AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:41 a.m. EDT
Cronenworth, Padres rally to stun Dodgers 5-3 to reach NLCS
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 to advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 1998. The Padres stunned the 111-win Dodgers with a five-run seventh to win the best-of-five NL Division Series 3-1 in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 45,139 at Petco Park. San Diego will host the Philadelphia Phillies in Games 1 and 2 of an all-wild card NLCS on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Phillies beat the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves 8-3 earlier in the day to win their NLDS in four games.
Peña's 18th-inning HR sends Astros past Mariners for sweep
SEATTLE (AP) — Jeremy Peña homered in the 18th inning, and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 to advance to the AL Championship Series for the sixth straight year. Peña drove a slider from Penn Murfee deep to left-center for the rookie shortstop's first playoff homer, proving the only run in an afternoon full of dominant pitching and empty trips to the plate. The 18 innings matched the longest game in playoff history. Spoiling Seattle's first home playoff appearance since 2001, Houston completed a three-game sweep of the ALDS. Next up is the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday.
Gonzalez, Guardians walk off Yankees for 2-1 ALDS lead
CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning, rallying the Cleveland Guardians to a 6-5 win over the New York Yankees for a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series. Gonzalez, a hero earlier in the postseason as well, lined a 1-2 pitch from Clarke Schmidt through the middle to score rookie Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario as the young Guardians, who have shown no fear during this storybook season, rallied once again and pushed the Yankees to the brink of elimination. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer for New York, which took a 5-3 lead into the ninth before its bullpen flopped.
No. 6 Tennessee beats No. 3 Alabama 52-49 on late FG
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chase McGrath made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 6 Tennessee a 52-49 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday. As soon as the kick knuckle-balled through the uprights, some of the more than 100,000 fans stormed the field to celebrate the Volunteers ending a 15-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. It didn't take long for the goal posts to go down. Hendon Hooker drove the Vols 45 yards in 18 seconds to set up the winner. Jalin Hyatt caught six passes for 207 yards and a Tennessee-record five touchdowns. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, a game-time decision because of a sprained right shoulder two weeks ago, completed 35 passes for 455 yards and two TDs.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chase McGrath made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 6 Tennessee a 52-49 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday. As soon as the kick knuckle-balled through the uprights, some of the more than 100,000 fans stormed the field to celebrate the Volunteers ending a 15-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. It didn’t take long for the goal posts to go down. Hendon Hooker drove the Vols 45 yards in 18 seconds to set up the winner. Jalin Hyatt caught six passes for 207 yards and a Tennessee-record five touchdowns. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, a game-time decision because of a sprained right shoulder two weeks ago, completed 35 passes for 455 yards and two TDs.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Stetson Bennett threw for 289 yards and two TDs as Georgia stamped its return to No. 1 with a 55-0 rout of Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs improved to 7-0 with a total blowout after three straight weeks of rather lackluster performances. Bennett was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 18 of 20 for 211 yards and two TDs — his first scoring passes in nearly a month. Kenny McIntosh caught one of the TDs and also ran for a score. The Georgia defense turned in its second shutout of the season and sent Vandy to its 24th straight SEC loss.
Marsh Madness! Phillies beat Braves 8-3 in Game 4, into NLCS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer and J.T. Realmuto lined an inside-the-park home run that sent the Philadelphia Phillies bolting headfirst into the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2010 with an 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 4. Realmuto became the first catcher to hit an inside-the-parker in postseason history and Bryce Harper punctuated the romp with a clinching home run that helped the Phillies take the NL Division Series 3-1 against the World Series champion Braves. The Phillies will face the Padres in an all-wild card NLCS beginning Tuesday in San Diego. The Padres stunned the Dodgers, taking their NLDS matchup in four games. Atlanta's loss meant there hasn't had a repeat champ since the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.
TCU rallies for 43-40 win in 2 OTs over No. 8 Oklahoma St
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kendre Miller scored on a 2-yard run in the second overtime and 13th-ranked TCU beat No. 8 Oklahoma State 43-40 in a matchup of the Big 12's last remaining undefeated teams. Fans stormed the field after Miller got into the end zone for the 6-0 Horned Frogs, who had gone into the fourth quarter trailing by two touchdowns. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime. Oklahoma State got the ball to start the second overtime, but after a holding penalty and three incomplete passes in a row, the Cowboys had to settle for Tanner Brown's fourth field goal, a 52-yarder.
Keegan Bradley wins Zozo for first PGA Tour win in 4 years
INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — It was worth the trip to Japan for Keegan Bradley, who won the Zozo Championship with a final-round 2-under 68, one ahead Rickie Fowler and Andrew Putnam for his first PGA Tour win in just over four years. Bradley bogeyed two of the last five holes, but came through with a key birdie putt on the 17th to give him a two-shot lead going into the 18th ahead of playing partners Fowler and Putnam. Bradley's last PGA Tour victory was in 2018 at the BMW Championship. This is his fifth PGA Tour victory.
Rising scores on 2-pointer, No. 20 Utah tops No. 7 USC 43-42
SALT AKE CITY (AP) — Cameron Rising threw for 415 yards, ran for three touchdowns and scampered up the middle for a go-ahead two-point conversion with 48 seconds left in No. 20 Utah's 43-42 victory over No. 7 Southern California on Saturday night. Rising rushed a yard for a touchdown on fourth down to set up the deciding conversion. Caleb Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns for Southern California (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12). Utah (5-2, 3-1) held the Trojans on their last-ditch drive, handing them their first loss as a record crowd of 53,609 shook Rice-Eccles Stadium and then flooded the field. Dalton Kincaid had 15 catches for 217 yards, the most for a Ute since Carl Harry had 255 yards in 1988.
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Vols, Frogs, Wolverines make statements
A Saturday that featured six games matching ranked teams, including three battles of unbeatens, promised to set the tone for the second half and sort contenders from pretenders. No. 5 Michigan stepped forward emphatically in the Big Ten. No. 13 TCU made an improbable rally to become the Big 12 favorite. And No. 6 Tennessee put the Southeastern Conference on tilt. A season that was supposed be about three elite teams marching toward a national championship has now taken a turn.
Deontay Wilder KOs Helenius in 1st to get back in win column
NEW YORK (AP) — Deontay Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round, powerfully punching his way back into the win column after consecutive losses to Tyson Fury. The former heavyweight champion had moved cautiously for most of the round before unleashing his right hand that has long been considered the best in the business. He knew it was over, posing against the ropes even before the fight had been stopped. Wilder, who is 43-2-1 with 42 KOs, won emphatically in his first fight since getting stopped twice by Fury, the latter in the 11th round last October after Fury got up from two knockdowns.