MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — For the first time in over a month, Kansas State walked off the field with a win.

Skylar Thompson accounted for two touchdowns and sparked a late game-winning drive to lead the Wildcats to a 24-17 victory over TCU on Saturday and their first Big 12 Conference win of the season.

With eight minutes to play and the game tied 17-17, Thompson had a 61-yard run during an 11-play, 95-yard drive, capped by his 3-yard touchdown run with 2:45 to play.

“I knew it was just a matter of time because we were finally getting in a rhythm offensively,” Thompson said. “It was a great play call, but they gave us the look we were expecting on that touchdown and we executed the play.”

TCU drove to the Kansas State 37 on the ensuing series, but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-11.

“Just the toughness and resolve because he got hit a lot and he always just kept coming back,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said of Thompson.

Thompson threw for 172 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown pass to Nick Lenners in the first quarter. It was Lenners first career touchdown reception.

“It was unbelievable,” Lenners said. It was everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

The Wildcats (4-2, 1-2) finished with only 266 yards of offense and was stifled most of the game. One of their scores came off a blocked punt in the first quarter, and they were unable to connect on numerous long passes down the field.

“I mean, we practice what they do and then we react to whatever else they do,” TCU cornerback Julius Lewis said. “We’ve got to keep working.”

Max Duggan ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and added 132 yards passing for TCU (3-3, 1-2), which lost their second straight conference game. Duggan had only 46 career yards rushing coming into the contest. Duggan’s 46-yard touchdown run tied the game at 17-17 midway through the third quarter.

Sewo Olonilua and Darius Anderson each added 56 yards rushing for the Horned Frogs.

“Winning is hard,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “Especially going on the road, and this year we have a lot of road games.”

WINNING WAYS

Kansas State is over .500 six games into the season for the first time since 2014 when they started the year 8-2.

BACK IN MANHATTAN

Former Kansas State quarterback Alex Delton played only one drive for TCU. He was 2-of-2 passing for six yards in his return.

THE TAKEAWAY

TCU: This was a game that felt like the Horned Frogs should’ve won. They have lost two straight and will be in for a tough matchup next week against No. 15 Texas.

Kansas State: The Wildcats scratched and clawed for their first win since beating Mississippi State on Sept. 14. They will need to carry this momentum into next week when they face fifth-ranked Oklahoma.

UP NEXT

TCU hosts Texas on Saturday.

Kansas State ends a three-game home stand against Oklahoma on Saturday.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. –

The Hutchinson Community College football team broke two school single-game records and posted the largest blowout ever in its series with the Dodge City Conquistadors on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

The No. 4-ranked Blue Dragons scored 21 points or more in three quarters and rolled by the Conquistadors 85-3.

The Blue Dragons clinch their 57th all-time winning season, improving to 7-1. The Blue Dragons maintain their one-game lead over Garden City, which defeated Highland 37-7 on Saturday.

There were many Blue Dragon superlatives on Saturday.

+ The Blue Dragons scored the most points ever against Dodge City – surpassing the old record against the Conquistadors of 83 in 1996. The 85 points scored were the third-most in Blue Dragon Football history.

+ The 82-point margin of victory is a series record for the Dragons and ties for the third-largest margin of victory in team history, tying the 82-point rout of RPA last season.

+ The Blue Dragons broke a school record with 301 kickoff or punt return yards.

+ Hutch set a school single-game record with three kick returns for touchdowns. Tiyon Evans opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return. Mitchell Tinsley then ran back a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Darious Cleveland also returned a free kick after a safety 61 yards for a touchdown.

+ The Blue Dragons had 798 all-purpose yards, which is the third most in single-game Blue Dragon history.

The Blue Dragons led 21-3 after one quarter on a Mark Wright 22-yard run, a Tray Pettway 87-yard touchdown pass from Wright and an Evans 25-yard touchdown run. That 87-yard pass from Wright to Pettway is the fourth-longest completion in Blue Dragon history.

Hutch added 21 points in the second quarter to take a 42-3 lead. Shariif Brown scored from 2 yards out on the first play of the quarter. Karim Brown caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Wright and Lavar Gardner returned a fumble 1 yard for a touchdown.

