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🎧 LISTEN: ⚾ Royals continue to fall; 🏈 HutchCC moves up in NJCAA poll

FRISCO, Texas — The Wichita Wind Surge were walked off 3-2 in 11 innings by the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field. The contest served as the premier game played by the Wind Surge on Labor Day in team history and the fourth ever for them to take place on a Monday.

After only one man reached through the first two innings against&nbsp;C.J. Culpepper&nbsp;and Ben Anderson, Wichita loaded the bases on an infield error and a pair of singles to left field with no outs in the top of the third. The following hitter,&nbsp;Kala’i Rosario, grounded a base knock to Frisco third baseman Cody Freeman, and every man moved up 90 feet for a 1-0 Wind Surge lead. A 6-4-3 double play allowed one more runner to score before the inning ended with a 2-0 Wichita advantage.

Max Acosta tied the game for the RoughRiders in the home half of the third on a two-run blast, his seventh of the season, to left center field, kickstarting a long standoff in the interdivisional clash.

The middle innings saw only three total hits between the two sides as shutdown pitching continued for Frisco’s Anderson and Wichita reliever&nbsp;Cody Laweryson, who held the RoughRiders hitless for both the fifth and sixth frames.

Aaron Zavala worked an eight-pitch walk, stole second base, and trotted ahead to third on a wild pitch as the potential go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh.&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;began a 4-3 putout to strand Zavala there to keep the ballgame deadlocked 2-2 through seven. Another RoughRiders chance came with a similar spot after Acosta smoked a two-out triple to right in the eighth, and he ended up remaining there after an inning-ending flyout.

Cody Freeman singled to left on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth before moving up to third on a pulled single to right field by the RoughRiders' fifth hitter, Abimelec Ortiz; Zavala was then intentionally walked to load the bases. The Wind Surge infield put together a 6-2 force out and a 3-2-4 double play to force extra innings at Riders Field.

A sacrifice bunt moved&nbsp;Dalton Shuffield&nbsp;to third base, and a 5-2 force out at the plate became the initial out in the top of the 10th. After a five-pitch walk,&nbsp;Jake Rucker&nbsp;put men everywhere for Wichita, though nobody scored. A 1-2-3 bottom portion of the inning came together with&nbsp;Taylor Floyd&nbsp;on the hill, who finished his night with three scoreless innings. Later, the go-ahead man for the Wind Surge got left on third again in the top of the 11th after a close 3-1 play at first base.

Freeman played hero by blooping the game-winning single into right field for a 3-2 final in favor of Frisco in the bottom of the 11th inning. He provided the two of the final three hits all night for the RoughRiders in the series opener ahead of the Tuesday off-day.

Ricardo Velez dropped to 1-3 with Wichita after suffering the loss, striking out his first batter faced and surrendering the final hit of the night in the 11th.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725438737147.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy of Wichita Wind Surge Baseball." />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy of Wichita Wind Surge Baseball.</figcaption>
 </figure>Wichita Wind SurgeFRISCO, Texas — The Wichita Wind Surge were walked off 3-2 in 11 innings by the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field. The contest served as the premier game played by the Wind Surge on Labor Day in team history and the fourth ever for them to take place on a Monday.After only one man reached through the first two innings against&nbsp;C.J. Culpepper&nbsp;and Ben Anderson, Wichita loaded the bases on an infield error and a pair of singles to left field with no outs in the top of the third. The following hitter,&nbsp;Kala’i Rosario, grounded a base knock to Frisco third baseman Cody Freeman, and every man moved up 90 feet for a 1-0 Wind Surge lead. A 6-4-3 double play allowed one more runner to score before the inning ended with a 2-0 Wichita advantage.Max Acosta tied the game for the RoughRiders in the home half of the third on a two-run blast, his seventh of the season, to left center field, kickstarting a long standoff in the interdivisional clash.The middle innings saw only three total hits between the two sides as shutdown pitching continued for Frisco’s Anderson and Wichita reliever&nbsp;Cody Laweryson, who held the RoughRiders hitless for both the fifth and sixth frames.Aaron Zavala worked an eight-pitch walk, stole second base, and trotted ahead to third on a wild pitch as the potential go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh.&nbsp;Jorel Ortega&nbsp;began a 4-3 putout to strand Zavala there to keep the ballgame deadlocked 2-2 through seven. Another RoughRiders chance came with a similar spot after Acosta smoked a two-out triple to right in the eighth, and he ended up remaining there after an inning-ending flyout.Cody Freeman singled to left on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth before moving up to third on a pulled single to right field by the RoughRiders' fifth hitter, Abimelec Ortiz; Zavala was then intentionally walked to load the bases. The Wind Surge infield put together a 6-2 force out and a 3-2-4 double play to force extra innings at Riders Field.A sacrifice bunt moved&nbsp;Dalton Shuffield&nbsp;to third base, and a 5-2 force out at the plate became the initial out in the top of the 10th. After a five-pitch walk,&nbsp;Jake Rucker&nbsp;put men everywhere for Wichita, though nobody scored. A 1-2-3 bottom portion of the inning came together with&nbsp;Taylor Floyd&nbsp;on the hill, who finished his night with three scoreless innings. Later, the go-ahead man for the Wind Surge got left on third again in the top of the 11th after a close 3-1 play at first base.Freeman played hero by blooping the game-winning single into right field for a 3-2 final in favor of Frisco in the bottom of the 11th inning. He provided the two of the final three hits all night for the RoughRiders in the series opener ahead of the Tuesday off-day.Ricardo Velez dropped to 1-3 with Wichita after suffering the loss, striking out his first batter faced and surrendering the final hit of the night in the 11th.

⚾ Wind Surge drop game in extra-innings to RoughRiders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio drove in four runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat Kansas City 7-1 Tuesday night, extending the Royals’ losing streak to a season-high seven.

Kansas City was held to two runs or fewer for the fifth straight game and managed just four hits. The Royals’ losing streak is its longest since a 10-game skid from June 5-16 last year.

Since tying Cleveland for the AL Central lead on Aug. 27, the Royals (76-65) have dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Guardians (80-59), who have won five of six. Kansas City maintained a 4 1/2-game lead for the final AL wild card.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro missed his second game after the death of his mother Dorann Stagnitta. Bench coach Paul Hoover served as acting manager.

Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor left for a pinch runner after singling in the eighth inning because of lower back tightness.

Steven Kwan had a two-run single for the Guardians and Kyle Manzardo had three hits.

Tanner Bibee (11-6) allowed one run and two hits in six innings — just the 39th time a Cleveland starter pitched six or more innings.

“I thought he was great, just attacking, throwing a lot of strikes," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Especially after the third, he settled in and threw a ton of strikes, kept them off balance.”

Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. had his big league-best 57th multihit game of the season.

Brady Singer (9-10) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Rocchio’s sacrifice fly in the second and Andrés Giménez’s bloop RBI single in the fifth built a 2-0 lead.

Kansas City loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Tommy Pham failed to tag up at third on Salvador Perez’s line drive to left. Paul DeJong followed with a sacrifice fly and Bibee struck out MJ Melendez.

“He can make pitches in big-time moments,” Vogt said. “Tanner is a big-time pitcher. He wants those moments, and for him to be able to slow down and execute in that situation was huge.”

Bibee is 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 road starts, and the Guardians are 20-7 in his outings this year.

“I was just trying to execute the next pitch,” Bibee said of the sixth inning. “When I get into a lot of trouble, I feel like it’s trying to do way too much. I think one goal for me today was just to execute one pitch at a time.”

Rocchio hit his seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth, a two-run drive against Sam Long that was just inside the left-field foul pole. The 23-year-old rookie homered after failing on a pair of bunt attempts.

“When I missed the first two bunts, I’m trying to stay calm and be patient to move the runner to second base. But I put a good swing on it," Roochio said. “Awesome, because I know if I don’t do anything, maybe he’s mad at me” in a reference to Vogt.

“It’s really easy when you don’t do your job or don’t get the job done to get down on yourself and just give away and at-bat, but he got pitch up and he crushed it,” Vogt said.

Rocchio added a bases-loaded walk in the eighth against James McArthur for a career-best four RBI.

“What you saw in the sixth is probably what we need to do hopefully from inning one, just stringing a couple at-bats together, passing the baton and the next guy up hopefully can do the job,” Hoover said. “We want to be successful, but sometimes we want it so bad that we try to do a little too much.”

Royals: 1B-3B Yuli Gurriel, acquired from Atlanta on Sunday, is listed as day to day with right hamstring tightness. He was replaced after doubling in the eighth inning Monday and did not play Tuesday.

