NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Christopher Bell won the NASCAR Xfinity series race Sunday at the Iowa Speedway, his fourth victory of the season and second straight in Newton.
Bell led 186 of 250 laps to claim his second short track win of 2019 by nearly two seconds. He also won at Bristol in April.

Pole-sitter Cole Custer was second, followed by Justin Allgaier and Harrison Burton. Zane Smith was fifth in just his fifth start in the series.

Custer briefly stole the lead with 32 laps left on a restart, but Bell quickly grabbed it back as the two cars made contact on Bell’s low pass. Bell then held Custer off on a restart with 10 to go by grabbing the high line.

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul DeJong tagged the Mets again, hitting a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning that sent the St. Louis Cardinals over New York 4-3 on Sunday. The Cardinals won despite getting outhit 10-3. They took three of four in the series, and DeJong homered in each victory. DeJong is 30 for 83 (.361) with nine homers and 10 doubles against the Mets overall.
Paul Goldschmidt hit a prodigious home run off the facade of the second deck and scored twice for St. Louis, which went 5-5 on its season-long 10-game road trip.

Robinson Cano returned from the injured list and doubled and scored a run, and Dominic Smith had two hits in his first career start in the leadoff spot for New York, which is 5-5 over its last 10 games. Mets starter Jason Vargas exited in the fourth inning with a cramp in his left calf. He fouled a ball off his foot and was pulled during the at-bat. New York’s bullpen has allowed 15 earned runs over its last 20 1/3 innings.

Andrew Miller (3-2) pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the victory and Carlos Martinez went two innings for his second save. Goldschmidt’s first-inning homer was the only hit the Cardinals could muster in the first seven innings against Vargas and Wilmer Font. Dakota Hudson struggled early, falling behind eight of the first 12 batters, but rebounded to keep St. Louis in the game, allowing three runs over six innings. The Cardinals have won each of his last six starts.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-7, 4.83 ERA) opposes Miami’s RHP Elieser Hernandez (0-1, 5.87 ERA) to open a four-game series at home. Mikolas is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts vs NL East opponents, but 1-5 with a 6.15 ERA in nine starts against all other divisions.
Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (5-4, 4.87 ERA) looks to bounce back as New York opens a three-game series at NL East-leading Atlanta. Wheeler allowed a career-worst nine runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Yankees on June 11, although only five were earned. He’s opposed by RHP Mike Soroka (7-1, 1.92 ERA), who has not lost since April 18.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Austin Martin homered on Reid Detmers’ first pitch of the game and he went deep again in the seventh to break a tie in Vanderbilt’s 3-1 victory over Louisville on Sunday in the College World Series on Sunday. Drake Fellows came off a poor outing in the super regionals to pitch seven strong innings and help No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt (55-11) improve to 4-0 in its CWS openers. Martin homered twice for the second straight game, having hit two against Duke on June 9. He became the first player since Florida’s Harrison Bader in 2015 to lead off a CWS game with a homer when he drove Detmers’ initial offering out to left.

Martin’s two-run homer off Bryan Hoeing (3-4) in the seventh barely cleared the wall in left center, but it was long enough to break a 1-all tie after Julian Infante doubled. Fellows (13-1), a sixth-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres this month and the national wins leader, had worked the first four innings of an 18-5 loss to Duke in the super regional opener June 7. No. 7 Louisville (49-17) had base runners in six of Fellows’ seven innings but found a semblance of rhythm only in the fifth. No. 8 batter Justin Lavey started things with a double and scored on Henry Davis’ base hit to tie it. Lucas Dunn and Logan Wyatt followed with singles to load the bases with one out, but Fellows got a flyout and groundout to snuff the threat.

Fellows allowed six singles and a double, walked one and struck out six before the bullpen took over. All-SEC closer Tyler Brown worked the ninth for his 15th save. Detmers labored through the first three innings and he left with two outs in the sixth. Vanderbilt managed only one hit off the sophomore left-hander after Martin’s homer and JJ Bleday’s single in the first, but the ACC pitcher of the year walked a career-high six during his 102-pitch afternoon.

Vanderbilt caught a break in the sixth when Louisville’s Lavey popped up in the grass behind first base. Running with two outs, Danny Oriente came around from second. Infante, the Commodores’ first baseman, couldn’t make the catch, but the ball had floated just foul, and the call was upheld on a video review. Lavey ended up striking out, and the Cardinals had only three other batters reach base the rest of the way. They were just 3 for 16 with runners on base.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt will play a Bracket 2 winners’ game Tuesday night against the winner of Sunday’s late game between Auburn and Mississippi State. Louisville plays an elimination game Tuesday afternoon against the Auburn-Mississippi State loser.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — NASCAR overturned a victory for the first time since 1960 on Sunday when Brett Moffitt was declared the winner of the Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway after Ross Chastain’s No. 44 truck failed a post-race inspection. Chastain led the final 141 laps of the 200-lap race. But series managing director Brad Moran said the No. 44 was too low when it was measured with NASCAR’s height sticks. Chastain’s team has until noon on Monday to appeal the decision. “The height sticks have warning yellows in them and reds and it was right off of all of them, so unfortunately it was extremely low,” Moran said.