The Blue Dragons’ first three touches of the third quarter all resulted in touchdowns. Evans and Tinsley had their returns. Then Evans added a 42-yard touchdown run to make it 62-3 with 11:29 to go in the third quarter. Jonathan White scored from 14 yards out and Pettway caught a 14-yard pass from Khari Lane for a 76-3 lead after three quarters.

Traveon Freeman recorded a safety and Cleveland returned the free kick for a touchdown to make it 85-3.

The Blue Dragons had 228 rushing yards and 269 through the air for 497 total yards. Dodge City was held to 118 total yards with 67 rush yards and 51 passing yards. This is the sixth-straight opponent that Hutch has held an opponent to less than 100 rushing yards. The 118 total yards is an opponent season low.

Evans finished with three touchdowns in the game – two rushing and the kickoff return. He accounted for 223 all-purpose yards, getting 67 yards on three carries and returning two kicks for 156 yards.

Pettway caught two balls for a season-high 126 receiving yards. Pettway finished with 126 all-purpose yards.

Brown was Hutch’s leading rusher with 71 yards on three carries. Wright was 6 of 10 passing for 205 yards with two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons forced a season-high five takeaways. Kaytron Allen and Justin Gardner both had interceptions, while Lavar Gardner, Justin Gardner and Dennis Jackson all had fumble recoveries.

The Dragons are now 49-36-4 all-time against Dodge City, including 26-15-2 at in Hutchinson.

The Blue Dragons will play host to RPA at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Gowans Stadium.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Hutchinson Community College football team looks to remain unbeaten at Gowans Stadium this season as the Dodge City Conquistadors come to Gowans Stadium for a Noon kickoff on Fall Homecoming 2019.

The No. 4-ranked Blue Dragons are 2-0 at home this season with victories over Independence, No. 2 Butler and last week’s 49-7 triumph over Coffeyville. Dodge City is 0-7 this season and are 0-4 away from Memorial Stadium in Dodge City.

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 11:30 a.m. with Countdown to Kickoff. Glen Grunwald (play-by-play), Rob Dreher (color) and Randy McKay (sidelines) will call the action. The game will also be videostreamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 11:30 a.m.

In terms of the big picture for Hutchinson entering Saturday’s game, the Blue Dragons have a one-game lead over Garden City in the Jayhawk Conference standings. Hutchinson travels to Garden City on November 2. Butler, Fort Scott and Independence are all at 3-2 and Hutch already has wins over those three teams.

As far as the NJCAA rankings, two of the three teams ahead of the Blue Dragons – Mississippi Gulf Coast and Northwest Mississippi – already won games on Thursday. No. 3 Lackawanna College plays Hocking on Saturday in Scranton, PA.

Last week against Coffeyville, the Blue Dragons racked up season highs for points, rushing yards and total yards in a 49-7 win over Coffeyville. The Dragons ran for 309 yards and had 512 yards of total offense.

Those 312 yards against the Red Ravens were the first time Hutch rushed for 300 or more yards in a game since going for 314 yards last season against Dodge City. Hutchinson had five rushers with at least 40 yards, led by Erin Collins, who had a season-high 99 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. Blue Dragon ball carriers had five carries of 20 yards or more.

The Blue Dragons face a Dodge City team in the middle of a rebuild. First-year coach Ricky Coon has seen flashes of success in 2019 – the Conquistadors built a 22-7 lead over Garden City this season – but the Conquistadors are still looking for their first win of the season.

Last week, the Conquistadors lost 39-21 to Iowa Central at Memorial Stadium. Dodge City trailed 25-0 after three quarters. Running back C.J. Hall had a team-high 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Iowa Central rolled up 323 total yards and had six quarterback sacks against two Dodge City quarterbacks.

After Saturday, the Blue Dragons will have a short turnaround as Hutchinson will play its final home game of 2019 next Thursday, October 14 against RPA in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Gowans Stadium.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL

No. 4 Hutchinson (6-1, 4-1) vs. Dodge City (0-7, 0-4) When: Saturday, October 19, 2019 Where: Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson, KS Kickoff: Noon Live Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 11:30 a.m. Live Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 11:30 a.m. Live Stats: bluedragonsports.com Twitter: @bluedragonsport Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech Wireless Admission: Reserved – $8; General Admission – $6 CLICK FOR FULL GAME NOTES (PDF Format)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes escaped significant damage to ligaments when he dislocated his right kneecap against Denver and could be back in 4-6 weeks. The reigning league MVP was hurt during the Chiefs’ 30-6 win in Denver on Thursday night while sneaking for a first down on fourth-and-short deep in Broncos territory. Everyone jumped up from the pile but Mahomes, who immediately grabbed for his right knee as trainers rushed onto the field.

