SPORTS ITEMS: Sumter High School girls golf team seeking players

The Sumter High School varsity girls golf team is looking for players for the upcoming season.

Anyone entering grades 7-12 at Sumter High and Alice Drive, Bates and Chestnut Oaks middle schools who is interested in playing is asked to contact head coach Jeff Schaffer at (803) 565-1491.

Players must have their own clubs and have a physical on file by Aug. 22.

Churches Challenge is Aug. 17

The 20th Annual Churches Challenge Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, August 17, at Beech Creek Golf Club.

The event, which is sponsored by Sumter Christian Golfers' Association, will be at Beech Creek for the first time after having been held at Sunset Country Club.

It is open to 4-person teams. There were 156 players in last year's event making up 39 teams. Those teams came from 21 different churches and 11 different denominations.

For more information or to register, call Tom Winstead at (803) 983-3457 or (803) 773-2171.

Mets 4

Padres 0

NEW YORK - No big league pitcher has been better in the sun than Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

Given a rare bit of first-inning run support, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner shined as expected.

DeGrom pitched seven innings of four-hit ball after teammates gifted him an unprecedented early lead and New York beat the San Diego Padres 4-0 Thursday.

Todd Frazier hit a two-run double as New York built a four-run lead in its first turn against Eric Lauer, the most runs the Mets have scored in the first inning during deGrom's 160 starts.

Cardinals 6

Pirates 3

PITTSBURGH - Paul Goldschmidt's power streak helped lift the St. Louis Cardinals into a share of the NL Central lead for the first time since early May.

Goldschmidt homered in his career-high fourth straight game, lifting the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh 6-3 on Thursday for a four-game sweep of the Pirates.

St. Louis won the eighth time in nine games and at 55-47 tied the idle Chicago Cubs for first. St. Louis last held the lead before play on May 7.

Goldschmidt drove in nine runs and had four of the Cardinals' 12 home runs during sweep.

Ledecky's return doesn't help U.S.

GWANGJU, South Korea - The Americans got ailing Katie Ledecky back. They just couldn't overcome a world record by the Australians.

Ledecky returned after two days out of the pool while being sick to swim in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. She rallied the U.S. to the lead on her second leg, but it wasn't enough to defend the title from 2017.

Ariarne Titmus, Madison Wilson, Brianna Throssell and Emma McKeon took down the old mark of 7:42.08 set by China at the 2009 worlds in Rome during the height of the rubber suit era.

The United States took silver in 7:41.87, also going under China's old mark. Canada earned bronze.

It was still a big night at the pool for the U.S. team.

The Americans medaled in all five finals, with Caeleb Dressel and Olivia Smoliga winning golds.

From staff and wire reports