Cleveland RHP Ben Lively (11-8, 3.92) starts Wednesday’s series finale against Royals RHP Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.12).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717239729221.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio drove in four runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat Kansas City 7-1 Tuesday night, extending the Royals’ losing streak to a season-high seven.Kansas City was held to two runs or fewer for the fifth straight game and managed just four hits. The Royals’ losing streak is its longest since a 10-game skid from June 5-16 last year.Since tying Cleveland for the AL Central lead on Aug. 27, the Royals (76-65) have dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Guardians (80-59), who have won five of six. Kansas City maintained a 4 1/2-game lead for the final AL wild card.Royals manager Matt Quatraro missed his second game after the death of his mother Dorann Stagnitta. Bench coach Paul Hoover served as acting manager.Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor left for a pinch runner after singling in the eighth inning because of lower back tightness.Steven Kwan had a two-run single for the Guardians and Kyle Manzardo had three hits.Tanner Bibee (11-6) allowed one run and two hits in six innings — just the 39th time a Cleveland starter pitched six or more innings.“I thought he was great, just attacking, throwing a lot of strikes," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Especially after the third, he settled in and threw a ton of strikes, kept them off balance.”Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. had his big league-best 57th multihit game of the season.Brady Singer (9-10) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.Rocchio’s sacrifice fly in the second and Andrés Giménez’s bloop RBI single in the fifth built a 2-0 lead.Kansas City loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Tommy Pham failed to tag up at third on Salvador Perez’s line drive to left. Paul DeJong followed with a sacrifice fly and Bibee struck out MJ Melendez.“He can make pitches in big-time moments,” Vogt said. “Tanner is a big-time pitcher. He wants those moments, and for him to be able to slow down and execute in that situation was huge.”Bibee is 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 road starts, and the Guardians are 20-7 in his outings this year.“I was just trying to execute the next pitch,” Bibee said of the sixth inning. “When I get into a lot of trouble, I feel like it’s trying to do way too much. I think one goal for me today was just to execute one pitch at a time.”Rocchio hit his seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth, a two-run drive against Sam Long that was just inside the left-field foul pole. The 23-year-old rookie homered after failing on a pair of bunt attempts.“When I missed the first two bunts, I’m trying to stay calm and be patient to move the runner to second base. But I put a good swing on it," Roochio said. “Awesome, because I know if I don’t do anything, maybe he’s mad at me” in a reference to Vogt.“It’s really easy when you don’t do your job or don’t get the job done to get down on yourself and just give away and at-bat, but he got pitch up and he crushed it,” Vogt said.Rocchio added a bases-loaded walk in the eighth against James McArthur for a career-best four RBI.Hoover said the Royals are pressing.“What you saw in the sixth is probably what we need to do hopefully from inning one, just stringing a couple at-bats together, passing the baton and the next guy up hopefully can do the job,” Hoover said. “We want to be successful, but sometimes we want it so bad that we try to do a little too much.”TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: 1B-3B Yuli Gurriel, acquired from Atlanta on Sunday, is listed as day to day with right hamstring tightness. He was replaced after doubling in the eighth inning Monday and did not play Tuesday.UP NEXTCleveland RHP Ben Lively (11-8, 3.92) starts Wednesday’s series finale against Royals RHP Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.12).

⚾ Royals losing streak now at seven

AP Sports Summary for Wednesday, September 4th:

US Open: Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will meet in an all-American semifinal in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Frances Tiafoe has reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the second time in three years when his quarterfinal opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, stopped playing because of an injury in the fourth set. Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 4-1 Tuesday night when Dimitrov retired from the match. Tiafoe advances to an all-American semifinal against Taylor Fritz, guaranteeing the United States a representative in the men's final. Fritz eliminated No. 4 Alexander Zverev in four sets earlier Tuesday to get to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

Florida State drops out of AP Top 25 after 0-2 start. Texas up to No. 3 behind Georgia, Ohio State

Florida State has fallen out of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after starting the season 0-2. The Seminoles are just the third team to go from preseason top 10 to unranked in the first regular-season poll since the rankings expanded to 25 in 1989. Georgia and Ohio State remain 1-2 after comfortable wins to open the season. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama each moved up a spot, putting three Southeastern Conference teams in the top four along with Georgia. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5.

US Open: Navarro's first Grand Slam semifinal will be against Sabalenka. Fritz and Tiafoe win, too

NEW YORK (AP) — Emma Navarro's first Grand Slam semifinal will come at the U.S. Open against Aryna Sabalenka. Navarro grabbed the last six games to beat Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Tuesday to follow up her upset of defending champion Coco Gauff. There was no such drama in the second-seeded Sabalenka's 6-1, 6-2 victory over Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen at night. That was a rematch of the Australian Open final in January, which Sabalenka won for her second consecutive title there. In the men's quarterfinals Tuesday, Taylor Fritz earned his first berth in the final four at a major by eliminating 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in four sets.

Shohei Ohtani, Angels fans can get 'closure' in slugger's return to Big A with Dodgers, Roberts says

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has returned to the stadium and the city where he did just about everything except win. The two-way superstar was back at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for his first regular-season game as a visitor with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani left the Angels as a free agent last winter after six losing seasons, making a move that took him a whole lot farther than just those 30 miles up the I-5 freeway. After becoming a baseball sensation despite playing for the perpetually struggling Angels, Ohtani is now on the best team in the majors.

Another blown save for Holmes drops Yankees out of AL East lead and raises questions about closer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Clay Holmes lost the feel for his sinker, his control and perhaps his job as the New York Yankees closer. The two-time All-Star allowed a single and two walks before Texas rookie Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending grand slam in a 7-4 loss that dropped the Yankees out of first place in the AL East for the first time in three weeks. Holmes has blown a major league-high 11 saves in 40 chances, and manager Aaron Boone did not voice his usual support after the game when asked whether he will consider changing closers.

The 49ers expect rookie Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery following shooting

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch expects rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery after he was shot last weekend during an attempted robbery. Pearsall was hit in the chest and hospitalized overnight after the shooting in central San Francisco. He was released from the hospital Sunday and was already back at the team facility Monday. The Niners placed Pearsall on the non-football injury list, which will sideline him for at least four weeks, giving him time to recover from the shooting and a separate shoulder injury that had limited him all summer.

Holdout Trent Williams returns to the 49ers to finalize a 3-year, $82.66 million contract

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams ended his contract holdout and reported to the San Francisco 49ers to finalize a new deal that have him a significant raise and guaranteed money. Williams' agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, posted on social media Tuesday that Williams' new deal will pay him $82.66 million over three years with a $25.69 million signing bonus and $48 million guaranteed at signing. Williams had been back home in Texas for all of training camp while seeking a new deal, accumulating more than $5 million in mandatory fines for missing camp and three preseason games.

Kyle Schwarber hits 3 homers for 2nd time this season as Phillies rally past Blue Jays 10-9

TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber's third homer of the game was a go-ahead, three-run drive in the ninth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 after allowing six runs in the first. Schwarber hit his 12th leadoff homer of the season and went deep again in the fourth before his blast with no outs in the ninth on the ninth pitch he saw from Chad Green. He has 31 homers this season. Schwarber became the first Phillies player to have two three-homer games in a season. He has three such games in his career. He finished 5 for 6 with six RBIs.

New to long jump, U.S. Paralympians Lambert and Wallace form unlikely partnership

PARIS (AP) — Jarryd Wallace and Noelle Lambert begin competition at the Paralympics in the long jump Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Wallace is a Paralympic veteran, Lambert a newbie. Wallace has become a mentor to Lambert as they both get ready to compete in the long jump for the first time at the games. They both have transitioned from success in the sprints and are excited to be in a full Stade de France after the airless atmosphere of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Kelsey Mitchell becomes strong complement to Caitlin Clark, and they have the Fever in the playoffs

Kelsey Mitchell has become the perfect backcourt running mate with Caitlin Clark, and the two guards have led the Indiana Fever's resurgence since the Olympic break. Now they have Indiana in the playoffs. The team has won six of its seven games and is over .500 for the first time since June 13, 2019. The Fever improved to 17-16 with Sunday's win over Dallas. They had gone an WNBA-record 189 straight games without a winning record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Indiana clinched its first playoff appearance since 2016 when Chicago and Atlanta both lost Tuesday night.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, September 4th 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, September 4th 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for Wednesday, September 4th:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8565676/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>US Open: Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will meet in an all-American semifinal in New YorkNEW YORK (AP) — Frances Tiafoe has reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the second time in three years when his quarterfinal opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, stopped playing because of an injury in the fourth set. Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 4-1 Tuesday night when Dimitrov retired from the match. Tiafoe advances to an all-American semifinal against Taylor Fritz, guaranteeing the United States a representative in the men's final. Fritz eliminated No. 4 Alexander Zverev in four sets earlier Tuesday to get to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.Florida State drops out of AP Top 25 after 0-2 start. Texas up to No. 3 behind Georgia, Ohio StateFlorida State has fallen out of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after starting the season 0-2. The Seminoles are just the third team to go from preseason top 10 to unranked in the first regular-season poll since the rankings expanded to 25 in 1989. Georgia and Ohio State remain 1-2 after comfortable wins to open the season. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama each moved up a spot, putting three Southeastern Conference teams in the top four along with Georgia. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5.US Open: Navarro's first Grand Slam semifinal will be against Sabalenka. Fritz and Tiafoe win, tooNEW YORK (AP) — Emma Navarro's first Grand Slam semifinal will come at the U.S. Open against Aryna Sabalenka. Navarro grabbed the last six games to beat Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Tuesday to follow up her upset of defending champion Coco Gauff. There was no such drama in the second-seeded Sabalenka's 6-1, 6-2 victory over Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen at night. That was a rematch of the Australian Open final in January, which Sabalenka won for her second consecutive title there. In the men's quarterfinals Tuesday, Taylor Fritz earned his first berth in the final four at a major by eliminating 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev in four sets.Shohei Ohtani, Angels fans can get 'closure' in slugger's return to Big A with Dodgers, Roberts saysANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has returned to the stadium and the city where he did just about everything except win. The two-way superstar was back at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night for his first regular-season game as a visitor with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani left the Angels as a free agent last winter after six losing seasons, making a move that took him a whole lot farther than just those 30 miles up the I-5 freeway. After becoming a baseball sensation despite playing for the perpetually struggling Angels, Ohtani is now on the best team in the majors.Another blown save for Holmes drops Yankees out of AL East lead and raises questions about closerARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Clay Holmes lost the feel for his sinker, his control and perhaps his job as the New York Yankees closer. The two-time All-Star allowed a single and two walks before Texas rookie Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending grand slam in a 7-4 loss that dropped the Yankees out of first place in the AL East for the first time in three weeks. Holmes has blown a major league-high 11 saves in 40 chances, and manager Aaron Boone did not voice his usual support after the game when asked whether he will consider changing closers.The 49ers expect rookie Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery following shootingSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch expects rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to make a full recovery after he was shot last weekend during an attempted robbery. Pearsall was hit in the chest and hospitalized overnight after the shooting in central San Francisco. He was released from the hospital Sunday and was already back at the team facility Monday. The Niners placed Pearsall on the non-football injury list, which will sideline him for at least four weeks, giving him time to recover from the shooting and a separate shoulder injury that had limited him all summer.Holdout Trent Williams returns to the 49ers to finalize a 3-year, $82.66 million contractSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams ended his contract holdout and reported to the San Francisco 49ers to finalize a new deal that have him a significant raise and guaranteed money. Williams' agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, posted on social media Tuesday that Williams' new deal will pay him $82.66 million over three years with a $25.69 million signing bonus and $48 million guaranteed at signing. Williams had been back home in Texas for all of training camp while seeking a new deal, accumulating more than $5 million in mandatory fines for missing camp and three preseason games.Kyle Schwarber hits 3 homers for 2nd time this season as Phillies rally past Blue Jays 10-9TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber's third homer of the game was a go-ahead, three-run drive in the ninth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 after allowing six runs in the first. Schwarber hit his 12th leadoff homer of the season and went deep again in the fourth before his blast with no outs in the ninth on the ninth pitch he saw from Chad Green. He has 31 homers this season. Schwarber became the first Phillies player to have two three-homer games in a season. He has three such games in his career. He finished 5 for 6 with six RBIs.New to long jump, U.S. Paralympians Lambert and Wallace form unlikely partnershipPARIS (AP) — Jarryd Wallace and Noelle Lambert begin competition at the Paralympics in the long jump Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Wallace is a Paralympic veteran, Lambert a newbie. Wallace has become a mentor to Lambert as they both get ready to compete in the long jump for the first time at the games. They both have transitioned from success in the sprints and are excited to be in a full Stade de France after the airless atmosphere of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.Kelsey Mitchell becomes strong complement to Caitlin Clark, and they have the Fever in the playoffsKelsey Mitchell has become the perfect backcourt running mate with Caitlin Clark, and the two guards have led the Indiana Fever's resurgence since the Olympic break. Now they have Indiana in the playoffs. The team has won six of its seven games and is over .500 for the first time since June 13, 2019. The Fever improved to 17-16 with Sunday's win over Dallas. They had gone an WNBA-record 189 straight games without a winning record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Indiana clinched its first playoff appearance since 2016 when Chicago and Atlanta both lost Tuesday night.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	N.Y. Mets	7	Boston	2	Final	Philadelphia	10	Toronto	9	Final	L.A. Dodgers	6	L.A. Angels	2	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Tampa Bay	2	Minnesota	1	Final	Baltimore	9	Chicago White Sox	0	Final	Cleveland	7	Kansas City	1	Final	Texas	7	N.Y. Yankees	4	Final	Oakland	3	Seattle	2	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Washington	6	Miami	2	Final	Atlanta	3	Colorado	0	Final	Pittsburgh	5	Chicago Cubs	0	Final	St. Louis	7	Milwaukee	4	Final	Arizona	8	San Francisco	7	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Seattle	71	Connecticut	64	Final	Washington	90	Dallas	86	Final	Las Vegas	90	Chicago	71	Final	Phoenix	74	Atlanta	66	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Philadelphia	at	Toronto	3:07 p.m.			Houston	at	Cincinnati	6:40 p.m.			Boston	at	N-Y Mets	7:10 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	L-A Angels	9:38 p.m.			Detroit	at	San Diego	9:40 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Chi White Sox	at	Baltimore	6:35 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Tampa Bay	6:50 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Kansas City	7:40 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Texas	8:05 p.m.			Seattle	at	Oakland	9:40 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Washington	at	Miami	6:40 p.m.			Colorado	at	Atlanta	7:20 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Chi Cubs	7:40 p.m.			St. Louis	at	Milwaukee	7:40 p.m.			Arizona	at	San Francisco	9:45 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Los Angeles	at	Indiana	7 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce spent the offseason jetting around the world, following his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, to multiple stops on her Eras Tour. He popped up on TV, showed up at some of the biggest sporting events in the world and continued to produce his popular podcast with his brother, retired Eagles center Jason Kelce.

The Chiefs tight end has never been busier. He’s never had more to juggle, with more eyes on everything he is doing.

All of which makes the Chiefs’ practice facility, along with Arrowhead Stadium just up the hill and across an expanse of parking lots, something of a sanctuary, where Kelce can let loose with some of his closest confidants.

“I just love football, and how it takes me away from life,” Kelce said Tuesday, two days before the Kansas Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of their AFC championship game and officially lift the lid on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nfl">NFL’s regular season</a>.

“It gives me something I can feel genuinely happy about,” Kelce continued. “I enjoy coming into the building, working on my craft, getting to understand a new game plan and perfecting that for the people around me. It gives me a purpose to kind of go about my day and live my life. And I just have so much excitement in what I’m doing.”

Indeed, Kelce had an unmistakable bounce to his step after Tuesday’s practice, and not just because he made it through healthy; he hyperextended his knee during the same practice a year ago, causing him to miss Week 1 against Detroit.

Kelce, who turns 35 next month, has history within his sights.

He needs just three touchdown catches to pass Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record. He needs 10 receptions to pass Gonzalez for that career mark. Seven touchdowns would move Kelce past Priest Holmes for the most total career touchdowns in Kansas City. And he already is the franchise leader with 11,328 yards receiving.

Then there is the most important piece of history, at least as far as Kelce is concerned: The Chiefs are aiming for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-threepeat-868ab3cfa2f95dd1cbb65fbe4405d9b1">a record third consecutive Super Bowl title</a>, which would give him a fourth ring in a six-year span.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play as many games as I played,” he said. “That’s why I really enjoy going out there every single day, even if it’s just a practice to work on my craft. Because not everybody gets that same fortune in their career.”

Kelce doesn’t know when he will call it quits. He insists that he’s having too much fun to even consider it right now. But the last couple of weeks alone underscore just how varied his interests have become away from the field.

While he was preparing for Week 1 against Baltimore, Kelce’s representatives — along with those of his brother — were finalizing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kelce-chiefs-eagles-jason-travis-new-heights-92761f6968b12ee06603d66e7ce9c5b7">a three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery</a>&nbsp;reportedly worth nine figures for the exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights to their “New Heights” podcast. The deal includes the back catalog of their podcast content along with the exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video episodes beginning with this season.

The same day that news broke, Team Valor International founder and CEO Barry Irwin announced Kelce recently acquired a significant share in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-kelce-swift-delivery-cc7f6aa810dead2e0955fe9aa0d8bb80?__cf_chl_tk=feN1o222lZMdwzps0raDKoMzuF6wX3.K58HZIEP6fMI-1725390774-0.0.1.1-12650">a 3-year-old gelding named</a>&nbsp;— appropriately or coincidentally — Swift Delivery.

“It’s very exciting,” Irwin told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I met him at the Kentucky Derby and got to spend some time with him and stuff, and we talked about horses and everything. When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer.”

Kelce’s coaches and teammates — chief among them quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of his best friends — marvel at his ability to compartmentalize everything happening in his life, just as they marvel at what he continues to do on the field.

While there were times last season when it looked as if Kelce might have lost a step, he still caught 93 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. Then came the playoffs, where he had 32 catches for 355 yards and three TDs in just four games.

It’s hard to step away, whenever that might happen, when the Chiefs remain the dominant franchise in the NFL.

