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HOUSTON — Juan Soto had three hits capped by an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the New York Yankees to a 4-3 win Sunday that completed an opening four-game sweep of the Houston Astros.

With the score 3-3, Gleyber Torres singled off closer Josh Hader (0-1) with two outs in the ninth inning and stole second base. Soto then singled on a line drive to left field.

“It just put a bow on the series of what we saw in his at-bats,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Soto hit .529 (9-for-17) with four RBIs in his first games with the Yankees after his trade from San Diego, helping New York to its first 4-0 start since 2003 and just its fourth since 1950.

“That’s the kind of start I wanted,” Soto said with a laugh. “I grinded really hard this offseason and in spring training to be successful in the beginning of the season.”

The Astros had a shot to tie it in the bottom of the inning against Clay Holmes. Jeremy Pena and pinch hitter Victor Caratini singled and Jose Altuve hit a hard grounder that third baseman Jon Berti snagged with a dive before scrambling to third for a forceout.

Yordan Alvarez hit a drive 2 inches foul of the left-field line and followed with a fly that advanced pinch runner Mauricio Dubon to third. Alex Verdugo made a sliding catch in left field on a ball hit by Kyle Tucker to end it and give Holmes his third save.

“It’s just a lot of fun watching these guys continue to compete, and it’s happening on both sides of the ball,” Boone said.

Nick Burdi (1-0) got the last two outs of the eighth for his first big league win since April 17, 2019, for Pittsburgh against Detroit. Yankees relievers pitched 15⅓ scoreless innings in the series.

Altuve homered and doubled for the Astros, who are 0-4 for the first time since dropping their first five in 2011. Houston has lost nine straight home games dating to last year, including the playoffs, and has lost seven in a row to the Yankees.

“I like the fight,” first-year manager Joe Espada said. “That’s what it’s all about. Give yourself a chance. You fight to the last out of the game and if you do that you’re going to find yourself in a good spot to win games.”

The Astros trailed by 2 when Altuve got things going in the sixth when he doubled to left field. Tucker’s double with one out in the inning scored Altuve to cut the lead to 3-2 and chase Clarke Schmidt.

Jonathan Loaisiga took over and Yainer Diaz‘s RBI single with two outs tied it at 3-3.

Giancarlo Stanton doubled in the second and scored on Jose Trevino‘s single, and Altuve’s homer tied the score in the third. Anthony Rizzo doubled to start the fourth and scored on Berti’s single for a 2-1 lead, and Aaron Judge hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Schmidt gave up three runs and seven hits in 5⅓ innings.

“Obviously you don’t play playoff games in March, but this was a big-time series and a big-time sweep and a really good way to start the season,” Schmidt said.

Houston starter J.P. France allowed three runs and six hits in 5⅔ innings.

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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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