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

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dakota Hudson tossed six effective innings, Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3. Marcell Ozuna, Matt Wieters and Matt Carpenter also went deep for the Cardinals, who avoided their first sweep against Philadelphia since 2006.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jorge Soler and Adalberto Mondesi homered and Jakob Junis allowed two runs in six innings as the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over Texas Rangers on Thursday night. Ian Kennedy worked a perfect ninth inning for his third save, and the first for Kansas City since May 1.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The NCAA baseball tournament opens Friday with play at 16 regional sites. The regional winners advance to super regionals next week and the final eight go to the College World Series beginning June 15. Central Michigan has won 18 straight games and is the hottest team entering the tournament. No. 1 national seed UCLA has won 10 in a row. The last top seed to win the championship was Miami in 1999.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Tom Lehman won the PGA Tour Champions event in Iowa last year without swinging a club on Sunday. Lehman will look to repeat at Wakonda Club in Des Moines after finding out he’d won in 2018 while waiting out a weather delay. The 60-year-old Lehman shot a 13-under 131 total last year in Iowa, two shots better than Bernhard Langer, before the final round was canceled.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Bruins’ top line of Brad Marchad, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak has no even-strength goals through two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Blues. That line combined for 23 of Boston’s 32 goals in the first three rounds. St. Louis has neutralized the trio so far, but they expect to adjust going into Game 3.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final for delivering an elbow to the head of Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The NHL’s department of player safety announced the suspension after a hearing with Sundqvist, who was assessed only a two-minute minor penalty for boarding for the hit that knocked Grzelcyk out of the game and possibly longer.

The Atlantic softball team improved to 2-0 on Thursday night with a 9-0 home win over Exira-EHK. The Trojans jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first and then busted the game open in the 2nd with a five run frame. The Trojans took advantage of three walks and a throwing error to rack up those runs in the 2nd. Atlantic went on to score in all but 1 of the 6 innings they went to the plate on the night. Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann said their experience advantage paid off in the win.

Olivia Engler had a great night in the circle with 12 strikeouts and allowing just 3 hits and two walks. Engler said she felt good in the circle and gained confidence with the defense playing well behind her.

Engler also had a big night at the plate with 3 hits and 3 RBI on a 3-4 night. Alyssa Derby had two hits for Atlantic as well.

Macy Emgarten took the loss for the Spartans as she allowed 8 hits and gave up 4 walks and hit one batter. Emgarten finished the night with 6 strikeouts and the Spartans fall to 1-3 on the season.

The Trojans get right back after it on Friday with a game at Denison-Schleswig.

Engler said the team is comfortable with the spots they are in this early in the season and she feels they can get better with some more long ball production.

After the Denison game the Trojans are set to host the Trojan Tournament on Saturday.

The State Individual Girls Tennis Tournaments finished up play on Thursday. Red Oak’s Sophie Walker and Shenandoah’s Nichole and Natalie Gilbert came away with 3rd place medals in Class 1A play at the University of Iowa Tennis Center in Iowa City.

Walker started day 2 play with a Semifinal loss to Anatta Charoenkul of Fairfield 6-3, 6-4. That sent her to the Third Place match where she defeated Macy Harris of Grinnell 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 to grab that 3rd place finish.

In doubles play Nichole and Natalie Gilbert of Shenandoah lost in the Semifinals to Taylor Hogan and Elysse Trost of Columbus Catholic 7-5, 6-7, 6-4. That would drop them into a Third Place match against a Glenwood duo. The Rams’ Brooklyn Taylor and Brielle Smith lost in the Semifinals to Emily Jasper and Miyako Coffey of Cedar Rapids Xavier 6-2, 6-3. Then in that Third Place all Hawkeye Ten battle the Gilbert Sisters defeated Taylor and Smith 6-4, 6-1 to grab the bronze.

The Class 1A Singles Champion was Yana Gaskell of Fairfield. She beat her teammate Anatta Charoenkul 6-0, 6-0 in the final.

The Class 1A Doubles Champion was Emily Jasper and Miyako Coffey of Cedar Rapids Xavier. They beat Hogan and Trost of Columbus Catholic 6-4, 6-1 in the title match.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dakota Hudson tossed six effective innings, Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Thursday.

Marcell Ozuna, Matt Wieters and Matt Carpenter also went deep for the Cardinals, who avoided their first sweep against Philadelphia since 2006.

Hudson (4-3) allowed four hits and one run in his fourth straight quality start. Jordan Hicks got the last three outs for his 11th save in 12 tries after three relievers worked two innings.

Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff (2-3) gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals jumped ahead 2-0 in the second on a pair of solo homers. Ozuna hit his 16th on a 1-2 pitch the opposite way into the right-field stands. One out later, Wieters drove one out to right for his second homer in two days and third this season.

Gyorko’s two-run shot in the seventh made it 4-1. Carpenter connected off Edgar Garcia as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

After Carlos Martinez tossed a scoreless seventh, the Phillies rallied against him in the eighth. Andrew McCutchen walked and Jean Segura hit a single. Andrew Miller entered and Bryce Harper ripped an RBI single off him. John Gant replaced Miller and Rhys Hoskins singled in another run to cut it to 5-3.

But Gant retired Cesar Hernandez on an infield popup, struck out Scott Kingery and pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto flied out.

The Cardinals twice intentionally walked Hoskins to load the bases after Harper hit doubles. The strategy paid off because the Phillies only managed one run. Hernandez had an RBI fielder’s choice grounder in the fourth but lined into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.76 ERA) starts Friday night at home against the Chicago Cubs. He is 3-0, 1.32 in six career appearances, including four starts, vs. the Cubs.

A Dye Dash is being held in Atlantic on June 22nd in support of the Atlantic High School cross country teams. Check out the details for the event below.