Steelers To Hire Omar Khan As General Manager

May 25, 2022 4:00 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The Steelers are set to introduce Omar Khan as their new general manager, according to numerous reports. The 45-year-old Khan has been the team’s VP of Football and Business Administration. As part of his former role, Khan was the team’s chief negotiator for player contracts. Khan will replace Kevin Colbert, who has retired after the recent draft after 22 years with the Steelers. They are also expected to hire Mt. Lebanon native Andy Weidl as assistant general manager. Weidl started his career as an assistant in the player personnel department for the Steelers, and has also worked with the Saints, Ravens and Eagles. He was part of Super Bowl championship teams in both Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Pirates Fall To Rockies In 10 Innings

May 25, 2022 3:55 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Connor Joe singled home the tiebreaking run in the top of the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies slipped past the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1. With one out, Joe grounded his hit up the middle off David Bednar, scoring automatic runner Sam Hilliard from second base. Joe ran his on-base streak to 21 games, and Jose Iglesias had two hits for the Rockies. Daniel Bard pitched two scoreless innings to complete Colorado’s five-hitter. The Rockies won for just the second time in their last 12 road games.

NHL; Rangers Power Past Hurricanes To Even Series

May 25, 2022 3:57 am

UNDATED (AP) – Andrew Copp had a goal and two assists, and Frank Vatrano and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in Game 4 to even their second-round series.  Mika Zibanejad also scored, Ryan Lindgren had two assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots for the Rangers, who won their fifth straight at home in the postseason. Teuvo Teravainen scored and Antti Raanta finished with 24 saves for the Hurricanes, who fell to 0-5 on the road in the postseason to go along with their 6-0 mark at home. Game 5 is in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday night, and Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Also:
-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the game with 3:27 left in regulation, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 to take a 3-1 lead in the second-round playoff series. Evander Kane scored his NHL-leading 11th and 12th goals of the postseason, and Zach Hyman added a goal for Edmonton. Leon Draisaitl added two assists and Mike Smith made 29 saves. Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary, and Rasmus Andersson added a short-handed goal from his own end in the third period to tie the game at 3. Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 shots. Game 5 is Thursday night in Calgary.

Baseball Semis, Softball Quarters Monday

May 23, 2022 11:13 pm

Peters Township spotted Thomas Jefferson a run in the second, then scored the next 11 runs, routing the Jaguars in the 5A baseball semifinals.  The Indians will face West Allegheny in the WPIAL Finals next week.  Burgettstown committed five errors in extra innings, the last two allowing Neshannock to take a 12-inning win in the 2A semifinal. The Blue Devils, with a state playoff berth already in hand, will drop into the 2A third-place game. Burgettstown was seeking its first-ever spot in a WPIAL baseball championship game.

Not a good day for the three Washington County 2A softball teams, all losing quarterfinal games and seeing the end of their seasons. Links for brackets & broadcasts plus the daily schedule for teams from the two-county area follow.

Baseball WPIAL Brackets — Click Here  —  Softball WPIAL Brackets — Click Here

Monday
Baseball Semifinals

2A Neshannock 5, Burgettstown 3 (12)
5A Peters Township 11, Thomas Jefferson 1

Softball Quarterfinals
2A Laurel 4, Chartiers-Houston 1
2A OL/Sacred Heart 12, Bentworth 2 (10)
2A Neshannock 10, Charleroi 0

Tuesday
Softball Semifinals

1A #1 West Greene vs. #4 Springdale, site/time to be determined

Tuesday/Wednesday, May 31-June 1
Baseball Championship

5A #1 Peters Township vs. #3 West Allegheny, at Wild Things Park, date/time to be determined WJPA-AM (1450) or LISTEN HERE!

Third Place
2A #6 Burgettstown vs. #5 Riverside, at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park, date/time to be determined WJPA-AM (1450) or LISTEN HERE!

Hayes Has 3 Hits, Pirates Top Rockies

May 24, 2022 3:54 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) –  Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits and scored the tiebreaking run on Yoshi Tsutsugo’s infield single in the eighth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1. Hayes singled to lead off the eighth against Tyler Kinley, stole second base and advanced to third on Daniel Vogelbach’s groundout. Tsutsugo then beat out a slow bouncer to second base, enabling Hayes to score. David Bednar escaped a first-and-second jam in the eighth to keep the game tied at 1. He followed with a scoreless ninth.

NHL; Lightning Complete Sweep Of Florida

May 24, 2022 3:56 am

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Andrei Vasilevskiy had 49 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning completed a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers with a 2-0 victory that sends the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions back to the Eastern Conference final for the sixth time in eight years.  Pat Maroon and Ondrej Palat scored, and Vasilevskiy won his sixth straight playoff game, a streak that began with the Lightning facing a 3-2 series deficit to Toronto in the opening round. The high-scoring Panthers averaged a NHL-best 4.11 goals while compiling the league’s best record during the regular season, but were limited to just three goals in four games against the Lightning. Vasilevskiy got his sixth shutout in his last seven series-clinching wins.
In other action:
Nazem Kadri scored three goals, including two during a four-goal second period barrage, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference series.

