May 18, 2021 4:00 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Albert Pujols has signed a major league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 41-year-old slugger is moving 30 miles north to extend his remarkable career with the defending World Series champions after leaving the Los Angeles Angels. Pujols was unceremoniously cut by the Angels earlier this month in an abrupt end to his largely unsuccessful 10-year, $240 million tenure with the Orange County club.
May 17, 2021 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kyle Palmieri’s second goal of the game 16:30 into overtime lifted the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their first-round series. Palmieri collected a pass from Jean-Gabriel Pageau near the goal line and lifted it over Tristan Jarry and into the net. The victory was the first for New York in five tries at PPG Paints Arena this season. Sidney Crosby scored his 69th career playoff goal, but the Penguins lost for the 10th time in their past 11 postseason games.
May 17, 2021 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Alex Wood pitched six innings while keeping his perfect record intact and Mike Yastrzemski hit a game-sealing home run as the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1. Wood improved to 5-0. He gave up one run while scattering eight hits. He struck out six and walked one as NL West-leading San Francisco gained a split of the four-game series. It has been a resurgent season for Wood, who went a combined 1-4 with a 5.96 ERA in 2019 and 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers while hampered by back problems.
May 16, 2021 1:44 am
Washington & Jefferson Collgeg pitchers held opponents to one total run in a three-game sweep of the Presidents Athletic Conference baseball championship tournament, topping St. Vincent, 3-0, in the championship game. Nick Drake (7-0) allowed just one hit over seven innings to get the win. The right-hander took his no-hit bid into the seventh but had to pitch out of a two-on, one out jam in his final inning. Drake fanned Justin Wright and Ben Menarchek, stranding the potential tying runs. Michael Zito worked the final two innings, earning a league-best eighth save, his second of the tournament. Tyler Horvat, later named the tournament’s most valuable player, walked, stole second, moved to third on a Adam Morris single and scored on Adam Moore’s infield grounder. Moore had a first-inning RBI in all three W&J games in the tournament. Horvat scored again in the third with a similar line: walk, stolen base, fly out toright, infield groundout by Morris. W&J set the final score in the eighth. Morris walked, chasing Bearcats’ starter Brenden Lavely. Morris moved to second on a groundout, held there on a flyball single by Zito and scored on a groundball single to right off the bat of Nate Rush.
The conference championship is the 13th for W&J, nine under the leadership of head coach Jeff Mountain. The title also includes the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament which opens with regional competition May 27th. The national playoff brackets will be announced Sunday, May 23. W&J has reached the Division III College World Series twice in the last five years including a runner-up finish in 2017. (photo credit: https://pacathletics.org/)
May 16, 2021 7:39 am
PITTSBURGH — Jacob Stallings hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the San Francisco Giants 8-6 on Saturday night. The catcher had a two-run double that capped four-run comeback with two out in the seventh that made it 6-all. Adam Frazier singled to lead off the Pittsburgh ninth and was thrown out at the plate when he tried to score on Bryan Reynolds’ one-out double. Reynolds took third on the play, and trotted home when Stallings sent a drive into the left-field bleachers off Jake McGee (1-1). McGee gave up a game-tying single to Reynolds that sent a 3-2 loss into extras Friday. Stallings hit a walkoff solo shot in a 3-2 win against the Chicago Cubs in an empty PNC Park last Sept. 22. On Saturday, he did it in front of a season-high Pirates crowd of 7,833. Kevin Newman hit an RBI single and another run scored on a wild pitch as the Pirates rallied in the seventh. Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez (2-0) allowed a two-out single to Brandon Crawford in the ninth before getting Mauricio Dubon to pop out. Pittsburgh has won four of seven games since losing eight of its previous nine. The Pirates beat the NL West-leading Giants on Friday night on a walkoff sacrifice by Gregory Polanco in the 11th inning.
May 15, 2021 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Adam Frazier tripled home the tying run in the 11th inning with his fourth hit of the game and scored the winner on Gregory Polanco’s sacrifice fly as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Austin Slater’s single put the Giants ahead in the top of the 11th, but Frazier’s triple scored Michael Perez, who began the inning as the automatic runner on second base. Kevin Newman lined out softly and Giants manager Gabe Kapler had Caleb Baragar intentionally walk Bryan Reynolds and rookie Will Craig to load the bases. Polanco foiled the strategy by hitting a deep fly to center field.
May 14, 2021 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Anthony DeSclafani allowed one hit over five scoreless innings and Steven Duggar hit his first home run in nearly two years to lead the San Francisco Giants past the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1. DeSclafani improved to 3-7 against the Pirates. The lone hit off him was a first-inning single by Jacob Stallings. Duggar’s solo shot in the fifth off Wil Crowe broke a scoreless tie. It was his seventh career homer in four seasons, and first since June 13, 2019. The Giants improved to an NL-best 23-14 with their fifth win in six games. Tyler Rogers earned his third save by pitching a scoreless ninth. Pirates first baseman Will Craig hit his first major league homer in the eighth.
May 14, 2021 2:15 am
The Pens will face off against the Islanders in Game 1 on Sunday, May 16 with puck drop at 12 p.m. While seating capacity will be limited to 25 percent, the state will allow a 50 percent capacity beginning Monday. The Pens say the increased capacity starting for Game 2 will allow for better seat choices, including glass seats and more two-seat pods. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. For the full Round 1 schedule click here.
May 13, 2021 2:36 pm
Softball’s regular season ended Wednesday with playoff brackets due out mid-afternoon Thursday. Baseball’s final games are on Thursday’s schedule with the playoff pairings set to be revealed late Friday.
Ringgold’s baseball team was eliminated from the Class 4A playoff race with Thursday’s home loss to Uniontown. On the softball front, California was added to the Class 2A brackets, despite finishing in fifth place. WPIAL officials said the decision was based on the Wash High program shutdown in mid-season, shorting all teams in the section by one game.
Baseball (14 in)
Clinched playoff berth: Canon-McMillan (6A), Peters Township (5A), McGuffey & Waynesburg (both in 3A), Bentworth, Beth-Center, Burgettstown, California, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston & Fort Cherry, (all in 2A), Avella, Jeff-Morgan & West Greene (all in 1A).
Softball (13 in)
Clinched playoff berth: Canon-McMillan (6A), Trinity (5A), Waynesburg (4A), Bentworth, Burgettstown, California, Carmichaels, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston & Fort Cherry (all in 2A), Jeff-Morgan, Mapletown & West Greene (each in 1A).
May 13, 2021 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin their Super Bowl title defense when they kick off the 2021 season against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Sept. 9. The game could see the return of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of last season. The Cowboys have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Other highlights from opening weekend include Matthew Stafford playing his first game for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears with SoFi Stadium welcoming fans for the first time. Most teams are expected to be at full capacity following a season played before limited crowds because of COVID-19 The Las Vegas Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens in the first Monday night game. The NFL also announced it will return to London in October for its first games in the city since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Atlanta Falcons will play the New York Jets on Oct. 10, and the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Miami Dolphins a week later. The NFL says it is ready to return to London following a successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Britain.
