of walks, and an RBI. Alaina Soberalski, Ari Humes, Ella Steward, and Mea Kivlehan each recorded hits for Clinton. 

The Lady Maroons fall to 3-16 overall and are 2-9 in the Central Illinois Conference.

Clinton will host Tuscola this afternoon and then travels to Meridian Friday to wrap up the regular season before Regional play at Cerro Gordo next week.

The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several of the team's coaches, leading to the postponement of Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox.

Shortly after Francona's positive test became known, Major League Baseball said there were ''multiple positive COVID-19 tests'' in Cleveland's organization and called off Wednesday's series finale to allow for more testing and contact tracing.

It's the first coronavirus-related postponement since the season started on April 7.

Guardians bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who was slotted to fill in for Francona, also tested positive, and Cleveland has ''multiple coaches and other team support staff members'' infected with the virus, according to team spokesman Bart Swain.

At this point, it's unclear who will manage the Guardians when they open a three-game series in Minnesota on Friday. It's likely the team will bring up several minor league coaches and field coordinators for the series.

First-base coach Sandy Alomar could be an option to manage. He took over those duties during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after Francona was forced to step away after just 14 games due to a health issue.

The Guardians are off Thursday. The team did set its rotation for the Twins series, with Aaron Civale starting on Friday, followed by Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie. Civale was scheduled to start Wednesday.

Francona, who has dealt with serious health problems the past two seasons, tested positive for the virus a few hours before the scheduled first pitch. The team said the 63-year-old Francona currently is not showing any symptoms.

Cleveland's team recently had a coronavirus outbreak, with infielders Owen Miller, Yu Chang and pitchers Cal Quantrill and Anthony Castro all being placed on the COVID-19 injury list. All have returned except Chang, who is in the minors.

Also, the team's TV broadcast crew had several members test positive during the team's West Coast trip.

Francona had been in good health this season following two challenging years. In 2020, he was hospitalized with gastrointestinal issues. Last year, Francona struggled after undergoing offseason surgery on his foot and left the team in July.

Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.38 ERA) will face the New York Yankees on Thursday. Cease allowed one run in five innings in a 3-1 win at Boston on Saturday.

Playing against his hometown San Diego Padres for the first time, Alfonso Rivas hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning to lift the banged-up Cubs to a 7-5 victory on Wednesday.

Willson Contreras homered for the Cubs, who took two of three from the Padres after arriving in town with a season-high, five-game losing streak. Frank Schwindel hit a two-run double in Chicago's four-run fourth.

Rivas, who grew up in Tijuana and Chula Vista, came up with the bases loaded and singled up the middle off Luis Garcia (0-2). Rivas hit a two-run homer in Tuesday night's 5-4 loss that bounced out of the glove of rookie center fielder Jose Azocar and went over the fence.

One-time Padres pitcher Rowan Wick got a six-out save, striking out Manny Machado to end the eighth with a runner on second. It was his second save in as many chances.

The Padres announced during the game that manager Bob Melvin had prostate surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. Melvin said Tuesday that he hoped to miss only the first six games of the Padres' forthcoming nine-game road trip.

San Diego tied it at 5 on solo homers by Eric Hosmer and Luke Voit in the seventh.

Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner departed with a sprained right ankle an inning after colliding with second base umpire Dan Iassogna in center field. The Cubs, who have a crowded injured list, were without outfielder Seiya Suzuki for the second straight game due to a sore right ankle.

Hoerner was running to get into relay position after Jurickson Profar hit a fly ball over center fielder's Jason Heyward's head for a triple when he collided with Iassogna. Hoerner was on the ground in pain after the collision in the first inning and was tended to by a trainer. He batted in the second and struck out, and then was replaced in the bottom half of the inning by Ildemaro Vargas.

With the Padres trailing 5-3, Hosmer connected with one out in the seventh against Mychal Givens (2-0) and Voit went deep with two outs. It was the seventh career multihomer game for Voit, who was batting .136 and in an 0-for-29 slump coming in. Voit, who recently missed 14 games with a biceps tendon injury, has struck out 18 times this season.

Contreras homered off Nick Martinez with one out in the first, his fourth. San Diego went ahead 2-1 on Hosmer's RBI single in the first and Voit's first homer with the Padres, leading off the second.

The Cubs jumped on Martinez for four runs in the fourth. Contreras keyed the inning by drawing a leadoff walk and then taking second on a wild pitch by sliding around the tag of Machado in the shift, touching the bag with his right hand.

Contreras scored the tying run on Patrick Wisdom's one-out single, and Schwindel doubled to center with two outs for the lead. Heyward added an RBI single.

Machado extended his on-base streak to 21 games.

Cubs spot starter Keegan Thompson permitted two runs and five hits in four innings.

Martinez allowed five runs and four hits in four innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

Yu Darvish (3-1, 4.05 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Atlanta. The Braves are expected to start former Padres farmhand Max Fried (4-2, 2.68 ERA).

Juan Yepez homered and Miles Mikolas pitched seven strong innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.

Paul Goldschmidt drove in three runs for St. Louis, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Brendan Donovan added a two-run double to the Cards' 11-hit attack.

Baltimore had its season-best three-game winning streak halted.

Yepez continued a sizzling start to his MLB career. He has hit safely in all seven games since being called up on May 3. He hit a homer in the second inning off Spenser Watkins (0-1) and reached base safely in 13 of his first 25 plate appearances.

Yepez's seven-game streak is the longest by a St. Louis player to start a career since Magneuris Sierra hit in his first nine games in 2017. Yepez went 2 for 5 and is hitting .444.

Yepez, who is 12 for 27, is the seventh player in franchise history to have 12 or more hits through his first seven games.

Mikolas (3-1) allowed one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked one. Mikolas has allowed two runs or less in all seven starts this season.

Donovan, who reached base in all four trips to the plate, capped off a three-run outburst in the second inning with a two-run double for a 3-0 lead. Goldschmidt highlighted a four-run fourth inning with a two-run double. He added a run-scoring single in the sixth.

Tommy Edman also drove in a pair of runs for the Cardinals.

Watkins gave up eight hits and seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Even with the loss, Baltimore has won seven of 11 after a 6-14 start to the season.

Jordan Hicks (1-2, 3.78) will start for the Cardinals in the final game of the three-game set on Thursday afternoon. Baltimore has not named a starter. Hicks has never gone longer than 4 1/3 in any of his previous six starts this season.

Lucas Giolito threw seven innings in winning his second consecutive start, Gavin Sheets homered in his second straight game, and Chicago shook off a major collapse by beating the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Tim Anderson added three hits and two RBIs as the White Sox won for the seventh time in eight games. The lone blemish was when they blew a six-run lead in the ninth on Monday and lost in 11 innings.

The only run Giolito allowed was on a homer by Josh Naylor, otherwise giving up six hits, striking out five and walking one.

Anderson gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead with a single in the fifth. Sheets hit a two-run shot in the sixth and Anderson then chased Cleveland's Cal Quantrill (1-2) with an RBI double in the seventh for the final score.

Quantrill went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and 10 hits.

Jose Ruiz got two outs in the eighth before Bennett Sousa retired Jose Ramirez on a groundout with a runner on second. Kendall Graveman worked the ninth for his second save in three chances.

Graveman walked Franmil Reyes with two out and gave up a single to Amed Rosario before retiring Andres Gimenez on a slow roller to first baseman Jose Abreu. A diving Gimenez was initially ruled safe, ahead of a sliding Abreu, but the call was overturned after a lengthy review.

The teams close out the three-game series, with RHP Vince Velasquez (2-2, 3.97 ERA) starting for Chicago and RHP Aaron Civale (1-2, 9.45 ERA) pitching for Cleveland. Civale had allowed an American League-worst 24 runs entering Tuesday's games.

In a game heard on WHOW, Mason Walker went the distance in a shutout effort as Clinton blanked Tuscola 9-0 in Central Illinois Conference High School boy's baseball action from Clinton Tuesday afternoon. 

