CHICAGO (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched a playoff spot by rallying past the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Sunday for their first four-game sweep at Wrigley Field in almost a century.

NL Central-leading St. Louis qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2015 and stayed three games ahead of Milwaukee. It was the fifth consecutive win for the Cardinals, who came back for a 9-8 victory Saturday on consecutive homers by Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong against Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.

The time, Chicago manager Joe Maddon sent a dominant Yu Darvish (6-8) back to the mound for the ninth to go for his first complete game since 2014. But the result was the same in the Cubs’ fifth consecutive one-run loss. Pinch hitter José Martínez sparked the winning rally with a leadoff triple that glanced off the glove of diving center fielder Albert Almora Jr. Dexter Fowler followed with a sacrifice fly, tying it at 2.

After rookie Tommy Edman singled and stole second, Goldschmidt hit a grounder down the third-base line to put the Cardinals in front for good in the Cubs’ rainy home finale. Miles Mikolas pitched 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball and Tyler Webb (2-1) got the last out of the eighth for the win. Andrew Miller worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Nicholas Castellanos hit his career-high 27th homer for Chicago (82-74), which dropped four games back of the Brewers for the second NL wild card. The Cubs finished with a 51-30 home record after losing their losing their last six games of the year at Wrigley.

It was the first four-game series sweep for St. Louis (89-67) at Chicago’s famed ballpark since May 1921.
Castellanos also scored the first run of the game when he scampered home on Yadier Molina’s passed ball in the first. But DeJong tied it with his 29th homer, a massive drive to Waveland Avenue in the third.
It was still tied when Castellanos led off the sixth with a drive to center for his 16th homer in 49 games since he was acquired in a July 31 trade with Detroit.

The Cubs were without Kris Bryant for most of the day after the slugger sprained his right ankle trying to beat out a double play in the third. X-rays taken at the ballpark were negative. The announced attendance was 38,606, bringing the season total at Wrigley to 3,094,865. The Cubs’ attendance last year was 3,181,089, but that included a crowd of 38,450 for the Cubs’ NL Central tiebreaker loss to the Brewers.

UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (13-9, 3.83 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Arizona on Monday night. Wainwright is 4-0 in September, allowing one earned run in 27 innings. LHP Alex Young (7-4, 3.27 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks.
Cubs: Following an off day, Chicago begins a three-game set at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. The team hasn’t announced its starting pitchers for the series. RHP Mitch Keller (1-5, 7.74 ERA) pitches for the Pirates in the opener.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won a showdown between two of the NFL’s top offenses. The Ravens made them work for it until the very end. Mahomes threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in another dazzling performance, Kansas City held quarterback Lamar Jackson in check most of the rain-soaked afternoon, and the Chiefs held on for a 33-28 victory over Baltimore on Sunday. LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams combined for 116 yards rushing and a score in place of the injured Damien Williams, while the Chiefs (3-0) stopped the Ravens three times on 2-point attempts.

The last came after Jackson scrambled for a touchdown with 2:01 to go. The conversion would have gotten the Ravens (2-1) within a field goal, but Jackson was shoved out of bounds short of the pylon. Baltimore tried to get the ball back with a rare dropkick, but the Chiefs calmly called for a fair catch. Then they converted on third down moments later to run out the clock.
Mark Ingram was the Ravens’ biggest bright spot, running for 103 yards and a trio of touchdowns while catching four passes for 32 yards. Jackson finished with 267 yards passing and 46 rushing, most of that when he was trying to rally the Ravens from a big halftime hole.

The Chiefs scored four times in the second quarter for the second consecutive week, this time getting three touchdowns and Harrison Butker’s 42-yard field goal to take a 23-6 lead. They scored four TDs in the second quarter last week in Oakland. The Ravens actually scored first on Ingram’s touchdown plunge, then they took points off the board when a penalty gave them a shorter try at the conversion. Jackson was stuffed at the goal line in what would become a recurring theme for Baltimore all afternoon.

McCoy, hobbled by a sore ankle all week, gave Kansas City the lead with a touchdown run early in the second quarter. Then, after the Ravens’ turnover on downs, Mahomes lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone that Robinson caught with an incredible one-handed stab. That highlight was joined by another on the Chiefs’ next possession, when the Ravens blew the coverage and Mecole Hardman was open downfield. The rookie hauled in the heave from Mahomes, then used his 4.3-second 40-yard-dash speed to sprint 83 yards to the end zone.

