Nuggets Top Heat 108-95 For 3-1 Lead

June 10, 2023 4:12 am

MIAMI (AP) — Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series. Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to grab complete command. They’ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them coming there in what’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5 on Monday night. Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances.

State Road Ends in Quarters

June 9, 2023 1:27 am

Trinity managed just two hits and a single run while Shaler stroked three round-tripppers, avenging its only loss of the year. Ryleigh Hoy’s solo home run in the seventh was the only run Trinity could muster in the season-ending loss.  Burgettstown baseball, Chartiers-Houston and Carmichaels softball also met the end of the road with quarterfinal losses. Click for State Softball  State Baseball 

PIAA Quarterfinals
Thursday, June 8
5A Softball Shaler 5, Trinity 1
1A Softball Claysburg-Kimmel 5, Chartiers-Houston 1
1A Softball Glendale 5, Carmichaels 4
2A Baseball Sharpsville 10, Burgettstown 3

Oklahoma Wins Third Straight WCWS

June 9, 2023 4:27 am

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jordy Bahl threw three innings of perfect relief and Oklahoma won its third straight Women’s College World Series title and seventh overall, beating Florida State 3-1 for a two-game sweep. The Sooners finished 61-1 and extended their Division I-record win streak to 53 games. They have won six titles since 2013 after getting their first in 2000, all under coach Patty Gasso. Oklahoma’s only defeat was a 4-3 loss at Baylor on Feb. 19. The Sooners set a record for win percentage and have the fewest losses of any NCAA champion. They led the nation in runs per game, earned run average and batting average.

Stanley Cup Final; Panthers Rally, Top Golden Knights In OT

June 9, 2023 4:31 am

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime and the Florida Panthers pulled off some more postseason dramatics to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. Matthew Tkachuk tied it with 2:13 left in the third period for the Panthers, who got the franchise’s first title-series game win in seven tries. Florida had to fend off a power play to start overtime, and Verhaeghe got the winner from the slot to get the Panthers within 2-1 in the series. Game 4 is Saturday night. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida. Adin Hill made 20 saves for Vegas, but got beat on the only shot that came his way in overtime.

Belmont Stakes Could Be Affected If Air Quality Doesn’t Improve

June 9, 2023 4:29 am

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned that the Belmont Stakes could be canceled if air quality doesn’t improve. Racing at Belmont Park was called off on Thursday because of hazy, smoky conditions from wildfires in Canada. It was the second straight day that the bad air affected sports in the northeastern United States. In Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was called off. The Belmont is the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Hochul says it could be scrapped if the air quality index exceeds 200. She says horses will have to undergo additional evaluations if the air is in the 150-200 range.

Oklahoma Takes WCWS Opener

June 8, 2023 4:46 am

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jordy Bahl threw a two-hitter and struck out 10, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 5-0 on Wednesday night to inch closer to a third consecutive national title. The top-seeded Sooners took the lead in the Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series and can clinch their seventh national title on Thursday. Bahl is 4-0 at the World Series and hasn’t allowed a run in 21 2/3 innings. She helped Oklahoma push its Division I record win streak to 52 games. Hear the Women’s College World Series Championship on WJPA-AM (1450). Game 2 coverage starts at 7:15 pm.

Pirates Drop Two-Of-Three To Lowly A’s

June 8, 2023 1:39 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won back-to-back games for just the third time season as Ryan Noda homered and reached base four times in a 9-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Oakland’s first seven batters reached against Roansy Contreras. All seven scored to give Oakland its second road victory in less than 24 hours following a 15-game slide away from home. Seth Brown had three of the A’s season-high tying 17 hits. Jace Peterson followed up a five-hit night with two more hits, including a two-run double that helped break things open in the first.

Denver Takes 2-1 Lead In NBA Finals

June 8, 2023 4:48 am

MIAMI (AP) — Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, getting the rebound he needed with 9 seconds remaining. Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Game 4 is Friday in Miami. Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Heat.

Oklahoma / Florida State Play for WCWS Title

June 7, 2023 1:40 pm

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma can become the first Division I softball program in more than 30 years to win three straight national championships. Florida State ace Kathryn Sandercock — one of the nation’s top pitchers in recent years — stands in the Sooners’ way. Oklahoma (59-1) and Florida State (58-9) will meet Wednesday in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series. Oklahoma is on a Division I-record 51-game winning streak and leads the nation in scoring, batting average and home runs. Sandercock has no reason to back down, entering the championship series with a 28-3 record, a 1.05 ERA and 10 saves. She is fourth in the nation in wins, second in saves and sixth in ERA. She also has been on this big stage before as Florida State’s ace in 2021, when the Sooners and Seminoles played for the title. Hear the Women’s College World Series Championship on WJPA-AM (1450) starting with Wednesday’s Game 1 at 7:45 pm.

A’s Hammer Pirates; Snap Streak

June 6, 2023 4:40 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jace Peterson homered twice on a five-hit night and drove in five runs, and the Oakland Athletics ended a 15-game road losing streak with an 11-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The major league-worst A’s broke open the game late behind Peterson, whose RBI single off Pirates ace Mitch Keller put Oakland ahead 3-2 in the sixth. Peterson gave Oakland a five-run lead with a two-run homer off Chase De Jong in the eighth, then added another two-run shot off De Jong in the ninth. Pittsburgh’s six-game winning streak was snapped.