Walker allowed three hits, two walks and struck out 11 facing just six over the minimum. 

Payton Cross was 1-for-2 with a double for the Maroons. 

Clinton moves to 6-7 overall and 6-6 in the Cental Illinois Confernece.

Cedric Mullins and Tyler Nevin each homered and Kyle Bradish struck out 11 over seven strong innings, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Mullins also added three singles and a stolen base in a 4-for-5 night and Anthony Santander had three hits, including a RBI double.

It was the Orioles' first time playing at the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006.

But the Cardinals were the ones to have a historic moment when Harrison Bader hit an inside-the-park home run in the sixth - the first for St. Louis at the current Busch Stadium and first for the Cardinals at home since 1985. The ball hit the wall in center and caromed toward left field away Mullins. Bader raced around the bases behind Yadier Molina, who had doubled, and scored standing up without a throw.

Fernando Vina was the last Cardinal to hit an inside-the-park HR, Oct. 2, 2001, in Milwaukee. There've been two other inside-the-parkers in the current Busch Stadium by opposing teams. The last Cardinal to do it at home was Vince Coleman on May 21, 1985, at Busch Stadium II.

Bradish (1-1) pitched seven innings for his longest outing this season and his first career win.

Bradish gave up four hits, including the homer to Bader. A double play in the first two innings helped him work around two singles. He was glad he was allowed to go back out in the seventh.

The Cardinals optioned SS Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis. The 28-year-old was an All-Star in 2019 when he hit 30 homers. He is hitting .130. in 24 games this season, with one home run, seven RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 77 at-bats.

Spenser Watkins (0-0, 3.22 ERA) will be making his first career outing against St. Louis. He did not factor in the decision in his last start, a 5-3 Orioles victory over Minnesota. The Cardinals will put up RHP Miles Mikolas (2-1, 1.53), who went 5 2/3 innings giving up seven hits but just one run against the San Francisco Giants in a 7-1 win.

Manny Machado hit a go-ahead double in the sixth inning and left fielder Jurickson Profar caught Frank Schwindel's bases-loaded drive at the wall to seal a 5-4 victory Tuesday night.

Closer Taylor Rogers allowed Ian Happ's RBI single with two outs in the ninth and loaded the bases before retiring Schwindel for his 12 save in 13 chances.

Rogers allowed Ian Happ's RBI single with two outs in the ninth and loaded the bases before Profar caught Schwindel's drive.

Clevinger pitched well for 4 1/3 innings in his first start at Petco Park since late in the 2020 season. He missed last season while rehabbing after Tommy John surgery. Chicago's Wade Miley lasted three innings in his Cubs debut, which was delayed due to elbow inflammation.

Machado and Eric Hosmer have been carrying San Diego's often-anemic offense all season and they came up big in the sixth. Machado doubled down the left field line off Chris Martin with two outs to bring in Jake Cronenworth with the go-ahead run. Hosmer then singled in Jurickson Profar, who had singled in front of Machado.

Steve Wilson (3-0) got the win and Robert Gsellman (0-1) took the loss.

The Cubs had tied it at 2 in the third on a two-run home run by Alfonso Rivas that bounced out of rookie center fielder Jose Azocar's glove and over the fence. It was the second for Rivas, who grew up in nearby Chula Vista and went to La Jolla Country Day.

Azocar was starting in place of Trent Grisham, who won a Gold Glove in 2021, because the Padres were facing a lefty. Azocar slumped to the ground in

disappointment after the play. The ball might not have gotten out without the redirection.

Austin Nola gave the Padres the lead back on an RBI single in the third before his throwing error in the fifth allowed Rafael Ortega to tie it at 3.

Clevinger, his long hair brained into pigtails, allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in 4 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking two. It was the first time Clevinger's unorthodox delivery - which starts with happy feet and ends with a sweeping motion with his right leg - was on display in San Diego since Sept. 23, 2020.

Miley allowed three runs and five hits in three innings. The Cubs picked him up off waivers from Cincinnati in November. Miley allowed Wil Myers' RBI single in the first and then walked Kim Ha-seong with the bases loaded.

The Cubs haven't named a starter for the series finale Wednesday afternoon while LHP Nick Martinez (2-0, 1.71) is scheduled to start for the Padres.

Vladimir Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to pry open a tied game and series, and the Blues pushed the Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Ryan O'Reilly scored for the fourth time in the series and Brandon Saad got the tying goal late in the second period as the Blues upstaged a stellar performance by Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. Whatever rivalry exists between the two Russians, Tarasenko wasn't having any part of that, either.

Kaprizov brought the building to life on yet another late-night start - puck drop was at 8:50 p.m. local time - by scoring twice on Minnesota's previously sluggish power play in the first period. Kaprizov has an NHL-leading seven goals in the playoffs, already a Wild record for a series.

The Wild are 4 for 19 on the power play, and Kaprizov has three of the goals.

The series returns to St. Louis for Game 6 on Thursday night. If the Blues win, Game 7 would be back in Minnesota on Saturday. The top-seeded Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a sweep of the Nashville Predators, are waiting in the second round.

Entering this year, there have been 277 best-of-seven postseason matchups in NHL history that were tied at two games apiece. The Game 5 winner went on to take the series 219 times, a whopping .791 winning percentage.

Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for his second straight win, a franchise-record 18th career postseason victory.

Pavel Buchnevich outmuscled Jacob Middleton for the puck behind Marc-Andre Fleury's net and fed Tarasenko for the go-ahead score with 63 seconds elapsed after the second intermission.

Then Tarasenko, who bounced back strong with 34 goals in 2021-22 after consecutive injury-wrecked seasons, gave the Blues a two-goal lead with his wrist shot from the high slot just 1:28 later. He tacked on an empty-netter with 1:33 remaining.

The Blues bolstered their blue line by bringing Robert Bortuzzo and Nick Leddy back from their upper-body injuries that kept them out of the two games in St. Louis, though defensemen Torey Krug and Marco Scandella were again absent with lower-body injuries.

Rookie Scott Perunovich, who appeared in the lineup in Game 4 for his first action in four months, was the seventh defenseman to suit up while the Blues made only 11 forwards active. The native of Hibbing, Minnesota, made his presence felt on the power play after Middleton was whistled for cross-checking - a dubious call from the view of the booing home crowd - to give the visitors the man advantage just 4:06 into the game.

Perunovich's slap shot forced Fleury to create a rebound, and after a scramble for the puck that Brayden Schenn won in front of the crease, O'Reilly found it with an open net to knock it in.

On Senior Day at Monticello High School, it was the Sages four seniors that led the way in an 11-1, ten-run rule, five-inning win over Rantoul in Illini Prairie Conference High School boy's baseball action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com Tuesday afternoon at Monticello High School.

Senior Dawlton Chupp worked through control issues to strike out eight across four one-run innings. Chupp struck out the leadoff man to start the game but then walked three straight before getting a strikeout and flyout to center field to end the inning.

Senior Triston Foran played exceptional defense with three putouts and threw a scoreless inning to close out the win. He started a double play on a comebacker to the mound to end the game. Foran also was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored with a double.

Senior Joey Sprinkle was 0-for-3 but reached base twice on errors and scored two runs. 

Senior Thomas Swartz was 1-for-3 but reached base three times. 

Biniam Lienhart reached base four times. He was hit by a pitch twice, walked, and reached on an error. He scored twice.

Luke Teschke finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. 

The Sages four seniors shared the Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game award.

Rantoul falls to 2-16 overall. Monticello moves to 17-7 and finishes the Illini Prairie slate 6-4. 

The Sages have three regular-season matchups remaining before starting postseason play next Thursday afternoon at Tolono Unity taking on Westville in Regional semifinal action. Hear next Thursday's action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Warrensburg-Latham scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning and rallied past Clinton 5-4 in Central Illinois Conference high school girl's softball action Tuesday afternoon from Clinton.