The disqualification was the first under strict new rules put into place at the start of this season to deter the culture of cheating — and it delivered a much-needed win for Moffitt, a native Iowan racing at his hometown track. “I think, for the integrity of the sport, it’s the right thing to do,” said Moffitt, who never led a lap in the race. “Obviously I came out on the good end of it. If I was in Ross’s shoes, I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it.” The last time NASCAR disqualified an apparent race winner was April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank.

NASCAR announced in February that thorough post-race inspections would take place right after the race at the track instead of midweek at the sanctioning body’s research and development center outside of Charlotte. Winning teams found in violation of the rules in previous seasons were penalized with post-race fines, point deductions and/or suspensions. But drivers didn’t have victories taken away from them until this year. The decision could prove to be devastating for Chastain’s season.

Chastain recently switched the championship he’d compete for in 2019 from the Xfinity Series to the Trucks, a risky move that left him at the bottom of the standings. The apparent win at Iowa meant that Chastain would only have to finish 20th or higher in the Truck standings to receive a playoff berth — and driver nicknamed “The Melon Man” was so thrilled about it that he smashed a watermelon to the ground in victory lane. Instead, Chastain was scored as though he finished last, and his victory and bonus points were stripped away. Chastain also lost the $50,000 he had won for taking first in the “Triple Truck Challenge” that Iowa was a part of.

Chastain, who spoke at a news conference after his apparent victory, could not be located for comment after his disqualification was announced. As for Moffitt, he said he was drinking beers in his motorhome on his way to the airport in nearby Des Moines and was “mad as hell” about losing when he got the call informing him that Chastain had been disqualified. Moffitt and his beer buzz were summoned back to the track for the second winner’s news conference of the day. “I went from drinking my sorrows away to being happy,” Moffitt said.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Ross Chastain cruised to a win in the NASCAR Truck Series race today (Sunday) at Iowa Speedway, his second victory of 2019. Chastain led the final 141 laps to clinch his second win in four races — but his first since he switched his championship aspirations from the Xfinity Series to the trucks a few weeks ago.

The win will be the first one to count toward Chastain’s playoff hopes, which improved greatly after a dominant run on Iowa’s short oval. Brett Moffitt, the defending series champion, finished second on his hometown track. Ben Rhodes was third, followed by Harrison Burton and Grant Enfinger.

Saturday’s Games

Sacramento 7, Iowa 6, 10 innings

Omaha 8, Fresno 7

Sunday’s Games

Iowa at Sacramento, 3:05 p.m.

Omaha at Fresno, 7:05 p.m.

Battle of the Bluffs

ADM 8, Glenwood 7
Burlington 12, Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 2 (6 innings)
Des Moines Lincoln 3, CB Thomas Jefferson 2 (8 innings)
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 8, ADM, Adel 7
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 9, Glenwood 4
St. Albert 8, Clear Lake 1
St. Albert 14, LeMars 4
Sioux City, North 6, Lewis Central 3
Waukee 8, Lewis Central 0

West Harrison Invitational

West Monona 7, Sidney 5
West Harrison 10, Whiting 0
Consolation: Whiting 4, Sidney 2
Championship: West Harrison 8, West Monona 4

Ridge View Tournament

Sioux City West 17, Missouri Valley 2
Consolation: Missouri Valley 12, Ridge View 10
Championship: Sioux City West 9, Unity Christian 2

Other Scores

Clarinda 11, East Mills 1
Hinton 12, Treynor 2 (5 innings)
North Polk, Alleman 15, Creston 8
Regina, Iowa City 13, Treynor 9
Sioux Center 14, Westwood, Sloan 3

Fort Dodge Tournament

Atlantic 6, Grettinger-Terrill Ruthven Ayrshire
Winterset 15, Harlan 1

Audubon Tournament

First Round

ACGC 12, Boyer Valley 0
MVAOCOU 11, Audubon 4
Underwood 11, Coon Rapids-Bayard
West Harrison 4, Panorama 3

Consolation

Coon Rapids-Bayard 10, Boyer Valley 6
Panorama 12, Audubon 6

Semifinals

West Harrison 6, MVAOCOU 4
ACGC 8, Underwood 5

7th Place: Boyer Valley 8, Audubon 7
5th Place: Panorama 13, Coon Rapids-Bayard 0
3rd Place: Underwood 5, MVAOCOU 2
Championship: ACGC 11, West Harrison 6 (8 innings)

Griswold Tournament

Griswold 8, Tri-Center 4
Mount Ayr 10, Exira-EHK 0
Consolation: Tri-Center 9, Exira-EHK 6
Championship: Mount Ayr 4, Griswold 0

Shenandoah Tournament

Fremont-Mills 6, Shenandoah 4
Missouri Valley 9, Fremont-Mills 5
Shenandoah 11, Stanton 3
Shenandoah 8, Missouri Valley 7
Stanton 11, Missouri Valley 9
Stanton 9, Fremont-Mills 7