DENVER (AP) — The Year of the Backup Quarterback now features Matt Moore, a 35-year-old journeyman who was out of football last year. Moore was thrust into the Chiefs’ lineup when reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes injured his right knee at Denver. The league’s celebration of its 100th season has been marred by the loss of some of its biggest stars. The club of QBs sidelined so far includes Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Nick Foles, Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky and Sam Darnold.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Clint Bowyer rolled into Kansas Speedway on Friday with the comfort of knowing he’ll be with Stewart-Haas Racing next season and the uncertainty of whether he’ll be in the playoffs next week. The native Kansan reached a contract extension with SHR to remain in the No. 14 Ford regardless of what happens Sunday, when Bowyer faces postseason elimination. He sits 11th in the 12-driver field with the bottom four drivers eliminated after the race at Kansas Speedway.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The No. 47 team from JTG Daugherty Racing was busy putting an engine into a backup car for Ryan Preece after its team transporter caught fire the previous day. The drivers in the hauler were not injured, though the team was unsure what could be salvaged of the cars. Meanwhile, the Xfinity Series entry from Kaulig Racing was scrambling after its own hauler crashed down an embankment. Nobody was hurt in that wreck, either.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech coach Matt Wells and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell might spend a moment thinking about Baylor when their teams meet Saturday. For Wells, a play went against the Red Raiders in an overtime loss to Baylor last weekend. Campbell’s Cyclones also lost in Waco this year after trailing 20-0 before taking the lead — only to lose on a late field goal. The coaches are eager to have their teams finish off games.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Every time that longtime Kansas State coach Bill Snyder seemed to be leaning toward retirement, it seemed as if TCU coach Gary Patterson’s name would surface as the logical successor for the Wildcats. Things never quite worked out that way, and now Chris Klieman will lead the Wildcats against Patterson’s Horned Frogs on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Christian Eckes won the ARCA Series finale along with its season championship Friday night. The 18-year-old from Greenville, New York, had a 15-point lead on Venturini Motorsports teammate Michael Self heading into the race at Kansas Speedway. Self went to the front early in the race before Eckes, who started from the back after an engine change, methodically reeled him in.

National Headlines

NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Yankees and Houston Astros will play Game 6 of the American League Championship Series later today. The Yankees extended the series by homering twice and getting six strong innings from winning pitcher James Paxton in a 4-1 decision over the Astros. D.J. LeMahieu hit a leadoff homer and Aaron Hicks added a three-run blast in the first inning off Justin Verlander after Houston took a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) _ Justin Fields threw for 194 yards and four touchdowns as fourth-ranked Ohio State blasted Northwestern, 52-3 to improve to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Fields matched a career high with 22 touchdown passes this season and completed 18 of 23 passes for 194 yards. J.K. Dobbins has 947 yards rushing already this season after gaining 121 more while scoring two touchdowns.

UNDATED (AP) _ Saquon Barkley has been cleared to return to the New York Giants’ lineup for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Last year’s offensive rookie of the year hasn’t played since spraining his right ankle on Sept. 22 at Tampa Bay. The Eagles will be without nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters and several other key players when they visit the Cowboys on Sunday night.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Matt Every has been suspended for three months for violating the PGA Tour’s conduct policy on drugs of abuse. Every will be eligible to return Jan. 7. He will miss only three tournaments for which he would have been eligible. Every has two victories on the PGA Tour, winning back-to-back at Bay Hill in 2014 and 2015.

Friday Scores

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final N-Y Yankees 4 Houston 1

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (4)Ohio St. 52 Northwestern 3

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Washington 112 Philadelphia 93
Final Toronto 123 Brooklyn 107
Final Houston 144 Miami 133
Final New Orleans 117 New York 116
Final San Antonio 104 Memphis 91
Final Golden State 124 L.A. Lakers 103

SALINA, Kan. – The Hutchinson Salthawks finally put a complete half together and everything clicked as Hutch took advantage of Salina South turnovers and Hutch won over South 44-21 from Salina Stadium Friday night.  South fumbled on the opening kick off return and Hutchinson quickly moved the ball to the Cougar 1 yard line before Izaiah Delvalle took it into the end zone on a 3rd and goal situation to make it 7-0 Hutchinson with 9:05 to go in the 1st quarter.  On the next South possession, the Cougar drive stalled and the punt team was sent onto the field.  The stiff wind out of the south added to a bad long stap by the Cougars that sailed through the end zone for a safely from 27 yards out and Hutch was up 9-0 with 7:46 remaining in quarter 1.

