February 24, 2021 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is eager to prove his breakout rookie season was no fluke. Hayes hit .376 with five home runs and 17 doubles in 24 games after arriving in the majors last September. The pop Hayes showed at the plate came as a bit of a surprise to everyone but Hayes, who credits a couple of tweaks to his swing for the power surge. Hayes says he knows teams will adjust this season but he’s confident he can handle the roller coaster that lies ahead.
February 21, 2021 2:57 am
The WPIAL basketball playoffs will be announced Tuesday night. When revealed, the brackets will include 25 Washington County boys & girls teams plus nine more from Greene County. Bentworth boys & girls, Beth-Center girls and Carmichaels girls have opted out of the open tournament. Preliminary games are expected Saturday, Feb. 27 and Monday, March 1 with the Championships Mar. 12-15. Here’s a thumbnail picture of what we expect to hear and see about teams from the two-county area Tuesday night. Over all records listed as of 2/21.
Girls 6A–15 teams, no preliminary games
Peters Township (6-5) will be a middle-of-the-pack seed while Canon-McMillan (1-11) will be a bottom three seed.
Girls 5A–26 teams, 10 preliminary games
Trinity (15-1) will be the #1 seed, owning wins against Chartiers Valley and North Allegheny, defending WPIAL champions. Ringgold (2-10) will likely play McKeesport in one of the 10 prelim games.
Girls 3A–18 teams, 2 preliminary games
Waynesburg (11-4) will be a top seven seed. Charleroi (7-7) and McGuffey (5-6) should not be listed in the bottom four, keeping them out of the preliminary rounds. Wash High (5-8) will likely be in that bottom four grouping.
Girls 2A–21 teams, 5 preliminary games
Look for Burgettstown (13-2) to be seeded in the top six. Fort Cherry (10-6) and California (7-3) should be into the Sweet 16 without a preliminary assignment. Chartiers-Houston (7-6) could host a preliminary round game, possibly against South Side Beaver.
Girls 1A–13 teams, no preliminary games
West Greene (13-2) will be a top four seed. Avella (9-7) will be in the 8-10 range with Mapletown (4-5) and Jeff-Morgan (3-10) facing teams in the top four.
Boys 6A–17 teams, 1 preliminary game
Peters Township (5-6) will likely be a double-digit seed while Canon-McMillan (0-12) is destined for a match-up with winless Greensburg Salem.
Boys 5A–23 teams, 7 preliminary games
Trinity (8-7) and Ringgold (4-8) will both have to win preliminary games to reach the Sweet 16. The Hillers would likely host their opener while the Rams would play on the road.
Boys 3A–23 teams, 7 preliminary games
Washington (10-4) will be seeded 4th-6th. Charleroi (10-5) appears to be a 10 seed. McGuffey (8-6), Beth-Center (4-8) and Waynesburg (2-13) will all be in preliminary games with the Highlanders likely to host.
Boys 2A–23 teams, 7 preliminary games
California (4-3) missed an opportunity for a share of the section title, losing to Frazier Thursday night. That loss could put the Trojans into the preliminary rounds along with Fort Cherry (10-6), Burgettstown (6-11), Chartiers-Houston (6-11), Carmichaels (8-4) and Jeff-Morgan (5-9). The four Washington County teams could all host along with Carmichaels, though California and Fort Cherry have indicated that Gov. Wolf’s attendance limits make it unlikely that they’ll play at home.
Boys 1A–15 teams, no preliminary games
Avella (6-10), Mapletown (4-6) and West Greene (1-11) are likely to play on the road in the first round.
February 23, 2021 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier says he’s focusing on the present and not the future. Frazier was the subject of trade talk during a busy offseason that saw longtime teammates like Josh Bell and Jameson Taillon get flipped for prospects. Frazier is still around, saying he’s committed to helping the Pirates rebound after finishing with the worst record in the majors last year. Frazier was a Gold Glove finalist in 2020 but struggled at the play. His .230 batting average was nearly 50 points below his career average.