“You have days off where maybe it’s a little bit tougher,” Kelce said, “but who doesn’t, man? Everybody has those days. But what you got to understand is that, you know, the goal in mind of the team is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best. And my college coach, Butch Jones, always told me, ‘You’re a fountain or a drain.’ You don’t want to be draining anybody.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1725158888558.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce smiles on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce smiles on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Chicago Bears Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce spent the offseason jetting around the world, following his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, to multiple stops on her Eras Tour. He popped up on TV, showed up at some of the biggest sporting events in the world and continued to produce his popular podcast with his brother, retired Eagles center Jason Kelce.The Chiefs tight end has never been busier. He’s never had more to juggle, with more eyes on everything he is doing.All of which makes the Chiefs’ practice facility, along with Arrowhead Stadium just up the hill and across an expanse of parking lots, something of a sanctuary, where Kelce can let loose with some of his closest confidants.“I just love football, and how it takes me away from life,” Kelce said Tuesday, two days before the Kansas Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of their AFC championship game and officially lift the lid on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nfl">NFL’s regular season</a>.“It gives me something I can feel genuinely happy about,” Kelce continued. “I enjoy coming into the building, working on my craft, getting to understand a new game plan and perfecting that for the people around me. It gives me a purpose to kind of go about my day and live my life. And I just have so much excitement in what I’m doing.”Indeed, Kelce had an unmistakable bounce to his step after Tuesday’s practice, and not just because he made it through healthy; he hyperextended his knee during the same practice a year ago, causing him to miss Week 1 against Detroit.Kelce, who turns 35 next month, has history within his sights.He needs just three touchdown catches to pass Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record. He needs 10 receptions to pass Gonzalez for that career mark. Seven touchdowns would move Kelce past Priest Holmes for the most total career touchdowns in Kansas City. And he already is the franchise leader with 11,328 yards receiving.Then there is the most important piece of history, at least as far as Kelce is concerned: The Chiefs are aiming for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-threepeat-868ab3cfa2f95dd1cbb65fbe4405d9b1">a record third consecutive Super Bowl title</a>, which would give him a fourth ring in a six-year span.“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play as many games as I played,” he said. “That’s why I really enjoy going out there every single day, even if it’s just a practice to work on my craft. Because not everybody gets that same fortune in their career.”Kelce doesn’t know when he will call it quits. He insists that he’s having too much fun to even consider it right now. But the last couple of weeks alone underscore just how varied his interests have become away from the field.While he was preparing for Week 1 against Baltimore, Kelce’s representatives — along with those of his brother — were finalizing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kelce-chiefs-eagles-jason-travis-new-heights-92761f6968b12ee06603d66e7ce9c5b7">a three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery</a>&nbsp;reportedly worth nine figures for the exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights to their “New Heights” podcast. The deal includes the back catalog of their podcast content along with the exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video episodes beginning with this season.The same day that news broke, Team Valor International founder and CEO Barry Irwin announced Kelce recently acquired a significant share in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-kelce-swift-delivery-cc7f6aa810dead2e0955fe9aa0d8bb80?__cf_chl_tk=feN1o222lZMdwzps0raDKoMzuF6wX3.K58HZIEP6fMI-1725390774-0.0.1.1-12650">a 3-year-old gelding named</a>&nbsp;— appropriately or coincidentally — Swift Delivery.“It’s very exciting,” Irwin told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I met him at the Kentucky Derby and got to spend some time with him and stuff, and we talked about horses and everything. When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer.”Kelce’s coaches and teammates — chief among them quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of his best friends — marvel at his ability to compartmentalize everything happening in his life, just as they marvel at what he continues to do on the field.While there were times last season when it looked as if Kelce might have lost a step, he still caught 93 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. Then came the playoffs, where he had 32 catches for 355 yards and three TDs in just four games.It’s hard to step away, whenever that might happen, when the Chiefs remain the dominant franchise in the NFL.“You have days off where maybe it’s a little bit tougher,” Kelce said, “but who doesn’t, man? Everybody has those days. But what you got to understand is that, you know, the goal in mind of the team is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best. And my college coach, Butch Jones, always told me, ‘You’re a fountain or a drain.’ You don’t want to be draining anybody.”

🏈 Chiefs’ Travis Kelce finds sanctuary when he steps on the football field with life busier than ever

EAGLE Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the first edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 6 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693268716902.png" alt="Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas logo" />
 <figcaption>Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas logo</figcaption>
 </figure>EAGLE Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the first edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 6 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5).<div><iframe title="DragonTalk with Drew Dallas" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=tvq7s-16c1a13-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index">NJCAA DI Football Poll | Week Two - 9-3-24</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College football team is No. 2 in the latest Top 15 poll, released by the NJCAA Tuesday afternoon.

The Blue Dragons moved up a spot after defeating New Mexico Military Institute last Thursday at Gowans Stadium. Previous No. 2 East Mississippi lost its first game of the season on Thursday.

Hutchinson (1-0) will travel to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Saturday for a date with No. 1 Iowa Western (1-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Titan Stadium at Lewis-Central High School. You can listen to the game on KHUT-FM (102.9) and KWBW-AM/FM with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Daren Dunn (color) calling the action.

Highland and Dodge City both enter the poll, as the two other Jayhawk Conference teams ranked. Highland is No. 13 and Dodge City No. 15.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724431961058.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index">NJCAA DI Football Poll | Week Two - 9-3-24</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College football team is No. 2 in the latest Top 15 poll, released by the NJCAA Tuesday afternoon.The Blue Dragons moved up a spot after defeating New Mexico Military Institute last Thursday at Gowans Stadium. Previous No. 2 East Mississippi lost its first game of the season on Thursday.Hutchinson (1-0) will travel to Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Saturday for a date with No. 1 Iowa Western (1-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Titan Stadium at Lewis-Central High School. You can listen to the game on KHUT-FM (102.9) and KWBW-AM/FM with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Daren Dunn (color) calling the action.Highland and Dodge City both enter the poll, as the two other Jayhawk Conference teams ranked. Highland is No. 13 and Dodge City No. 15.

🏈 Blue Dragons move up a spot to No. 2 in NJCAA poll

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/rankings/DI/index">NJCAA DI Women's Soccer Poll | Week One - 9-3-24</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team is No. 18 in the latest Top 20 poll released by the NJCAA on Tuesday afternoon.

The Blue Dragons are 2-0-1 overall, 1-0-1 in the KJCCC. HutchCC hosts Dodge City on Wednesday at the Salthawk Sports Complex at 6 p.m. The Blue Dragons travel to El Dorado on Saturday at 7 p.m. for a Top 20 showdown with Butler.

Hutchinson is one of four Jayhawk Conference schools in the Top 20. Cowley is No. 9, Butler No. 10 and Kansas City is No. 12.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724339986223.jpeg" alt="(Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>(Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/rankings/DI/index">NJCAA DI Women's Soccer Poll | Week One - 9-3-24</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team is No. 18 in the latest Top 20 poll released by the NJCAA on Tuesday afternoon.The Blue Dragons are 2-0-1 overall, 1-0-1 in the KJCCC. HutchCC hosts Dodge City on Wednesday at the Salthawk Sports Complex at 6 p.m. The Blue Dragons travel to El Dorado on Saturday at 7 p.m. for a Top 20 showdown with Butler.Hutchinson is one of four Jayhawk Conference schools in the Top 20. Cowley is No. 9, Butler No. 10 and Kansas City is No. 12.

⚽ Blue Dragons No. 18 in latest NJCAA poll

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College freshman Faith Jepchirchir has been named the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week, the KJCCC announced on Tuesday.

Jepchirchir made history on Friday at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, becoming the first-ever Blue Dragon to win the individual title. She did so in a time of 18:17.00, the ninth-fastest time overall in the eight-year history of the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic.

Jepchirchir won the race by over 16 seconds over Elizabeth Hernandez of Butler.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1725107761874.jpeg" alt="Blue Dragon freshman Faith Jepchirchir is the first Hutchinson women's cross country runner to win the Teerry Masterson Twilight Classic, doing so on Friday night at Fun Valley. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Blue Dragon freshman Faith Jepchirchir is the first Hutchinson women's cross country runner to win the Teerry Masterson Twilight Classic, doing so on Friday night at Fun Valley. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College freshman Faith Jepchirchir has been named the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week, the KJCCC announced on Tuesday.Jepchirchir made history on Friday at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, becoming the first-ever Blue Dragon to win the individual title. She did so in a time of 18:17.00, the ninth-fastest time overall in the eight-year history of the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic.Jepchirchir won the race by over 16 seconds over Elizabeth Hernandez of Butler.

👟 HutchCC's Jepchirchir named KJCCC Cross Country Runner of the Week

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College sophomore running back Waymond Jordan Jr. has been named the Offensive Player of the Week, the KJCCC announced on Tuesday.

The Pensacola, Fla. native rushed for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Blue Dragons' win over New Mexico Military Institute on Thursday at Gowans Stadium.

Jordan Jr. has rushing scores of 26 and 54 yards. The 54-yard run early in the second half was the longest career rushing attempt. He averaged just under 13 yards per carry in the 42-10 victory.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724953372920.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College sophomore running back Waymond Jordan Jr. has been named the Offensive Player of the Week, the KJCCC announced on Tuesday.The Pensacola, Fla. native rushed for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Blue Dragons' win over New Mexico Military Institute on Thursday at Gowans Stadium.Jordan Jr. has rushing scores of 26 and 54 yards. The 54-yard run early in the second half was the longest career rushing attempt. He averaged just under 13 yards per carry in the 42-10 victory.&nbsp;

🏈 HutchCC's Jordan Jr. named KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">AP College Football Top 25 Poll</a>

(AP) — Florida State fell out of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">The Associated Press college football poll</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-boston-college-score-eeef9c95c5832eda558056c7aa0e1e3f">starting the season 0-2,&nbsp;</a>becoming just the third team to go from preseason top-10 to unranked in the first regular-season poll since the rankings expanded to 25 in 1989.

Georgia remained No. 1, receiving 57 first-place votes after starting the season with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-clemson-college-football-f6ae0c885c81dd7e49bdf072a87302ef">blowout of then-No. 14 Clemson.</a>&nbsp;The Tigers hung on at No. 25.

Ohio State is No. 2 with five first-place votes. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama each moved up a spot, putting three Southeastern Conference teams in the top four along with Georgia.

No. 5 Notre Dame jumped two spots after opening the season with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/botre-dame-texas-am-score-17cbfd7639784c6359cac0e8a35373f6">victory at then-No. 20 Texas A&amp;M,</a>&nbsp;which fell out of the rankings.

Florida State has been the early season’s major disappoint. The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion lost a Week 0 game in Dublin, Ireland, to ACC rival Georgia Tech and then dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-boston-college-score-eeef9c95c5832eda558056c7aa0e1e3f">another league game</a>&nbsp;Monday night at home to Boston College.

No other preseason Top 25 team this year lost to an unranked opponent to open the season. Florida State did it twice as a double-digit favorite.

The other preseason top-10 teams to fall all the way out of the Top 25 after Week 1 in the past 35 years were Michigan in 2007 after famously losing to Appalachian State as No. 5 and Clemson in 2008. The Tigers were No. 9 but opened with a blowout loss to Alabama and tumbled out of the rankings.

