Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Max Scherzer followed Aníbal Sánchez’s near no-hitter with a try of his own and the stingy Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Scherzer didn’t allow a hit until Paul Goldschmidt led off the seventh inning with a single that left fielder Juan Soto played conservatively with a one-run lead. A day earlier, Sánchez held the Cardinals hitless until pinch-hitter José Martínez singled with two down in the eighth.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Noah Cain ran for a five-yard touchdown with 5:17 left and 10th-ranked Penn State held off No. 17 Iowa 17-12, its first win over a ranked opponent this season. Cain finished with 102 yards for the Nittany Lions, who extended their winning streak over the Hawkeyes to six games.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — One week after an injury scare, Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant looked like his old self in a 38-27 victory over Mississippi. Bryant, who was knocked out of last week’s win over Troy with a sprained knee, completed 25 of 35 passes for 329 yards and one touchdown.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rodney Smith ran for 139 yards and a touchdown, helping Minnesota overpower Nebraska on a wintry night and stay undefeated with a 34-7 victory on the strength of 322 yards rushing. Shannon Brooks ran for 99 yards, Mo Ibrahim had 84 yards and three touchdowns, and the Gophers stayed in a tie for first place in the Big Ten West Division with rival Wisconsin behind an all-around performance that had the Huskers on their heels all evening. Minnesota is 6-0 for the first time since 2003.

MONTREAL (AP) — Brendan Gallagher had a goal and two assists and the Montreal Canadiens beat the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues 6-3. Tomas Tatar, Jonathan Drouin, Philip Danault, Arturri Lehkonen, and Max Domi also scored for Montreal. Brayden Schenn, Samuel Blais, and Vince Dunn scored for St. Louis.

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals’ front office says baseballs have suddenly lost their juice this postseason, supporting a claim from a prominent data scientist that the balls have been altered following a historic, homer-friendly regular season. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said St. Louis’ analytics department has found the ball is flying 4 ½ feet less on average in the postseason. Players in both leagues have been stunned when hard-hit balls have fallen on the warning track this month.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Freshman Trey Lance threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Adam Cofield, and an FCS top-10 showdown never materialized as top-ranked North Dakota State breezed to a 46-14 victory over Northern Iowa, ranked 10th in the FCS Coaches poll.