May 19, 2024 6:47 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Seize the Grey has won the Preakness Stakes for 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. His victory ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s Triple Crown bid. Seize the Grey returned off the same two-week turnaround as Mystik Dan after impressing in a win on the Derby undercard enough to convince Lukas to try the Preakness. Lukas has saddled more horses in the Preakness than anyone else in the race’s 149-year history. He has now won the middle leg of the Triple Crown seven times and is one back of the record held by good friend Bob Baffert. Mystik Dan finished second.
May 19, 2024 6:50 am
Mike Sullivan has been selected U.S. coach for the 2026 Milan Olympics. USA Hockey announced the long-expected decision Saturday while also saying the Pittsburgh Penguins coach will be behind the bench for the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off tournament next year. Sullivan won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and ‘17 and is considered among the best American coaches in the sport. Milan marks the return of NHL players to the Olympics after missing the past two. The U.S. lost to eventual champion Canada in the semifinals of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, then to Finland in the bronze-medal game.
May 17, 2024 2:32 am
Bentworth, Chartiers-Houston and Carmichaels won WPIAL softball quarterfinals Thursday afternoon, each cruising to wins that put them in the semifinals. In addition, the Bucs & Mikes clinch PIAA playoff berths. Charleroi & Jeff-Morgan lost in the quarters, reaching the end of the season. WPIAL Bracket Links: Softball Baseball
Thursday–Softball Quarterfinals
2A #2 Bentworth 8, #7 Shenango 1
2A #3 Laurel 4, #6 Charleroi 0
1A #3 Chartiers-Houston 16, #6 Jeannette 0
1A #2 Carmichaels 7, #7 South Side 0
1A #1 Union 11, #8 Jeff-Morgan 2
Friday–Softball Quarterfinals
1A #5 West Greene vs. #4 Frazier at Peterswood Park–Postponed to Monday, 2 pm
Monday–Baseball Quarterfinals
1:45 pm 1A #3 Fort Cherry vs. #6 Avella at Peterswood Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
4:15 pm 2A #6 Chartiers-Houston vs. #3 Seton-La Salle at West Mifflin, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
4:30 pm 1A #7 West Greene vs. #2 Eden Christian Academy at Peterswood Park
6:00 pm 1A # 8 Carmichaels vs. #1 Union at Burkett Complex
6:45 pm 2A #4 Burgettstown vs. #5 Greensburg Central Catholic at Peterswood Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
Tuesday–Baseball Quarterfinals
1:45 p 5A #12 Trinity vs. #4 Bethel Park at Boyce-Mayview Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
May 18, 2024 4:23 am
CHICAGO (AP) — This time, Paul Skenes brought his fastball. Not the one he struggled to command during an uneven major league debut. The dazzling one, the triple-digit heat that goes exactly where he wants it to go. The result was the same as it ever was for the big right-hander. Skenes turned in a dominant performance during his second major league start, striking out 11 while pitching six no-hit innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He allowed just one baserunner on a full-count walk by Michael Busch in the fifth.
May 18, 2024 1:49 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out 11 in six no-hit innings in his second major league start, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 9-3. Skenes allowed just one baserunner on Michael Busch’s fifth-inning walk on a full-count fastball. After pitching through some nerves in his big league debut against the Cubs last weekend, Skenes looked quite comfortable on a picturesque day at Wrigley Field. He struck out his first seven batters, including the side in the first on pitches of at least 100 mph. He struck out Mike Tauchman on a 100 mph fastball on his 100th and last pitch of the afternoon.
May 18, 2024 1:23 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship. Stunning images showed him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. He was arrested for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and not following police directions. He was booked into jail at 7:28 a.m. He was released and arrived at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. Police say a pedestrian was hit by a bus on the road leading to Valhalla Golf Club. ESPN says Scheffler drove past a police car and was chased down and cuffed.