Mississippi remained at No. 6. Oregon slipped four spots to No. 7 after winning a close game with Idaho. Penn State stayed at No. 8. Missouri moved up two spots to No. 9 to give the SEC five teams in the top 10. Michigan dropped one spot to No. 10.

Georgia Tech’s 2-0 start has the No. 23 Yellowjackets ranked for the first time since 2015.

Because Florida State started its season a week before most of the country, they move into an exclusive club of teams that began their seasons 0-2 with each loss coming while ranked in the top 10.

Notre Dame was the last to do it in 2022, when the Fighting Irish began the season No. 5, lost at No. 2 Ohio State in their opener, and then were upset at home the next week by Marshall while ranked eighth. The Irish went to on finish 9-4.

Ohio State opened the 1986 season ranked ninth and lost back-to-back games to ranked opponents, No. 5 Alabama and No. 17 Washington. The Buckeyes were No. 10 when they played the Huskies. Ohio State finished 10-3.

The 1967 Texas team and TCU from 1952 also started 0-2 while ranked in the top 10 of both games.

Florida State is only the second ranked team to lose twice before the first regular-season poll was released, joining 1951 Kentucky. The Wildcats went from No. 6 to No. 17 while going 1-2 to start the season, losing at No. 11 Texas and at Mississippi.

Florida State gets a weekend off before resuming its schedule with home games against Memphis and new ACC member California before a trip to SMU followed by a home game against Clemson.

“You’ve got a football team that nobody envisioned ever being where we are and having disappointment, having failure, but I do believe in what this team can do,” coach Mike Norvell said after the BC loss. “I believe in what this team can accomplish.”

The big movers upward in the Top 25 were Miami and Southern California.

The Hurricanes jumped seven spots to No. 12&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cam-ward-swamp-miami-83abf506f050b4b7753f786423e80caf">after routing Florida at The Swamp</a>&nbsp;and have their best ranking since cracking the top-10 late in the 2020 season.

No. 13 USC moved up 10 places&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-lsu-defense-98c3f40b778226f5c54745c34ca76ba3">after beating LSU</a>&nbsp;with a late touchdown Sunday night in Las Vegas. The loss dropped LSU to No. 18.

The Trojans started last season at No. 6, but ended up unranked after a disappointing 8-5 season with 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

The only other team to move into the rankings this week, along with Georgia Tech, was fellow ACC school Louisville. The Cardinals were among the top unranked voter-getters in the preseason and now sit at No. 22.

Despite Florida State and Clemson starting the season 0-3, the ACC has one more team in this week’s rankings than it did last time:

SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 14, 16, 18).

Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10, 13, 21).

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan. The first regular-season meeting ever is a top-10 matchup at the Big House.

No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 NC State in Charlotte, North Carolina. Interesting SEC-ACC ranked matchup.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693941910870.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">AP College Football Top 25 Poll</a>(AP) — Florida State fell out of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">The Associated Press college football poll</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-boston-college-score-eeef9c95c5832eda558056c7aa0e1e3f">starting the season 0-2,&nbsp;</a>becoming just the third team to go from preseason top-10 to unranked in the first regular-season poll since the rankings expanded to 25 in 1989.Georgia remained No. 1, receiving 57 first-place votes after starting the season with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-clemson-college-football-f6ae0c885c81dd7e49bdf072a87302ef">blowout of then-No. 14 Clemson.</a>&nbsp;The Tigers hung on at No. 25.Ohio State is No. 2 with five first-place votes. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama each moved up a spot, putting three Southeastern Conference teams in the top four along with Georgia.No. 5 Notre Dame jumped two spots after opening the season with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/botre-dame-texas-am-score-17cbfd7639784c6359cac0e8a35373f6">victory at then-No. 20 Texas A&amp;M,</a>&nbsp;which fell out of the rankings.Florida State has been the early season’s major disappoint. The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion lost a Week 0 game in Dublin, Ireland, to ACC rival Georgia Tech and then dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-boston-college-score-eeef9c95c5832eda558056c7aa0e1e3f">another league game</a>&nbsp;Monday night at home to Boston College.No other preseason Top 25 team this year lost to an unranked opponent to open the season. Florida State did it twice as a double-digit favorite.The other preseason top-10 teams to fall all the way out of the Top 25 after Week 1 in the past 35 years were Michigan in 2007 after famously losing to Appalachian State as No. 5 and Clemson in 2008. The Tigers were No. 9 but opened with a blowout loss to Alabama and tumbled out of the rankings.Mississippi remained at No. 6. Oregon slipped four spots to No. 7 after winning a close game with Idaho. Penn State stayed at No. 8. Missouri moved up two spots to No. 9 to give the SEC five teams in the top 10. Michigan dropped one spot to No. 10.Georgia Tech’s 2-0 start has the No. 23 Yellowjackets ranked for the first time since 2015.<h2>Poll points</h2>Because Florida State started its season a week before most of the country, they move into an exclusive club of teams that began their seasons 0-2 with each loss coming while ranked in the top 10.Notre Dame was the last to do it in 2022, when the Fighting Irish began the season No. 5, lost at No. 2 Ohio State in their opener, and then were upset at home the next week by Marshall while ranked eighth. The Irish went to on finish 9-4.Ohio State opened the 1986 season ranked ninth and lost back-to-back games to ranked opponents, No. 5 Alabama and No. 17 Washington. The Buckeyes were No. 10 when they played the Huskies. Ohio State finished 10-3.The 1967 Texas team and TCU from 1952 also started 0-2 while ranked in the top 10 of both games.Florida State is only the second ranked team to lose twice before the first regular-season poll was released, joining 1951 Kentucky. The Wildcats went from No. 6 to No. 17 while going 1-2 to start the season, losing at No. 11 Texas and at Mississippi.Florida State gets a weekend off before resuming its schedule with home games against Memphis and new ACC member California before a trip to SMU followed by a home game against Clemson.“You’ve got a football team that nobody envisioned ever being where we are and having disappointment, having failure, but I do believe in what this team can do,” coach Mike Norvell said after the BC loss. “I believe in what this team can accomplish.”<h2>Moving up</h2>The big movers upward in the Top 25 were Miami and Southern California.The Hurricanes jumped seven spots to No. 12&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cam-ward-swamp-miami-83abf506f050b4b7753f786423e80caf">after routing Florida at The Swamp</a>&nbsp;and have their best ranking since cracking the top-10 late in the 2020 season.No. 13 USC moved up 10 places&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-lsu-defense-98c3f40b778226f5c54745c34ca76ba3">after beating LSU</a>&nbsp;with a late touchdown Sunday night in Las Vegas. The loss dropped LSU to No. 18.The Trojans started last season at No. 6, but ended up unranked after a disappointing 8-5 season with 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.<h2>In-and-out</h2>The only other team to move into the rankings this week, along with Georgia Tech, was fellow ACC school Louisville. The Cardinals were among the top unranked voter-getters in the preseason and now sit at No. 22.<h2>Conference call</h2>Despite Florida State and Clemson starting the season 0-3, the ACC has one more team in this week’s rankings than it did last time:SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 14, 16, 18).Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10, 13, 21).ACC — 5 (Nos. 12, 22, 23, 24, 25).Big 12 — 5 (Nos. 11, 16, 17, 19, 20).Independent — 1 (No. 5).<h2>Ranked vs. ranked</h2>No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan. The first regular-season meeting ever is a top-10 matchup at the Big House.No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 NC State in Charlotte, North Carolina. Interesting SEC-ACC ranked matchup.

🏈 K-State No. 17, KU No. 19 in AP Top 25

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, September 3rd" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, September 3rd</figcaption>
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🎧 LISTEN: ⚾ Royals skid now at six games; 🏈 Chiefs ready to open season

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725329125565.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
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LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash;&nbsp;The No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road for the first time of the 2024 season, as the Jayhawks take on the Illinois Fighting Illini under the lights of Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on FS1 with Alex Faust (Play-by-Play) and Robert Smith (Analyst) on the call. &nbsp; The Jayhawks and the Illini face off for the second-straight season as Kansas and Illinois met in week two of the 2023 season. Kansas totaled 539 yards of total offense to power past the Illini 34-23 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 8, 2023. The combo of&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/jalon-daniels/1362" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Jalon Daniels</a></dfn>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/devin-neal/1356" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Devin Neal</a></dfn>&nbsp;led the Jayhawks offensively in that game, as Daniels threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-29 passing, while Neal went for 120 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://kuathletics.com/showcase/embed.aspx?title=No.%2022%20Kansas%20Travels%20to%20Illinois%20for%20Week%20Two%20Matchup%20-%20University%20of%20Kansas&youtube=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FOSW59FXGZ-0%3Fsi%3DKsXWAW70mixTq1dW&autoplay=false" title="YouTube video player" width="560" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;&nbsp; Saturday&apos;s meeting between Kansas and Illinois will be the seventh all-time, with the series locked at 3-3. It will be Kansas&apos; first trip to Champaign, Ill., since 1968, in a game that Kansas won 47-7. &nbsp; This year&apos;s matchup features two 1-0 teams both coming off a powerful week one win as Kansas defeated Lindenwood, 48-3, on Thursday, Aug. 29, while Illinois defeated Eastern Illinois 45-0. &nbsp; The No. 22 ranked Kansas Jayhawks compiled 530 yards of offense, including 331 rushing yards, in the season-opening win vs. Lindenwood. The Kansas defense held strong, holding the Lions to just 202 total yards of offense and three points, the fewest allowed by a Kansas team since Sept. 5, 2009 vs. Northern Colorado. &nbsp; Kansas senior&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/mello-dotson/1352" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Mello Dotson</a></dfn>&nbsp;recorded his eighth career interception in the game vs. Lindenwood, which he returned 33-yards for a touchdown marking his third-career pick-six, breaking the KU school record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown. Offensively, Kansas was led by two rushing touchdowns from Neal on eight carries for 112 yards and 111 yards receiving and a touchdown from senior wide receiver&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/luke-grimm/1374" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Luke Grimm</a></dfn>. &nbsp; Illinois enters Saturday night&apos;s game following a 45-0 win over Eastern Illinois, in which the Illini totaled 486 yards of total offense including six touchdowns. The Illinois defense forced four turnovers while allowing just 49 rushing yards. &nbsp; The Illini are led by fourth-year head Coach Bret Bielema, who holds a 19-19 record in his time at Illinois and a career record of 116-77 in 16 years of coaching. &nbsp; Following Saturday&apos;s game at Illinois, the Jayhawks will close out non-conference play with a rematch of the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl as Kansas hosts UNLV on Friday, Sept. 13, at Children&apos;s Mercy Park in Kansas City. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN with a 6 p.m. CT kickoff.</div>

🏈 No. 22 Kansas travels to Illinois Saturday night

🏈 No. 18 K-State travels to Tulane Saturday morning

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the non-football injury list, which removes him from the active 53-man roster and means he will be out for at least the first four games of the season. Kansas City plays Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Chargers during that span.

