May 25, 2023 3:55 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk scored a power-play goal with 4.9 seconds left, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 36 shots to cap off a brilliant series, and the Florida Panthers earned their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 27 years by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 to win the Eastern Conference title in a sweep. Tkachuk’s goal was his second of the night — and maybe the biggest in Panthers’ history. The Panthers will play either Vegas or Dallas for the Stanley Cup starting sometime next week; Vegas currently leads the Western Conference title series 3-0.
May 23, 2023 2:47 am
California built a 6-1 lead, saw that vanish late, then plate three runs in the top of the seventh to knock off #1 Union in the 1A baseball semifinals. Ricky Lawson and Aidan Lowden singled, Chase Chicchito doubled both home, then scored on Kris Weston’s double to make a winner of Dom Martini who worked the final 2.1 innings in relief. With two on, one out in the Union seventh, Martini snared a line drive and turned a game-ending double-play to put the Trojans back in the finals for the first time since beating Union to win the 2019 championship.
Burgettstown was not as fortunate as the Blue Devils fell to #1 Serra Catholic in the 2A semifinals. Burgettstown stranded the bases loaded in the second and left two more on in the third before the defending-champion Eagles plated four runs in the third and six more in the fourth to trigger the run-rule. The Blue Devils now must beat #3 New Brighton in the WPIAL third-place game next week to reach the state tournament.
Chartiers-Houston and Waynesburg lost softball semifinals and will play in WPIAL third-place games, knowing that their state playoff berths are already clinched. Carmichaels held off Frazier late to reach the WPIAL 1A finals. #3 Trinity plays unbeaten #2 Shaler Wednesday in the 5A semifinals. We’ll have that game on-air and online for you. Click for WPIAL Softball WPIAL Baseball
Tuesday, May 23
Baseball semifinals (winner to finals, May 30-31, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
BB 2A #1 Serra Catholic 10, #4 Burgettstown 0, 5 inn.
BB 1A #4 California 9, #1 Union 6
Softball semifinals (winners to finals, May 31-June 1, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
SB 1A #1 Union 13, #4 Chartiers-Houston 5
SB 1A #2 Carmichaels 3, #3 Frazier 1
SB 3A #2 Southmoreland 7, #3 Waynesburg 0
Wednesday, May 24–Softball semifinals (winners to finals, May 31-June 1, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
SB 5A #3 Trinity vs. #2 Shaler, 5:50 pm at Gateway WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
Dates/times to be determined:
BB 1A Championship #4 California vs. #6 Bishop Canevin at Wild Things Park
BB 2A PIAA Qualifier #4 Burgettstown vs. #3 New Brighton at W&J
SB 1A WPIAL Third-Place #4 Chartiers-Houston vs. #3 Frazier (both have clinched PIAA berths)
SB 1A Championship #2 Carmichaels vs. #1 Union at PennWest University Lilly Field
SB 3A #3 Waynesburg vs. #4 Burrell (both have clinched PIAA berths)
May 23, 2023 3:57 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched a complete game for the second time in five starts after throwing just two in the first 226 of his major league career, leading the Texas Rangers over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1. Eovaldi (6-2) allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one, his fifth straight start of at least seven innings. The 33-year-old right-hander, a 12-year big league veteran. pitched a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over the Yankees on April 29. Texas has won four of five.
May 24, 2023 3:59 am
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The NFL has pushed the kickoff return further toward irrelevance with a priority on player safety. League owners voted for a one-year trial of an enhanced touchback rule that will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line. The proposal passed despite coaches and players across the league saying they didn’t like it. They argued that it will create uglier plays with squib and corner kicks that are impossible for fair catches.
