March 1, 2024 4:44 am
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes retired the Baltimore Orioles’ Jackson Holliday on a grounder to second base in a spring training matchup of the top overall picks in the last two amateur drafts. Skenes, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, was the first pick last year after going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts while leading LSU to the NCAA title. He agreed to a $9.2 million signing bonus and pitched in five games with Low-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona.
March 1, 2024 4:46 am
Iowa star Caitlin Clark says she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA draft. Clark made the announcement Thursday on social media. She is 18 points away from passing LSU’s Pete Maravich for the all-time NCAA Division I record for men or women with 3,650 career points. She broke Lynette Woodard’s major college scoring record on Wednesday. Clark is expected to be the top pick in the draft on April 15. The Indiana Fever, who have the first pick, indicated on social media shortly after Clark’s announcement that they intend to select her.
February 29, 2024 8:26 am
After 30 seasons, the Steelers are now in the market for a new, radio play-by-play announcer. Bill Hillgrove has announced that he is retiring. In a statement released Thursday morning, President Art Rooney II said; “Bill Hillgrove’s contributions to both the Steelers Radio Network and the Steelers organization have spanned nearly three decades that included him serving as our play-by-play announcer for four Super Bowl appearances and countless other memorable games during his tenure” and “has played a major role in broadcasting to our amazing fans on our radio network, but he also found time to be part of so many special events since he began working alongside the great Myron Cope on the airwaves in 1994. Bill will truly be missed by Steelers Nation, but we are excited for him and his family to enjoy his retirement.”
February 29, 2024 4:35 am
College Football Playoff officials are considering a 14-team model that would guarantee multiple automatic bids for each of the four power conferences, starting in 2026. Two people with direct knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press the format being discussed would guarantee three playoff spots each for the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, two for the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 and one for the highest-ranked team from the Group of Five leagues. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity the CFP management committee’s talks were not being made public.
February 29, 2024 4:34 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark has another career record on her astounding resume: the most points by any major college women’s player to ever take the court. Iowa’s superstar guard scored 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes in a romp at Minnesota and move one point past Lynette Woodard on the all-time list with 3,650 points. Clark buried her eighth 3-pointer of the game with 4:17 left to pass Woodard. She also set the NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers in the process to reach 156 in 2023-24.
February 29, 2024 4:32 am
The five hockey players charged with sexual assault in Canada have asked for and been granted a trial by jury. One of the lawyers representing former NHL player Alex Formenton confirmed the request for a jury trial in an email to The Associated Press. Formenton and current NHL players Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils are facing charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault that took place in London, Ontario, in 2018. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 30.
February 28, 2024 2:28 am
Defending champion Aliquippa outscored Fort Cherry in every quarter on the way to a 55-36 win over the Rangers in the WPIAL 2A semifinals. The Quips scored 7 points in 45 seconds in the middle of the second and the Rangers never got closer than seven the rest of the way. Josh Pratt and Cam Lindsey combined for 30 points to lead Aliquippa. Derek Errett had 14 for Fort Cherry, the only Rangers player in double figures. Aliquippa moves to Saturday’s WPIAL championship game. Fort Cherry will face Northgate Thursday to determine third place heading into the state tournament.
Earlier in the evening, the Fort Cherry girls got 26 points from Rainey Staub, 13 more off the bench from Brooke Cornali, in a solid win over Winchester Thurston. The Rangers fell behind 8-3 early but took the lead late in the first and never trailed again. Fort Cherry takes 7th place out of the WPIAL and will play at the District 10 champion in the opening round of the state tournament.
Trinity and Peters Township girls have state qualifier games Wednesday with the Fort Cherry boys playing for third on Thursday. For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, Feb. 27
WPIAL 7th place
2A Girls #4 Fort Cherry 61, #11 Winchester-Thurston 46 Listen/Watch Here
WPIAL Semifinals
2A Boys #1 Aliquippa 55, #4 Fort Cherry 36 Listen/Watch Here
Wednesday, Feb. 28
WPIAL 3rd place
6A Girls #5 Chartiers Valley at #2 Peters Township, 7:30 pm
WPIAL 5th place
5A Girls #4 Lincoln Park at #3 Trinity, 7:00 pm
Thursday, Feb. 29
WPIAL 3rd place
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry at #3 Northgate, 7:00 pm (tentative)
February 28, 2024 4:49 am
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Erik Karlsson scored the winning goal at 1:42 of overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to their third consecutive victory, 4-3 over the Vancouver Canucks. Rickard Rakell, with two goals, and Lars Eller added the others for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 32 saves between regulation and overtime. J.T. Miller, with a goal and an assist, Nils Hoglander and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver with Tyler Myers grabbing an assist. Thatcher Demko stopped 36 shots. Sidney Crosby had two assists for the Penguins.
February 28, 2024 4:50 am
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton says he won’t know until next week at the earliest if he’s moving on from quarterback Russell Wilson. But Payton did hint at an upcoming split when he suggested it’s imperative for the team to hit on ‘the next one’ at quarterback. A solid starter has been elusive for the Broncos ever since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2016. They’ve churned through 13 starting quarterbacks since then. Wilson was believed to be the answer but he’s won just 11 of 30 starts and was benched for Jarrett Stidham in December.
February 27, 2024 2:39 am
Defending WPIAL champion North Allegheny stifled Peters Township, advancing to the 6A girls finals for the 8th time in nine years. The Tigers held Natalie Wetzel & Gemma Walker to a combined 15 points, less than half their season average. NA took the lead for good early in the second, built a 12-point lead in the third and held Peters Township at arms length the rest of the way.
Trinity clinched a PIAA 5A girls tournament berth, using a strong second half to beat Indiana. Trailing 30-24 early in the third, the Hillers outscored the visitors 32-9 to close the game.
Tuesday night, we’ll bring you a Fort Cherry girls/boys doubleheader on the WJPA Sports Network. The Rangers girls take on Winchester Thurston, both having already clinched state playoff spots. The winner takes 7th place and stays in the traditional “western” half of the bracket. The Fort Cherry boys then play #1 Aliquippa in the 2A boys semifinals with a spot in the championship game on the line. Our audio stream is free to all. The video for all four will be streamed through WPIAL partner NFHS Network (subscription required, links provided). For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
Monday, Feb. 26
WPIAL Semifinals
6A Girls #3 North Allegheny 43, #2 Peters Township 30 Listen/Watch Here
Consolation Round I
5A Girls Trinity 56, Indiana 39 Listen/Watch Here
Tuesday, Feb. 27
WPIAL 7th place
2A Girls Fort Cherry vs. Winchester-Thurston, 5:45 pm at Chartiers Valley, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen/Watch Here
WPIAL Semifinals
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry vs. #1 Aliquippa, 7:45 pm at Chartiers Valley, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