Brooke Reeves drove in a run for the Lady Maroons finishing 1-for-4 and Morgan Fortune was 0-for-3 but drove in two. 

Ashley Armstrong started in circle and twirled four innings of one-run ball, it was an unearned run and struck out four while walking two and allowing two hits. 

Reeves relieved in the fifth inning but could not hold onto the lead for Clinton and took the loss. 

Clinton drops to 3-16 overall and 2-9 in the CIC. 

Ashley Armstrong returned to the circle for Clinton and the Lady Maroons scored the game's winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning to get past Central A&M 3-2 in Central Illinois Conference high school girl's softball action from Clinton Monday afternoon.

Armstrong struck out eight in a complete-game effort and allowed two runs, issued a walk and permitted nine hits. She also finished 1-for-3 with a double.

Chloe Griffin was 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and drove in a run. Alaina Soberalski was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. 

The Lady Maroons are 3-15 overall and improve to 2-8. They will host Warrensburg-Latham this afternoon. 

The Shelbyville Rams put up seven runs in the second and third innings and took home a 15-run rule 16-1, three-inning win on Monday from Shelbyville in Central Illinois Conference high school boy's baseball action.

Wes Harrold drove in the only Maroons run with a double and Caiden Rich had a double for Clinton.

The Maroons drop to 5-7 overall and are 5-6 in the CIC. The Maroons will host Tuscola this afternoon. Hear the action on The Big 1520 AM/92.3/106.5 FM WHOW as well as WHOWs digital platforms.

It's a busy week for the Maroons who will be trying to make up for rained-out conference games this week. After this afternoon's matchup with Tuscola, they travel to Meridian Wednesday and then host Warrensburg-Latham on Friday. 

In a game heard on WHOW, Josh Naylor hit a tying grand slam with two outs in the ninth and a three-run homer in the 11th, powering a huge comeback that carried Cleveland past the Chicago White Sox 12-9 on Monday night.

Naylor also had a run-scoring double in the eighth and finished with eight RBIs for the Guardians, who stunned Chicago by erasing an 8-2 deficit in the ninth aided by two White Sox errors.

Andres Gimenez led off the inning with a homer and then doubled home a run in the 10th as the Guardians snapped Chicago's six-game winning streak. They have won eight of 10 following a seven-game skid.

It was the first multi-homer game for the 5-foot-11, 250-pound Naylor, back from a horrific leg injury last season. The 2015 first-round draft pick (by the Marlins) from Canada is 10 for 17 with runners in scoring position this year.

Naylor launched his first career slam off Liam Hendriks, handing the All-Star closer his first blown save since April 8.

The White Sox loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom of the ninth, but third baseman Jose Ramirez made a diving, backhand stop to save the game and Naylor stretched far at first base to field the one-hop throw for the final out of the inning.

Naylor's go-ahead drive came off Ryan Burr and barely cleared the right-field fence.

Burr (0-1) started the 11th in place of Reynaldo Lopez, who felt lower back tightness while warming up and left the game.

Emmanuel Clase (1-2) allowed a run in the 10th but earned the win. Trevor Stephan pitched a perfect inning for his second major league save and first this season.

White Sox starter Michael Kopech allowed two hits through six innings, and Chicago got three-run homers from Gavin Sheets and AJ Pollock to build a big lead. But four errors, which tied a season-high set April 20 in the first game of a doubleheader, came back to burn the White Sox.

Sheets dropped a line drive to right field with two outs in the first that allowed the Guardians' first run to score. Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson and third baseman Yoan Moncada committed costly errors in the ninth.

Kopech lowered his ERA to 0.93, and his six innings tied a career-high set Aug. 26, 2018, at Detroit.

The game marked the return of Moncada and the White Sox debut of reliever Joe Kelly. Moncada hadn't played this season because of a right oblique strain. Kelly, who was out due to a right biceps nerve injury, pitched a scoreless seventh.

Lucas Giolito (1-1, 3.20) gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings last Tuesday in a 4-3 win over the White Sox.

Tri-City held off Mt. Pulaski 2-1 in a non-conference win in high school boy's baseball action from Mt. Pulaski Monday afternoon.

Mt. Pulaski's Logan Smith and Tri-City's Landen Patton dueled through six innings. Patton struck out 13 pitching into the seventh inning and Alex Budd got the final out to secure the win for the Tornadoes. 

Smith struck out ten, walked one and allowed six hits in six innings of two-run ball for the Hilltoppers. 

AJ Bailey finished 2-for-4 for Mt. Pulaski. 

Tri-City moves to 10-6 overall while Mt. Pulaski drops to 18-4.

In the final week of the regular season, the Hilltoppers travel to Havana Wednesday, host El Paso-Gridley Thursday, travel to Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Acadamy Friday and wrap up the regular season Saturday at New Berlin. 

Kyle Hendricks came within one out of a three-hit shutout for the Cubs, who beat the listless San Diego Padres 6-0 Monday night to snap a season-high five-game losing streak.

Manager David Ross came out to get Hendricks after he got Jurickson Profar to fly out to left on his 116th pitch. Hendricks struck out rookie Jose Azocar to open the ninth and walked Jake Cronenworth on six pitches before going to a full count against Profar. Scott Effros came on and retired Manny Machado.

The Padres were shut out for the second time in three games. The only inning the Padres have scored in during their last three games was the ninth inning Sunday, when pinch-hitter Jorge Alfaro hit a three-run walkoff homer in a 3-2 win against the Miami Marlins.

Ian Happ drove in two runs for the Cubs, who handed rookie lefty MacKenzie Gore (2-1) his first loss. They took a 1-0 lead two batters in after Willson Contreras singled to right and scored on Suzuki's double to left. Suzuki left the game in the middle of the sixth with a sore right ankle.

Happ hit an RBI single in the fourth. The Cubs added a run on Suzuki's double-play grounder in the fifth and a throwing error on Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth in the seventh. Happ hit another RBI single in the eighth.

Gore allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, struck out six and walked none.

Wade Miley is scheduled to make his Cubs debut on Tuesday night in the middle game of the series. He has been sidelined since spring training with left elbow inflammation. The Padres will counter with RHP Mike Clevinger (0-0, 5.79).

Illinois Fighting Illini baseball completed the sweep of Miami (OH) with a 6-2 win at Illinois Field Sunday afternoon. 

Ryan Kutt entered the game in relief of Jack Crowder, throwing 5.1 innings and allowing just one run on six hits while striking out three. At the plate, Cam McDonald extended his on-base streak to 56 games in his second at bat, just one shy of tying Ben Troike's Illinois record of 57. McDonald went 2-for-4 on the afternoon while also driving in two runs. Danny Doligale, Branden Comia, and Brody Harding each registered two-hit games on the afternoon.

Miami jumped on the board first with runs in the first and third innings before the Illini responded with a five-run fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Illinois added one more run in the bottom of the eighth to take 6-2 lead into the final inning.

Ryan Kutt earns the win to improve to 3-2 on the season while Miami's McLean drops to 1-1 with the loss. Tommy Green earned his fourth save of the season, entering with two outs in the ninth inning to record the final out of the game.

With the win, the Illini improve to 26-19 (12-6 B1G) while Miami is now 19-29 (14-18 MAC). This weekend marks the third series sweep of the season for the Illini.

Illinois returns to Illinois Field next weekend and is back to Big Ten play, hosting Nebraska for the final home series of the season before traveling to Penn State (May 19-21) to wrap up the regular season slate.

The Illinois State baseball team dropped the series finale on a walk-off single at Missouri Valley Conference-leading Evansville, 4-3, at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Sunday.

Sophomore Ryan Cermak hit his 17th home run of the season for the Redbirds (18-25 overall, 5-10 MVC). 

The Purple Aces rallied for a pair of runs to walk it off in the 9th inning. Evansville won two games in the series via walk-off

Evansville scored once in the 2nd and 4th innings to lead 2-0 through five innings.

