September 13, 2021 4:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Rod Laver remains the last male to capture a calendar Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic was thwarted in his bid for a calendar slam, falling in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open final. It’s the first major championship for Medvedev, who reached the 2019 final before falling. Djokovic dropped the opening set for the fifth straight time. Unlike the other four matches, he never got going in his quest for a record 21st Grand Slam title. Medvedev won 20 of his first 23 service points and finished with 16 aces along with 38 winners. Djokovic made 38 unforced errors and converted just one of his six break points. The last man to complete a true Grand Slam by going 4 for 4 at the majors in a single season remains Rod Laver, who did it in 1962 and 1969.
September 12, 2021 1:39 am
GREENVILLE, Pa. – The 13th ranked Washington & Jefferson College football team rolled to a 64-12 victory over the Thiel College Tomcats in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium in Mercer County. The Presidents scored early and often to earn their 15th straight victory in the head-to-head series with the Tomcats. EJ Thompson and Joey Koroly combined to rush the ball 16 times for 112 yards and four touchdowns. Justin Heacock completed 9-of-11 passes for 148 yards in an efficient abbreviated effort. Defensively, Keith Knowell (safety), Justin Johns (interception return) and Elijah Goosby (fumble return) contributed scoring plays with Justin Huss running a free kick (following safety) back 74 yards for a touchdown. Colton Jones connected with Cameron O’Brien on a 9-yard scoring pass. The win moves W&J to 2-0 and drops Thiel to 0-2. W&J hosts Bethany College for its home opener at Cameron Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18.
September 12, 2021 7:45 am
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kenny Pickett threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score to lead Pittsburgh to a 41-34 victory over Tennessee Saturday. The Panther defense collected five sacks, recovered two fumbles, had an interception and a crucial fourth-quarter goal-line stand to seal their second victory of the season. The Volunteers (1-1) lost the game and a starting quarterback. Joe Milton went down with a lower leg injury after being sacked and losing a fumble early in the second quarter. Hendon Hooker came on to throw for 189 yards, but the mistakes hurt the effort. After three straight three-and-out drives, Pitt came up with five straight scores. The Panthers scored touchdowns on all five trips inside the Tennessee 20-yard line. Tennessee, known for its up-tempo offense, managed 66 plays, compared to 82 for Pitt. The Panthers’ biggest play of all came on defense with a fourth-quarter goal-line stand from the Pitt 3 that could have tied the game. Jaylen Wright was stopped cold by John Petrishen.
September 12, 2021 7:46 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — When Penn State hired Mike Yurcich to be its new offensive coordinator, the team’s backs and receivers were ecstatic. They knew there likely would be a lot of opportunities for all of them to make plays. The No. 11 Nittany Lions’ 44-13 win against Ball State on Saturday was the showcase they had in mind. Sean Clifford completed 21 of 29 passes for 230 yards, ran for a touchdown and threw for another on an afternoon that saw seven different players contribute scoring plays and 14 more touch the ball for an offense that rang up 493 total yards. Running back Noah Cain added a rushing touchdown and wide receiver Jahan Dotson added another, linebacker Jesse Luketa returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown, and Jordan Stout kicked three field goals for the Nittany Lions (2-0). Backup quarterback Ta-Quan Roberson added a 23-yard touchdown pass to Theo Johnson to cap Penn State’s sixth straight win dating to last season.
September 12, 2021 7:48 am
PITTSBURGH — Bryan Reynolds hit his 23rd home run of the season and drove in three runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates surged past the Washington Nationals 10-7 on Saturday. Reynolds hit a two-run shot to right-center field in the fifth and gave Pittsburgh the lead in the sixth when he worked a bases-loaded walk against Washington reliever Andres Machado. The walk was one of 10 issued by the struggling Nationals, who have dropped 12 of 15. Ben Gamel hit his seventh home run — and first in more than two months — in the fifth. Colin Moran singled twice and drove in four runs for Pittsburgh, which was won four of five. The last-place Pirates have also won nine games this season when trailing by three runs or more, tied with Milwaukee for the most in the National League.
September 11, 2021 4:05 am
Final tune-ups for most teams before conference play begins next week.
Canon-McMillan survived a back-and-forth battle at Bethel Park. Mt. Lebanon handed Peters Township its first loss of the season. Ringgold won its second straight game while Trinity tasted victory for the first time this year.
Washington rolled past a short-handed Clairton squad. McGuffey lost for the second time in three starts. Beth-Center scored 30 for the second straight week but lost to West Greene. Monessen beat Charleroi, the Greyhounds first win in nearly two years. Chartiers-Houston improved to 2-0 while handing Mapletown its first loss. Burgettstown has won two straight dropping Avella to 0-3. Fort Cherry won for the second straight week, giving Carmichaels its first loss. Bentworth edged Frazier, keeping the Commodores winless while Jeff-Morgan’s struggles continue, giving up 50+ points in a third straight loss.
Canon-McMillan 34, Bethel Park 27
Mt. Lebanon 31, Peters Township 0
Ringgold 12, South Allegheny 10
Trinity 41, Yough 6
Wash High 43, Clairton 19
Sto-Rox 36, McGuffey 0
West Greene 38, Beth-Center 30
Monessen 24, Charleroi 6
Chartiers-Houston 44, Mapletown 15
Burgettstown 57, Avella 8
Ft. Cherry 27, Carmichaels 20
Bentworth 20, Frazier 19
California 49, Waynesburg 7
Cornell 52, Jeff-Morgan 8
September 11, 2021 4:02 am
Josh Bell’s return to PNC Park was overshadowed by Ke’Bryan Hayes’s ninth-inning RBI single that led the Pirates over the Nationals 4 to 3. Bell hit his 26th home run, but the Nationals could not hold onto their lead, as Chad Kuhl pitched a scoreless ninth inning and earned his fifth win of the season. The Pirates and Nationals play again this evening, and you can hear that game on WJPA 1450 AM, with the pre-game starting at 6:10 p.m.
September 11, 2021 4:03 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Big 12 has added four new members. BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston have formally accepted invitations to join the league. The Big 12 has moved quickly after learning it will lose Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference no later than July 2025. BYU says all of its sports will begin Big 12 schedules in the 2023-24 athletic season. The other three schools compete in the American Athletic Conference. That league requires 27 months’ notice for schools that want to leave. That means they will join the Big 12 no later than July 1, 2024.
September 11, 2021 4:03 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have made outside linebacker T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in the league. A person with knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press that Watt has signed a four-year extension worth $112 million. Watt was set to enter the final season of the rookie deal he signed in 2017. The 26-year-old has become one of the best pass rushers in the league. His 49 1/2 sacks over his first four seasons ranks sixth all time by a player over that span.
September 10, 2021 3:51 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tom Brady threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns, helping the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the NFL season with a mistake-filled 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. With seats in a NFL stadium filled to full capacity for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Ryan Succop won it with a 36-yard field goal Brady set up with a last-minute drive directed on the same field where the Bucs became the first team to play and win a Super Bowl in its home stadium seven months ago. Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards and three TDs for Dallas.