February 23, 2021 3:51 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million, 14-year contract has been finalized by the San Diego Padres, the longest deal in baseball history. Tatis had been eligible for salary arbitration after this season and for free agency after the 2024 season. The length of his contract exceeds the $325 million, 13-year agreement between Miami and Giancarlo Stanton and the $330 million, 13-year contract between Bruce Harper and Philadelphia. A son of former big league infielder Fernando Tatis, he has played in only 143 games during two seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, yet has quickly become one of the faces of baseball.
February 23, 2021 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a tiebreaking power-play goal in the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves, leading the New York Islanders to a 3-2 win over the last-place Buffalo Sabres. Pageau got his seventh goal at 15:08 when he banged in a rebound on the backhand after Oliver Wahlstrom’s initial shot was stopped by Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark. The Islanders beat the Sabres for the third straight time this season after two victories in Buffalo last week. The Islanders also moved to 5-0-1 at Nassau Coliseum.
February 22, 2021 3:49 am
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Luka Garza scored 23 points to become Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, and the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes beat Penn State 74-68. Garza has 2,126 points for Iowa, breaking the record of 2,116 points set by Roy Marble from 1985-89. Garza also had 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. It was the fourth consecutive win for Iowa. Izaiah Brockington and Myreon Jones each had 11 points to lead Penn State. CJ Fredrick added 18 points for the Hawkeyes, who took control with a 13-2 second-half run.
February 22, 2021 3:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Capitals avoided losing for the sixth time in their last eight games. Alex Ovechkin’s power-play goal with 4:04 remaining lifted the Caps past the Devils, 4-3. Ovechkin’s tally gave Washington a 4-2 lead, but New Jersey got within a goal when Nikita Gusev beat Craig Anderson with 11.9 seconds left. T.J. Oshie scored twice to end his nine-game goal drought and help Anderson pick up his first start and first victory since March.
February 22, 2021 3:52 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Max Homa may not have scripted it this way, but the 30-year-old California has earned a victory in the PGA tournament near his hometown. Homa captured the Genesis Invitational in a one-hole playoff against Tony Finau. The win was secured just minutes after Homa missed a 3-foot birdie putt on 18 to extend the tournament. Homa closed with a 5-under 66 and played the final 26 holes without a bogey for a minus-12 total. Finau recorded his 10th runner-up finish worldwide since his lone victory in the Puerto Rico Open five years ago. Sam Burns closed with a 69 and missed the playoff by one shot after leading the second and third rounds. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods said he isn’t sure if he’ll be able to compete in the Masters this spring.
February 21, 2021 7:58 am
PITTSBURGH — It was one special day for Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby — from the beginning to the very end. Crosby had two assists in his 1,000th NHL game, and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Saturday night. Kris Letang scored twice, including a tiebreaking goal in the third period, as Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. Mike Matheson also scored, and Tristan Jarry made 33 saves. Letang was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2005, the same year as Crosby. Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored for New York, which has dropped two straight following a season-high eight-game point streak. Semyon Varlamov stopped 15 shots. Nelson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with his fifth goal just 53 seconds into the third period, but the Penguins responded. Matheson tied it with his first goal for Pittsburgh at 7:35. He started the rush and eventually finished the play with a wrist shot from the slot. Letang put the Penguins ahead for good at 13:34. His center-point wrist shot beat Varlamov over the shoulder to the blocker side.
February 21, 2021 8:01 am
AUSTIN, Texas — Bob Huggins didn’t divulge exactly how he lit into his West Virginia team at halftime when it trailed Texas by 10 points. The message registered. Sean McNeil and No. 13 West Virginia erased a 19-point deficit in the second half, then withstood a flurry of last-second misses to hold off No. 12 Texas 84-82 on Saturday. McNeil played only two minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls, and scored all 16 of his points after the break. He also committed two turnovers in the final 11 seconds, giving Texas a chance. With Texas down by two, the Longhorns’ Matt Coleman III missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with eight seconds left. The Longhorns got the ball back, but Andrew Jones’ 3-point attempt rimmed out with four seconds left — he had made a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to beat West Virginia 72-70 on Jan. 9. Texas had one last try, with three-tenths of a second left, on an inbounds pass after Jones missed. But Jericho Sims missed inside after taking a lob pass from Coleman. Miles McBride scored 17 for West Virginia (15-6, 8-4 Big 12), which was down 62-43 early in the second half. Taz Sherman, Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Derek Culver scored 14 apiece.