May 15, 2024 2:28 am
Canon-McMillan scored a run in the top of the first, built a 3-0 lead and held on to knock off #6 North Allegheny in the 6A softball quarterfinals. Trinity baseball trailed 3-1 with two out, nobody on the seventh, got RBIs from Jonah Williamson and Cameron Schofield to tie the game, then scored three times in the 11h to upset #5 Plum in the 5A first round.
Softball quarterfinals dominate the Thursday schedule with a pair of games on the WJPA Sports Network. We have a pair of 2A quarterfinals from North Allegheny starting at 2:45 pm when #2 Bentworth takes on #7 Shenango, followed by #6 Charleroi facing #3 Laurel, last year’s runner-up. The League set the baseball quarterfinal sites/times with the 5A Trinity / Bethel Park game moved to Tuesday because the other quarterfinal in that bracket isn’t set yet. WPIAL Bracket Links: Softball Baseball
Wednesday–Softball Quarterfinals
6A #6 Canon-McMillan 3, #3 North Allegheny 1
Wednesday–Baseball First Round
4A #2 Thomas Jefferson 11, #15 Ringgold 3
5A #12 Trinity 6, #5 Plum 4 (11 inn.)
Thursday–Softball Quarterfinals
2:45 pm 2A #2 Bentworth vs. #7 Shenango at North Allegheny, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
4:00 pm 1A #3 Chartiers-Houston vs. #6 Jeannette at West Mifflin
4:45 pm 2A #6 Charleroi vs. #3 Laurel at North Allegheny, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
5:00 pm 1A #2 Carmichaels vs. #7 South Side at Montour
7:00 pm 1A #8 Jeff-Morgan vs. #1 Union at North Allegheny
Friday–Softball Quarterfinals
4:00 pm 1A #5 West Greene vs. #4 Frazier at Peterswood Park
Monday–Baseball Quarterfinals
1:45 pm 1A #3 Fort Cherry vs. #6 Avella at Peterswood Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
4:30 pm 1A #7 West Greene vs. #2 Eden Christian Academy at Peterswood Park
4:30 pm 2A #6 Chartiers-Houston vs. #3 Seton-La Salle at West Mifflin
6:00 pm 1A # 8 Carmichaels vs. #1 Union at Burkett Complex
6:45 pm 2A #4 Burgettstown vs. #5 Greensburg Central Catholic at Peterswood Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
Tuesday–Baseball Quarterfinals
4:15 p 5A #12 Trinity vs. #4 Bethel Park at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park, WJPA-AM (1450) Watch/Listen Here
May 16, 2024 4:38 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Edward Olivares and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4. Olivares hit a two-run homer in the first inning. He also doubled and scored in the sixth against Cubs starter Justin Steele. Gonzales hit a solo drive in the fourth, and Jared Jones threw six solid innings. Colin Holderman gave up a sacrifice fly to Christopher Morel in the eighth, but the Pirates opened the four-game series on a winning note after losing six of eight. They dropped two of three to the Cubs in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
May 17, 2024 4:40 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have acquired right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash. The Pirates designated the 24-year-old Contreras for assignment on Saturday to create room on the roster for Paul Skenes ahead of the prized pitcher’s major league debut against the Cubs. Contreras was acquired as part of the trade that sent pitcher Jameson Taillon to the Yankees in January 2021. He has struggled most of the past two seasons and was out of options. A starter for much of his first three seasons, he has been working out of the bullpen this year. He is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 appearances. Contreras is 9-12 with a 4.83 ERA in 30 starts and 23 relief outings over four big league seasons.
May 17, 2024 4:42 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Chris Kreider had a third-period hat trick to help the New York Rangers erase a two-goal deficit and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 to close out the second-round playoff series in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference Final. Kreider single-handedly erased the Hurricanes’ 3-1 lead entering the final period. He had the winner when he tipped in Ryan Lindgren’s pass to make it 4-3 at the 15:41 mark. Barclay Goodrow added an empty-netter. Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina, which had won two straight after falling into a 3-0 hole.