In the 6th inning, Cermak blasted a two-shot inside the left field foul pole to tie the game.

Sophomore Justin Schubert recorded a key bases-loaded strikeout in the 6th inning to keep the game tied before the 'Birds took the lead on a safety squeeze bunt from sophomore Greg Nichols in the 8th inning.

Evansville (27-18 overall, 12-3 MVC) outhit the 'Birds, 10-6. Illinois State is scheduled to host St. Thomas in a Wednesday doubleheader at Duffy Bass Field starting at 1:00 p.m. CT. Both games are seven innings.

In a game heard on WHOW, Dallas Keuchel halted his three-start losing streak with six solid innings, Jose Abreu hit a two-run double and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 Sunday for their season-high sixth straight victory.

Leury Garcia added an RBI single for the White Sox (14-13), who moved over .500 for the first time since April 20 and completed a 5-0 road trip, including three wins at Fenway Park.

Christian Vazquez had an RBI single for Boston (10-19), which has lost a season-most five straight and 14 of 18.

Keuchel (2-3) allowed two runs on eight hits, fanning five and walking one after posting a 9.90 ERA in his previous three starts.

The game started at 11:38 a.m., an unusual start time as part of an experiment by Major League Baseball for streaming broadcasts.

Rookie left-hander Bennett Sousa got pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki on a fly to center for the final out, recording his first big league save with the potential tying run at second. Regular closer Liam Hendriks was unavailable due to his recent workload.

Abreu, who had a go-ahead double in Saturday's 3-1 comeback victory, sent his double down the left-field line in the third against fill-in starter Tanner Houck (2-3) after Garcia's hit pushed Chicago in front.

J.D. Martinez had a run-scoring groundout and Vazquez followed with his RBI single for Boston in the sixth.

Houck gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings after replacing scheduled starter Michael Wacha. Wacha was placed on the 15-day injured list after experiencing soreness on his left side after his last bullpen session.

The White Sox open a three-game series at home against Cleveland on Monday. Michael Kopech (0-0, 1.17 ERA) is set to start for Chicago.

Mike Yastrzemski hit a tiebreaking home run into McCovey Cove in the sixth inning, and the San Francisco Giants only struck out once while beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Sunday.

San Francisco closer Camilo Doval got slugger Nolan Arenado to strike out swinging with the tying run on second base to complete his fifth save.

LaMonte Wade Jr. also homered in his third game off the injured list to help the Giants win their second straight after a five-game losing streak. They split the four-game series with the Cardinals.

San Francisco hitters didn't have any strikeouts until Joc Pederson whiffed against Giovanny Gallegos for the last out in the eighth inning. No team has gone an entire game without striking out since Kansas City on Sept. 7, 2017 against Minnesota, per MLB.com. The Giants last did it in 2008.

Juan Yepez hit his first career home run for St. Louis and has hit safely in all five games he's played in since being called up from the minors Tuesday. The rookie outfielder also walked and scored on Harrison Bader's groundout.

Dominic Leone (2-0) won despite allowing the tying run in the sixth.

Yepez homered after Albert Pujols was hit near his left wrist by a 90 mph sinker from Jakob Junis. The Cardinals slugger winced and rubbed his wrist as he slowly walked to first. Yepez crushed the next pitch to center.

Wade's two-run homer off Dakota Hudson in the bottom of the inning came after Darin Ruf's leadoff walk. Luis Gonzalez then reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Yastrzemski's sacrifice fly.

Jack Flaherty threw about 30 pitches in his bullpen session Saturday, an important step as the right-hander works his way back from a shoulder injury after being shut down in the spring.

After a day off Monday, the Cardinals return home to host the Orioles in their first visit to Busch Stadium III since it was built in 2006. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol has not announced a starter.

Walker Buehler pitched seven sparkling innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sliding Chicago Cubs 7-1 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

Buehler (4-1), a two-time All-Star who made his big league debut in 2017, improved to 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA over his last three outings. The right-hander allowed one run and four hits, struck out six and walked two.

Cody Bellinger had three hits for Los Angeles, and Justin Turner and Freddie Freeman each contributed a sacrifice fly. Mookie Betts went 2 for 5 while extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games.

Chicago lost for the 14th time in 17 games. It managed just three runs and 15 hits in the three-game sweep by Los Angeles.

The Cubs had to shuffle their rotation after Marcus Stroman was scratched, and then they lost Justin Steele to a left hand injury.

Stroman was placed on the injured list without a designation, likely meaning the right-hander was shelved by a COVID-19-related issue.

Steele (1-4) stepped in, making his first appearance since April 30. But he departed before the fifth inning, sidelined by left thumb soreness.

3B Patrick Wisdom was out of the starting lineup, but David Ross said Wisdom was feeling better. He left the second game of Saturday's doubleheader because of a bruised left ankle.

Kyle Hendricks (1-3, 5.64 ERA) starts Monday night at San Diego in the opener of a six-game trip. LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-0, 1.71) takes the mound for the Padres.

Jordan Binnington made 28 saves and the Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Sunday to even the best-of-seven Western Conference series at two games apiece.

Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice and Ryan O'Reilly added a goal and two assists. Perron also had an assist for St. Louis.

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves.

Binnington, who had lost his previous nine postseason starts, picked up his first playoff win since beating Boston in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. He denied Kaprizov from point-blank range late in the second period. Binnington also stopped Mats Zuccarello on a 2-on-1 breakout midway through the final period.

Kyrou and Perron scored 54 seconds apart in the second period to break a 1-1 tie.

Perron converted the go-ahead score on a shot that squeezed past Fleury towards the net. Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno tried to keep the puck from rolling across the line, but he flipped it off the back of Fleury and into the net.

Kyrou got his second of the game to push the lead to 3-1 with a shot off a pass from Ryan O'Reilly, who assisted on both second-period goals.

Perron added an empty net goal with 1:58 remaining, and O'Reilly had a power-play goal with 1 minute left to cap the scoring.

St. Louis struck first when Kyrou pounced on his own rebound just 4:19 into the game.

Kaprizov tied it 1-1 with his fifth goal of the series off a pass from Jared Spurgeon with 5:54 left in the opening period.

Kaprivoz, who recorded the first hat trick in postseason franchise history in Game 2, was wide open in the slot. His five goals ties him with Wes Walz and Marian Gaborik for most goals in a series. Walz and Gaborik each scored five times in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals against Vancouver.

The Blues were without defensemen Torey Krug (lower body), Nick Leddy (upper) and Robert Bortuzzo (upper). They also lost Marco Scandella with an injury early in the first period. Scott Perunovich made his first appearance since Jan. 15. Rookie Steven Santini made his playoff debut.

Game 5 is Tuesday night at St. Paul, Minnesota, before returning to St. Louis for Game 6 on Thursday.

After William Byron squeezed him against the wall on a final restart, Joey Logano knew what he’d do if he got the chance to regain the lead.

Logano bumped Byron from behind on the next-to-last lap to win at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Byron hit the wall in turn three and Logano went on to his first win of the season and first at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

Logano, who started from the pole, had one of the strongest cars all day and was in front coming out of the pits before a restart with 25 laps left. But Byron, who started low, forced Logano into the wall and out of the lead.

Byron was not happy with the maneuver, calling Logano an “idiot” and a ”moron” who has raced others questionably throughout his career.

Byron, who signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, seemed as if he’d keep up his team’s dominant season over the final laps. Instead, Logano broke a 40-race winless drought.

Tyler Reddick was second followed by Justin Haley, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and Daniel Suarez.

Byron fell to 13th. He said the restart was just close racing and Byron didn’t deserve a hard hit on the rear bumper so close to the end.

Logano led 108 of the 293 laps and reached victory lane for the first time since winning on the dirt at Bristol in 2021.

It was the first time the new Next Gen car took on NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway and the results were mixed. The racing was strong, although several of the top competitors didn’t last to the end.

Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson was out with engine failure after 112 laps. Past champions Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski were also out well before the finish.