May 22, 2023 10:01 pm
Burgettstown and California never trailed in their WPIAL quarterfinal baseball wins while Canon-McMillan, Peters Township and Carmichaels met the end of the line with narrow losses. The Blue Devils scored twice in the bottom of the first thanks to a Tristan Roach two-run double, then added three more in the fourth and closed the scoring in the fifth. California beat Carmichaels for the third time this year, blanking the Mighty Mikes on a complete-game, three-hitter by Addison Panepinto. The Trojans also turned a pair of double plays to make RBIs from Kris Weston, Brody Todd and Dom Martini stand up. Peters Township’s loss came amidst a controversial foul call on an apparent two-run home run off the bat of Jack Lutte that would have tied the game. Canon-McMillan allowed a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but the potential tying run was throw out at third after an infield single. Both baseball winners now have two chances to earn berths in the PIAA tournament, needing to win one of their next two games. Trinity softball is in the same situation while Chartiers-Houston softball has already clinched.
Semifinal action across the board Tuesday with all six classes of bases plus 1A & 3A softball. We’ll have three games on the air and online for you. Click for WPIAL Softball WPIAL Baseball
Monday, May 22–Baseball quarterfinals (winners to Tuesday, May 23)
BB 2A #4 Burgettstown 6, #5 South Side, 1
BB 5A #3 Penn-Trafford 4, #6 Peters Township 2
BB 1A #4 California 3, #5 Carmichaels 0
BB 6A #6 Butler 4, #3 Canon-McMillan 2
Baseball semifinals (winner to finals, May 30-31, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
BB 2A #4 Burgettstown vs. vs. #1 Serra Catholic, 1:50 pm at Wash & Jeff WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
BB 1A #4 California vs. #1 Union, 4:20 pm at Wash & Jeff WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
Tuesday, May 23–Softball semifinals (winners to finals, May 31-June 1, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
SB 1A #4 Chartiers-Houston vs. #1 Union, 5:50 pm at North Allegheny WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here!
SB 1A #2 Carmichaels vs. #3 Frazier, 3 pm at Peterswood Park, Field 2
SB 3A #3 Waynesburg vs. #2 Southmoreland, 3 pm at Peterswood Park, Field 1
Wednesday, May 24–Softball semifinals (winners to finals, May 31-June 1, losers to PIAA qualifiers, May 30-31)
SB 5A #3 Trinity vs. #2 Shaler, 5:50 pm at Gateway WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
May 23, 2023 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tucupita Marcano hit his first career grand slam, rookie Luis Ortiz pitched into the eighth inning and earned his first major league victory and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Texas Rangers 6-4. Ortiz allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings, picking up the win in his eighth career start, including four this season. He struck out four and walked two in a 93-pitch effort. Marcano’s slam to straightaway center field off Joe Barlow capped a five-run seventh inning and put the Pirates ahead 6-1. Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in 11 games and snapped the Rangers’ three-game winning streak.
May 23, 2023 3:53 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4. Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James’ 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit to earn their first conference title in 47 seasons in the NBA. James finished with 40 points after the highest-scoring postseason half of his matchless career.
May 22, 2023 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Christian Walker had three RBIs, hitting a two-run double in a three-run seventh inning that powered the Arizona Diamondbacks to a series win with a 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ketel Marte had a two-out RBI single in the seventh and scored with Corbin Carroll on Walker’s double for a 7-3 lead. Walker added a run-scoring single in the ninth. Arizona has won seven of nine, including the final two games of the series. Pittsburgh committed three errors and had five wild pitches, falling to 4-13 in May after a 20-9 start. Merrill Kelly (5-3) gave up three runs and three hits in five innings.
May 22, 2023 3:58 am
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Brooks Koepka is a major champion again. Gone are those injuries that led to doubt whether he was still part of golf’s elite. Koepka won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill by closing with a 67 and winning by two shots over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. He now has won the PGA Championship three times. And it was his fifth major title. Only 14 players have won more. It was the first major by a LIV Golf player since the Saudi-funded league began nearly a year ago. California club pro Michael Block made an ace and tied for 15th.
May 21, 2023 7:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pavin Smith hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith’s third homer of the season came off Robert Stephenson and helped the Diamondbacks overcome a 3-2 deficit after Pirates ace Mitch Keller was pulled following six strong innings. Ketel Marte also homered for Arizona, which won for the sixth time in its last eight games. Ke’Bryan Hayes accounted for all the Pirates’ scoring with a bases-loaded triple. Reliever Kyle Nelson got the win. Miguel Castro earned his fourth save.
