Teoscar Hernández delivers a dramatic 9th-inning walk-off double as Dodgers top Cardinals

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the ninth inning off Riley O'Brien, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Thursday night to avoid a sweep.

With one out, Tommy Edman singled to left and stole second and Mookie Betts walked, setting up Hernández who sent a 3-2 pitch into center for the Dodgers' eighth walk-off win of the season.

O'Brien (3-7) blew his sixth save of the season.

The Dodgers were hitless with eight other runners in scoring position before Hernández's hit. He and Edman, who went 4 for 5 batting leadoff in Shohei Ohtani's place, were the only players with hits.

Ohtani got the night off to rest neck, biceps and knee issues.

Cardinals reliever George Soriano loaded the bases with a leadoff walk to Hernández and consecutive two-out walks to pinch-hitter Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker in the eighth before pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing went down swinging.

St. Louis led 2-0 on RBI singles from Joshua Báez in the first and Ramón Urías in the third off Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal.

Cardinals starter Quinn Mathews allowed four hits, struck out four and walked four.

Skubal gave up two runs and tied his career high with 10 hits while striking out six.

Cardinals: RHP Kyle Leahy (10-4, 3.13 ERA) starts Friday's series opener at Colorado against RHP Ryan Feltner (5-9, 5.84).

Dodgers: LHP Blake Snell (2-1, 2.42) starts Friday's series opener against Washington LHP Jackson Kent (1-2, 5.59).

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St. Louis Cardinals' Iván Herrera breaks his bat as he grounds out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Quinn Mathews throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

St. Louis Cardinals' Ramón Urías hits a RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker, left, is tagged out at first by Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman after being caught off base during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Devon Dampier threw for three touchdowns, Wayshawn Parker had the first three-touchdown game of his career and No. 21 Utah routed Idaho 66-14 coach Morgan Scalley's regular-season debut.

After 21 years at Utah, Kyle Whittingham moved to Michigan to make way for Scalley, the previous defensive coordinator who coached Utah's win over Nebraska last season in the Las Vegas Bowl.

“I just wanted our players to show what our culture is all about. It’s not, and I keep saying this, it’s not about Morgan,” Scalley said after being celebrated and doused with water by his players in the locker room.

Dampier wanted to make sure his coach felt the appreciation and support the team has in him.

“I made sure I gave him his shout-out because he’s such a loving guy,” Dampier said.

Parker ran for 71 yards had two touchdown receptions and a 21-yard TD run, where he shed several tacklers, all in the first half.

“I was just going out there being confident in my O-line and the whole team. We’ve been waiting since January and it was time to ... show what it’s going to be like this whole year,” Parker said.

Dampier, who was hampered by injuries last season, looked nimble and was accurate (13 for 18) except for some long-distance throws. He sat after the first drive of the second half — with Utah leading 38-7 — but still had 176 yards passing and 31 yards rushing while staying clean in the pocket.

“It was so much fun,” Dampier said. “Scalley's a different head coach. I wondered what it was going to be like, but he had an energy and a calmness in us to do our thing.”

Transfer wide receiver Braden Pegan dazzled with the hands and his feet — scoring on a 7-yard reception and a 12-yard end around. Backup QB Byrd Ficklin threw for 93 yards and two TDs and ran for 70 yards.

“There was a lot to love about this. We know that the quality of opponents is just going to go up from here on out. But for a first game, we wanted to be clean. We wanted to play as a team,” said Scalley whose team had just one penalty.

Idaho's Hayden Kincheloe rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter after Utah had taken a 17-0 lead. Joshua Wood passed for 111 yards and scrambled for a 22-yard score for the Vandals (0-2).

The game marked the most points and largest margin of victory for Utah in the 29-game series.

Idaho: As expected, Idaho struggled to move the ball and stop the bigger Utes but the Vandals engineered a stellar 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the first half. Outside of completing 4 of 5 passes on that march, Wood was 5 of 22 with an interception.

Utah: All eyes were on the Utes' offensive and defensive lines, which were almost entirely new this season. The big guys up front may not have dominated on every play but protected the quarterbacks and opened up enough lanes for Utah to roll up 633 yards — 364 on the ground and 269 in the air. On defense, the Utes allowed just 225 yards.

Utah was expected to win handily and the Utes showed no glaring weaknesses in the blowout.

Idaho: Hosts Lamar next Saturday.

Utah: Hosts Arkansas next Saturday in the Utes' second home game against an SEC team.

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Utah wide receiver Braden Pegan, right, reaches for the ball over Idaho defensive back Khaled Rawls, left, during an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)