Three minutes later at the 3:17 to go in the 1st quarter, Izaiah Delvalle scored his 2nd TD of the night with a 3rd and 4 gallop from 21 yards out and Hutchinson extended it’s lead to 16-0.  This time Salina South moved the football down the field and South’s Brandon Cox put 6 on the board from 8 yards out with 24 seconds to go in quarter 1.  Hutch 16, South 7.  Hutchinson quickly took over 9 minutes off the clock with a 70 yard drive that ended with a Alex McQue 3rd and goal, 8 yard touchdown off the rocket toss of which much was done with his back stepping it into the endzone.

On the night, Izaiah Delvalle had 3 touchdowns and McQue had 3 touchdowns.

Hutch added two Jalen Moriasi interceptions and stellar defense to earn the win, 44-21.

Hutchinson (2-5) returns home to host winless Campus next Friday for Senior night at Gowans Stadium.  Salina South is on the road to take on Newton next Friday night to wrap up the regular season and get ready for the post season which starts on Nov. 1st at the higher 6A seed schools in the West.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The equation is simple for the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team on Saturday night at the Salthawk Sports Complex.

Defeat No. 18 Cloud County and earn a share of Hutchinson’s first Jayhawk West title since 2016. Fall to the Thunderbirds and Cloud County owns the conference title outright.

To get to this point, the Blue Dragons have run the table since Cloud County’s 2-1 come-from-behind win over Hutchinson on September 25 in Concordia. Hutchinson defeated Barton, Garden City, Hesston College, Dodge City and Pratt 24-0.

Cloud County rolls into Saturday night’s showdown on a 13-game winning streak. The Thunderbirds have been equally impressive with an aggregate score of 56-7.

The first meeting in Concordia was a physical battle with six yellow cards and 36 combined fouls called.

Naomi Waithira gave Hutch a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute and the staunch Blue Dragon defense was shutting down the Thunderbirds. Finally, in the 69th minute, Cloud County broke through on a Fatima Leme goal. Five and a half minutes later, the Thunderbirds got the go-ahead goal on a Franciele Cupertino marker for a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Dragons have outscored their opponents 72-3 this season. Blue Dragon goalkeeper Chiara Soergel is the national leader in shutouts with 10, a goals-against average of 0.23 and a .921 save percentage.

Four different Blue Dragons have at least 10 goals led by freshman Samantha Vaughn‘s 15. Esther Karhayu has 12, Chavelle Henry 11 and Waithira has 10 goals. Waithira also had a league-best 16 assists for a team-high 36 points.

The Blue Dragons will be going for a share of the program’s sixth conference title on Saturday.

After the game, the Blue Dragons will honor their 10 sophomores.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON WOMEN’S SOCCER

Hutchinson (12-2, 10-1) vs. No. 18 Cloud County (13-2, 11-0) When: Saturday, October 19, 2019 Where: Salthawk Sports Complex Kickoff: 6 p.m. Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 6 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport Admission: Free

