Pirates Can’t Complete Sweep Of Cleveland

June 21, 2021 3:55 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Josh Naylor foiled Pittsburgh’s strategy with an RBI single in the seventh inning, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Pirates 2-1. Cleveland avoided a three-game sweep by the Pirates, who had lost 10 straight entering the series. The Indians have won seven of 10. The lefty-swinging Naylor sent the first pitch he saw from left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve to right, driving in Eddie Rosario to break a 1-all tie. The hit came after Pirates manager Derek Shelton pulled right-handed starter JT Brubaker with two out in the seventh. Brubaker threw just 76 pitches, gave up three hits and tied his career-high with nine strikeouts.

Rahm Wins U.S. Open

June 21, 2021 3:58 am

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Jon Rahm made an early move as the final group teed off at the U.S. Open, giving him the momentum he needed to capture his first major championship.  Rahm closed with a 4-under 67 to finish 6 under at Torrey Pines, one stroke ahead of Louis Oosthuizen.  Rahm got up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 18th hole, sinking an 18-foot birdie putt to pull away. That followed a 24-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th, which put him even with Oosthuizen.  Oosthuizen birdied his final hole for an even-par 71.  Harris English finished alone in third at minus-3, one ahead of Guido Migliozzi and Brooks Koepka.  Oosthuizen was the only one of the three co-leaders entering the final round to shoot well. Russell Henley closed with a 76 to finish in a tie for 13th. Mackenzie Hughes gave up six strokes with a 77.

Knights Beat Habs To Even Series

June 21, 2021 3:59 am

MONTREAL (AP) – The Vegas Golden Knights have evened their Stanley Cup semifinal series at two games apiece by outlasting the Canadiens in Montreal.  Nicolas Roy converted his own rebound 1:18 into overtime to give the Knights a 2-1 win over the Habs. Vegas was staring and a 3-1 series deficit until Brayden McNabb beat Carey Price midway through the third period.  Robin Lehner got the start in place of Marc-Andre Fleury and stopped 27 shots. Lehner blanked the Canadiens after Paul Byron scored on a breakaway with 1:05 left in the second period.  Carey Price stopped 17 shots for the Canadiens, who had won its previous four overtime games this postseason.  Game 5 is Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Pirates Climb Back Into Game And Beat Indians

June 20, 2021 7:32 am

PITTSBURGH — Michael Perez and Bryan Reynolds hit three-run home runs during the seventh inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. Perez homered to right off Bryan Shaw (1-2) to put the Pirates ahead. Four batters later, Reynolds hit a 98 mph fastball from James Karinchak that sailed over the stands in right, bounced into the Allegheny River and was measured at 428 feet. Down 2-0 entering the seventh, the Pirates were aided by six walks, three each by Shaw and Karinchak. It is the most walks the Pirates have drawn in an inning since also coaxing six bases on balls in 1976 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Perez’s home run was his fifth of the season in the backup catcher’s 27 games. Prior to this season, he had gone deep just twice in 84 games. Reynolds has a team-leading 12 homers. He has homered five times in 16 games in June while batting .345. Pittsburgh has won the first two games of the series after entering on a 10-game losing streak.

Islanders Tie Series At 2 With Lightning

June 20, 2021 7:33 am

UNIONDALE, N.Y.  — With goalie Semyon Varlamov out of position in the closing seconds, New York defenseman Ryan Pulock knew he needed to get in the way of Ryan McDonagh’s shot at the open net. It was the biggest play in the Islanders’ latest series-tying Game 4 win. Matt Martin capped a three-goal second period, Pulock made a diving stop and the Islanders held on to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Saturday night to even their Stanley Cup semifinal series at two games apiece. Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal also scored, and Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech each had two assists. Semyon Varlamov finished with 28 saves to help the Islanders win a Game 4 to tie a series after dropping the previous game at home for the third time this postseason.

West Greene Falls in Softball Final

June 19, 2021 1:32 am

Tri-Valley’s only senior, Allie Huhn, doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Tri-Valley rallied past West Greene, 2-1, to win the PIAA Class 1A softball championship.  Moments earlier, Grace Header hit a grounder off WG pitcher Kiley Meek allowing the tying run to score. Header sprinted home without a challenge on Huhn’s drive to the right-center gap. The state title is the first for Tri-Valley.

BreAnn Jackson gave West Greene a 1-0 in the top of the second. With Anna Durbin at first, Jackson doubled to the left-center gap, picking up her 10th RBI in the season.

Tri-Valley ran into several outs on the bases, keeping the Bulldogs off the board until the ninth. West Greene turned a 9-2-5 double play in the fifth, leaving Tri-Valley with just four batters in an inning in which the Bulldogs had three base hits. With one out and runners at first and second, a flyball dropped in right field. Olivia Kiger came up throwing to the plate to get the lead runner. Catcher London Whipkey threw to Lexi Six who tagged out the trail runner, ending the inning.

West Greene did not have a hit after the fourth inning, losing in walk-off fashion for the second time in the state.  Williams Valley beat the Pioneers, 3-2,  in the 2016 title game before West Greene beat Williams Valley the next two years at Penn State.

Pirates Snap 10-Game Losing Streak With Rollercoaster Game Against Indians

June 19, 2021 3:58 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer in a five-run first inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates nearly squandered a 10-run lead before holding on to beat the Cleveland Indians 11-10, snapping a 10-game losing streak. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a three-run double to highlight a five-run sixth inning and the Pirates seemingly had the game in hand 11-1. The Indians rallied with six runs in the seventh inning and three runs in the eighth, cutting the deficit to a run. The Pirates bullpen nearly blew the double-digit lead after winning pitcher Chad Kuhl allowed just one run in six innings.

Canadiens Take Game 3 In Overtime Against Golden Knights

June 19, 2021 4:01 am

MONTREAL (AP) – Josh Anderson scored his second goal of the night at 12:53 of overtime, Carey Price made 43 saves and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Friday night to a take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinal series. Cole Caufield also scored to help Montreal win without interim head coach Dominique Ducharme. He tested positive for COVID-19 before the game. Luke Richardson took over behind the bench. Nicolas Roy and Alex Pietrangelo scored for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots. Game 4 is Sunday night in Montreal.

U.S. Open Heads Into The Weekend

June 19, 2021 3:59 am

Richard Bland, a 48-year-old Englishman who won his first tournament just a month ago, is tied atop the leaderboard at 5 under at the midway point of the U.S. Open. Co-leader Russell Henley is only slightly better known. A toughened-up Torrey Pines course that punishes mistakes as richly as it rewards birdies, has brought some other surprise players into the mix. But more than a few big-hitting stars – Matthew Wolff (4 under), Jon Rahm (3 under), Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau (even-par) – are out to prove they can play tough courses, too.

West Greene to PIAA Softball Finals Friday on WJPA!

June 17, 2021 3:27 am

West Greene played in three straight PIAA championship games from 2016-2018, winning the last two over Williams Valley. The Pioneers lost in the state semifinals to DuBois Central Catholic in 2019, then everyone lost the 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, having beaten DCC in Monday’s semifinals, West Greene is heading back to Penn State for the PIAA 1A Softball title game, and we’ll be there to bring home the action Friday morning.

The Pioneers won their record-tying fifth straight WPIAL softball title two weeks ago after a narrow semifinal win over South Side Area. West Greene used a pair of one-run wins in the opening rounds of the state tournament before crushing DuBois Central Catholic, 12-1, to earn the return ticket to Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park.

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PIAA Final, Beard Field, Penn State University
Friday, June 18
10:45 am — West Greene vs. District 11 champion Tri-Valley – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!