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Coastal Carolina aims to bolt out of blocks in clash vs. Virginia

Syndication: Gadsden TimesCoastal Carolina’s Christian Washington tries to evade the tackle of Jacksonville State’s Malcolm Jones during college football action at Burgess-Snow Field AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama August 29, 2024. (Dave Hyatt / Special to the Gadsden Times)

Coastal Carolina will look for another fast start on Saturday in Conway, S.C., in its first-ever meeting against a Virginia squad coming off a poor finish.

The unbeaten Chanticleers (3-0) have outscored their first three opponents by a combined 79-27 margin in the first half, including recording a 21-10 halftime lead in last weekend’s 28-20 win at Temple.

“We’ve done a really good job of playing fast,” Coastal Carolina coach Tim Beck said earlier this season. “I talk to our team all the time about starting fast and I (have been) very pleased with that.”

The Chanticleers lead the Sun Belt Conference with 251.7 rushing yards per game and rank second in the league in scoring with 41.0 points per game.

Ethan Vasko passed for 103 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 92 yards in the win against Temple. The quarterback is second on the team with 190 rushing yards, trailing Christian Washington and his 206 yards and four touchdowns. Tray Taylor is Coastal Carolina’s leading receiver with 132 yards on six catches with one TD.

The Chanticleers will be facing a Virginia defense that ranks 12th against the run (138.7 yards per game) and 14th in total defense (397.3) in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.

The Cavaliers (2-1) were outscored 20-0 in the second half as Maryland pulled away for a 27-13 victory last Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. The Terrapins scored on four of their first five drives after the intermission.

“The least important thing in a game is the score at halftime,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. “It didn’t matter if we were up or we were down, we’ve got to come out and play the best second half that we possibly could. … We didn’t do that.”

Anthony Colandrea ranks fifth in the ACC with 901 passing yards but has thrown four interceptions in his past two games.

Kobe Pace is the Cavaliers’ leading rusher with 153 yards and one touchdown and Malachi Fields paces the team with 20 receptions for 284 yards.

–Field Level Media

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D.C. United, with help from Toronto, get in win column

Jul 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; D.C. United goalkeeper Sean Johnson (1) plays the ball against the Toronto FC during the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn ImagesJul 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; D.C. United goalkeeper Sean Johnson (1) plays the ball against the Toronto FC during the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Tai Baribo scored on a penalty kick in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time to give D.C. United a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday in Washington.

Baribo’s game-winner came after Toronto’s Jackson Gilman was called for tripping Andre Dozzell in the middle of the penalty box. The call came on a VAR review.

Baribo’s penalty shot was low and inside the left post, out of the reach of Toronto keeper Luka Gavran, who finished with six saves. It was Baribo’s 10th goal this season.

Against his former team, Sean Johnson had six saves as D.C. United (5-5-7, 22 points) snapped a five-match winless streak, which included ties in their previous three games.

D.C. also enhanced its position in the MLS Eastern Conference standings after entering the match holding the bottom rung of the playoff ladder.

Theo Corbeanu scored in the 76th minute for Toronto (3-7-7, 16 points), which also was victimized by an own goal as its winless streak reached 11 games.

D.C. United extended Toronto’s winless streak in Washington to 10 games as well, with the Reds’ last win in D.C. coming in 2016.

D.C. worked for several quality opportunities in the first half before finally cashing in off a corner kick. From the right side, Keisuke Kurokawa sent an in-swinger into the goal area.

Toronto’s Kobe Franklin rose amid a pack of players and inadvertently headed his attempt to clear just inside the left post in the 41st minute.

D.C. United center back Kye Rowles was initially credited with the score before officials switched it to an own goal.

Toronto had difficulty breaking through against Johnson. But after the 37-year-old made two brilliant saves in the second half, the Reds finally cashed in.

The opportunity came after D.C. defender Matti Peltola was called for a foul just outside the penalty box. Walker Zimmerman crossed to Jonathan Osorio, whose header from close range was blocked by Johnson.

But the rebound came to Corbeanu in the middle of the box and his left-footed shot hit the top middle of the net.

It was the first goal for the Reds after playing two scoreless draws following the World Cup pause.

–Field Level Media

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Alan Roden provides only runs in Twins' low-scoring defeat of A's

Jul 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kendry Rojas (60) throws to the Athletics in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesJul 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kendry Rojas (60) throws to the Athletics in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Alan Roden delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning, and that was all the Minnesota Twins needed for a 2-0 win over the Athletics on Saturday evening in Minneapolis.

Ryan Kreidler doubled and stole a base for Minnesota, which evened the series at one win apiece. The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Jeff McNeil accounted for two of the Athletics’ three hits with a pair of doubles.

Twins left-hander Taylor Rogers (6-3) earned the victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Rogers followed starter Kendrys Rojas, who allowed one hit in four scoreless innings.

Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett (1-1) allowed two runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Twins right-hander Yoendrys Gomez fired a scoreless ninth to pick up his 13th save.

After five scoreless innings, Minnesota had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth when Barnett got Victor Caratini to pop out to shallow left field for the second out of the inning.

Roden stepped to the plate and delivered a two-out, two-run single to right field. He pumped his fist as his line-drive hit found an opening between first and second base and allowed Josh Bell and Royce Lewis to score standing up.

The Athletics tried to mount a comeback in the top of the eighth.

Twins reliever Andrew Morris walked the leadoff hitter, Lawrence Butler. Morris snared a one-hop comebacker by Jacob Wilson in the next at-bat and wheeled toward second base to try to start a double play, but his throw sailed wide into right-center field.

Morris’ throwing error put runners at second and third with nobody out. He settled down after a visit from Twins pitching coach Pete Maki and retired the next three batters by striking out Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom and getting Jonah Heim to ground out to short.

That proved to be the Athletics’ last chance to tie or take the lead as they went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranding seven on base.

-Field Level Media

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Hunter Brown in control, Astros down White Sox for 5th straight

Jul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesJul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Hunter Brown allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and Isaac Paredes drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the host Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.

Jeremy Pena was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Paredes 2-for 4 for the Astros, who have won five straight, including the first two of the three-game weekend series.

The White Sox, who managed five hits, have lost three of their last four.

They threatened in the eighth with runners on second and third and two out, but reliever Bennett Sousa replaced Bryan Abreu and got pinch hitter Randall Grichuk on a pop up to first.

After Colson Montgomery’s RBI single in the ninth, Josh Hader came in to get the last two outs for his 12th save.

Brown (2-1) finished strong, setting down 12 consecutive batters from the fourth through seventh innings. The right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out seven as he fired 60 strikes in 90 pitches.

Chicago starter Sean Burke (7-5) surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits in six innings with a walk and 10 strikeouts.

It was a 0-0 pitcher’s duel through five with Burke also retiring 12 in a row, from the second through the fifth, but heading for trouble.

The streak was broken when Burke hit Cam Smith leading off the sixth. Pena’s single and a walk to Yordan Alvarez loaded the bases. Paredes then grounded a single to right that got past right fielder Braden Montgomery for an error that also allowed Alvarez to score, for a 3-0 Houston lead, and Paredes to reach third.

Burke then limited the damage by getting Jose Altuve on a groundout and striking out LaMonte Wade Jr. and Christian Walker.

Paredes added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 4-0.

White Sox left fielder Sam Antonnaci robbed Paredes, who was leading off the fourth, of a likely home run with a leaping catch of Paredes’ long drive by pulling the ball in just above the fence.

–Field Level Media

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