WJPA Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 to sweep a three-game series and extend their winning streak to five. O’Hearn hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-run double in a four-run second. Oneil Cruz made it 8-1 with a two-run homer in the sixth. He also singled home a run in the second. That was plenty of support for Braxton Ashcraft, who allowed one run in six innings. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks. Orioles starter Chris Bassitt was roughed up for six runs in two innings.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickard Rakell scored twice, Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Sunday. The teams faced off Saturday night and the Penguins beat them 9-4, eliminating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention. Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs stopped 29 shots after tandem mate Stuart Skinner was ruled out with an upper-body injury.

PHOENIX (AP) — Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points, Lauren Betts added 16 and UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 Sunday to win its first NCAA championship in women’s basketball. The near-record lopsided victory completed the Bruins’ journey through this year’s March Madness that started following a loss to UConn in last season’s Final Four. The Bruins ran through their opponents this season with their only loss coming in November, to Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament. UCLA (37-1) was led by Betts and her fellow seniors and graduate students, like Jaquez _ who played all four years with the Bruins. She also had 10 rebounds and five assists in front of her brother Jaime, who plays for the Miami Heat and flew in to attend the game to watch his alma mater win.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There’s a dynasty brewing in college basketball. And UConn can cement that status by overcoming a Michigan powerhouse that is racking up historically impressive numbers, hoping itself to go down as one of the sport’s greatest teams. Those are the stakes in Monday night’s title game between the Huskies and Wolverines. UConn is trying to become the first program since John Wooden’s UCLA behemoth of the 1960s and ’70s to win three championships over a four-season span, while Michigan is trying to cap off a March Madness string of dominance, the likes of which were last seen by the very UConn program that won the title in 2023 and ’24.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — J.J. Spaun delivered two crucial shots to secure a win at the Valero Texas Open. He finished with a 5-under 67, marking his first title since last summer’s U.S. Open. Spaun’s victory at TPC San Antonio was his second, but unlike four years ago, he already has a spot at Augusta National. This win was significant as he hadn’t finished in the top 20 in seven starts this year. Robert MacIntyre led much of the tournament but finished second. Spaun’s birdie and eagle on the 16th and 17th holes were key to his victory.