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Verlander holds Twins scoreless, Alvarez and Altuve power Astros to 6-4 victory in ALDS opener

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the Houston Astros held on for a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in their AL Division Series opener Saturday.Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run and Alvarez had three RBIs as the defending World Series champions earned their 10th straight victory in Game 1 of a Division Series. Former Astros star Carlos Correa had two hits for the Twins, who continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. They were 1 for 12 after going 1 for 10 in the Wild Card Series against Toronto.Verlander settled in after a shaky start and the Astros built a 5-0 lead through six innings with big swings from Altuve and Alvarez.Héctor Neris took over for Verlander to start the seventh. With two outs, Jorge Polanco hit a soaring three-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, rookie Royce Lewis launched his third homer in three playoff games to make it 5-4.In the bottom half, Caleb Thielbar entered...

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Turns out, Oklahoma’s back after rousing Red River win; Tide rising in West

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

Actually, it’s Oklahoma that’s back.Of course, the Sooners haven’t been gone for long.The final Red River Rivalry in the Big 12 before it moves to the Southeastern Conference felt like a chance for No. 3 Texas to lay claim to being the best team in the country.Instead, at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, second-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables got his first signature win and the 12th-ranked Sooners stamped themselves as College Football Playoff contenders.The Longhorns looked pretty good, too. No need to panic, Texas fans. The way the rest of the Big 12 is playing out, the Longhorns and Sooners could be heading for a rematch down the road at Jerry World on Dec. 2 in the Big 12 championship game.Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will have to be in attendance for that one. Right? He understandably skipped Red River, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was at the Texas State Fair to have a funnel cake and check out one of the most storied rivalries in college football at t...

Jalen Milroe, Jermaine Burton lead No. 11 Alabama past Texas A&M 26-20 to take control of SEC West

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for a career-high 321 yards and Jermaine Burton caught two touchdown passes as No. 11 Alabama beat Texas A&M 26-20 on Saturday to take control of the SEC West.Burton had nine catches for 197 yards for the Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference). Milroe, the Texas native, completed 21 of 33 passes and was sacked six times.The Aggies (4-2, 2-1) got within one score when coach Jimbo Fisher elected to have Randy Bond kick a 20-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining, but Alabama recovered an ensuing onside kick and moved the chains for a first down to run out the clock.“We have a lot of things to clean up, but we have a lot of things to be proud of and I’m really excited about the team effort,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “We weren’t at our best in the first half today, but for our guys to pull themselves to overcome adversity and (have) resiliency, this is a great win for our team.”Max Johnson, who took over as the start...

Jackson State jumps out early and cruises past Alabama A&M 45-30

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Jason Brown threw two of his three touchdown passes in the first half as Jackson State jumped out early and beat Alabama A&M 45-30 on Saturday. Jackson State (4-2, 2-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, with Ahmad Miller’s 38-yard scoring run sandwiched between a pair of Jacobian Morgan short-yardage runs. Brown’s 47-yard touchdown pass to Fabian McCray and his 5-yarder to Seven McGee helped the Tigers build a 35-7 halftime lead. Brown and McGee connected again with a 15-yard TD early in the fourth. Brown finished 14-of-26 passing for 202 yards. Irv Mulligan added 115 yards rushing on 23 carries. Xavier Lankford completed 21 of 36 passes and threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions, and he added 42 yards on the ground and a pair of TD runs to lead Alabama A&M (3-3, 1-2). Cameron Young had eight receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown catch. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hu...

Watkins-to-Sanchez connection helps Villanova roll past North Carolina A&T 37-14

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Connor Watkins threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Jaylan Sanchez, and Villanova rolled past North Carolina A&T 37-14 on Saturday.Watkins completed 16 of 23 passes for 289 yards. He connected with Sanchez on TD plays of 58 and 59 yards. Sanchez had six receptions for 158 yards. DeeWil Barlee added 94 yards rushing with one touchdown and the Wildcats finished with 248 yards on the ground and 537 yards of total offense. Matthew Mercurio kicked three field goals.Villanova (4-2, 2-1 Coastal Athletic Association) allowed just 172 yards with eight first downs and the Aggies were 2 of 11 on third down.Taymon Cooke returned a kickoff 94 yards for one NC A&T touchdown and quarterback Kevin White had a 25-yard run for the other as the Aggies took a 14-13 lead with about 10 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter. But Barlee ran for a touchdown, Watkins hit Rayjuon Pringle for another score and Mercurio added a field goal for a 30-14 Villanova lead at ha...