Edwards-Helaire has been dealing with PTSD and vomiting after a 2018 incident when he was in college at LSU.

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the non-football injury list, which removes him from the active 53-man roster and means he will be out for at least the first four games of the season. Kansas City plays Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Chargers during that span.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Living With PTSD is no small feat, its hard and very overwhelming . Within the last month Ive Had many flare ups and the Amazing staff here at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> have been helping me get through some tough times. I’ll be back rolling next Practice! All Love , Glydro ❤️💛&mdash; GLYDE (@Clydro_22) <a href="https://twitter.com/Clydro_22/status/1817926604770906578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Edwards-Helaire has been dealing with PTSD and vomiting after a 2018 incident when he was in college at LSU.

🏈 Edwards-Helaire out for first four Chiefs games

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced Monday that infielder&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Michael Wacha&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for August. The awards are determined by a local media vote.

After being named American League Player of the Month for July, Witt Jr. put together another impressive campaign in August, slashing .310/.378/.673 (35-for-113) over 28 games. Of his 35 hits, 20 went for extra bases (57.1%), a mark that led the Majors, ahead of&nbsp;Jarren Duran’s&nbsp;19 extra-base hits. Witt Jr.’s 20 extra-base hits were the most ever by a Royal in the month of August, and were the most by a Royal in any month since&nbsp;Mike Sweeney&nbsp;recorded 20 extra-base hits in May 2001. His 35 hits last month tied for the 2nd most in the American League—behind&nbsp;Vladimir Guerrero Jr.&nbsp;(39)—his 10 home runs were tied for 3rd and he ranked 5th in the league with a 1.051 OPS. The shortstop hit safely in 23 of his 28 games—and the Royals went 15-8 in the games in which he recorded a hit—and he recorded at least 1 RBI in 14 of his 28 contests. In the Royals 8-4 win vs. Boston on Aug. 7, he went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 home runs, marking his 6th career multi-homer game and his 4th of the season. In hitting his 20th home run of the season on Aug. 1 in Detroit, he became the first Major Leaguer ever to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in each of his first three seasons. Yesterday in Houston, he opened the month of September with his 30th home run of the year, becoming the first player in Royals history to record back-to-back 30-homer seasons. This unanimous selection marks Witt Jr.’s third monthly honor of the season (also May and July) and the seventh of his career, which is already the 6th most by a Royals position player since the award was established in 1995.

Wacha went 3-0 over his 5 starts in August and pitched to the tune of a 3.19 ERA (11 ER in 31.0 IP). He was one of just three pitchers in the American League to record at least 3 wins and no losses last month, joining Houston’s&nbsp;Yusei Kikuchi&nbsp;and Baltimore’s&nbsp;Zach Eflin. Wacha opened the month with 4 straight quality starts from Aug. 4-23, over which he pitched to a 2.16 ERA (6 ER in 25.0 IP). During that stretch, he held his former Cardinals team to just 2 runs on 5 hits in 7.0 innings of an 8-3 Royals win on Aug. 10 in Kansas City, after which he turned in 6.0 scoreless frames in his next start on Aug. 17 in Cincinnati, where he held the Reds to just 4 hits and 1 walk, with a season-high 9 strikeouts. After recording 6.0 innings on Aug. 28 in Cleveland, he’s sitting at 139.0 innings for the season, which are already his most innings pitched in a single season since 2017, when he threw a career-high 165.2 innings for St. Louis. This marks Wacha’s first career monthly honor as a Royal, after signing as a Major League free agent with Kansas City last December.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1725157994301.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run as Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, back left, watches during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run as Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, back left, watches during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced Monday that infielder&nbsp;Bobby Witt Jr.&nbsp;and right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Michael Wacha&nbsp;have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for August. The awards are determined by a local media vote.After being named American League Player of the Month for July, Witt Jr. put together another impressive campaign in August, slashing .310/.378/.673 (35-for-113) over 28 games. Of his 35 hits, 20 went for extra bases (57.1%), a mark that led the Majors, ahead of&nbsp;Jarren Duran’s&nbsp;19 extra-base hits. Witt Jr.’s 20 extra-base hits were the most ever by a Royal in the month of August, and were the most by a Royal in any month since&nbsp;Mike Sweeney&nbsp;recorded 20 extra-base hits in May 2001. His 35 hits last month tied for the 2nd most in the American League—behind&nbsp;Vladimir Guerrero Jr.&nbsp;(39)—his 10 home runs were tied for 3rd and he ranked 5th in the league with a 1.051 OPS. The shortstop hit safely in 23 of his 28 games—and the Royals went 15-8 in the games in which he recorded a hit—and he recorded at least 1 RBI in 14 of his 28 contests. In the Royals 8-4 win vs. Boston on Aug. 7, he went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 home runs, marking his 6th career multi-homer game and his 4th of the season. In hitting his 20th home run of the season on Aug. 1 in Detroit, he became the first Major Leaguer ever to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in each of his first three seasons. Yesterday in Houston, he opened the month of September with his 30th home run of the year, becoming the first player in Royals history to record back-to-back 30-homer seasons. This unanimous selection marks Witt Jr.’s third monthly honor of the season (also May and July) and the seventh of his career, which is already the 6th most by a Royals position player since the award was established in 1995.Wacha went 3-0 over his 5 starts in August and pitched to the tune of a 3.19 ERA (11 ER in 31.0 IP). He was one of just three pitchers in the American League to record at least 3 wins and no losses last month, joining Houston’s&nbsp;Yusei Kikuchi&nbsp;and Baltimore’s&nbsp;Zach Eflin. Wacha opened the month with 4 straight quality starts from Aug. 4-23, over which he pitched to a 2.16 ERA (6 ER in 25.0 IP). During that stretch, he held his former Cardinals team to just 2 runs on 5 hits in 7.0 innings of an 8-3 Royals win on Aug. 10 in Kansas City, after which he turned in 6.0 scoreless frames in his next start on Aug. 17 in Cincinnati, where he held the Reds to just 4 hits and 1 walk, with a season-high 9 strikeouts. After recording 6.0 innings on Aug. 28 in Cleveland, he’s sitting at 139.0 innings for the season, which are already his most innings pitched in a single season since 2017, when he threw a career-high 165.2 innings for St. Louis. This marks Wacha’s first career monthly honor as a Royal, after signing as a Major League free agent with Kansas City last December.

⚾ Witt Jr. player, Wacha pitcher of month for August

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gavin Williams pitched seven sharp innings, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Monday.

Lane Thomas and Josh Naylor each hit two-run homers for AL Central-leading Cleveland, which won for the fourth time in five games.

Williams (3-7) allowed one run and one hit in an encouraging September performance after he went 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA in five starts last month.

“Filling up the zone,” Williams said. “Talking with (catcher) Bo (Naylor) and having a better plan. Just seeing the way they took different pitches.”

The right-hander walked two while throwing 46 pitches in the first two innings. But he settled down from there, retiring his final 16 batters.

“The first couple of innings he was fighting himself,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Made an adjustment. To go seven was much needed, for him, for us, and everything.”

The Guardians began the day with a 3 1/2-game lead over Minnesota and Kansas City in the division.

The Royals played without&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Royals/status/1830621846783283534">manager Matt Quatraro</a>, who missed the game because of a personal matter. Bench coach Paul Hoover ran the team in Quatraro's absence.

Kansas City finished with two hits in its season-high sixth consecutive loss.

“The ball’s not bouncing our way,” Royals infielder Michael Massey said. “We’ve gone through streaks where the ball hits on the right side of the chalk line and streaks where it hits the wrong side. We’re just on the wrong side right now.”

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/lane-thomas-homers-9-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-center-field-jhonkensy-noel-sc">Thomas’ ninth homer of the season</a>&nbsp;lifted Cleveland to a 2-1 lead in the fifth. It was Thomas’ first homer since he was acquired in a July 29 trade with Washington.

“All you want to do is contribute,” Thomas said. “It was nice to give Gavin a little support there.”

José Ramírez led off the sixth with an infield single off Kris Bubic. Josh Naylor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/josh-naylor-homers-29-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field-jose-ramirez-scores">followed with his 29th homer</a>, a 420-foot drive to center on a 1-0 fastball.

In his last five games, Naylor has eight RBIs and 11 hits, three for extra bases.

