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STILLWATER, Okla. — The final Bedlam for the foreseeable future looks markedly different for Oklahoma State than it did a month ago.

The Cowboys, who raced past Cincinnati 45-13 on Saturday thanks to a 35-point second half, have won four straight games, sit in a five-way tie atop the Big 12 standings and have a running back putting up Barry Sanders-like numbers.

“It’s great. The team chemistry, the team bonding … everything’s getting better, and as we grow closer to each other, nobody can stop us,” said Ollie Gordon II, who rushed for 271 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns.

The Cowboys (6-2, 4-1 in the Big 12) look nothing like they did to close out September when they lost back-to-back games to South Alabama and Iowa State. A bye week ensued, and the biggest difference once the calendar flipped to October was that Gordon became the Cowboys’ go-to running back.

And he took off.

“We saw a glimpse when we played West Virginia last November,” Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said about Gordon’s potential. “I kind of joke, but it’s like trying to tackle a giraffe. The guy is so long. He’s got limbs everywhere and he’s still really powerful. If you stand behind him and practice, there’s freaking muscles everywhere. I hate saying awkward, but he’s got this awkwardness that it’s hard to tackle and then he’s got enough speed to put it in the end zone like we saw tonight. So right now, he’s playing with a lot of confidence, and the offensive line’s blocking with a lot of confidence.”

Gordon, a 6-1, 211-pound sophomore, was coming off a 282-yard performance in the win over West Virginia a week ago. He and Sanders (1988) are the only two players in program history with back-to-back games of 250-plus rushing yards. Sanders’ 1988 season is widely regarded as the best individual season in college football history when he rushed for 2,850 yards, scored 44 touchdowns and broke 34 records.

Gordon, who carried the ball just 19 times in the first three games this season, is one of only two FBS players over the past 20 seasons with 250 scrimmage yards in three straight games. Boston College’s Andre Williams also did it in 2013. Two weeks ago in the 39-32 win over Kansas, Gordon had 168 rushing yards and 116 receiving yards.

He has had five straight 100-yard rushing performances and has piled up 978 yards in those five games while averaging 8.01 yards a carry during that stretch.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy played with Sanders and Thurman Thomas in college and delivered a stern message to Gordon in the first half after he lost a fumble and showed his frustration and emotion on the sideline.

“There’s a lot of pressure involved, and he’s a very prideful young man, and that’s good,” Gundy said. “But what I shared with him is that I’ve been around the greatest running backs to ever play this game. None of them did that. They all learn to keep their composure.”

That’s exactly what Gordon did in rushing for more than 200 yards in the second half for the second straight week.

“He’s still young, and he’s got a long ways to go in his career, but he has changed considerably over the last five weeks with us condensing our running game,” Gundy said.

“He’s not arrived, but we have to give him credit for what he’s done. It’s not like it’s the first game he’s done this, but I’ve told him and I’ll tell him again when I see him tomorrow or Monday. He has to stay hungry, and he has to stay humble — period — or he’ll get his block knocked off.”

After the game, Gordon was holding a large bouquet of roses given to him by his mother and aunt. Chants of “Ollie, Ollie” filled a rainy Boone Pickens Stadium when he left the field.

Gordon said that hearing his name mentioned in the same sentence with Sanders is surreal, but he is not about to get ahead of himself. As much as anything, he wanted to talk about his offensive line late Saturday night.

“It’s great to be talked about with greats like Barry Sanders. I mean, he won a Heisman Trophy and is one of the best to ever do it,” Gordon said. “It’s a special feeling, but I couldn’t do any of it without the guys in front of me. They’re the ones who deserve all the praise.”

Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman said watching the entire running game click the way it has for the last month has been amazing.

“I’ve got the best seat in the house to watch it, and it’s been pretty cool,” Bowman said.

Nobody needs to tell Gordon or any of the Oklahoma State players that next Saturday’s game with Oklahoma will be the last chance they get at the Sooners, at least in the regular season. With Oklahoma, which has won 17 of the past 20 meetings in the series, moving to the SEC in 2024, the two rivals aren’t expected to meet again anytime soon.

Gordon, asked what he expected from the last Bedlam in a while, said simply, “I expect the Pokes to come out on top.”

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Cubs blow lead in 10-run 8th, storm back in thriller

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Cubs blow lead in 10-run 8th, storm back in thriller

CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker had the fans on their feet, roaring and pumping their fists as he rounded the bases after hitting the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. His screaming line drive cleared the right-field wall with plenty of room to spare.

