WJPA Sports

Chartiers-Houston softball heads to the PIAA Semifinals Monday afternoon. The Bucs are in the state playoffs for a 25th year, and into the semifinals now for the 12th time. But their opponent is no stranger to PIAA softball playoffs. District 1 champion Bristol leads all schools with 28 appearances in the playoffs and the Warriors are making a 7th Final Four appearance today. The Warriors have scored in double-digits in all but one of their 23 wins while holding 17 opponents to one run or less.  Chartiers-Houston also reached double digits 15 times during the regular season, but their run-rule win over Montrose Thursday was the first time to score more than 5 runs in more than a month.  We’ll have today’s game for you on WJPA-AM (1450) and online. And we’re producing the NFHS video stream as well (subscription required under PIAA agreements).  Watch/Listen Here  The winner returns to Centre County for Friday’s PIAA Championship game at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park against the Laurel / Everett winner.

Monday, June 8
PIAA Softball Quarterfinals Softball Brackets
2:45 pm 2A Chartiers-Houston vs. Bristol at Mifflin County High School,  Watch/Listen Here

ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II hit a three-run double in the seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Reynaldo López earned the win with a scoreless seventh, and Tyler Kinley ended a bases-loaded threat in the eighth when he got Ryan O’Hearn to ground out. Braves rookie Didier Fuentes stranded two runners in the ninth for his first career save. Harris came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and the Braves trailing 2-0. With light rain falling, he drove the first pitch from reliever Evan Sisk into the right-field corner to clear the bases. The major league-leading Braves, who were limited to three hits, have won eight of 10.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — J.T. Poston has won the Memorial, just not the way anyone would have imagined. Poston returned Sunday morning to complete the third round and built a four-shot lead. But that was gone on the turn and it turned into a mad scramble. Poston made a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 72 to force a playoff with Ryan Gerard. He won on the second extra hole when Gerard three-putted from some 55 feet. Gerard was mistake-free most of the day until missing a 6-foot par putt. The victory gives Poston a spot in the next three majors.

NEW YORK (AP) — Police scuttled an NBA Finals watch party near Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks warned fans to get to Monday’s matchup at least two hours early as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game. Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. Part of the fallout from Trump’s visit was the cancellation of a Game 3 watch party outside MSG. The NYPD said the decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service. Also, the Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 and encouraging them to arrive early as part of enhanced security measures with Trump attending the game.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Denny Hamlin went from the rear to first again Sunday, winning at Michigan International Speedway to earn his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory from the pole position. Just like last week’s win at Nashville Superspeedway when the Joe Gibbs Racing car was penalized for jumping the start, Hamlin qualified first at Michigan but dropped to the back at the green flag because of a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his No. 11 Toyota. He took the lead for good on a three-wide pass during a restart with 38 laps remaining, sweeping into first around Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar.