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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield, Maikel Franco and Jorge Soler homered, and the Kansas City Royals stopped a six-game slide with a 13-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Soler and Salvador Pérez each had three hits and two RBIs, helping Brad Keller to the win in his first major league appearance in nearly a year. Keller, who opened the season on the injured list after testing positive for the coronavirus, struck out seven in five scoreless innings. Kansas City finished with a season-high 18 hits. It scored a total of 14 runs during its losing streak.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs hope to know soon whether cornerback Bashaud Breeland will be suspended to start the season, but they are confident they’ll be fine either way. Even before the veteran was arrested in South Carolina in April, the Chiefs worked hard to fortify one of the crucial spots in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. They signed special teams ace Antonio Hamilton, who played for the Giants last season, and used a pair of draft picks on cornerbacks. L’Jarius Sneed was picked in the fourth round and Bopete Keyes was chosen in the seventh.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa athletics department announced Thursday changes to football ticket sales and updated guidelines for the five football games scheduled to be played inside Kinnick Stadium in 2020.

Iowa’s five home Big Ten Conference games will be sold as single games and not as a season ticket, and capacity at Kinnick Stadium will be limited to 10-15,000 seats per game. Additional updates include:

• Main stand and premium seating in Kinnick Stadium will follow six-feet social distancing guidelines.
• Fans will be required to wear face coverings and additional mitigation strategies have been implemented.
• All tickets and parking passes will be mobile.
• University of Iowa students will have access to single-game tickets in the student section. The capacity will be limited and distribution plans are still being finalized.
• Parking lots will be restricted to 50 percent capacity and open four hours before kickoff.

To provide more access to the limited number of tickets, there will not be season tickets or season parking this year.

• New single-game prices will be announced soon and they will be priced by stadium section and game.
• Fans will select tickets in groups of two or four, socially distanced throughout the stadium.
• Seat locations will be best available at the time of purchase, by section.
• Parking will be sold on a single-game basis with one spot per account.

All information regarding tickets and Kinnick Stadium is posted at hawkeyesports.com/footballgameday.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State and UNLV have mutually agreed to delay their football game scheduled for Sept. 19, 2020 to Sept. 14, 2030 as a result of scheduling modifications by the Big 12 and Mountain West related to COVID-19.

The Cyclones will continue to play at UNLV’s Allegiant Stadium, also home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, on Sept. 18, 2021 as initially contracted.

“We are pleased we were able to resolve this scheduling modification so quickly”, Pollard said. “We wanted to make sure our student-athletes and fans knew we are still planning to make the trip to Las Vegas next fall to play a football game in a brand new NFL stadium.”

Iowa State last played in Las Vegas in 2008.

“Playing in Las Vegas is like a regular season bowl game for our fan base,” Pollard said. “Amid all of our current challenges and uncertainties, it is exciting to have next year’s trip to look forward to. I am sure thousands of Cyclone fans will make the trip to Las Vegas.”

The schools have met five times previously on the gridiron and the Cyclones hold a 4-1 advantage.

“Coach Campbell feels that giving his players a chance to compete in an NFL stadium is a great opportunity for his team and I know he feels that Cyclone NatioN will respond enthusiastically to provide a great environment for the game,” Pollard said.

Iowa State will announced future edits to its 2020 schedule as it is finalized.

The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their honorary rosters for the 2020 All-Star Series. The All-Star Series was scheduled to be played beginning August 6th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Series was canceled.

While the Series may have been canceled, the IHSBCA strongly supports continuing the tradition of the Senior All-Star Series. The Series is an opportunity for many of Iowa’s best seniors to join together to play ball and establish life-long friendships.

The IHSBCA is honored once again this year to recognize our outstanding seniors selected to the 2020 All-Star Series. Team members were selected by the coaches of each team. The rosters consist of seniors from across the state and are split into four teams once again.

The IHSBCA looks forward to resuming games in the 2021 All-Star Series in August 2021.

The 62nd annual Tournament of Champions will tee it up on Friday at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club and continue through Sunday for the 54 hole event. We’ll have coverage all weekend long on KJAN.

The 2020 edition currently has 38 golfers competing in the Championship Division, 23 players in the Senior Division which is available to players age 50 and over, and 19 players in the Super Senior Division which is available to players age 65 and over.

In the Championship flight Nathan Zimmerman of Treynor will look to defend his title. Zimmerman won the tournament on the final hole in 2019. Zimmerman birdied the 18th to come from one shot back to a one shot victory. He shot a weekend total of 6-under 200 to grab the win with rounds of 66, 69, and 65. Jared Koch of Denison was the runner-up last year with a 5-under 201 total for the weekend. A total of 7 past champions will be in the top division for this year’s tourney.

Darron Baker of Eagle Grove Golf Club will be aiming for a third straight title in the Senior Division. He shot a weekend total of +11, 217 to win the tournament by two shots last year over past champion Rick Thompson.

The Super Senior Division was decided by a playoff in 2019 with Jim Mullenix edging out Arnie Leistad. The two Atlantic residents shot +9, 215 for the weekend before the sudden death playoff.

Spectators are always welcome and Tournament Co-Director Matt Mullenix said there will be food and drink available on the course.

We’ll have coverage all weekend long on KJAN with updates throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, and shot-by-shot coverage of the Championship leaders on Sunday starting at 11:00 a.m. Tune in on AM 1220, FM 101.1 or online at kjan.com. We’ll have scoring updates posted on our Sports page throughout the weekend as well.

Check out the first round pairings and tee times here: 2020 TOC Round 1 Pairings

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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

UNDATED (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have returned to the field for light workouts nearly a week after an outbreak of COVID-19 forced the club and its staff members to quarantine in Milwaukee. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt called it “a breath of fresh air” after five days spent in The Pfister Hotel. The Cardinals returned 13 positive coronavirus tests in their traveling party, seven of them players, forcing them to suspend their season. They were finally cleared to travel back to St. Louis late Tuesday, when they returned negative tests for the second straight day.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yu Darvish pitched seven sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the skidding Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory. Javier Báez drove in two runs for the Cubs, who handed Kansas City its sixth consecutive defeat. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo each had two hits and scored twice. Darvish was in midseason form for the second straight outing. He gave up five hits, struck out four and walked one.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs hope to know soon whether cornerback Bashaud Breeland will be suspended to start the season, but they are confident they’ll be fine either way. Even before the veteran was arrested in South Carolina in April, the Chiefs worked hard to fortify one of the crucial spots in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. They signed special teams ace Antonio Hamilton, who played for the Giants last season, and used a pair of draft picks on cornerbacks. L’Jarius Sneed was picked in the fourth round and Bopete Keyes was chosen in the seventh.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs overcame another shaky outing by closer Craig Kimbrel to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.Jason Heyward, Jason Kipnis and Willson Contreras homered and the Chicago Cubs overcame another shaky outing by closer Craig Kimbrel to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 for their fifth straight win. Kimbrel took over to begin the ninth inning with a 5-2 lead, but struggled again and allowed two runs and two hits while getting only one out. Kyle Ryan closed it out for his first save, getting Bubba Starling to ground out with a runner on third to end it.

UNDATED (AP) — When a team is sidelined by the coronavirus, it affects future opponents as well, and leaves players and managers in an unusual holding pattern. That’s a challenge several teams have already had to deal with during this baseball season. Milwaukee had a whole series against St. Louis called off, and Detroit now has a gap in its schedule because the Cardinals still can’t play. Philadelphia played three games against Miami. Then the Marlins were sidelined because of an outbreak within their team, and the Phillies went a week without playing a game.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have had two players opt out of the upcoming season because of COVID-19 concerns in running back Damien Williams and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Both were key parts of their Super Bowl run. But with the signing of veteran guard Kelechi Osemele, and some key offseason acquisitions at both spots, there may be no positions for which the Chiefs are better able to absorb those losses as they head into training camp.

(Radio Iowa) – Several Iowa high schools are gaining the services of football players from states that have pushed back their seasons to next year. That includes the defending Class A state champions.

Alex Marks is a lineman from Bakersfield, California and moved to Iowa in the spring. He will play for West Hancock. Eagles coach Mark Sanger.

WEST LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa – The DNR Law Enforcement Bureau is seeking the public’s help in locating a boat involved in a hit and run on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at approximately 10:35pm, near Manhattan Point on West Lake Okoboji. A boat, traveling northbound hit another boat from behind just off Manhattan Point, injuring Vaughn Wickman, 52, of Spirit Lake, who was operating the boat that was hit. The boat that caused the crash then fled the scene.

Wickman was transported to a local hospital by ambulance where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. DNR Conservation Officers and local law enforcement attempted to locate the boat involved, and also utilized the Dickinson County thermal imaging drone, but were not able to locate the boat. Conservation Officers continue to investigate the incident.

Anyone with information related to this hit and run investigation, including witnesses or anyone who sees a boat with new front end damage or scrape marks, is asked to contact DNR Conservation Officer Steve Reighard immediately at (712) 260-1018 or Steve.Reighard@dnr.iowa.gov. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should state that when sharing pertinent information related to this case.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa Hawkeyes will play a 10-game Big Ten Conference football schedule in 2020, featuring five home games in Kinnick Stadium. The entire Big Ten schedule of games was announced Wednesday by the conference office.

The Hawkeyes open the season at home on Saturday, Sept. 5, hosting Maryland. Additional home games include Nebraska (Sept. 26), Northwestern (Oct. 3), Michigan State (Oct. 31) and Wisconsin (Nov. 14). Iowa travels to face Purdue on Sept. 12, and plays at Minnesota the following week on Saturday, Sept. 19. Remaining road games include at Illinois (Oct. 10), Penn State (Oct. 24) and Ohio State (Nov. 21). Iowa has open dates scheduled for Oct. 17 and Nov. 7.

“We continue to face uncertain and unprecedented times, and the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and others associated with our sports programs remains our number one priority,” said Gary Barta, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair. “I am confident in the medical protocols established by the Big Ten Conference Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Sports Medicine Committee, in addition to the continued oversight provided by our UI Hawkeye team physicians within the UIHC Department of Orthopedics and Epidemiology.

“The past few months have entailed numerous conversations between my conference colleagues, Commissioner Kevin Warren and our Big Ten presidents, as we have worked to navigate the challenges associated with this pandemic. We appreciate the continued patience and support from our donors, ticket holders, partners, and fans. Now that the football schedule has been announced, we will finalize our Kinnick Stadium seating plan and share that in the next few days. If we have the opportunity to play, we are excited about our challenging conference schedule and the five games in Kinnick Stadium.”

Iowa’s opening game marks the first time since 1980 the Hawkeyes will open the season against at Big Ten opponent. The Hawkeyes opened that season with a 16-7 win over Indiana in Kinnick Stadium.

“As a program, we have been looking forward to this day since the decision to play a conference-only schedule was announced,” said UI head football coach Kirk Ferentz. “Knowing when our games are scheduled will allow us to prepare for what is ahead on the field and support our players’ academic schedules off the field.

“Our players have shown patience and dedication during the most recent period of conditioning and off-season workouts, and now we are excited to begin the process of preparing for a football season. We are continuing to closely monitor the health and safety of our players and staff and look forward to starting our season in Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5.”

Iowa football has won 47 games over the past five seasons, the best five-year total in school history and a total that ranks ninth in the nation. The Hawkeyes posted six home wins in 2019 and have posted 27 victories in Kinnick Stadium in the last five seasons.

Iowa will begin the 2020 campaign with a four-game winning streak, including a 49-24 win over No. 22 Southern California in the 2019 Holiday Bowl.

Iowa is scheduled to begin official preparation for the 2020 season Friday, Aug. 7 with the opening of preseason camp. The opening contest against Maryland will be the first opportunity to see the 2020 Hawkeyes in action, as the annual August Kids Day in Kinnick Stadium will not take place.

Information regarding fan attendance for 2020 home games, including ticketing update and information, along with Kinnick Stadium policies and procedures for the season, will be released soon. Iowa Athletics has not yet finalized an allowable attendance figure for home games.

The Big Ten Conference championship game is scheduled for Dec. 5, at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis. Following is Iowa’s 2020 football schedule:

Sept. 5         Maryland
Sept. 12       at Purdue
Sept. 19       at Minnesota
Sept. 26       Nebraska
Oct. 3          Northwestern
Oct. 10        at Illinois
Oct. 17        Open
Oct. 24        at Penn State
Oct. 31        Michigan State
Nov. 7         Open
Nov. 14       Wisconsin
Nov. 21       at Ohio State
Dec. 5         Big Ten Championship