WJPA Sports

Friday’s game between the Joliet Slammers and Washington Wild Things has been postponed due to rain in the forecast and a power outage. It will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader Saturday, May 23 at 5:05 p.m. Fans with tickets for Friday’s game (May 22) can exchange their tickets through the Wild Things’ ticket office for any remaining 2026 home game, based on availability. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 5:05 p.m.. Gates open at 4:05 pm with a souvenir hat giveaway. Game 2 will follow the first game, roughly 30-45 minutes following Game 1’s final out. Both games will be seven innings (regulation). Fans with tickets for Saturday’s game (May 23) can use those tickets with the same seats for both games.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, has died. He was 41. The Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR issued a joint statement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of death was given. Busch’s family said earlier Thursday that he was hospitalized with a “severe illness,” three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit an inside-the-park home run and Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Rookie Konnor Griffin extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double on Thursday. He also scored a run and stole a base. Braxton Ashcraft struck out nine in seven innings. He gave up one run on four hits. Lowe hit a fastball that bounced off the top of the wall just inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning. It was the sixth inside-the-park homer in the big leagues this season. The Bucs open a three game series in Toronto Friday night.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens pounced for four first-period goals on slow-starting Carolina — coming off the longest postseason break in more than a century — and handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs with a 6-2 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for a 4-1 lead midway through the period. That came against the Eastern Conference’s top seed, which hadn’t allowed more than two goals in an 8-0 playoff start. Juraj Slafkovksy scored twice in the third period for Montreal, the second on a late empty-netter, while Jakub Dobes had 24 saves. Game 2 is Saturday night.

The WPIAL has finalized its Championship Week schedule, a framework that includes Fort Cherry baseball, Bentworth, Chartiers-Houston, Carmichaels, Jeff-Morgan & West Greene softball. Each will have their last WPIAL playoff games next week. Baseball championship games start Tuesday at EQT Park with third-place games next door at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park. Most softball third-place games are scheduled for Tuesday at various sites, though the Jeff-Morgan / West Greene game is listed for Wednesday.  The softball championships are Wednesday/Thursday at PennWest California’s Lilley Field. The teams from Bentworth, Chartiers-Houston, Carmichaels and Fort Cherry have all clinched berths in the PIAA tournaments scheduled to begin June 1. Only the Jeff-Morgan/West Greene winner qualifies for the state softball playoffs.

WPIAL Baseball Brackets 
Tuesday, May 26
1:00 pm 3A Final South Park vs. Ellwood City
1:00 pm 1A Third Place Western Beaver vs. Serra Catholic
4:00 pm 2A Final Fort Cherry vs. Neshannock, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
4:00 pm 2A Third Place Riverview vs. South Side Beaver (winner only qualifies)
7:00 pm 4A Final Indiana vs. Elizabeth-Forward
7:00 pm 4A Third Place Derry Area vs. Hopewell (winner only qualifies)

Wednesday, May 27
1:00 pm 1A Final Eden Christian vs. Greensburg Central Catholic
2:00 pm 5A Third Place Montour vs. Thomas Jefferson
4:00 pm 6A Final Butler vs. North Allegheny
5:00 pm 3A Third Place Avonworth vs. Riverside
7:00 pm 5A Final Upper St. Clair vs. South Fayette

WPIAL Softball Brackets
Tuesday, May 26
3:00 pm 3A Third Place Ellwood City vs. Keystone Oaks at North Allegheny (winner only qualifies)
4:00 pm 5A Third Place West Mifflin vs. Thomas Jefferson at West Mifflin
5:00 pm 2A Third Place Laurel vs. Chartiers-Houston at North Allegheny
7:00 pm 4A Third Place Hampton vs. North Catholic at North Allegheny (winner only qualifies)

Wednesday, May 27
11:45 am 2A Final Bentworth vs. Neshannock, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
2:15 pm 5A Final Shaler vs. North Hills
4:00 pm 1A Third Place Jeff-Morgan vs. West Greene at Pleasant Valley (winner only qualifies)
4:30 pm 6A Final Hempfield vs. Seneca Valley

Thursday, May 28
12:00 n 1A Final Union vs. Carmichaels
2:15 pm 3A Final South Park vs. Mt. Pleasant
4:30 pm 4A Final Elizabeth-Forward vs. Blackhawk