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Twins’ big home runs send Rockies to 11th loss in 13 games

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

Saturday, prior to the Rockies’ penultimate game of the season, manager Bud Black discussed some of the things his club needs to accomplish during the offseason.Naturally, finding better pitching topped Black’s to-do list.Then the Rockies took the field and illustrated Black’s point, with exclamation points.The Rockies fell, 14-6, to Minnesota before a lively crowd of 40,264 at Coors Field on a perfect late-September night. Colorado, 58-103, is limping toward the finishing line, having lost 11 of its last 13 games.The American League Central champion Twins banged out four homers: a grand slam by Trevor Larnach in the third, a three-run homer by Max Kepler in the sixth, a leadoff homer by Matt Wallner in the seventh, and a two-run homer by Edouard Julien, also in the seventh.The Rockies’ offense had just three hits and no runs through the first six innings but it came to life in the seventh. Elehuris Montero and Sean Bouchard hit back-to-back solo homers off l...

Biden signs stopgap measure to avert shutdown ahead of midnight deadline

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden signed into law the stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown passed by Congress just hours ahead of a critical midnight deadline when funding for federal agencies was set to run out. The Senate passed the measure Saturday evening after the House abruptly reversed course earlier in the day and passed a bipartisan bill to extend government funding after days of uncertainty over whether a shutdown could be averted. &#“;Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans,&#”; Biden said in a statement Saturday. He also slammed House Republicans for the last-minute scramble, adding, &#“;We should never have been in this position in the first place.&#”;The measure will keep the government open only through November 17 and includes natural disaster aid but not...

SF Giants’ use youth movement to beat Dodgers, Kershaw

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — After years of killing the Giants, Max Muncy did something in their favor Saturday night.First, Muncy made the curious choice to throw to second instead of tagging the lead runner on a ground ball from Thairo Estrada in the sixth inning. That gave the Giants runners at the corners and one out. Then, Muncy fumbled away another potential double play ball from Wilmer Flores, allowing Austin Slater to score from third.That broke a 1-1 tie and, behind five strong innings from Tristan Beck, paved the way to a 2-1 win.On a day that the Giants featured a season-high eight rookies, their rookie interim manager also reached a milestone — his first win. Kai Correa was greeted by a procession of hugs and high fives as players returned to the clubhouse, where the true celebration took place.Sean Manaea wheeled Correa in a laundry basket into the manager’s office, where the rest of the roster showered him in Lagunitas IPAs and Powerade.“The circumstances are unusual, o...

Estime and Hartman help No. 11 Notre Dame push past No. 17 Duke for 21-14 road win

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Audric Estime snuck through a crowd and broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left, capping a clutch long drive by No. 11 Notre Dame, leading the Fighting Irish past No. 17 Duke 21-14 on Saturday night.Estime’s run capped a 95-yard drive, one pushed by transfer quarterback Sam Hartman making multiple big plays with the Fighting Irish (5-1) trailing 14-13. That included on a fourth-and-16 play in the final minute, with Hartman unable to find anyone downfield as he scrambled to his right before taking off and getting just enough — 17 yards, with a hard collision at the end of it — to keep Notre Dame alive.Estime followed with the winning score two plays later, then Hartman hit Rico Flores on the 2-point conversion to make it a seven-point game.Duke (4-1) had a final chance to tie it, but its last offensive snap ended in disaster. Star quarterback Riley Leonard was stripped of the ball by Howard Cross III while trying to throw, leading to a lo...

Knighton sparks SMU to 34-16 victory over Charlotte

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Jaylan Knighton broke the game open with a 95-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and SMU went on to defeat Charlotte 34-16 on Saturday night in an American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.SMU (3-2) jumped out to a two-score lead after one quarter. Preston Stone gave the Mustangs the lead with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Roderick Daniels Jr. Knighton scored on a 1-yard plunge for a 14-0 lead.Charlotte’s Jake Larson and SMU’s Collin Rogers traded short field goals in the second quarter and the Mustangs took a 17-3 lead into halftime.Knighton’s long touchdown run came on the first play after a 59-yard punt by Charlotte’s Grant Gonya pinned the Mustangs at the 5-yard line. Rogers’ 33-yard field goal pushed SMU’s lead to 27-3 midway through the third quarter.Trexler Ivey had a 3-yard touchdown toss to Jack Hestera but the two-point try failed and the 49ers (1-4) trailed 27-9 after three quarters.Ivey scored on a 1-yard run ...