Ingram sandwiched two more touchdown runs around Mahomes’ third touchdown toss in the second half, and the second one got Baltimore within 30-19 with 12:22 to go. But the Ravens again tried for the 2-point conversion and again came up empty, leaving them in an 11-point hole. That could have loomed large when Justin Tucker added a field goal. Instead, Williams ripped off a 41-yard run, the Chiefs picked up a couple more first downs, and Butker hit a 36-yard field goal that ultimately put the game out of reach.
INJURIES
Ravens: CB Jimmy Smith (knee) and S Brynden Trawick (elbow) were inactive.
Chiefs: McCoy aggravated his sore ankle on his touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. WR Tyreek Hill (collarbone), RB Damien Williams (knee) and LT Eric Fisher (groin) were inactive.
UP NEXT
Baltimore: returns home to face Cleveland next Sunday.
Kansas City: on the road for the third time in four weeks Sunday at Detroit.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa State (9-3) was able to rally back and take the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match over Iowa (6-4) 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 19-25, 18-25, 15-10) Saturday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win, the first five-setter in the series since 2012, also gave the Cyclones the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament title, wrapping up a 3-0 weekend in Iowa City.

Iowa State cut Iowa’s lead in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series 5-2 for 2019-20.

Leading the way in victory was Cy-Hawk Series Tournament MVP Eleanor Holthaus, who notched 19 kills at .395 hitting, five digs and three blocks and assists. Avery Rhodes, also a member of the All-Tournament Team, posted a career-high 13 kills at .440 hitting, and three blocks. Joining them in double figures was Annie Hatch (13 kills) and Josie Herbst (11). Michal Schuler led the back-row with 13 digs.

Set One: Iowa State 25 Iowa 18

Eleanor Holthaus dominated proceedings early on, firing four kills on her first four swings of the match to put ISU ahead 10-6. Iowa cut the deficit to a pair at 10-8, but behind the serve of Josie Herbst, fired off a 6-0 run to get ahead 16-8. The Cyclone offense dominated, hitting .567 for the set with Holthaus leading the way with seven kills. Iowa State got ahead 1-0 in the match when Annie Hatch notched a solo stuff on Amiya Jones’ attempted slide at 25-18.

Set Two: Iowa State 25 Iowa 22

Both teams’ offenses continued to click to open the second set. It was the Cyclone block who was able to help get the visitors ahead, with Holthaus and Avery Rhodes teaming for a block at 10-8 ISU. The Hawkeyes fought back to get ahead at 12-11 and then by two at 15-13. Kate Shannon’s cameo behind the service line brought Iowa State ahead at 16-15, and from there it was the Cyclone offense that was able to bring the set home. The visitor offense was again on point, hitting .412 for the frame, and closed out the set when Halle Johnston served into the net at 25-22.

Set Three: Iowa 25 Iowa State 19

The Cyclone offense got off to a slow start, allowing the Hawkeye attack to help build a 10-7 advantage. ISU got back within one multiple times before Shannon’s appearance behind the service line brought things even again at 15-15 on a Holthaus back-row kill. The Hawkeye defense came up with the stops when needed at the end, as they got their first block of the match to bring up set point and put it away with a stuff of Hatch at 25-19.

Set Four: Iowa 25 Iowa State 18

ISU continued to struggle to find answers to the Hawkeyes on both sides of the net, as the home side ran out to a 10-2 lead. The Iowa lead got to as many as 10 at 17-7 before the Cyclones started to work their way back into it, getting to within four at 20-16. However, the answers would not come in the fourth set, as Iowa hit .375 as a team, recorded three blocks and two aces to force a fifth set. The fifth set became reality when Candelaria Herrera hit into the net at 25-18.

Set Five: Iowa State 15 Iowa 10

Michal Schuler’s second ace of the night gave ISU a 3-1 lead, but Iowa wiped it out and moved ahead at 4-3. Herrera won a joust at the net to make it 6-5 Iowa State, and Herbst killed off the block to give ISU an 8-6 lead at the change of ends. The Cyclone run continued with Rhodes killing off the right pin at 9-6, and Herbst made the lead five with back-to-back kills on overpasses at 12-7. Iowa State reached match point at 14-10 on a Rhodes kill and was finished on the first asking when Herrera stuffed Jones at 15-10.

Player of the Match

Eleanor Holthaus. The sophomore was decisive yet again for Iowa State in the win on Saturday night. Holthaus fired 19 kills at .395 hitting. She also contributed five digs, three blocks and three assists in the victory.

Up Next

Big 12 play opens up on Wednesday with the Cyclones making the trip to No. 3 Texas. First serve between the Cyclones and Longhorns will be at 7 p.m. on the Longhorn Network.