Emmanuel Clase handled the ninth for his 41st save. He has converted 28 consecutive save chances.

Garcia doubled home Yuli Gurriel in the second for Kansas City, and Kyle Isbel added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Garcia said Williams threw more curveballs “and we didn’t make the adjustment.”

Garcia started at shortstop as Bobby Witt Jr. served as the designated hitter. It was Witt’s first game away from shortstop since last Sept. 4, a span of 161 games.

Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha (11-7) permitted two runs and five hits in five innings in his first loss since June 22.

“Everything was good until the fifth,” Wacha said. “Was able to keep them off balance until then.”

“He threw the ball really, really well,” Hoover said. “He gave up the cutter for a home run to Thomas. The one swing got him.”

Royals: 1B Gurriel left in the eighth because of right hamstring tightness.

Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (10-6, 3.65 ERA) opposes RHP Brady Singer (9-9, 3.36 ERA) on Tuesday night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717239521858.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MARC BOWMAN Associated PressKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gavin Williams pitched seven sharp innings, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Monday.Lane Thomas and Josh Naylor each hit two-run homers for AL Central-leading Cleveland, which won for the fourth time in five games.Williams (3-7) allowed one run and one hit in an encouraging September performance after he went 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA in five starts last month.“Filling up the zone,” Williams said. “Talking with (catcher) Bo (Naylor) and having a better plan. Just seeing the way they took different pitches.”The right-hander walked two while throwing 46 pitches in the first two innings. But he settled down from there, retiring his final 16 batters.“The first couple of innings he was fighting himself,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Made an adjustment. To go seven was much needed, for him, for us, and everything.”The Guardians began the day with a 3 1/2-game lead over Minnesota and Kansas City in the division.The Royals played without&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Royals/status/1830621846783283534">manager Matt Quatraro</a>, who missed the game because of a personal matter. Bench coach Paul Hoover ran the team in Quatraro's absence.Kansas City finished with two hits in its season-high sixth consecutive loss.“The ball’s not bouncing our way,” Royals infielder Michael Massey said. “We’ve gone through streaks where the ball hits on the right side of the chalk line and streaks where it hits the wrong side. We’re just on the wrong side right now.”<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/lane-thomas-homers-9-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-center-field-jhonkensy-noel-sc">Thomas’ ninth homer of the season</a>&nbsp;lifted Cleveland to a 2-1 lead in the fifth. It was Thomas’ first homer since he was acquired in a July 29 trade with Washington.“All you want to do is contribute,” Thomas said. “It was nice to give Gavin a little support there.”José Ramírez led off the sixth with an infield single off Kris Bubic. Josh Naylor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/video/josh-naylor-homers-29-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field-jose-ramirez-scores">followed with his 29th homer</a>, a 420-foot drive to center on a 1-0 fastball.In his last five games, Naylor has eight RBIs and 11 hits, three for extra bases.Emmanuel Clase handled the ninth for his 41st save. He has converted 28 consecutive save chances.Garcia doubled home Yuli Gurriel in the second for Kansas City, and Kyle Isbel added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.Garcia said Williams threw more curveballs “and we didn’t make the adjustment.”Garcia started at shortstop as Bobby Witt Jr. served as the designated hitter. It was Witt’s first game away from shortstop since last Sept. 4, a span of 161 games.Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha (11-7) permitted two runs and five hits in five innings in his first loss since June 22.“Everything was good until the fifth,” Wacha said. “Was able to keep them off balance until then.”“He threw the ball really, really well,” Hoover said. “He gave up the cutter for a home run to Thomas. The one swing got him.”TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: 1B Gurriel left in the eighth because of right hamstring tightness.UP NEXTGuardians RHP Tanner Bibee (10-6, 3.65 ERA) opposes RHP Brady Singer (9-9, 3.36 ERA) on Tuesday night.

⚾ Guardians win over Royals on Labor Day

AP Sports Summary for Tuesday, September 3rd 2024:

Patrick Mahomes wants better start for Chiefs, more Week 1 magic when Ravens visit Thursday night

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs insist they are not thinking about last year's opener against Detroit, when they played flat in a loss to the Lions. Patrick Mahomes is chief among them. But for a quarterback who is usually better than normal in Week 1, it was a strangely poor performance, and one he does not want to replicate Thursday night against Baltimore. The three-time Super Bowl MVP had by far the worst Week 1 performance of his career that night, completing barely more than 50% of his passes for just 226 yards with his fewest touchdown passes (two) and first interception in six season openers. In five previous openers, he had averaged 308 yards with 18 total touchdown passes and no interceptions.

US Open: Jessica Pegula's 7th Grand Slam quarterfinal will be against No. 1 Iga Swiatek

NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Diana Shnaider. Monday's win put Pegula in her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal. Now comes the hard part: Pegula is 0-6 at that stage over her career, and she plays No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Wednesday. The No. 6-seeded Pegula is on quite a run at the moment, having won 13 of her past 14 matches, all on hard courts. That included her second consecutive title in Canada and an appearance in the final at the Cincinnati Open, where she lost to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. Also reaching the quarterfinals were Karolina Muchova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper.

Treshaun Ward leads Boston College in 28-13 victory over No. 10 Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Treshaun Ward totaled 138 offensive yards, including a 13-yard touchdown reception, against his former team as Boston College stunned No. 10 Florida State 28-13. A Tampa native who played at Florida State from 2019-22, Ward had 77 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving as the Eagles (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) totaled 263 yards rushing. It was a resounding debut for BC coach Bill O'Brien, who was introduced in mid-February after Jeff Hafley's departure to become the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator.

Washington's Luke McCaffrey looking to make his own name in the NFL following his dad and brothers

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Luke McCaffrey this weekend will become the latest member of his family to play in the NFL. Father Ed won three Super Bowls, older brother Christian is the reigning offensive player of the year and eldest brother Max played a handful of games in 2017 and '18. Luke is trying to make his own name in the league a rookie wide receiver with the Washington Commanders. The converted quarterback has already formed a strong bond with Jayden Daniels going back to offseason workouts and is expected to be one of the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner's top offensive options.

The 49ers place rookie Ricky Pearsall on the non-football injury list after shooting

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was placed on the non-football injury list after he was shot during an attempted robbery. The move clears up a spot on the 53-man roster for the 49ers while Pearsall recovers after being shot in the chest Saturday in central San Francisco. Pearsall was hospitalized overnight and released on Sunday from the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. The team hasn't given any indication on how long Pearsall will be out, but he must miss at least four games while on the non-football injury list.

US Open: No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets past Tommy Paul to set up a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev

NEW YORK (AP) — Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals by beating No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1. Sinner shook off a slow start Monday night and came through in the clutch at the end of tiebreakers that decided the first two sets. Sinner is two weeks removed from being cleared in a doping case stemming from two positive tests in March. He moved into a showdown against 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, the last past winner at Flushing Meadows still in the men's field. Sinner is a 23-year-old from Italy who claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January by defeating Medvedev in the final in five sets after dropping the first two.

Analysis: IndyCar left scrambling after NASCAR beats them into Mexico City

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) — Pato O'Ward was not happy at all when NASCAR last week announced it would race in Mexico City at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. O'Ward could not believe that NASCAR had beaten IndyCar to the punch, and his fellow competitors were equally incensed. NASCAR has never in the modern era held a points-paying Cup Series race outside the United States, and had somehow beaten IndyCar, which actually did used to race in Mexico, back into the market. As NASCAR celebrated this monumental moment, the IndyCar paddock was aghast. How did NASCAR get a race in Mexico before they did?

Rafael Nadal tells a Spanish TV show he doesn't think Jannik Sinner intended to dope

NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Nadal has told a Spanish television show that he doesn't think Jannik Sinner intended to use a banned substance and that the current No. 1-ranked man didn't receive preferential treatment when he was cleared of doping after testing positive twice in March for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid. Nadal said Monday in an interview with "El Hormiguero" that he believes that people making decisions about matters such as that do what they think is right. Sinner was playing Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday night.

Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is back with the Padres as they push for a playoff spot

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was activated from the 60-day injured list by the San Diego Padres after being sidelined for more than two months with a stress reaction in his right thighbone. He went 0 for 4 but did advance two runners in the two-run eighth inning in a 3-0 win against the Detroit Tigers. Tatis last played on June 21. He was put on the injured list on June 24, retroactive to June 22. He received ovations when the lineups were announced and when he ran out to his defensive position at the start of the game.

Medals for women in wheelchair rugby at Paralympics, pregnant archer wins gold and triathlon begins

PARIS (AP) — Ella Sabljak helped Australia win the bronze medal in wheelchair rugby at the Paris Paralympics then turned her thoughts to growing the sport. As one of three women on the team, Sabljak is optimistic their success will encourage more women to participate. Pregnant archer Jodie Grinham of Britain clinched her second medal of the Games with gold in the mixed team compound event. Transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo failed to qualify for the final in the 400 meters of her visually impaired classification. Triathletes finally got the green light to swim in the Seine River after concerns about bacteria levels. Five-time champion Brazil remains unbeaten in blind soccer.

