WJPA Sports

Washington County baseball and softball teams swept their PIAA first-round playoff games Monday, while the two Greene County softball squads hit the end of the road. Fort Cherry baseball, Chartiers-Houston & Bentworth softball all posted shutout wins. The Rangers scored the game’s only run three batters in as Colton Temple singled home Landon Trnavsky, then made it stand up to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years, winning at Everett, the District 5 champion. Everett loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but could not push the tying run across the plate. Chartiers-Houston softball followed with their 20th all-time first round state playoff victory. Sydney English bunted home one run in the fourth, Aubree Randolph singled home the other run in the fifth, and Taryne Drilak crafted a complete-game three-hit shutout as the Bucs knocked off the District 6 champion Bellwood-Antis. Bentworth’s win over Wilmington was much less dramatic as the Bearcats rode a Sydney Gonglik perfect game to a six-inning run-rule win over the District 10 runner-up. Sites and times for Thursday’s quarterfinals will be released Tuesday morning. We’re planning to carry all three games on the WJPA Sports Network. Watch/Listen Here

Monday, June 1
PIAA Baseball First Round Baseball Brackets
2A Fort Cherry > Everett, 1-0, Watch/Listen Here

PIAA Softball First Round Softball Brackets
2A Chartiers-Houston > Bellwood-Antis, 2-0,  Watch/Listen Here
2A Bentworth > Wilmington, 10-0 (6), Watch/Listen Here
1A Cambridge Springs > Jeff-Morgan, 8-1
1A Berlin Brothersvalley > Carmichaels, 2-0

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft struck out 11 in six innings, Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the skidding Minnesota Twins 9-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Ashcraft allowed two runs and five hits with no walks, sending the Twins to their fifth straight defeat. Brooks Lee had a two-run homer in the sixth and a solo shot in the ninth for Minnesota. O’Hearn returned from the injured list and hit a leadoff homer in the second his first time up. Jared Triolo singled in Oneil Cruz to make it 2-0. Gonzales’ two-run homer in the third extended the margin to 4-0, and Henry Davis had a two-run single in a five-run fifth.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates put right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list and infielder Konnor Griffin on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain. Mlodzinski was moved to the bullpen earlier this week after Jared Jones returned to the rotation from elbow surgery. Mlodzinski hasn’t pitched since his start against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, and general manager Ben Cherington told reporters he wasn’t ready to pitch Sunday against Minnesota. Cherington said he’s confident Mlodzinski will pitch again for the team soon.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Russell Henley birdied the final three holes to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then made it four it a row with a 5-footer on the first extra hole Sunday at Colonial to win the Charles Schwab Classic. Henley’s late surge denied fellow 37-year-old Cole his first PGA Tour win. Henley earned $1.78 million for his sixth PGA Tour title. Playing in the group ahead of Cole, Henley closed with a 3-under 67. After making 15-foot putts on 16 and 17, he got to 12 under with a 17-footer on 18. Cole parred the final seven holes — eight counting the playoff — in a 70.

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Denny Hamlin outraced Christopher Bell over the final four laps after a final restart Sunday night to win the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Hamlin won for the second time this year and 62nd of his career on a night where he jumped the start off the pole. That penalty put him at the back of the field. The 45-year-old Hamlin raced his way to the front for the thrilling win that had his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Bell and Chase Briscoe making it three-wide before Hamlin took the lead down the backstretch to win by 0.115 seconds. The race started 80 minutes late after rain delayed NASCAR’s Cup Series for a second straight week.