Carter Peevy and Ty James connect on 14 passes for 285 yards and 2 TDs to lead Mercer by ETSU 24-6

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Carter Peevy passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns — with 14 catches and 285 yards by Ty James — and Mercer beat East Tennessee State 24-6 on Saturday.James had 165 yards receiving in the first half, capped by a 33-yard touchdown with 1:02 remaining after powering through three defenders at the goal line.Mercer led 17-0 at the break after the defense held ETSU to just 48 total yards. The Buccaneers finished with just seven first downs and 108 total yards.James went over 200 yards late in the third quarter after catching a short pass along the right sideline and racing to the middle for a 32-yard gain before being tackled by three defenders. James also caught a long pass over middle and broke a tackle at the 16 for a 50-yard touchdown to give Mercer an 18-point lead with 6:32 left in the fourth.Peevy had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for Mercer (4-2, 2-1). East Tennessee State (1-4, 0-2) has lost three straight following a 42-0 win over Div...

Late TD pass, McKelton interception give Alcorn State 25-24 win over Grambling

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

LOMAN, Miss. (AP) — Aaron Allen threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tavarious Griffin with 1:42 to play and Geoffrey McKelton had an interception 35 seconds later as Alcorn State pulled out a 25-24 Homecoming win over Grambling on Saturday.Allen led the Braves on a seven-play, 81-yard drive, completing 4 of 5 passes with the touchdown toss over the middle coming on the only third down he faced. The 2-point conversion pass failed.Grambling went deep on a second-down pass from its 40, but McKelton, a redshirt freshman, pulled down a leaping one-handed interception on the Braves’ 30 with 1:07 to play.Allen was 20-of-31 passing with three touchdowns and an interception for the Braves (3-3, 2-1). Griffin had two touchdowns, the first tying the game at 7-7 after the Tigers took the lead on J’cobe Scott’s fumble return. The other TD pass went to Anthony Williams, pulling Alcorn State within 21-19 midway through the third quarter before a 2-point conversion failed.Myles Craw...

Smith helps Eastern Michigan end two-game skid, beating Ball State 24-10

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Austin Smith threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, Samson Evans ran for a touchdown and Eastern Michigan stuffed Ball State 24-10 on Saturday.Evans’ 2-yard scoring run broke a 3-all tie and ended an 11-play, 65-yard drive that lasted a little more than five minutes. The Eagles (3-3, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) made it 17-3 with 6:36 left before halftime when Smith threw a 3-yard score to JB Mitchell III. The score ended a nine-play, 62-yard drive that lasted 4:39.Ball State (1-5, 0-2) countered with its own yard-chewing drive going 71 yards in eight plays resulting in a 13-yard scoring pass from Layne Hatcher to Tanner Koziol with 2:32 before halftime.Eastern Michigan ended the game’s scoring when it took the opening drive of the second half and eight plays in Smith threw a 50-yard score to Hamze El-Zayat.Hatcher threw for 132 yards for the Cardinals. ___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-...

Denver weather: Clear skies and seasonal lows

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) - Clear skies Saturday night allow for seasonal lows before abundant sunshine brings the mid-70s back to the Front Range on Sunday. When to bring outdoor plants inside for cold weather Weather tonight: Clear skiesWinds stay light overnight as the skies are clear. Seasonal low temperatures will dip into the lower 40s.Weather tomorrow: Sunny and mildMostly sunny skies are forecast across the Front Range on Sunday afternoon, helping highs reach the middle to upper 70s. Looking ahead: Staying comfy before rain Monday keeps the mainly sunny skies and comfy highs in the upper 70s. Tuesday is very similar with upper 70s and sunny skies. When will Denver see the first snow of the season? Wednesday has more clouds and chances for showers later in the day. Highs on Wednesday will be in the low 70s. How much snow could Denver get in October? Thursday looks cloudy and rainy with cooler highs in the upper 50s and brisk winds. The cooler temps in the middle 50s and clouds li...

Police investigating after Bible, altar burned at vandalized East Bridgewater church

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:24:13 GMT

Authorities in East Bridgewater are investigating after a church near the center of town was vandalized on Friday.Officials with the East Bridgewater police and fire departments say “one or more people” appeared to enter the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 210 Central St. sometime during the middle of the day, and proceeded to try and burn various objects inside. Images shared by the police department showed that a bible as well as the church’s altar were damaged by fire. Officials added there was also evidence suggesting someone tried putting the flames out with both a fire extinguisher and a water jug from a nearby water dispenser.“Investigators believe the suspect or suspects attempted to douse the fire with the water, then used the fire extinguisher when that failed,” a news release stated.Police and firefighters found the scene after being called to the church around 3:40 p.m., after the parish pastor reportedly smelled smoke.While inves...