KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Houston Astros 6-0. Kris Bubic and the Kansas City bullpen combined on a five-hitter, snapping Houston’s five-game winning streak. Perez added an RBI double during a four-run eighth. Perez’s seventh home run snapped an 0-for-22 streak and was his first homer since May 14. Last season, Perez topped the majors with 121 RBIs and was tied with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a big league-leading 48 home runs.
CHICAGO (AP) — Cardinals rookie Brendan Donovan hit a two-run double in the 10th inning and St. Louis overcame a baserunning mistake to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4 and split a doubleheader. Ian Happ had two doubles for the Cubs, who won the first game 6-1. Donovan doubled after Michael Rucker walked Nolan Arenado. Harrison Bader followed with an RBI single, and another run scored on a double play during a four-run 10th. A Cardinals mistake kept them from taking the lead in the ninth. Edmundo Sosa missed third base attempting to score from second on Nolan Gorman’s single off David Robertson. Sosa had to return to third, and Paul Goldschmidt grounded out to end the threat.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jocelyn Alo homered and knocked in three runs to help No. 1 seed Oklahoma beat Big 12 rival Texas 7-2 on Saturday at the Women’s College World Series. Alo set the tone with her two-run blast as the second batter of the game. The two-time reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year increased her Division I career-record home run total to 118. Tiare Jennings also hit a homer for the Sooners, who advanced to the semifinals Monday and moved one step closer to defending their national title. Hope Trautwein went the distance for the Sooners to claim the win. Janae Jefferson hit a solo homer in the seventh for Texas. Texas will play Arizona in an elimination game Sunday.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kelly Maxwell threw a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and No. 7 seed Oklahoma State defeated No. 14 Florida 2-0 to advance to the Women’s College World Series semifinals. Chyenne Factor had two hits and knocked in a run for the Cowgirls. It was quite a day for the Big 12. No. 1 seed Oklahoma defeated fellow Big 12 member Texas in the early game to advance to the semifinals. Florida will plays No. 5 UCLA in an elimination game on Sunday.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Robert Moore hit two home runs and Arkansas scored eight runs — including a grand slam by Jalen Battles — in the eighth inning as the Razorbacks rallied to beat Oklahoma State 20-12 at the Stillwater Regional. Arkansas (40-18) advances to the title game against the winner of an elimination game between Oklahoma State (40-21) and Missouri State. Roc Riggio went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and five RBIs for Oklahoma State. Nolan McLean hit a two-run home run to spark a five-run third inning to give the Cowboys a 7-2 lead. Brady Slavens, Cayden Wallace, Chris Lanzilli and Michael Turner each hit a home run for Arkansas. Turner and Lanzilli drove in four runs apiece.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Skyler Messinger’s RBI double capped a three-run bottom of the seventh inning and No. 9 overall seed Texas went on to beat LouisianaSte Tech 5-2 in the Austin Regional. Texas (44-19) advances to the title game on Sunday. The Longhorns will play the winner of Sunday morning’s elimination game between Louisiana Tech (43-20) and Air Force. A loss by the Longhorns would force a Monday finale.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jimmy Crooks hit two of Oklahoma’s four home runs and the No. 2 seed Sooners beat top-seeded Florida 9-4 to advance to the championship of the Gainesville Regional. Oklahoma (39-20) plays against the winner of a loser-out game between the host Gators and No. 4 seed Central Michigan. Ty Evans and Jac Caglianone each hit a home run in the bottom of the second to give Florida (40-23) a 2-0 lead. Mac Guscette added a solo shot in the seventh. Peyton Graham hit a two-run home run and Blake Robertson followed with a solo shot in the top of the third to make it 3-2 and the Sooners led the rest of the way. Crooks finished 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Brayden Taylor and Kurtis Byrne homered on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning and TCU stayed alive in the College Station Regional with a 3-1 win over Oral Roberts. Taylor homered to right field on a 3-1 pitch from Isaac Coffey (7-6) with two down in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. Byrne followed with a drive down the left-field line. TCU only had five hits. That was enough as five Horned Frogs pitchers scattered seven singles and five walks, striking out 11. Caleb Bolden (5-2) picked up the win and Garrett Wright went the final 2 2/3 innings for his fifth save.
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Brandon Birdsell threw seven shutout innings and Texas Tech used a wild pitch and a throwing error to score two runs on the same play as the Red Raiders defeated UNC Greensboro 2-0 in an elimination game of the Statesboro Regional. Texas Tech (38-21) will play the loser of Saturday’s nightcap between No. 16 overall seed Georgia Southern and Notre Dame in an elimination game Sunday morning. Birdsell (9-3) allowed five hits and two walks, striking out four. Andrew Devine followed Birdsell and retired all four batters he faced, striking out a pair. Derek Bridges got the final two outs, striking out Zack Budzik on three pitches with two runners on base to end the game for his first save of the season.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche own a three-games-to-none lead in the NHL's Western Conference finals after scoring the final two goals in a 4-2 downing of the Oilers in Edmonton. J.T. Compher broke a 2-2 tie with 7:18 remaining, about five minutes after Ryan McLeod tied it for Edmonton. Valeri Nichushkin scored two straight goals to give the Avs a 2-1 lead about 4 ½ minutes into the second period.
PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek has captured the French Open for the second time since 2020, earning a 6-1, 6-3 win over American Coco Gauff. Swiatek continued an exceptional run that now features 35 straight match wins, tying Venus Williams in 2000 as the longest in this century. She’s won 56 of her last 58 sets, 16 by a 6-love score.
SATURDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 7 L.A. Angels 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Yankees 3 Detroit 0
Final Toronto 12 Minnesota 3
Final Texas 3 Seattle 2
Final Baltimore 5 Cleveland 4
Final Chicago White Sox 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final Boston 8 Oakland 0
Final Kansas City 6 Houston 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 6 St. Louis 1
Final Pittsburgh 2 Arizona 1
Final San Diego 4 Milwaukee 0
Final Miami 5 San Francisco 4
Final Washington 10 Cincinnati 8
Final St. Louis 7 Chicago Cubs 4
Final Atlanta 6 Colorado 2
Final N.Y. Mets 9 L.A. Dodgers 4
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Colorado 4 Edmonton 2