The Chicago Cubs went from giving up 10 runs in the eighth to scoring six in the bottom half and beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 on Friday in one of the wildest games on record.

The two teams combined for 21 runs in the seventh and eighth innings, with the Cubs scoring 11 runs and the D-backs plating 10. It was the first nine-inning game in MLB history in which both teams scored 10 or more runs from the seventh inning on, and the third game overall, according to ESPN Research.

“That’s kind of baseball,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially with how many games we play.”

There haven’t been many games like this, though.

The Cubs are just the seventh team in at least the past 125 seasons to allow 10 or more runs in an inning and win. They are also the fifth team to give up 10 or more runs and score six or more in the same inning.

The 16 combined runs in the eighth were the most in an inning at Wrigley Field, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“If you’ve seen that one, you’ve been around for a while,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said with a laugh. “It was crazy. You know, we gave up 10 runs in an inning and we won. So it was a wild game, but we kept going, and, you know, there’s 27 outs in a game and this kind of proves it, and you’re just happy to get out with a win.”

On a warm day with the ball carrying, Carson Kelly homered twice. Ian Happ belted a grand slam and Seiya Suzuki went deep, helping the Cubs open a weekend series on a winning note.

“You’ve seen it early — having some tough losses, coming back winning the next day,” Happ said. “Losing the first game of the series, winning the series. Little things like that. Today’s a great example of professional hitters going out there and continuing to have really good at-bats.”

The way things transpired in the final two innings was something to see.

Kelly hit a two-run homer in the second against Corbin Burnes, and Happ came through with his grand slam against Ryne Nelson as part of a five-run seventh. But just when it looked as if the Cubs were in control with a 7-1 lead, things took a wild turn in the eighth.

Eugenio Suarez cut it to 7-5 with a grand slam against Porter Hodge, Geraldo Perdomo singled in a run and Randal Grichuk put Arizona on top by one with a two-run double. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a three-run homer, making it 11-7.

The crowd of more than 39,000 let the Cubs hear it, but their team regrouped in the bottom half. Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner leading off and walked Pete Crow-Armstrong before Kelly drove a three-run homer to center. Tucker, the Cubs’ prized offseason addition, came through after Happ singled with one out. Suzuki followed with his drive against Joe Mantiply to give the Cubs a 13-11 lead.

Arizona, which had won five straight, became just the third team over the past 50 seasons to lose a game in which it had a 10-run inning at any point, according to ESPN Research.

“You just got to stay locked in,” Kelly said. “Obviously, you don’t want to … give up 10 in an inning. Obviously, you don’t want to do that. I think the biggest thing is coming back, regrouping and continuing to fight.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Chisholm suspended 1 game for conduct, tweet

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Chisholm suspended 1 game for conduct, tweet

Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount, the result of his actions during Thursday night’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Chisholm was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire John Bacon for arguing after a called third strike on a full-count pitch from Mason Montgomery that appeared low.

Minutes later, he posted on his X account, “Not even f—ing close!!!!!” then deleted the post.

“I didn’t think before I had anything that I said was ejectable but after probably,” Chisholm said after the game. “I’m a competitor, so when I go out there and I feel like I’m right and you’re saying something to me that I think doesn’t make sense, I’m going to get fired up and be upset.

“I lost my emotions. I lost my cool. I got to be better than that. … I’m definitely mad at myself for losing my cool.”

Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said Friday’s discipline was for Chisholm’s “conduct, including his violation of Major League Baseball’s Social Media Policy for Major League Players.”

MLB regulations ban the use of electronic devices during games. The social media policy prohibits “displaying or transmitting content that questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a major league umpire.”

Chisholm did appeal the decision, allowing him to play in Friday night’s 1-0 win against the Rays. He started at second base and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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First-time father-to-be Ohtani away from Dodgers

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First-time father-to-be Ohtani away from Dodgers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani is away from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the birth of the two-way superstar’s first child.

Manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ series opener Friday night against the Rangers that Ohtani was with his wife and going on MLB’s paternity list.

“He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to come back and I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby, but obviously they’re together in anticipation.”

The 30-year-old Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in late December that he and his 28-year-old wife, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan, were expecting a baby in 2025.

“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” said the Dec. 28 post that included a photo showing the couple’s beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that was covered by a baby emoji.

Ohtani can miss up to three games while on paternity leave. The Dodgers have a three-game series in Texas before an off day Monday, then play the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.

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