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HOUSTON — The Astros were in desperate need of a win Wednesday after dropping four of five and letting their lead in the AL West dwindle.

Held scoreless through seven innings, things looked bleak before some late-game heroics lifted them to the victory.

Mauricio Dubon‘s RBI single with one out in the ninth gave the Astros to a 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, allowing Houston to avoid a sweep and stay a half-game ahead of Texas and Seattle for first place in the AL West standings.

“That was a big win,” manager Dusty Baker said. “It was nice to see the guys happy and partying because it’s been a morgue in there for the past two days. That was a huge game.”

Yainer Diaz doubled to right field off Danny Coulombe (5-2) to start Houston’s ninth, and he moved to third on a groundout by Chas McCormick.

Dubon smacked a single into the gap in right field to score Diaz and start the celebration.

“We needed this,” Dubon said. “Getting a walk-off win in late September with how the standings are, it’s pretty special for everybody.”

The Astros had just two hits when Jeremy Peña’s RBI double tied it with one out in the eighth.

Closer Ryan Pressly (4-5) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado said nothing had to be said before the game for the Astros to know the urgency they need to play with as the regular season winds down.

“Everybody knows we have to win games, and nobody has to say anything for us to know that we’ve got to win games, and that’s the bottom line,” he said.

Anthony Santander doubled and drove in Baltimore’s only run with a single in the first inning. The Orioles maintained their 2½-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which lost to the Los Angeles Angels later Wednesday.

Orioles starter Kyle Bradish allowed two hits and struck out nine in six scoreless innings.

Houston’s Cristian Javier gave up five hits and a run while tying a season high with 11 strikeouts in five innings.

“That was the best that Javi has looked this year,” Baker said. “He looked like the old Javier.”

Adley Rutschman doubled with one out in the first before the Orioles made it 1-0 when he scored on a single by Santander.

Javier settled down after that, retiring 10 of the next 11 before Adam Frazier singled with one out in the fifth. Javier walked Ramon Urias but struck out Gunnar Henderson before retiring Rutschman to end the threat.

McCormick singled to open Houston’s third, but Bradish didn’t allow another hit until Jake Meyers singled to start the sixth.

He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Maldonado. Bradish struck out Altuve and looked to have struck out Peña to end the inning. But Rutschman was called for catcher’s interference to put Peña on first and extend the inning. The Astros still came up empty when Kyle Tucker lined out.

“Tough lineup to pitch against, and he was outstanding,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Only gave up a couple hits, worked out of that jam there, got the unfortunate catcher’s interference but a big out against Tucker there to end that inning. He was really good … and deserved a win.”

Shintaro Fujinami walked pinch-hitter Yordan Alvarez with no outs in the eighth before walking Jose Altuve with one out. He was replaced by Mike Baumann, who was greeted with the double from Peña that tied it at 1-all.

Baumann intentionally walked Tucker to load the bases, but Alex Bregman struck out before Jose Abreu grounded out to end the inning.

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Ex-‘Last Chance U’ coach shot on Oakland campus

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Ex-'Last Chance U' coach shot on Oakland campus

A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland, California, was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.

The Oakland Police Department said it was investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition was unknown.

The man later was identified as John Beam, the current athletic director and former head coach of the Laney football team. Beam and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn around their lives.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”

“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

Lee added: “We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student was in stable condition. Police said they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

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Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.

George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.

George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.

“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”

Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.

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Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

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Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

The College Football Playoff management committee has formally approved the return of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to its selection committee and named current committee member and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek its new chair, the CFP announced on Thursday.

The moves come hours after Baylor athletic director and selection committee chair Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence from his job for personal reasons amid a university investigation.

“We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades’ leadership and service as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately. Hunter’s experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season.”

Harlan previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. The CFP typically requires athletic directors on the selection committee to be active, “sitting” athletic directors. Because Rhoades was the Big 12’s nomination, he was replaced by a Big 12 athletic director. The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua unanimously agreed to the changes.

Harlan is not the only committee member in his second stint with the group, as former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long – also the CFP’s inaugural chairman – is participating again this season. The 12-person group was already one member short this season after committee member Randall McDaniel also stepped away last month for personal reasons.

Rhoades told ESPN on Thursday that he initiated the leave from his Baylor role but declined to explain why.

Baylor told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that the university received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday. The allegations do not involve Title IX, student welfare or NCAA rules and do not involve the football program, indicating it is a separate incident from Rhoades’ alleged altercation with a football player during a September game.

Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as Baylor’s co-interim athletic directors, a school spokesman told Rittenberg. Overshown is the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, and Hall is Baylor’s executive senior associate athletic director for internal administration and chief financial officer.

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