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Andale 50, Clearwater 12
Arkansas City 13, Valley Center 7
Augusta 37, Abilene 14
Basehor-Linwood 39, Atchison 20
Bennington 54, Herington 8
Bolivar, Mo. 52, Fort Scott 0
Burlington 42, Osawatomie 28
Caney Valley 48, Parsons 34
Canton-Galva 60, Solomon 0
Cedar Vale/Dexter Co-op 56, Oswego 8
Centralia 62, Wabaunsee 0
Central Christian-Hutchinson 62, Stafford 14
Cheney 55, Wichita Trinity 14
Cherryvale 49, Neodesha 16
Chillicothe, Mo. 35, KC Wyandotte 7
Cimarron 48, Lyons 14
Clifton-Clyde 48, Washington County 0
Colby 28, Scott City 20, 2OT
Columbus 21, Galena 0
DeSoto 59, Shawnee Heights 14
Derby 54, Haysville-Campus 27
Douglass 32, Fredonia 21
Dodge City 17, Garden City 7
Elkhart 49, Stanton County 8
Ell-Saline 42, Salina Sacred Heart 18
Frontenac 55, Baxter Springs 6
Garden Plain 44, Wichita Independent 6
Gardner-Edgerton 56, SM Northwest 14
Girard 14, Iola 12
Goessel 56, Peabody-Burns 8
Golden Plains 68, Cunningham 19
Great Bend 49, Liberal 20
Hanover 54, Wetmore 7
Hillsboro 72, Bluestem 0
Hoisington 56, Phillipsburg 28
Holcomb 13, Pratt 6
Holton 30, Marysville 8
Hutchinson 44, Salina South 21
Hutchinson Trinity 36, Remington 14
Jefferson West 29, Wellsville 23
Lawrence 35, Olathe North 10
Lawrence Free State 41, SM East 14
Lyndon 36, Troy 16
Maize South 7, Goddard 0
Manhattan 62, Topeka West 0
McPherson 31, Rose Hill 7
Mill Valley 24, Blue Valley 20
Minneapolis 34, Hays-TMP-Marian 8
Moundridge 46, Central Plains 0
Mulvane 41, El Dorado 6
Nemaha Central 57, Atchison County 18
Nickerson 32, Kingman 0
Norwich 46, Pretty Prairie 0
Oakley 47, La Crosse 34
Olathe East 49, Pittsburg 14
Olathe West 14, Olathe South 7
Olpe 48, Marion 6
Onaga 56, Tescott 0
Oskaloosa 38, West Franklin 16
Otis-Bison 54, Chase 6
Perry-Lecompton 21, Topeka Hayden 20
Pittsburg Colgan 33, Pleasanton 16
Prairie View 41, Anderson County 0
Riley County 33, Southeast Saline 29
Riverside 55, Horton 0
Santa Fe Trail 55, KC Bishop Ward 7
Sedgwick 48, Sublette 8
South Central 56, Oxford 6
South Gray 51, Kinsley 6
South Haven 46, Fairfield 0
Spring Hill 7, KC Piper 6
St. Francis 60, Trego 12
St. James Academy 21, Kapaun Mount Carmel 7
St. Mary’s Academy 30, St. Joseph Christian, Mo. 6
St. Paul 71, Chetopa 0
Thunder Ridge 56, Wilson 8
Tonganoxie 55, Baldwin 0
Topeka 27, Emporia 0
Udall 31, Caldwell 16
Ulysses 17, Labette County 13
Washburn Rural 64, Highland Park 8
Western Plains-Healy 58, Weskan 13
Wichita County 58, Rawlins County 8
Wichita East 32, Wichita Southeast 7
Wichita Northwest 79, Wichita Heights 0
Wichita West 43, Wichita South 6

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander watched and waited, hoping Aaron Hicks’ drive deep down the right field line would hook foul at the last instant.

When it bonked hard off the bright yellow foul pole for a three-run homer, Verlander crouched beside the mound and simply held up his glove, waiting for a new baseball as the Yankee Stadium crowd roared.

Houston’s star pitcher had put his team in an early hole — no doubt about that now. And when the Astros were unable to rally during a 4-1 loss Friday night to New York, their first of three chances to close out this AL Championship Series was gone.

Same as Hicks’ shot.

And the one just before that off DJ LeMahieu’s bat.

“I was able to settle down,” Verlander said. “Too little too late.”

Earlier this season, Verlander playfully waved at Yankees fans as he walked off the mound on the way to a victory. But he was unable to put away New York for good in Game 5, struggling through a four-run first that ate up 29 pitches and marked his worst inning in two-plus years with the Astros.

Houston still headed home with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven playoff — and one more ace up its sleeve.

October star Gerrit Cole would be ready on full rest if the series goes to a deciding Game 7. Comforting thought for the Astros as they seek a second World Series trip in three years.

To push it that far, the Yankees must win Game 6 on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park, where both teams are planning bullpen games on the mound.

“We have to go and take care of business at home,” Verlander said.

“I’m extremely confident in our bullpen. Our bullpen’s been incredible all season long. Another reason that I really felt I needed to get deep in this ballgame was to save those guys as much as possible going into tomorrow because I knew it was going to be a bullpen day,” he added.