Thomas Jefferson Tournament

Bedford 8, Council Bluffs Jefferson 2
Central Decatur 13, St. Albert 2
Council Bluffs Jefferson 9, St. Albert 2
Earlham 12, CB Abraham Lincoln 1
Earlham 10, St. Albert 0
Glenwood 19, Sidney 1
Glenwood 15, Bedford 0
Lewis Central 13, CB Thomas Jefferson 3
Treynor 7, CB Abraham Lincoln 0
Treynor 2, Lewis Central 1
Sidney 9, Central Decatur 4

Bracket Play

CB Abraham Lincoln 6, Sidney 5
CB Thomas Jefferson 9, St. Albert 2
Lewis Central 9, Central Decatur 8
Treynor 10, Bedford 1

Championship

Earlham 3, Glenwood 2

Denison-Schlewswig Tournament

Sioux City North 13, Denison-Schleswig 10
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 8, Logan-Magnolia 3
Sioux City North 13, Logan-Magnolia 7
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 11, Denison-Schleswig 1

East Sac County Triangular

Kuemper Catholic 7, East Sac County 3
Kuemper Catholic 17, Glidden-Ralston 2
East Sac County 6, Glidden-Ralston 1

Orient-Macksburg Tournament

Consolation: Orient-Macksburg 11, Mormon Trail 1
Consolation: East Union 11, Diagonal 0
Semifinal: Lenox 8, Nodaway Valley 4
Semifinal: Murray 13, Melcher-Dallas 2
7th Place: Diagonal 10, Mormon Trail 5
5th Place: Orient-Macksburg 2, East Union 0
3rd Place: Nodaway Valley 9, Melcher-Dallas 8
Championship: Murray 8, Lenox 1

Oskaloosa Tournament

Albia 7, Wayne 3
Iowa City Liberty 10, Creston 2
Oskaloosa 12, Creston 2
West Burlington 11, Wayne 1

Other Scores
ADM 6, Gilbert 1
Webster City 9, AHSTW 3
Winterset 13, Harlan 1
Woodbury Central 11, Western Christian 10

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Second baseman Jeff McNeil made a game-saving throw from right field to home plate for the final out, and the New York Mets held off the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 after starter Noah Syndergaard exited with a strained right hamstring. Pete Alonso smashed a mammoth three-run homer for the Mets in a five-run first inning against Michael Wacha. J.D. Davis homered and had four hits.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — C.J. Cron drove in the go-ahead run for Minnesota with a sixth-inning double and made Jake Odorizzi the second 10-game winner in the majors this season in a 5-4 comeback victory by the Twins over the Kansas City Royals. Jorge Soler and Whit Merrifield homered to help the Royals build a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning, but the Twins surged back with homers by Max Kepler and Marwin Gonzalez to send a sellout crowd home happy after Joe Mauer’s number was retired in a pregame ceremony.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jimmy Kerr’s first triple in two years helped Michigan build an early lead, Karl Kauffmann pitched seven strong innings and the Wolverines opened their first College World Series appearance since 1984 with a 5-3 win over Texas Tech. The Wolverines built a 4-0 lead in the third and Kauffmann and Jeff Criswell worked out of trouble when the Red Raiders threatened.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Oregon State catcher and top overall draft pick Adley Rutschman is winner of the Dick Howser Trophy as college baseball player of the year by vote of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. UCLA reliever Holden Powell was named Stopper of the Year and Michigan’s Erik Bakich was named coach of the year. Rutschman was selected No. 1 by the Baltimore Orioles.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Blues players have taken turns hoisting the Stanley Cup to the cheers of a massive crowd beneath the Gateway Arch. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out Saturday for a parade and rally to honor the Stanley Cup champion Blues. They won their first title in 52 years of existence by beating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 on Wednesday. The win ended one of sports’ longest championship droughts.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Gary Woodland will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the U.S. Open. Woodland narrowly missed a birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to finish the third round at Pebble Beach with a score of 2-under 69 to get to 11 under for the tournament. Justin Rose made his birdie putt at 18 to get to 3 under for the day and 10 under for the tournament.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Stage fright was no factor for a Michigan baseball program that’s in the College World Series for the first time in 35 years. The Wolverines just kept doing what they’ve been doing since the NCAA Tournament started.

“Pitching, defense, timely hitting seems to be the recipe of the postseason,” coach Erik Bakich said. The Wolverines got all three once again Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park. Jimmy Kerr’s first triple in two years helped build an early lead, Karl Kauffmann pitched seven strong innings and the Wolverines opened their first CWS appearance since 1984 with a 5-3 victory over Texas Tech.

The last time Michigan made it this far, a team led by future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin went 0-2. The Wolverines had lost four straight in the CWS since winning their first game in 1983.
UP NEXT
Michigan, a No. 3 regional seed and one of the last four teams awarded at-large bids for the 64-team NCAA Tournament, plays a Bracket 1 winners’ game Monday night against the winner of the Saturday night game between Florida State and Arkansas. Texas Tech meets the Florida State-Arkansas loser on Monday.