Quick Hitters
Boys golf: Hawks beat Kings
The Gila Ridge boys golf team knocked off Cibola, 163-201, Thursday at Mesa Del Sol.
The Hawks’ Mason Morris posted a 2-under 34 to take first individually, and he was followed by teammate David Ramirez in second at 37.
Boys golf: Cibola’s Nelson shoots 1-under
Cibola’s Hunter Nelson shot a 1-under 35 Thursday at Cocopah to earn medalist honors in a match against San Luis.
Michael Moreno and Austin Gomes finished tied for second for the Raiders at 9-over.
Girls golf: Gerber leads Gila Ridge
Kylee Gerber shot a 43 to lead the Gila Ridge girls golf team Thursday in a match against Kofa at Mesa Del Sol.
Caitlyn Grant (44) finished one shot behind Gerber for the Hawks, who posted a team score of 200.
Dalton throws 4 TD passes, Bengals beat Ravens
CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes in the first half — three to A.J. Green — against a defense that has bedeviled him throughout his career, and the Cincinnati Bengals held on for a 34-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
Dalton knocked the Ravens (1-1) out of playoff contention last season by throwing a 49-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the final game in Baltimore. On Thursday, he sliced-and-diced a defense that has more often gotten the upper hand in their AFC North rivalry, leading Cincinnati (2-0) to an early 21-point lead .
Heading into the game, Dalton had thrown more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (15) against the Ravens, including a four-interception game at Paul Brown Stadium last season. Dalton finished 24 of 42 for 265 yards, throwing four touchdown passes for only the fifth time in his career.
Green set the tone with touchdown catches of 4, 28 and 7 yards on consecutive possessions, a career high . Upset that he fumbled twice during a 34-23 win at Indianapolis on Sunday, he caught everything near him during the Bengals’ early surge. Green finished with five catches for 69 yards.
Dalton’s 14-yard touchdown throw to Tyler Boyd made it 28-7 late in the first half.
DENVER — Kyle Freeland got in on the fun at the plate, too, for the Colorado Rockies.
Freeland pitched effectively into the seventh and had two hits, and the Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-3 on Thursday to maintain their NL West lead.
Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered and David Dahl had three hits and two RBIs to help Colorado remain 1 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles and increase its advantage over the third-place Diamondbacks to 4 1/2 games. Los Angeles won 9-7 at St. Louis on Thursday night.
“We’re playing good baseball, we’re a very confident team,” Arenado said. “Everyone’s playing a part. It’s great.”
Freeland played two parts — keeping Arizona’s offense in check until his left calf cramped up in the seventh and doing damage with his bat. He had an RBI double in the second inning and started a rally in the fourth with a bunt single down the third base line.
“I was amazed with him today. I really was,” Arenado said. “I was like, ‘He’s an animal. He wants to pitch, he wants to hit, he wants to run, he just wants to be out there.’ The best pitchers in this game, that’s how they are.”
Freeland (15-7) was just as effective on the mound. He allowed two through six innings and left with one out in the seventh after giving up two extra-base hits. A cramp that bothered him in the sixth inning flared up again, but he said he is fine.
“I’ve had it on the mound a couple of times before the season,” he said. “It’s nothing that I have concern about.”
He was scheduled to face Clay Buchholz in the finale of the four-game series but the Diamondbacks righthander was scratched from the start because of tightness in his right elbow. Matt Koch (5-5) started in his place and allowed four runs on eight hits in three innings.
Manager Torey Lovullo said Buchholz felt the tightness in his elbow 26 pitches into his 32-pitch warmup and he was shut down.
“We have learned through some difficult circumstances just get him off the mound and get him evaluated,” Lovullo said. “So he is presently on his way back to Arizona to see our team doctors and obviously get an MRI.”
A.J. Pollock homered for Arizona. The Diamondbacks are 3-12 in September. They lost 5-4 on Wednesday night when DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer off Yoshihisa Hirano in the ninth inning.
Arizona trailed 5-1 when Freeland gave up a triple