MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says DeSoto and Boyer Chute national wildlife refuges will close this weekend for deer hunts. All refuge roads and nature trails will be closed beyond the visitor center on Saturday and Sunday to ensure public safety. Only the visitor center will remain open.

The refuge allows the hunts in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission as a way to control the deer population. Also, DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge will be closed entirely, including the visitor center, on Monday for repairs to the tour road loop.

DeSoto and Boyer Chute national wildlife refuges sit north of Omaha, Nebraska, along U.S. Highway 30 between Missouri Valley, Iowa, and along U.S. Highway 75 near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A wild throw by reliever Randy Choate on a bunt allowed Brandon Crawford to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series.

Crawford drew an eight-pitch walk from Choate to begin the inning, ending a stretch of 16 straight Giants retired since Tim Hudson’s two-out single in the fourth. After failing on two sacrifice attempts, Juan Perez singled to bring up Gregor Blanco. Blanco’s bunt went to the left side of the mound and the left-handed Choate’s sidearmed throw sailed past lunging second baseman Kolten Wong, who was covering first base.

Randal Grichuk tied it with a solo homer in the seventh that chased Hudson. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night, with Ryan Vogelsong pitching for the Giants against fellow righty Shelby Miller.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A.J. Pierzynski will start at catcher in place of the injured Yadier Molina for the St. Louis Cardinals in the third game of the NL Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Molina had started the past 83 postseason games for the Cardinals, since current manager Mike Matheny was behind the plate for Game 3 of the 2004 World Series against Boston.

Molina strained his left oblique in St. Louis’ win in Game 2 of the series and was replaced by Tony Cruz. Pierzynski is getting the nod despite not being on the division series roster. However, Pierzynski has experience catching Game 3 starter John Lackey when the two were teammates in Boston.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Western Iowa Conference Tourney:

First Round:

• (3-0) Audubon 25-25-25, A-H-S-T-W 8-12-13
• (3-0) Riverside 25-25-26, Logan-Magnolia 18-18-24

Quarter-Finals:

• (3-2) Griswold 25-26-23-19-15, Missouri Valley 22-24-25-25-12
• (3-0) IKM-Manning 25-25-25, Riverside 15-11-12
• (3-0) Treynor 25-25-25, Audubon 14-21-15
• (3-2) Tri-Center 26-23-18-25-18, Underwood 24-25-25-21-16

Others:

• (2-0) Bedford 25-25, Southeast Warren 17-15
• (2-0) Bedford 25-26, East Union 16-24
• (2-0) Central Decatur 25-25, Lenox 21-22
• (2-0) Lenox 25-25, Wayne 8-22
• (2-1) Mount Ayr 22-25-15, Southwest Valley 25-17-4
• (2-0) Nodaway Valley 25-25, Interstate 35 20-15
• (2-0) Nodaway Valley 25-25, Pleasantville 19-19
• (2-0) Southwest Valley 25-25, Martensdale-St Marys 16-23

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals plan for now to keep catcher Yadier Molina active on their active roster despite a strained left oblique muscle sustained in Game 2. Molina flew on the team charter to the Bay Area on Sunday night after leaving Busch Stadium for an MRI exam. After the team arrived at AT&T Park on Monday, Molina met with team doctors and medical staff in the training room of the visitors’ clubhouse.

Manager Mike Matheny was encouraged Molina was able to throw Monday. Matheny carried three catchers and has Tony Cruz and A.J. Pierzynski to fill the big void, if needed.

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school football polls of the 2014 season with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:
Class 4A
Record Pts Prv
1. Bettendorf (9) 7-0 135 1
2. Cedar Rapids Washington (1) 7-0 129 2
3. West Des Moines Dowling (5) 6-1 124 3
4. West Des Moines Valley 6-1 115 4
5. Waukee 6-1 96 5
6. Ankeny Centennial 6-1 72 6
7. Marion Linn-Mar 6-1 51 10
8. Johnston 5-2 26 7
9. Ankeny 5-2 21 NR
10. Fort Dodge 6-1 19 NR

Others receiving votes: 11, Eldridge North Scott 13. 12, Council Bluffs Lewis Central 12. 13, Southeast Polk 9. 14, Cedar Falls 2. 15, Sioux City East 1.