W&J Baseball Season Ends

May 23, 2022 2:55 am

Rowan junior right-hander Michael Miles held the Washington & Jefferson batters to three hits and no runs as the Profs blanked the Presidents, 9-0, winning the Annville Regional Championship. Rowan got all the the runs they needed over a four-batter span in the second. With one out, Anthony Schooley singled, moved to third on a hit-and-run single by Chris Curcio and scored on Hunter Wroniuk’s safety squeeze bunt. Eric DiDomenico followed with a two-run home run of W&J senior Henry Litman. That score held until the seventh when Rowan added one run, then five more in their final at-bats. The Presidents had opportunities to get on the board but never got that clutch hit, eventually stranding six runners in scoring position in the game. Tyler Horvat, Evan Sante and Joe Lehner had singles for W&J, Horvat picking up his 16th post-season hit in the fifth inning.  W&J’s season ends at 37-10. Rowan (33-8) moves on to the Super Regionals.

Pujols Homers Twice; Cardinals Rout Pirates

May 23, 2022 3:52 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals’ 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Molina gave up a pair of homers and four runs while working the ninth inning, eventually completing the Cardinals’ three-game sweep. But it was not all fun and games for St. Louis. Starter Steven Matz lasted only four pitches before being pulled with stiffness in his left shoulder. Pujols boosted his career home run count to 683. Pujols had a pinch-hit homer in the fifth inning and a three-run drive in the ninth off Pirates infielder Josh VanMeter in the ninth.

Thomas Takes PGA Championship

May 23, 2022 3:54 am

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Justin Thomas has captured the PGA Championship for the second time in five years.  Thomas stormed back from seven shots back to win the second Major of the season in a three-hole playoff with Will Zalatoris (zal-ah-TOHR’-ihs). Thomas birdied the first two playoff holes and closed with a par.  Thomas began the tournament with back-to-back 67s, despite getting the poor side of the draw. He shot 74 on Saturday to go backward, but he made a back-nine charge on Sunday and birdied the 17th. He closed with a 67 and finished at 5-under 275 over 72 holes.
Zalatoris began the day three back of Mito Pereira. Zalatoris finished a rollercoaster round of 71 to match Thomas.  Pereira squandered a one-shot lead on the 18th when he drove into the creek off the tee and made double bogey.

W&J Moves to Regional Champ. Round

May 21, 2022 10:14 pm

Facing elimination, W&J plated four runs in the first, five more in the second and cruised by Mitchell College, 13-6 Saturday night. Roman Samson opened the scoring, hitting into a fielders choice to plate Nate Rush. Trevor Dean, Jacob LaDuca and Joe Lehner followed with consecutive two-out RBI singles. Int he second Peter Kalinski blasted a three-run home run. Three batters later, Trevor Dean hit his fourth home run of the post-season, putting the Red & Black up 9-0. Shane Fox (4-0) pitched the first six innings and picked up the win, allowing three runs on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts. LaDuca added two more run-scoring singles and Tyler Horvat drove in a pair of runs with a two-out single in the sixth. Horvat now has 15 post-season base hits including seven in this regional.

With the win, W&J moves to the Regional Championship Round to face top-seeded Rowan.  W&J must win twice to advance. Rowan needs only one victory to claim the region championship. In the semifinal win, Rowan scored seven runs in the final two innings, all with two outs, to blow open a one-run game. W&J had 13 hits in the loss but scored multiple runs only once, plating three in the second, taking a lead that would build to 4-2 an inning later.  The Profs went in front to stay with a five-run fifth inning.  W&J pulled to within a run in the seventh. Evan Sante’s sac fly with the bases loaded made it 7-6, just missing a grand slam. But Rowan reliever Mike Shannon coaxed a couple easy fly balls to end the threat. The Profs scored four times after two out in the eighth, then added three more runs in the ninth to put it away.

Game time for Sunday has been moved up to 10 am due to expected rough weather later in the day. We’ll have every W&J game in the regional on WJPA-AM (1450) or LISTEN HERE!

Friday
#1 Rowan 7, #4 Mitchell 1
#2 Wash & Jeff 5, #3 Lebanon Valley 1

Saturday
Mitchell 10, Lebanon Valley 8
Rowan 14, Wash & Jeff 7
Wash & Jeff 13, Mitchell College 6

Sunday
10 am Championship Round, W&J vs. Rowan  WJPA-AM (1450) or LISTEN HERE!
+45 minutes If Necessary game  WJPA-AM (1450) or LISTEN HERE!