May 11, 2024 4:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cody Bellinger had four hits, including his seventh home run of the season, and the Chicago Cubs surged past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2. Bellinger turned on a 100 mph fastball from Jared Jones (2-4) in the first inning and sent it into the right-field seats for the Cubs. Bellinger later added two doubles and an RBI single and is hitting .538 (7 for 13) since returning from the injured list. Nick Gonzales had a two-run single for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has lost three straight and 17 of 23.
May 11, 2024 4:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes is ready for his major league debut. The hard-throwing 6-foot-6 right-hander will make his first start with the Pirates when the club faces the Chicago Cubs. Skenes dazzled during a brief stint at Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a 0.99 ERA and recording 47 strikeouts in just over 27 innings of work. Skenes says he’s going to try to take a minute to soak in the moment but after that it’s time to go to work. Skenes is joining a team that has been in a funk over the last three weeks following a solid start.
May 9, 2024 2:12 am
PAC Baseball Championship Central #1 W&J trailed #4 Waynesburg, 4-1, after five innings before scoring nine runs over the next three innings to advance in the winners’ bracket. Jacob LaDuca and Scout Zaas homered for W&J. Nolan Lutz was 2-for-3 with a double and three runs driven in. Drew Garth had two hits and drove in a pair to help Dante DiMatteo to the win. The W&J starter went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. W&J awaits the winner of the final game of the day between #2 Grove City and #4 Allegheny. Waynesburg was eliminated with its second loss.
With Thiel and Waynesburg eliminated, the bracket moves to a more-traditional four-team look. Following Thursday’s Grove City/Allegheny game, there will be two one-loss teams and two unbeaten teams. Friday’s action will begin with the one-loss squads playing an elimination game, followed by the unbeatens in the winners’ bracket final. The tournament winner gets the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. No other team is expected to be invited to the national tournament.
Thursday
#5 Westminster 2, #6 Thiel 0 — Thiel eliminated with its second loss.
#1 Wash/Jeff 10, #3 Waynesburg 3 — Waynesburg eliminated with its second loss.
#2 Grove City 6, #4 Allegheny 0
Friday
11:00 am Westminster vs. Allegheny
2:30 pm W&J vs. Grove City
6:00 pm Elimination Game (winner of 11:00 am game vs. loser of 2:30 pm game)
Saturday
TBD Championship Game
TBD If Necessary Game
May 10, 2024 4:32 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Artemi Panarin redirected a pass between his legs at the crease to beat Pyotr Kochetkov just 1:43 into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the second-round playoff series. Panarin scored after Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov lost control of a puck in the corner in the defensive zone. Vincent Trocheck collected it on the right side and sent it toward the crease to Panarin, who tipped the puck behind him as defenseman Jalen Chatfield tried to push him away from the crease. The puck slipped under the right elbow and past the ribs of Kochetkov. The Rangers can complete the sweep in Game 4 here Saturday night.
May 10, 2024 4:33 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark walked into her new home arena with No. 22 shirts and jerseys peppered from floor to ceiling. A late-arriving but louder-than-usual crowd roared during her first official introduction to Fever fans on Thursday night. And when the former Iowa star made the layup for her first basket with 7:00 left in the first quarter, the applause grew. It was even louder when she completed a three-point play a few minutes later. She had 12 points to help lead the Fever to an 83-80 preseason win over the Atlanta Dream. It was a moment Fever fans have dreaming about since they won the lottery in December.
May 10, 2024 4:35 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy hoped that his victory with Shane Lowry two weeks ago in the Zurich Classic team event would serve as a springboard for the remainder of the season. He’s off to a good start. McIlroy positioned himself for a run at a record fourth Wells Fargo Championship title Thursday, opening with a 4-under 67 that left him three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. Collin Morikawa and Alex Noren also shot 67, and Justin Thomas topped the group at 68. Quail Hollow is one of McIlroy’s favorite courses, and with good reason after victories in 2010, ‘15 and ’21.
May 9, 2024 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates will promote top pitching prospect Paul Skenes for his major league debut Saturday. The club sent out a hype video of Skenes with “5.11.24.” Skenes was the first overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft out of LSU. The 21-year-old right-hander is 0-0 with a 0.99 ERA in seven Triple-A starts, with 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
May 9, 2024 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jo Adell hit his fifth homer of the season and added an RBI single and the Los Angeles Angels slipped by the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4. Brandon Drury added two hits, including an RBI double during a three-run outburst in the sixth by Los Angeles. The Angels won a series for the first time in more than a month by taking two of three from the Pirates. Oneil Cruz had two hits and three RBIs, including a two-run double in the fifth for Pittsburgh.
May 8, 2024 10:05 pm
PAC Baseball Championship Central Drew Garth drove in a pair of runs, including the game-winner, as #1 W&J walked off with a 6-5 victory over #6 Thiel in the opening game on the Presidents’ Athletic Conference baseball tournament Wednesday. Garth’s single to left-center plated pinch-runner Eli Kite in the bottom of the ninth, making a winner of Ethan Boring who worked the final two innings on the mound for W&J. Garth also had an rbi double in the game. Jacob LaDuca had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run in the win. The Presidents move to a Thursday afternoon game against Waynesburg. Meanwhile, Thiel will face elimination against Westminster Thursday morning.
#2 Grove City broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fifth, then put the game away with three runs in the seventh, knocking off #5 Westminster, 4-0. In the final game of opening day, #4 Allegheny plated a pair of runs in the eighth to knock off #3 Waynesburg.
Wednesday
#1 Wash/Jeff 6, #6 Thiel 5
#2 Grove City 4, #5 Westminster 0
#4 Allegheny 4, #3 Waynesburg 2
Thursday
11:00 am #6 Thiel vs. #5 Westminster
2:30 pm #1 Wash/Jeff vs. #3 Waynesburg
6:00 pm #2 Grove City vs. #4 Allegheny
May 9, 2024 4:34 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Prosecutors alleged Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Mizuhara’s scheduled arraignment Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles was postponed earlier Tuesday. The scandal shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March. Mizuhara was initially charged with one count of bank fraud. Authorities say there was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators.