Final	Boston College	28	(10)Florida St.	13	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, September 3rd 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, September 3rd 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for Tuesday, September 3rd 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8565022/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Patrick Mahomes wants better start for Chiefs, more Week 1 magic when Ravens visit Thursday nightKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs insist they are not thinking about last year's opener against Detroit, when they played flat in a loss to the Lions. Patrick Mahomes is chief among them. But for a quarterback who is usually better than normal in Week 1, it was a strangely poor performance, and one he does not want to replicate Thursday night against Baltimore. The three-time Super Bowl MVP had by far the worst Week 1 performance of his career that night, completing barely more than 50% of his passes for just 226 yards with his fewest touchdown passes (two) and first interception in six season openers. In five previous openers, he had averaged 308 yards with 18 total touchdown passes and no interceptions.US Open: Jessica Pegula's 7th Grand Slam quarterfinal will be against No. 1 Iga SwiatekNEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open after a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Diana Shnaider. Monday's win put Pegula in her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal. Now comes the hard part: Pegula is 0-6 at that stage over her career, and she plays No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Wednesday. The No. 6-seeded Pegula is on quite a run at the moment, having won 13 of her past 14 matches, all on hard courts. That included her second consecutive title in Canada and an appearance in the final at the Cincinnati Open, where she lost to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. Also reaching the quarterfinals were Karolina Muchova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper.Treshaun Ward leads Boston College in 28-13 victory over No. 10 Florida StateTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Treshaun Ward totaled 138 offensive yards, including a 13-yard touchdown reception, against his former team as Boston College stunned No. 10 Florida State 28-13. A Tampa native who played at Florida State from 2019-22, Ward had 77 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving as the Eagles (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) totaled 263 yards rushing. It was a resounding debut for BC coach Bill O'Brien, who was introduced in mid-February after Jeff Hafley's departure to become the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator.Washington's Luke McCaffrey looking to make his own name in the NFL following his dad and brothersASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Luke McCaffrey this weekend will become the latest member of his family to play in the NFL. Father Ed won three Super Bowls, older brother Christian is the reigning offensive player of the year and eldest brother Max played a handful of games in 2017 and '18. Luke is trying to make his own name in the league a rookie wide receiver with the Washington Commanders. The converted quarterback has already formed a strong bond with Jayden Daniels going back to offseason workouts and is expected to be one of the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner's top offensive options.The 49ers place rookie Ricky Pearsall on the non-football injury list after shootingSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was placed on the non-football injury list after he was shot during an attempted robbery. The move clears up a spot on the 53-man roster for the 49ers while Pearsall recovers after being shot in the chest Saturday in central San Francisco. Pearsall was hospitalized overnight and released on Sunday from the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. The team hasn't given any indication on how long Pearsall will be out, but he must miss at least four games while on the non-football injury list.US Open: No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets past Tommy Paul to set up a quarterfinal against Daniil MedvedevNEW YORK (AP) — Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals by beating No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1. Sinner shook off a slow start Monday night and came through in the clutch at the end of tiebreakers that decided the first two sets. Sinner is two weeks removed from being cleared in a doping case stemming from two positive tests in March. He moved into a showdown against 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, the last past winner at Flushing Meadows still in the men's field. Sinner is a 23-year-old from Italy who claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January by defeating Medvedev in the final in five sets after dropping the first two.Analysis: IndyCar left scrambling after NASCAR beats them into Mexico CityWEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) — Pato O'Ward was not happy at all when NASCAR last week announced it would race in Mexico City at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. O'Ward could not believe that NASCAR had beaten IndyCar to the punch, and his fellow competitors were equally incensed. NASCAR has never in the modern era held a points-paying Cup Series race outside the United States, and had somehow beaten IndyCar, which actually did used to race in Mexico, back into the market. As NASCAR celebrated this monumental moment, the IndyCar paddock was aghast. How did NASCAR get a race in Mexico before they did?Rafael Nadal tells a Spanish TV show he doesn't think Jannik Sinner intended to dopeNEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Nadal has told a Spanish television show that he doesn't think Jannik Sinner intended to use a banned substance and that the current No. 1-ranked man didn't receive preferential treatment when he was cleared of doping after testing positive twice in March for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid. Nadal said Monday in an interview with "El Hormiguero" that he believes that people making decisions about matters such as that do what they think is right. Sinner was playing Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday night.Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is back with the Padres as they push for a playoff spotSAN DIEGO (AP) — Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was activated from the 60-day injured list by the San Diego Padres after being sidelined for more than two months with a stress reaction in his right thighbone. He went 0 for 4 but did advance two runners in the two-run eighth inning in a 3-0 win against the Detroit Tigers. Tatis last played on June 21. He was put on the injured list on June 24, retroactive to June 22. He received ovations when the lineups were announced and when he ran out to his defensive position at the start of the game.Medals for women in wheelchair rugby at Paralympics, pregnant archer wins gold and triathlon beginsPARIS (AP) — Ella Sabljak helped Australia win the bronze medal in wheelchair rugby at the Paris Paralympics then turned her thoughts to growing the sport. As one of three women on the team, Sabljak is optimistic their success will encourage more women to participate. Pregnant archer Jodie Grinham of Britain clinched her second medal of the Games with gold in the mixed team compound event. Transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo failed to qualify for the final in the 400 meters of her visually impaired classification. Triathletes finally got the green light to swim in the Seine River after concerns about bacteria levels. Five-time champion Brazil remains unbeaten in blind soccer.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Cincinnati	5	Houston	3	Final	San Diego	3	Detroit	0	Final	N.Y. Mets	4	Boston	1	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Baltimore	13	Chicago White Sox	3	Final	Cleveland	4	Kansas City	2	Final	Minnesota	5	Tampa Bay	4	Final	Oakland	5	Seattle	4	Final	N.Y. Yankees	8	Texas	4	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Milwaukee	9	St. Louis	3	Final	L.A. Dodgers	11	Arizona	6	Final	Pittsburgh	5	Chicago Cubs	3	___TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALLFinal	Boston College	28	(10)Florida St.	13	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Philadelphia	at	Toronto	7:07 p.m.			Boston	at	N-Y Mets	7:10 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	L-A Angels	9:38 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Chi White Sox	at	Baltimore	6:35 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Tampa Bay	6:50 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Kansas City	7:40 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Texas	8:05 p.m.			Seattle	at	Oakland	9:40 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Washington	at	Miami	6:40 p.m.			Colorado	at	Atlanta	7:20 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Chi Cubs	7:40 p.m.			St. Louis	at	Milwaukee	7:40 p.m.			Arizona	at	San Francisco	9:45 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Seattle	at	Connecticut	7 p.m.			Washington	at	Dallas	8 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Phoenix	10 p.m.			Chicago	at	Las Vegas	10 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs insist that they are not thinking about last year’s opener against Detroit, when they celebrated their latest Super Bowl triumph with a flag-raising ceremony and were promptly beaten by the Lions.

The three-time Super Bowl MVP had by far the worst Week 1 performance of his career that night, completing barely more than 50% of his passes for just 226 yards with his fewest touchdown passes (two) and first interception in six season openers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704368438492.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 25-17 to clinch the AFC West. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates following an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 25-17 to clinch the AFC West. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs insist that they are not thinking about last year’s opener against Detroit, when they celebrated their latest Super Bowl triumph with a flag-raising ceremony and were promptly beaten by the Lions.Patrick Mahomes is chief among them.The three-time Super Bowl MVP had by far the worst Week 1 performance of his career that night, completing barely more than 50% of his passes for just 226 yards with his fewest touchdown passes (two) and first interception in six season openers.Makes sense that Mahomes has tried to wash away his memory of the Lions with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-season-preview-2024-5bd0805146d13be839159836b7841c71">the Ravens awaiting him Thursday night</a>.“I don’t think last year’s too much on your mind,” Mahomes said. “You’re so focused on trying to get better, and we’re playing the best of the best Week 1. We’re going to see where we’re at. We’re going to have to go out there and play our best football early in the season. All we can do is go out there and be our best.”That is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-ravens-kansas-city-baltimore-9cc41169b71e7a0dee221cf7c4f47bb4">more the norm for Mahomes in Week 1</a>&nbsp;— the best of his best — and it is an exceedingly high bar. He had never lost a season opener until running into Detroit, winning his first five as the starting quarterback in Kansas City. He had completed at least 75% of his passes in four of those games, averaged 308 yards and thrown for 18 TD passes without a pick.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was just 21 of 39 for 226 yards in the 21-20 loss to the Lions.“You don’t want to get pushed around. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Mahomes said of Week 1 games, and playing the Ravens in particular. “Whenever you play teams like this, you want to make sure you match their physicality. We’re fast, and we’ve got guys that run around, but we pride ourselves on being physical as well, so it’s going to be a great challenge, man.”Something else that Mahomes tries not to think about: his place in history.He’s completed more passes for more yards and more touchdown passes than any quarterback in NFL history though 96 starts, and every game he seems to climb another historical chart.One big step will likely come Thursday night, when Mahomes — with 28,424 yards passing — needs just 84 to pass Hall of Famer Len Dawson for the career franchise record.“It’s a little bit different game now with the passing the way it is,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but he has so much respect for Len before Len passed. They had a relationship there. They talked. The game’s just — it’s a little different. There’s just a little bit more passing that goes on now. At the college — all levels really, you start at the little kid’s level and on up through high school and college, and the ball is being thrown more. It’s a compliment to Pat because he does it the right way.“As great as he is,” Reid said, “he’s a humble guy and respects the things that happened before him. He gets it.”Mahomes tends to rise to the occasion, the bigger the game the bigger his performance. It’s a big reason why the two-time NFL MVP has led the Chiefs to six consecutive AFC championship games, reached four Super Bowls and won three of them.That includes this past season, when the Chiefs had to beat the Ravens on the road to win their latest conference title.And while nobody will mistake Week 1 for the playoffs, the spotlight nevertheless still shines a little more brightly than for a typical game.The Chiefs will once again raise a championship banner Thursday night, and the eyes of the NFL will fall squarely on Arrowhead Stadium for the game that raises the curtain on the regular season.