BASEBALL

Josh Winckowski allowed one run on three hits over six innings and the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Hartford Yard Goats 7-2 on Friday in Hartford, Connecticut.

Portland opened a 6-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings and four in the second, sparked by a two-run homer by Pedro Castellanos and Cameron Cannon’s two-run double.

Devlin Granberg hit a solo homer in the ninth.

Sean Bouchard’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third put Hartford on the scoreboard. Another run scored in the eighth on a groundout by Jameson Hannah.

SOCCER

The British government is keeping Panama on its red list, which means the United States may have to play without star Christian Pulisic and several other U.K.-based players for its World Cup qualifier at the Central American nation on Oct. 10.

The U.S. plays at Panama between home matches against Jamaica on Oct. 7 at Austin, Texas, and vs. Costa Rica on Oct. 13 at Columbus, Ohio.

Britain requires anyone visiting a nation on its red list to quarantine upon arrival in England for 10 days. An Oct. 10 match in Panama followed by the game in Columbus would rule out Pulisic from playing for Chelsea in its Premier League match at Brentford on Oct. 16 and a home Champions League game against Malmö on Oct. 20.

U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter could be forced to leave Pulisic and other British-based players in the U.S. for training between the two qualifiers, which may cause Berhalter to bring a larger group to camp.

PELE: Brazilian soccer great Pelé “took a little step back” in his recovery from surgery to remove a tumor from his colon but he is “recovering well” at a Sao Paulo hospital, his daughter Kely Nascimento said Friday.

However, the Albert Einstein hospital said the 80-year-old Pelé had returned to intensive care after “a brief breathing instability” Thursday night. Pelé was currently stable in “semi-intensive” care, the hospital said, and he “continues recovering.” It did not give further details. Kely Nascimento posted a picture Friday with her father on Instagram which she said she had just taken in his room at the hospital.

COLLEGES

FIELD HOCKEY: Chloe Walton scored two goals and set up another, leading Maine (2-5) to a 5-1 win over Merrimack (0-6) in Orono.

Hana Davis, Tereza Holubcova and Brooke Sulinski added a goal apiece, and Madisyn Hartley had two assists.

FOOTBALL: Garret Poussard and Shawn Noel Jr. each rushed for over 130 yards as Husson (2-1) rolled to a 42-12 win over Dean (1-2) in Bangor.

Poussard scored three TDs and gained 134 yards, while Noel Jr. rushed for 133. Nick Visser passed for 232 yards and three scores, with Jon Bell catching two to go with 108 receiving yards.

Evan Briggs and Josh Ladipo each had an interception for Husson.

NCAA PROBATION: The NCAA placed George Mason University’s athletic department on probation for one year, issued a $5,000 fine and reduced scholarships in men’s volleyball for multiple financial aid violations and other infractions. Between 2016 and ’20, the NCAA said, George Mason improperly provided scholarships on 27 occasions to 18 athletes in four sports: women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and women’s track and field.

Violations were discovered in men’s and women’s basketball in all four seasons. In 2018-19, the NCAA’s ruling added, the university exceeded scholarship limits in men’s volleyball. As a penalty, the program will lose 10 percent of its scholarship money the next two seasons.

The other programs did not lose scholarships, but George Mason will vacate victories in which an ineligible athlete participated. The university must detail the affected competitions within two weeks. The involved coaches and the enforcement staff agreed on the Level II violations and the penalties, the NCAA and George Mason said, and the university cannot appeal. NCAA Level II violations involve conduct that is “less than a substantial or extensive impermissible benefit.”

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Natasha Howard scored 24 points, Sabrina Ionescu added 22 and the New York Liberty keep alive their playoff hopes with a 91-80 victory over the Washington Mystics on Friday night. The Liberty (12-20) need Washington to lose to Minnesota on Sunday and have Los Angeles lose at Dallas that day as well. The Liberty, who snapped an eight-game losing skid, hold the tiebreaker by virtue of having a better record against the two other teams.

Washington (12-19) would get the No. 8 seed with a win Sunday. New York is trying to avoid missing the playoff for a fourth consecutive season.

HOCKEY

NHL: The St. Louis Blues will require fans and visitors who are 12 and over to show proof they have had a COVID-19 vaccine or a recent negative test before entering the Enterprise Center for games this season, the team announced.

The team said the policy will take effect Oct. 15, ahead of the Blues’ home opener on Oct. 23. The policy will be periodically reviewed as circumstances change.

People attending other events as the Enterprise Center and Stifel Theatre will be required to follow the same protocols and artists might request other policies. The policies will also apply to employees, event staff, sponsors, media and all others entering the venues.

• Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said he has participated in the investigation into allegations that a then-assistant coach sexually assaulted two players in 2010, adding that he did not know anything happened at the time.

“Obviously very serious allegations, and everyone knows that,” Kane said at the annual NHL/NHLPA preseason player media tour. “But I will say that I didn’t know anything about it at the time and did participate with the investigation.”

Kane’s comments were his first since the allegations came to light. The Blackhawks launched the investigation led by a former federal prosecutor and pledged to release the findings.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion said he also was unaware of homophobic bullying of one of his former teammates that ensued.

GOLF

PGA: Maverick McNealy overcame three consecutive bogeys and holed out from 74 yards for eagle on the last for an 8-under 64 and the second-round lead Friday in the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California.

Winless in 66 career starts on the PGA Tour, McNealy had nine birdies – one from a greenside bunker to offset his stumbles and get to 12 under at Silverado Resort and Spa. Beau Hossler matched McNealy’s 64 to get to 6 under with Mito Pereira (67). Three others, including tour rookie of the year Will Zalatoris (67), were 9 under.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden shot 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Dutch Open.

The 772nd-ranked Broberg rolled in a 12-foot putt at his last hole – No. 9, after starting at the 10th – for his ninth birdie of the round to set a course record at the Bernardus club in Cromvoirt.

Broberg’s only win on the European Tour came six years ago at the BMW Masters in China.

Marcus Helligkilde and Thomas Detry both shot 66 and were tied for second place.

At No. 79, Detry is the second highest-ranked player in the field. The highest is No. 57 Branden Grace, who came home in 31 to shoot 68 and was 4 under overall – eight strokes off the lead.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: K.J. Choi closed eagle-birdie-birdie for a 7-under 63 and share of the first-round lead with Darren Clarke in the Stanford International in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Choi had a bogey-free round at Minnehaha Country Club.

Clarke, the 53-year-old major champion from Northern Ireland, also finished with a birdie on the par-4 18th. He has two victories this season, the TimberTech Championship in November and Mitsubishi Electric Championship in January.

Robert Karlsson, Matt Gogel, Rod Pampling and Brandt Jobe were a stroke back.

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