Ozuna hits go-ahead, 3-run homer, Strider gets 20th win as Braves beat Nationals 5-3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning, Spencer Strider shook off a shaky first inning to get his 20th win and the major league-leading Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Saturday night.“It’s amazing, he’s amazing,” Ozuna said of Strider. “Thank God for giving me the opportunity and the blessing to allow him to do that.”Strider, the MLB leader in strikeouts and victories, got off to a rough start with a 36-pitch, three-run first inning. He settled down to finish with seven strikeouts on 94 pitches — 57 strikes — in five innings.“I just tried to keep us in the game,” Strider said. “Like I’ve said so many times before, if you give (the Braves’ offense) a chance, they’re going to turn it on at some point, and they did today.” Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled to begin the fifth and scored on Ozzie Albies’ single. Matt Olson followed with a single to set the stage for Ozuna’s 38th hom...

Mauer throws for 5 TDs, Harris catches 3 in Stephen F. Austin’s 56-27 win over Texas A&M-Commerce

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (AP) — Brian Mauer threw five touchdown passes — three of them to Kylon Harris — and Stephen F. Austin defeated Texas A&M-Commerce 56-27 on Saturday night.Mauer completed 30 of 50 passes for 342 yards and was intercepted once. Harris caught 11 passes for 111 yards.The Lumberjacks had 555 total yards — 425 passing and 130 on the ground, where Anthony Williams had 81 yards and two touchdowns.Josh Magana went 20-for-28 passing for 188 yards with three touchdowns for the Lions (0-4) and Reggie Branch had 71 yards rushing, including a 63-yard TD in the first quarter.The Lumberjacks (3-2) scored two touchdowns in each quarter, taking control when Mauer threw touchdown passes of 4 yards to Harris and 54 yards to Khi’Yon Wafer in the third quarter for a 42-14 lead. Wafer caught three passes for 103 yards.—-AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollSource

Brin throws for 3 TDs, Jackson adds key pick return, Georgia Southern tops Coastal Carolina

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Davis Brin threw three touchdown passes, Khadry Jackson had a game-changing pick-six and Georgia Southern defeated Coastal Carolina before a record crowd of 26,483 on Saturday night.Brin was 34-of-56 passing for 322 yards with Khaleb Hood hauling in 12 for 131 yards, both career bests, 38-28 for the Eagles (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference). It was Hood’s school-record sixth century game.Coastal Carolina (2-3, 0-2) tied the game at 21 four minutes into the third quarter before the Eagles reeled off 17 points.It started with a Michael Lantz 45-yard field goal at the 7:10 mark. Just 12 seconds later Jackson waltzed into the end zone with a 20-yard interception return. The Eagles then put together a nine-play, 72-yard drive capped by Jalen White’s 3-yard run that made it 38-21 in the last minute of the third quarter.The Chanticleers put together a long drive and had 9:16 remaining after Braydon Bennett scored on a 1-yard run. Georgia Southern missed field...

Larrier, Michel lead Air Force to 49-10 romp over San Diego State

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Zac Larrier threw two long touchdown passes, Emmanuel Michel added a pair of touchdown runs and Air Force cruised to a 49-10 victory over San Diego State on Saturday night.Neither team scored until Jalen Mayden directed a 17-play, 80-yard drive, capped off with his 21-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Nicholson to give San Diego State (2-4, 0-2 Mountain West Conference) a 7-0 lead.Air Force (5-0, 3-0) answered with three straight touchdown drives. Cade Harris pulled the Falcons even at 7-7 with a 7-yard scoring run and Michel followed with touchdown runs of 2 and 3 yards for a 21-7 advantage.Jack Browning kicked a conference- and school-record 61-yard field goal on the final play of the half for the Aztecs’ final points.Air Force put the game out of reach by the 7:09 mark of the third quarter. Larrier teamed up with Harris for a 54-yard touchdown and, on the Falcons’ next possession, fired a 53-yard scoring strike to Jared Roznos. Trey Taylor ...

Rangers wrap up first playoff berth since 2016, help eliminate Mariners with 6-1 victory

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:54 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Texas Rangers are back in the postseason for the first time since 2016, beating the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Saturday to clinch a playoff spot in the American League.Texas (90-71) can claim the AL West title and the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs with a win over the Mariners in the regular-season finale or a loss by Houston at Arizona on Sunday. After a traditional clinching celebration in the middle of the clubhouse, the Rangers crowded into a dining room to watch the final outs of Houston’s 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks. That win pushed the division race to the final day. The win by the Astros also eliminated the Mariners from the postseason race, falling short a year after ending a 21-year playoff drought. The Rangers put together a four-run third inning against Luis Castillo, highlighted by two-out hits from Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim and Leody Tavares that all plated runs. Heim hit a two-run single with an 0-2 count after fouling off three straight pitche...