Class 3A
Record Pts Prv
1. Pella (14) 7-0 149 1
2. Manchester West Delaware (1) 7-0 135 3
3. Sioux City Heelan 6-1 115 4
4. Cedar Rapids Xavier 5-2 92 6
5. Solon 6-1 85 5
6. Dallas Center-Grimes 6-1 56 7
7. Carroll 6-1 54 2
8. Clear Creek-Amana 6-1 32 NR
9. Epworth Western Dubuque 5-2 30 8
10. Humboldt 6-1 24 10

Others receiving votes: 11, Waverly-Shell Rock 20. 12, Carlisle 12. 12, Creston-Orient-Macksburg 12. 14, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 9.

Class 2A
Record Pts Prv
1. Clear Lake (13) 7-0 147 1
2. Spirit Lake (2) 7-0 135 2
3. Williamsburg 7-0 101 4
4. Hampton-Dumont 7-0 96 5
5. Sioux Center 6-1 76 6
6. West Union North Fayette 6-1 66 8
7. New Hampton 6-1 63 7
8. Baxter CMB 7-0 58 10
9. Cascade 6-1 24 9
10. Albia 6-1 23 3

Others receiving votes: 11, Mediapolis 13. 12, Central Lyon-GLR 9. 13, Union, La Porte City 8. 14, Clarinda 5. 15, Clarion-Goldfield 1.

Class 1A
Record Pts Prv
1. Iowa City Regina (9) 6-1 143 1
2. Calmar South Winneshiek (1) 7-0 129 2
3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (4) 7-0 127 3
4. West Branch (1) 7-0 103 4
5. St. Ansgar 7-0 91 5
6. IKM Manning 7-0 74 6
7. Inwood West Lyon 6-1 59 8
8. Stanwood North Cedar 6-1 35 10
9. Ogden 6-1 27 7
10. Hinton 6-1 21 NR

Others receiving votes: 11, Dike-New Hartford 14. 12, Bellevue 1. 12, Madrid 1.

Class A
Record Pts Prv
1. Logan-Magnolia (10) 7-0 143 1
2. Delhi Maquoketa Valley (5) 7-0 135 2
3. Packwood Pekin 7-0 113 4
4. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 6-1 110 5
5. Montezuma 7-0 77 6
6. Ackley AGWSR 6-1 66 3
(tie) Nashua-Plainfield 6-1 66 8
8. Mount Ayr 6-1 41 9
9. Algona Garrigan 5-2 28 10
10. Moville Woodbury Central 6-1 22 NR

Others receiving votes: 11, Sloan Westwood 8. 12, Brooklyn BGM 5. 13, Paullina South O’Brien 4. 14, Belle Plaine 3. 15, Bedford 2. 16, Audubon 1. 16, Keosauqua Van Buren 1.

Class 8-Man
Record Pts Prv
1. Gilbertville-Don Bosco (11) 7-0 145 2
2. Fremont Mills, Tabor (3) 7-0 127 3
3. Janesville 7-0 109 5
4. Elkader Central (1) 7-0 102 6
5. Glidden-Ralston 7-0 99 7
6. Lamoni 7-0 51 9
7. Marcus MMC 6-1 49 8
8. Coon Rapids-Bayard 6-1 42 4
9. HLV, Victor 6-1 30 10
10. Elk Horn-Kimballton1Exira 6-1 21 1

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State spent years trying to figure out what it had in quarterback Sam Richardson, and know now that he might be the Cyclones’ most valuable player. Richardson set a school record with 37 completions in Iowa State’s 37-30 win over Toledo last weekend. He threw for 351 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while rallying the Cyclones (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) past the Rockets to keep their slim bowl hopes alive.

The junior quarterback has thrown 10 TD passes with just four picks through six games. He’s also Iowa State’s leading rusher with 283 yards. The Cyclones take on Texas (2-4, 1-2) in Austin on Saturday.

10/13/2014

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kolten Wong hit a leadoff home run in the ninth inning and the resilient St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 Sunday night, evening the NL Championship Series at one game each. The Cardinals lost All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to a strained oblique muscle in the sixth. St. Louis got late homers from Oscar Taveras and Matt Adams before Wong connected off Sergio Romo.

The Giants made it 4-all when pinch-runner Matt Duffy dashed home from second base on a two-out wild pitch in the ninth. Game 3 will be Tuesday in San Francisco.