Riverton native Justin Allgaier ended a 34-race winless streak when he passed AJ Allmendinger to start a two-lap sprint following a caution and cruised the final 2.7 miles to give team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. another victory in NASCAR’s second-tier feeder series. The XFinity Series takes a week off before returning at Texas Motor Speedway on May 21.

The top series moves to Kansas Speedway, where Kyle Busch is the event’s defending champion. Kyle Larson won the October race in Kansas.

Evan Cooper struck out ten as he went the distance for Mt. Pulaski who got by Athens 4-1 in Tomahawk Conference high school boy's baseabll action Wednesday afternoon in Mt. Pulaski.

 Cooper allowed seven hits and did not issue a walk. 

Jackson Fricke, Clayton Aylesworth, and Gavin Smith drove in runs for the Hilltoppers and Landon Smith scored two runs. 

The Hilltoppers as a team drew six walks and struck out only four times. 

Mt. Pulaski is 18-3 overall and moves to 4-2 in the Tomahawk.

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to host Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy this afternoon with a home, non-conference game scheduled tomorrow afternoon with Fisher.

In a game heard on WHOW, Lucas Giolito struck out 10, Luis Robert made a game-saving catch and Matt Foster worked out of a major jam Wednesday night as the Chicago White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field.

Jose Abreu and Leury Garcia homered for the White Sox, who overcame an early 3-1 deficit.

Giolito (1-1) reached double digits in strikeouts for the 14th time since joining the White Sox in 2017. He allowed three hits in 5 2/3 innings, including home runs by Nico Hoerner and Patrick Wisdom in the second.

After issuing a walk to Ian Happ, the right-hander was pulled in favor of Reynaldo Lopez.

Willson Contreras ripped a drive to deep center field, where Robert sprinted to make the grab before his left shoulder crashed into the brick wall. Robert laid on the warning track for several seconds before trotting off the field under his own power.

The Cubs, held to three hits through seven innings, put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base with no outs in the eighth. Foster relieved Aaron Bummer and retired the next three batters, punctuated by a called third strike on Happ.

Liam Hendricks pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

The White Sox (11-13) swept the two-game series against their intercity rivals and stretched their winning streak to three. The Cubs (10-14) lost for the fifth time in six games.

RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 4.58 ERA) will face the Boston Red Sox in Friday's series opener. Velasquez pitched 5 2/3 innings Monday in a 4-0 win over the Angels.

Drew Smyly (1-2, 2.79) is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers if he returns from the bereavement list. Smyly allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on April 28.

Adam Wainwright threw seven innings of one-hit ball in a 10-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on a cold, damp day at Kauffman Stadium.

Wainwright and Molina, who went 1 for 5 at the plate, tied the Braves' Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for the most team wins by starting battery mates with their 202nd together.

Now, Wainwright and Molina need just six more starts to match Spahn and Crandall for second in history behind Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Tigers.

Wainwright (3-3) allowed just a one-out single to Michael Taylor in the third against the weak-hitting Royals, whose only other baserunners against the 40-year-old right-hander came on a fielder's choice, an error and a walk.

Meanwhile, the slumbering St. Louis offense came alive in a big way: Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, Tyler O'Neill hit a two-run shot and drove in three, and Harrison Bader and Paul DeJong also drove in runs.

The final scheduled game between the cross-state rivals this year was moved from a night game to the afternoon because of the threat of rain, though sprinkles still fell on the sparse Kauffman Stadium crowd midway through it.

By that point, the few fans still in their seats were mostly wearing red.

It took a mere 17 pitches from Kris Bubic (0-3) for Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt to work leadoff walks and Arenado to turn on a 2-1 pitch, depositing it 410 feet away in the left-field stands and giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

The three runs were more than they had scored against Kansas City the past two games combined.

Juan Yepez, who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to replace ailing INF Edmundo Sosa a day earlier, got the start in RF in his big league debut. He finished 2 for 3 with a pair of bloop doubles down the right-field line.

Royals C MJ Melendez got his first start behind the plate Wednesday. Last year's minor league home run champ went 1 for 3 after also getting a hit as the DH in his big league debut Tuesday night.

Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (1-1, 1.52 ERA) starts the opener of a four-game series in San Francisco on Thursday night. The Royals have the night off before RHP Carlos Hernandez (0-1, 6.00) opens a three-game set in Baltimore on Friday.

Kirill Kaprizov had a hat trick and Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice for the Wild, who snapped back at the St. Louis Blues with a 6-2 victory to even their first-round playoff series at one game apiece Wednesday night.

The scoreless streak for the Wild was pushing 70 minutes when they finally caught a break with a broken St. Louis stick.

Eriksson Ek got the game's first goal a few seconds later, and the entire Wild bench jumped up in elation - with a bit of relief.

Frederic Gaudreau and Kaprizov scored on the power play for the Wild, who went 0 for 6 with the man advantage in their 4-0 defeat in Game 1 and were 1 for 9 against the Blues over three regular-season losses. The Wild beat their Central Division rival in regulation for only the third time in 16 games since the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019.

The Blues didn't score on Minnesota goalie Marc-Andre Fleury until Jordan Kyrou's power-play goal midway through the second period. They lost defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to injury after he blocked a shot with the side of his face in the first.

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who host Game 3 in St. Louis on Friday night.

Monticello scored ten rus in the second innings and rolled past Oakwood 13-3 in non-conference high school boy's baseball action from Monticello Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday's game was an impromptu addition to the schedule earlier in the week. 

Triston Foran, Jacob Trusner and Luke Teshke drove in three runs apiece. Foran and Trusner each finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and Teschke was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Each hit a double.

Biniam Lienhart reached base four times going 3-for-3 with a walk and scored three times. 

Joey Sprinkle went three innings for Monticello allowing three runs, one was earned, striking out four and walking two while permitting a hit. Foran finished the final two innings striking out two and allowed two hits.

Monticello moves to 16-7 overall. They will host Rantoul Thursday afternoon in Illini Prairie Conference action. Hear the game on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Marina Rohman faced three-batters over the minimum in a complete-game shutout effort and Maroa-Forsyth blanked Monticello 3-0 in non-conference high school girl's softball action.

Rohman stuck out eight, allowed two hits, and walked one. 

Megan Holub and Reese Turpak went deep against Macy Hicks and Kaylee Yost drove in a run a ground out.

Addison Wallace and Reese Patton had the only hits for Monticello and Lizzie Stiverson drew a walk for the Lady Sages.

Hannah Uebinger was named the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game for her defensive efforts. Uebinger had an outfield assist when Tori Thomas hit a bullet through the box for a single to centerfield. The ball was hit so hard when Uebinger fielded it, it bounced in front of her.

Uebinger lost track of the ball for a split second and Thomas took off for second but Uebinger recovered and threw a strike to second base to get Thomas trying to take the exra base. Uebinger also had four putouts.

The Lady Trojans move to 19-7 overall while the Lady Sages drop to 8-12.

The next Sages broadcast on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com is Thursday afternoon when Monticello hosts Rantoul in Illini Prairie Conference action at 4:30 pm. 

Most high school baseball games in central Illinois were postponed Tuesday with rain in the area early in the day but high school baseball and softball teams received notice of seeding for the upcoming postseason.

There's about a week-and-a-half left in the high school baseball and softball regular seasons. The Clinton Maroons are the ninth seed in the Decatur Millikin sub-sectional. Eureka is the top seed in the sub-sectional followed by Tremont, Pontiac and El-Paso Gridley rounding out the top four seeds. 

Olympia, Tri-Valley, Prairie Central, Fieldcrest and Dee-Mack are also in the sub-sectional. Eureka and Olympia will serve as Regional hosts.

In the other sub-sectional of the Millikin Sectional, Monticello is the third seed. Illini Prairie Conference teams dominate the top-three seeds of the sub-sectional. St. Joseph-Ogden is the top seed followed by Tolono Unity, Monticello and Bismarck-Henning.