So the fact that Verlander, the 2017 ALCS MVP against the Yankees, settled into a serious groove and lasted seven innings was a big help in saving the relief corps. He retired 20 of his final 21 batters after Hicks’ home run, permitting only a soft single during that stretch, to finish with nine strikeouts and no walks.

“He was incredible after the first,” manager AJ Hinch said. “I thought he recovered great and did his best to continue to keep us in the game.”

But the damage was already done.

While fellow aces Cole and Zack Greinke were mostly able to escape first-inning trouble at Yankee Stadium in the previous two games, Verlander wasn’t.

And that terrible start prevented him from finishing off the Yankees.

It was similar to the Division Series against the wild-card Rays, when Verlander lost 4-1 on three days’ rest at Tampa Bay with an opportunity to end the series. He was on a regular schedule this time — but maybe the eight-time All-Star had trouble fully getting loose at the start in 52-degree weather.

It was the coldest game-time temperature for one of Verlander’s starts since it was 50 degrees for Game 1 of the ALCS last year in Boston, according to STATS. He walked four in six innings that time but won 7-2 at Fenway Park.

Verlander also was unable to wrap up the 2017 World Series in Game 6 at Dodger Stadium after a sensational postseason to that point. He pitched well for six innings but lost 3-1 before the Astros took the title the next night.

After the Astros grabbed a 1-0 lead Friday against James Paxton in the top of the first, Verlander gave up four hits to his first five batters — three for extra bases.

LeMahieu hit a leadoff homer to right field on Verlander’s second pitch and Hicks fought back from 0-2 to a full count before pulling an 88 mph slider down the line.

“Fastball command wasn’t very good, and the slider was just hanging. I just wasn’t able to execute really anything,” Verlander said. “I thought I could have made some better pitches. I had my opportunities. I was able to get a strikeout and then I had Hicks in the hole. Just wasn’t able to execute on anything. I got ahead of him early. Had opportunities to get a strikeout and I hung him a slider 3-2.”

It was the first time in their 405 postseason games that the Yankees homered twice in the first inning.

Verlander, the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, led the majors with 21 wins and 223 innings pitched this season. The last time he gave up four runs in the first was in August 2014 with Detroit against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I’ve had some rough innings before. Turn the page and start from scratch, really. At that point you’re hoping and praying that your team can fight and claw back and get you back in the ballgame. But at the same time, especially in the playoffs, especially when you have four games in a row, I’m trying to save our bullpen as much as possible,” Verlander said.

“Very disappointed in the first and then not so disappointed the rest of it. I was able to at least take away a positive from the last six innings of keeping our bullpen fresh and hopefully that helps us win another ballgame.”

It was the first postseason game in major league history in which both teams scored in the first inning and neither one did so again.

Now, it’s back to Houston.

One win needed, two chances left.

WINFIELD, Kan. – Buhler Tennis Singles qualifiers Aliyah Frederick and Brittany Teufel both reached the Quarterfianls Friday at the Kansas State Girls Tennis Tournament in Winfield, but then were both defeated. They now play out for 5th place in the consolation bracket of the tournament.

Buhler’s doubles team Payton DeMeyer and Alex Hutton advanced to the doubles semi-final which will be played on Saturday, October 19th. Yutzy and Birney, Buhlers other doubles qualifying team, won their first match, but dropped the next two matches and were eliminated.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — After their first bye week of the season, the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) return to action on Saturday as they travel to Austin, Texas to take on the No. 15/15 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m., airing on Longhorn Network.

The game marks the seventh of the season for the Jayhawks and their third game on the road. Kansas has dropped its last three games, while both teams are coming off a loss to No. 5/5 Oklahoma.

Texas owns the all-time series record against Kansas with a 15-3 record, including an 8-0 record in Austin. Kansas claimed its last win in the series in 2016, when the Jayhawks took down the Longhorns in Lawrence, 24-17, in 2OT.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Longhorns, head coach Les Miles met with the media.

GAME INFORMATION:

Kansas Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) at No. 15/15 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 2-1 Big 12)

Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

Where: Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium

Watch: Longhorn Network (Lowell Galindo (PxP), Ahmad Brooks (A), Kris Budden (SL)).

• Longhorn Network FAQ

Listen: Jayhawk Radio Network