Westvilla,e Clifton Central, Fithian-Oakwood, GCMS, Iroquois West, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, and Hoopeston round out the sub-sectional. Tolono Unity and Hoopeston are Regional hosts.

Highlighting the Pleasant Plains Sectional, in one sub-sectional, Shelbyville received the top seed followed by Gillespie, North Mac, and New Berlin. Piasa Southwestern, Carlinville, Auburn, Pana, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Sullivan and Litchfield round out the sub-sectional.

Maroa-Forsyth is the other top seed in the Pleasant Plains sub-sectional. Quincy Notre Dame, Beardstown, and Pittsfield round out the top-four seeds. Other teams in the sub-sectional include Williamsville, Pleasant Plains, Warrensburg-Latham, Athens, PORTA, Tri-City, Rushville-Industry, and Riverton round out the sub-sectional. 

Mt. Pulaski is the top-seed in the Class 1A Champaign St. Thomas More sub-sectional. Decatur St. Teresa, Salt Fork and Champaign St. Thomas More round out the top four seeds of the sub-sectional.

Argenta-Oreana, Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Villa Grove, Decatur LSA, Cerro Gordo, Broadlands Heritage, and Champaign Judah Christian round out the rest of the field of the sub-sectional. Mt. Pulaski and Salt Fork will serve as Regional hosts.

In the other sub-sectional, Blue Ridge received the eighth seed.

In the Illinois Wesleyan Sectional, Delavan received the top seed of one sub-sectional followed by LeRoy, Roanoke-Benson, and Gardner-South Wilmington. 

Heyworth, Ridgeview, Lexington, Streator-Woodland, Dwight, Hart-Em, and Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy round out the rest of the field in the sub-sectional.

In the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional, Tuscola received the eighth seed, followed by Central A&M and Meridian in the following seeds. 

In the Maroa-Forsyth Sectional, Clinton and Monticello are seeded in the same sub-sectional. The Lady Maroons received the ninth seed while Monticello is the fifth seed. Maroa-Forsyth is the top seed of the sub-sectional followed by Bloomington Central Catholic, Warrensburg-Latham, and Normal U-High. 

Tri-Valley, Pana, Bismarck-Henning, and Cerro Gordo are also in the sub-sectional. Monticello and Normal U-High will serve as Regional hosts.

In the other sub-sectional, Effingham St. Anthony is the top seed followed by Tolono Unity, St. Joseph-Ogden, and Westville. Teutopolis, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Paris, Marshall, Sullivan, Shelbyville, and Fithian-Oakwood round out the field of the sub-sectional.

Olympia received the top seed of the first sub-sectional in the Athens Sectional. Buffalo Tri-City, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, and Carlinville round out the top-four seeds. 

Auburn, Williamsville, North Mac, Pittsfield, New Berlin and Riverton round out the rest of the field. 

In Class 1A of girl's softball, LeRoy received the top seed in the sub-sectional of its Sectional. Fisher, Heyworth, and Watseka round out the top-four seeds of the sub-sectional. The field rounds out with Armstrong, Milford, Blue Ridge, Champaign St. Thomas More, Donovan, and Tri-Point. 

Tuscola received the other sub-sectional top-seed of the LeRoy Sectional. Meridian, Villa Grove and Argenta-Oreana are the top-four seeds. Arcola, Georgetown-Ridge Farm, Salt Fork, Decatur St. Teresa, Hume-Shiloh, Broadlands-Heritage and Chrisman round out the rest of the field. 

The brackets for the postseason will be released soon. 

The Illinois Fighting Illini beat Indiana State Tuesday night 6-3. 

Jacob Campbell and Cam McDonald led the Illini at the plate, driving in a combined three runs while both tallied hits in the win.

Campbell opened up the scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Danny Doligale to put Illinois (23-19, 12-6) in front. Indiana State (22-14, 7-5) scored runs in the second and third innings before the Illini put up a combined five runs in the fourth and fifth.

The two teams totaled just six hits each on the evening. The Illinois pitching staff allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven. RHP Ryan Kutt is credited with the win and moves to 2-2 on the season, while Indiana State's Cutts (2-2) gets the loss. Tommy Green earned his third save of the season, entering in the ninth inning to sit down the Sycamores in order.

It was the second matchup between the two with the Sycamores taking the first matchup last month. 

Illinois returns to Illinois Field on Friday evening for the opening game of a three-game series with Miami (OH).

The Illinois State baseball pitching staff allowed a mere four hits in the Redbirds' 3-2 win at Iowa on Tuesday evening at Duane Banks Field.

Sophomore Greg Nichols delivered the big blow of the game, a two-RBI double in the 3rd inning for the Redbirds (18-22 overall).

Nichols laced a two-RBI double into left-center to give ISU a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning before the Hawkeyes tied the game in the bottom of the frame.

The teams traded a trio of scoreless innings prior to an infield single from freshman JT Sokolove in the 7th inning. Sokolove beat the play at first base, but the throw got away, allowing sophomore Kayden Beauregard to score all the way from first base.

Junior Kolton Scherbenske escaped a one out, first and third jam in the 8th inning before giving way to junior Jared Hart, who record his second save.

Illinois State will travel to Evansville against the MVC-leading Purple Aces in a weekend series from May 6-8.

Playing through rainy, windy conditions at Wrigley Field, Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox did just enough to win.

Anderson homered and Jose Abreu made two nice plays at first base, helping the White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The game-time temperature was 45 degrees, and rain blew across the field for much of the night. Even with the extreme weather, each team committed just one error.

Looking to dig themselves out of a rough start, the banged-up White Sox won for the third time in four games. Michael Kopech pitched four-plus scoreless innings, and Jake Burger had two hits.

Anderson led off the third with an opposite-field drive to right-center on Keegan Thompson's first pitch of the inning, making it 3-0 with his fourth homer. The dynamic shortstop is batting .359 (14 for 39) in his last 10 games.

The Cubs went with a bullpen day after they placed left-hander Drew Smyly on the bereavement list before the first meeting of the season with their crosstown rivals. Scott Effross (0-1) got four outs in his first big league start, allowing two unearned runs and two hits.

The North Siders put runners on first and second in the third, but Abreu grabbed Seiya Suzuki's liner and scrambled over to first for the inning-ending double play. The big first baseman started another slick double play in the fifth.

The White Sox threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but Abreu bounced into a double play that featured a strong turn by Madrigal.

Nico Hoerner got the Cubs on the board with an RBI double in the sixth. Yan Gomes then struck out swinging against Jose Ruiz, stranding runners at second and third.

Reynaldo Lopez (3-0), the first of five White Sox relievers, pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Liam Hendriks got three outs for his sixth save in seven chances.

Right-handers Lucas Giolito (0-1, 2.57 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 5.47) start on Wednesday night. Giolito pitched six innings of three-run ball for the White Sox in a 5-1 loss to the Angels on Friday. Hendricks was tagged for six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 11-1 loss at Milwaukee last week.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit his first major league home run, Brad Keller pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 Tuesday night to end a four-game losing streak.

Witt connected for a solo homer in the second inning. The prized rookie extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Witt had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice. MJ Melendez got a hit in his big league debut and Edward Olivares had a career-high four of the Royals' 15 hits.

Keller (1-2) allowed four hits in 6 1/3 innings, walked three and struck out two. He permitted a baserunner in every inning but sixth, but never more than one until the seventh.

Witt homered off Dakota Hudson (2-2), hitting an 0-1 changeup 417 feet into the bleachers in left center.

Witt came up in the fourth with no outs and runners on the corners and grounded into a double play that scored a run.

Hudson left after issuing a leadoff walk in the seventh to Nicky Lopez with the Royals ahead 2-0. Olivares hit an RBI trouble and Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, Witt and Michael Taylor also had RBIs in the inning.

The Cards got a run in the eighth on Tyler O'Neill's single.

The Cardinals and Royals will conclude their two-game series Wednesday with an afternoon contest. The game was originally scheduled for a 6:10 p.m. start, but the weather forecast led to the change. The Cardinals will send RHP Adam Wainwright (2-3, 4.00 ERA) to the mound. The Royals will counter with LHP Kris Bubic (0-2, 10.50 ERA).

The Tri-Valley Lady Vikings used a nine-run fourth inning surge to rout Clinton 17-2 in a four-inning, 15-run rule win in non-conference high school girl's softball action from Downs Monday afternoon.

The Lady Maroons put a run on the board in the first but the Lady Vikings quickly got it back with a three-run first inning, then went up 5-1 after two innings and 8-1 after three innings. 

The Lady Maroons cut the deficit to 8-2 in the top of the fourth but gave up nine runs in the Tri-Valley half of the frame to end the game.

Brooke Reeves, Chloe Griffin, Heidi Humble, and Alaina Soberalski recorded hits for Clinton and Griffin had the lone Lady Maroons RBI.

Clinton falls to 2-15 overall and is scheduled to host Warrensburg-Latham this afternoon.

Gavin Smith struck out 11 and overcame a couple of costly wild pitches to lead Mt. Pulaski past Meridian 7-3 in non-conference high school boy's baseball action from Meridian Monday afternoon.

Smith allowed three unearned runs across 6 2/3 innings and Liam Smith closed the door with a strikeout to secure the win for the Hilltoppers. 

Jackson Fricke doubled and finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Landon Smith, Liam Smith, and Clayton Aylesworth drove in runs for the Hilltoppers, who drew nine walks. 

Mt. Pulaski was active on the basepaths. Smith, Evan Cooper, AJ Bailey, and Ethan Payne had stolen bases. 

The Hilltoppers improve to 17-3 overall and resume Tomahawk Conference action Wednesday when they host Athens. 

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early home run and Steven Matz and the Cardinals bullpen made it stand up Monday in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Goldschmidt, who got his first day off of the season Sunday, connected with one out in the first inning against Zack Greinke.

This game was a makeup from a rainout on April 13 - the I-70 interleague series continues Tuesday and Wednesday in Kansas City.

Matz (3-1) scattered four hits, including a pair of doubles, in six innings. He walked none, hit a batter and struck out four.

Matz had allowed five runs over his previous three starts, spanning 14 2/3 innings, after yielding seven in his Cardinals debut on April 10.

St. Louis relievers Kodi Whitley, Nick Wittgren and Giovanny Gallegos were equally sharp, each pitching an inning in the combined five-hitter. Gallegos gave up a two-out single in the ninth but picked up his fifth save in six chances.

It was the fourth shutout this season for the Cardinals.

Greinke (0-2) gave up three hits in six innings. The 18-year veteran made the 493rd start of his career and didn't walk anyone with one strikeout.

Carlos Santana had two of the Royals' five hits. The Cardinals managed just four hits.

Brad Keller (0-2, 2.19) did not factor into the decision of Kansas City's 5-2 win in 10 innings last Thursday in Chicago, in which he allowed one run on three hits and no walks in seven innings. He has lost four straight starts to the Cardinals.

Dakota Hudson (2-1, 2.75) earned his second straight win in as many starts. In his last outing against Arizona, he carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. The Cardinals have won all four games Hudson has appeared in his career against Kansas City.

Dylan Cease struck out 11 to match a career-best and gave up just one hit in seven sparkling innings, propelling the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 win over the Lost Angeles Angels on Monday.

Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout struck out in all four at-bats, three against Cease. The Angels star, who homered and doubled in a win Sunday to raise his OPS to a whopping 1.247, fanned against Liam Hendriks to end the game.

The White Sox won for the third time in 12 games. Los Angeles has won seven of nine.

Cease (3-1) threw 64 of 93 pitches for strikes and walked none. Taylor Ward got the only hit against him, a leadoff double in the fourth.

Kendall Graveman pitched the eighth and Hendriks recorded his fifth save in the combined two-hitter.

Trout fanned four times in a game for the seventh time in his 12-season career.

Tim Anderson and Luis Robert got the White Sox started in the first with hits off Patrick Sandoval (1-1) and an error by left fielder Jo Adell moved them into scoring position. AJ Pollock hit an RBI grounder and Jake Burger followed with a sacrifice fly.

Robert strung multi-hit games together for the first time since the opening series in Detroit on April 8 and 9. He singled three times on Monday and twice on Sunday.

Adam Engel hit an RBI double in the sixth to score Jose Abreu from first. Abreu flashed a delighted grin on his way back to the dugout after sliding home.

Michael Kopech (0-0, 1.42 ERA) will start Tuesday in the first of a pair of crosstown games against the Cubs.

David Perron had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Blues past the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Monday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, one year after COVID-19 kept him out of the postseason.

Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist, Torey Krug added three assists and Ville Husso made 37 saves for the shutout in his postseason debut for the Blues, who seized home-ice advantage from a Wild team they've had their way with in recent years.

By blocking 17 shots, clogging the passing lanes and dominating on both special teams, the confident Blues quieted Xcel Energy Center quickly with a 2-0 first-period lead and never let the crowd - that the Wild pushed so hard to play in front of to start the postseason - become a factor.

Particularly on the power play, having led the league with a 29.4% scoring rate in 41 road games this season. Perron scored on each of the first two power plays for the the Blues, who went 6 for 6 on the penalty kill.

That was the greatest source of frustration for the Wild on a night marked by up-close misfires and clanged posts. They had a 55-28 edge on the Blues in shots attempted over the first two periods, but 14 of them went wide of the net.

Game 2 is here Wednesday night, before the series shifts south to St. Louis.

Chase Elliot earned his first victory of the season Monday at Dover Motor Speedway, making Hendrick Motorsports drivers 4 for 4 in the win column this season. It’s barely May and Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman already are locked into the playoffs.

Elliott snapped a 26-race winless streak when the 2020 NASCAR champion led the final 53 laps to win his 14th career Cup race. He gave team owner Rick Hendrick another triumph on the mile concrete track. Elliott followed Bowman’s checkered flag a year ago as a Hendrick driver won for the 22nd time at Dover. Hendrick swept the top four spots last season; this one clinched the four playoff spots.

Elliott, who leads the points standings, hopped on the window ledge of his No. 9 Chevrolet and pointed in appreciation toward a solid crowd for a weekday race. The finish was delayed a day because of rain.

His last win was July 4 at Road America.

Even without a win, Elliott had been building toward this moment. The 2020 NASCAR champion and reigning most popular driver, Elliott took a steady pace while his teammates burst out of the gate with early season wins; Byron already has two wins. Elliott has only one finish worse than 14th this season and rolled into Dover with three straight top-10 finishes at Martinsville, Bristol dirt and Talladega.

Elliott snatched the lead from Ross Chastain, last week’s watermelon-smashing winner at Talladega Superspeedway, and pulled away on the concrete. Chastain led 86 laps and Kyle Busch, who finished seventh, led a race-high 103.

A Hendrick car in the top spot looked familiar at Dover, but that was just the tip of four different teams in the top four spots. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second and had his first top-five finish of the season for JTG Daugherty Racing. Chastain was third for Trackhouse Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell finished fourth.

Martin Truex Jr. spun himself out on the last lap while racing for a top-five finish when he appeared to get boxed out by Chastain. Truex confronted Chastain on pit road.

Denny Hamlin, who won the first stage of the race, lost serious ground after a left-front tire wasn’t properly attached to his No. 11 Toyota and rolled down the track. Hamlin apologized this week for posting a crass anti-Asian meme on Twitter.

Hamlin worked his way back into fourth when he connected with Cody Ware and brought out the caution on Lap 242. Hamlin finished 21st.

Larson also spun on the front stretch and blew the front and rear right tires on his Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger also lost a tire. Allmendinger’s and Hamlin’s teams are expected to receive NASCAR punishments for the loose wheels.

The Cup Series races next Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Truex is the defending race winner. Toyota is set to celebrate its 1,500th NASCAR race during Darlington’s annual Throwback Weekend.

In a game heard on WHOW, Mike Trout homered, doubled and scored three runs, Michael Lorenzen pitched into the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Angels held off the Chicago White Sox 6-5 Sunday for their seventh win in eight games.

Shohei Ohtani had an RBI as the Angels' designated hitter. The two-way AL MVP went 0 for 3 and exited in the ninth inning because of tightness in his right groin.

Trout walked in three other plate appearances. Andrew Velazquez and Jo Adell each doubled in a run and Anthony Rendon each had an RBI as the Angels took a 6-0 lead.

Lorenzen (3-1) took a bid for his first career complete game into the ninth before the White Sox scored five times in a wild finish.

Ryan Tepera, the Angels' third pitcher of the inning, retired Gavin Sheets on a bases-loaded grounder for the final out. Chicago has lost 11 of 13.

Lorenzen gave up singles to Jose Abreu and Sheets singled to begin the ninth, then was pulled with one out after Leury Garcia's two-run double.

Reliever Raisel Iglesias allowed an RBI double by Josh Harrison and singles to Tim Anderson and Luis Robert as Chicago closed to 6-4. Iglesias walked Yasmani Grandal to load the bases with two outs and hit Abreu with a pitch to force in a run.

Tepera took over and earned his first save.

Lorenzen was mostly sharp for a second straight start and third in four since signing a one-year contract with the Angels last November. The right-hander allowed three runs and nine hits, while walking two and striking two in 8 1/3 innings.

Dallas Keuchel (1-3) labored through five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and five walks. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner's ERA is 8.40.

Andrew Vaughn (right wrist) could be back in the lineup on Monday after getting hit with a pitch on Friday, manager Tony La Russa said. 

Yoan Moncada (right oblique strain) went 2 for 4 with a homer in the second game of a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday. The slugging third baseman has been out since spring training. 

RHP Joe Kelly (right biceps nerve injury) pitched a scoreless inning for Charlotte on Sunday in his rehab assignment.

Angels LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 0.00) takes the mound against White Sox RHP Dylan Cease (2-1, 3.27) in the four-game series finale on Monday afternoon.

Marcus Stroman threw two-hit ball for seven innings, outpitching Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and leading the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 Sunday.

Patrick Wisdom homered as the Cubs ended a four-game losing streak. They had been outscored 20-2 in dropping the first two games of the series at Milwaukee.

Stroman (1-3) earned his first win for his new team in his fifth start. Pitching on his 31st birthday, he struck out five and walked one.

Burnes (1-1) struck out 10 in seven innings, giving up four hits. He retired the first 13 batters before Wisdom homered in the fifth.

The Cubs added a run in the sixth when Alfonso Rivas singled and scored on a double by Seiya Suzuki.

Chicago reliever Rowan Wick got two outs in the eighth and David Robertson closed for his fifth save.

The Cubs will get the day off Monday and return to action Tuesday when the Cubs send LHP Drew Smyly (1-2, 2.79 ERA) to the mound against the crosstown rival White Sox (RHP Michael Kopech (0-1, 1.42).

Andrew Knizner couldn't believe his eyes after catching a 103.1 mile-per-hour fastball from reliever Ryan Helsley in the eighth inning of the Cardinals' 7-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Harrison Bader and Nolan Arenado homered in the seventh inning to help the Cardinals rally from a 5-3 deficit

St. Louis won for the third time in five games and salvaged a split of the four-game series.

Jordan Luplow hit two homers for Arizona, and Nick Ahmed and Christian Walker also went deep.

Helsley retired all six batters he faced to pick up his first save of the season. He overpowered Ahmed, Cooper Hummel and Daulton Varsho in striking out the side in the final frame. Helsley has 16 strikeouts without a walk in seven appearances this season covering 8 1/3 innings.

Brendan Donovan had a run-scoring grounder, and Bader slammed a two-run shot off reliever Keynan Middleton ((0-1) to put the Cardinals up 6-5.

One batter later, Arenado slammed his team-high sixth of the season. He had served a one-game suspension on Saturday for his part in an altercation against the New York Mets on Wednesday.6

Kodi Whitley (2-0) got the last out in the top of the seventh to pick up the win.

Luplow, who entered the game on a 1-for-11 skid, had solo homers in the first and seventh innings for his fifth career multi-homer game.

Ahmed hit his third homer of the season to snap a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. He has three homers in his last four games.

Arizona starter Zach Davies allowed just three hits in a five-inning, 90-pitch stint. He struck out two and walked one. Both of the runs he gave up were unearned.

St. Louis starter Jordan Hicks gave up two hits and two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Albert Pujols, who went 1-for-4, started at first base for the Cardinals for the first time at home since Game 7 of 2011 World Series.

Steven Matz (2-1, 6.11) will take on Kansas City RHP Zack Greinke (0-1, 2.86) in a makeup game on Monday. The original contest was rained out on April 13. Matz allowed four runs in four innings on Wednesday.

The Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues were two of the best teams in the NHL down the stretch of the regular season, with these long-running rivals locked in a relentless heavyweight fight for second place in the Central Division.

After nudging ahead of the Blues by winning their last two games, the Wild earned the extra home game in the first round.

The Wild established a slew of franchise records, including points (113), wins (53) and goals (305), and finished behind only Colorado in the Western Conference.

The Blues had 109 points, 10 better than their 2018-19 team that went on to win the Stanley Cup. They won all three matchups with the Wild: in the Winter Classic at Target Field (6-4) and a pair of overtime decisions in St. Louis last month (4-3 and 6-5).

The Wild will host Game 1 on Monday and Game 2 on Wednesday. If the series goes the distance, they’ll have Game 7 on May 14 at Xcel Energy Center, where they went 31-8-2 this season.

The last time the Wild had home-ice advantage in a playoff series was, fittingly, against the Blues in the first round in 2017 when they lost in six games.

Over the final six weeks of the regular season, the Wild led the league with a plus-30 goal differential, according to Sportradar data. The Blues were tied with Calgary and Edmonton for second best in that span at plus-24.

For the Blues, center Brayden Schenn and defenseman Marco Scandella were on the ice with the team on Sunday and on track for Game 1 after recent injury absences.

The Blues were third in the NHL with 309 goals, featuring nine players who hit the 20-goal mark: Vladimir Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, David Perron, Jordan Kyrou, Ivan Barbashev, Schenn, Brandon Saad, Ryan O’Reilly and Robert Thomas.

The Wild were fifth in the league, after Kirill Kaprizov set the franchise record with 47 goals and Ryan Hartman (34), Kevin Fiala (33), Eriksson Ek (26) and Foligno (23) also established career highs. Zuccarello had 24 goals — and 55 assists.

Game 1 is tonight. 

Martin Truex, Jr. can win for the third time at the Monster Mile on the unconventional race day after rain stopped the action only 78 laps into the 400-mile race Sunday. 

Truex raced to his first NASCAR Cup win June 4, 2007, at Dover and 12 years later used another rainout to take the checkered flag on May 6, 2019.

It’s the fourth time out of 104 career Dover races it will run on a Monday.

With a green flag start just after 3 p.m., and no lights at the concrete mile track, NASCAR faced a tight window to reach the halfway mark needed for an official race. So they’ll fire the engines again at noon Monday with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott starting 1-2. Ryan Blaney is third, Truex is fourth and William Byron fifth.

Truex is winless this season with two top-five finishes over the first 10 Cup races. He won four races last season and would certainly like to break through into the win column, especially in the midst of contract negotiations with Joe Gibbs Racing. The 41-year-old Truex made his 596th career start at Dover and is set to join Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch as active drivers with 600 starts.

Chris Buescher won his only career Cup race in a weather-shortened race in 2016 — yes, on a Monday — at Pocono Raceway. Successes have been rare for Buescher since that checkered but he took the pole at Dover - his first in more than 230 career Cup races and 74 Xfinity starts.