April 28, 2023 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller struck out 10, matching his career high, in six innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the three-game series. The right-hander gave up two runs on five hits. Keller also had 10 strikeouts in six innings last Aug. 30. Connor Joe and Rodolfo Castro homered back-to-back in the sixth off Dodgers starter Julio Urías. He allowed six runs on seven hits. The Pirates have won nine of 10, pushing their hot start to 18-8.
April 28, 2023 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dick Groat, a two-sport star who went from All-American guard in basketball to a brief stint in the NBA to ultimately an All-Star shortstop and the 1960 National League MVP while playing baseball for his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, has died. He was 92. Groat’s family says in a statement that he died Thursday at UMPC Presbyterian Hospital from complications of a stroke. Groat was an All-American in both basketball and baseball at Duke. He was drafted by the NBA’s Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952 before focusing on baseball full-time after a stint in the Army. Groat played 14 seasons in the majors, most of them with Pittsburgh. He was a World Series champion with the Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals.
April 27, 2023 9:19 am
Pirates great Dick Groat has died at the age of 92. A native of Wilkinsburg, Groat spent nine of his 14 seasons in the major leagues with the Pirates. He was a member of the 1960 World Series championship team and won the National League MVP award that year. He was also a two-time All American in baseball and basketball. Just last week, the Pirates announced Groat as a member of their 2023 Hall of Fame Class which is to be enshrined August 26 at PNC Park. From 1979 until 2019 Groat was a radio analyst for University of Pittsburgh basketball games.
April 27, 2023 12:01 am
Addison Agnew and Ryleigh Hoy each hit two-run home runs leading to Trinity to an 11th straight win. Taylor Dunn allowed one earned run on five hits to earn the victory. The Hillers clinched at least a share of the section title. WPIAL high school softball teams have two weeks left to finish section play. Area teams have between three and six games left on schedule. WJPA’s Stretch Drive coverage began Tuesday afternoon and will continue with the biggest, most important games on-air and online. Wednesday, Trinity hosts Upper St. Clair on WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here! Airtime is 6:20 pm.
Following is a team-by-team rundown of the Washington County softball teams:
6A Canon-McMillan–The Big Macs are engaged in a three-way battle for two playoff spots with Pine-Richland and Mt. Lebanon. Canon-McMillan beat each of them the first time through and will meet them again over the final two weeks.
5A Trinity, Peters Township–The Hillers have clinched a share of the section title and win it outright with a win against Thomas Jefferson (Friday) or Bethel Park (Monday). The Indians are in last place and must win out to stay alive.
4A Ringgold–The Rams are winless and will be eliminated with any further losses.
3A McGuffey–The Highlanders have dropped into a three-way tie for the last two playoff spots with two games left to play. McGuffey faces winless Keystone Oaks Monday before taking on section leader Waynesburg to close the regular season May 4.
2A Charleroi, Burgettstown, Bentworth, Ft. Cherry–Charleroi is just a game out of first, one game up on Burgettstown despite losing twice to the Blue Devils. Bentworth and Ft. Cherry are tied for the final playoff spot. Bentworth has games left with Charleroi, Burgettstown and winless Beth-Center. Ft. Cherry plays section leader OLSH and CHarleroi.
1A Chartiers-Houston–The Bucs have clinched a spot and are tied with West Greene, two games out of first place. Chartiers-Houston and West Greene meet Thursday for control of second place behind Carmichaels.
Eliminated from playoff chase: Avella, Beth-Center, California, Wash High
Wednesday’s scores:
Hempfield 9, Canon-McMillan 3
Trinity 6, Upper St. Clair 2
Bethel Park 8, Peters Township 4
Brownsville 2, McGuffey 1
Charleroi 10, Bentworth 0
Burgettstown 15, Beth-Center 0
Carmichaels 15, California 0
April 27, 2023 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Roansy Contreras gave up two hits in six scoreless innings while Ji Hwan Bae and Jason Delay had three hits each in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Contreras (3-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Austin Wynns broke it up with a leadoff single and Freddie Freeman singled with one out. Contreras escaped the jam and preserved a 2-0 lead by getting Jason Heyward and James Outman to fly out. Phil Bickford (0-1) took the loss.
April 27, 2023 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are outfielder Bryan Reynolds finalized the largest deal in franchise history, a $106.75 million, eight-year contract. The agreement was announced less than five months after Reynolds requested a trade. The Pirates insisted they were committed to keeping Reynolds in the fold and eventually, the two sides came to an agreement on a contract that could keep Reynolds in Pittsburgh for the rest of the decade. The deal includes a club option for 2031 that could make the agreement worth $124.75 million over nine years and a limited six-team no-trade provision.
April 27, 2023 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates utility player Drew Maggi made his major league debut Wednesday night after playing 13 seasons and 1,154 games in the minor leagues. The 33-year-old struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning in the Pirates’ 8-1 victory over the the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maggi had been called up from Double-A Altoona on Sunday when star outfielder Bryan Reynolds was placed on the bereavement list.
April 25, 2023 12:05 am
WPIAL high school softball teams have two weeks left to finish section play. Area teams have between three and six games left on schedule. WJPA’s Stretch Drive coverage began Tuesday afternoon and will continue with the biggest, most important games on-air and online. Wednesday, Trinity hosts Upper St. Clair on WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here! Airtime is 6:20 pm.
Following is a team-by-team rundown of the Washington County softball teams:
6A Canon-McMillan–The Big Macs have a one-game lead in the battle for the last two playoff spots over Pine-Richland and Mt. Lebanon. Canon-McMillan beat each of them the first time through and will meet them again over the final two weeks.
5A Trinity, Peters Township–The Hillers have clinched a playoff spot and can claim a share of the section title with a win Wednesday against Upper St. Clair. We’ll have that game for you on WJPA-AM (1450) and online. The Indians are in last place and must beat Bethel Park Wednesday to stay alive.
4A Ringgold–The Rams are winless and will be eliminated with any further losses.
3A McGuffey–The Highlanders are a half-game out of second place and in control of their own playoff destiny. McGuffey has games with the two bottom teams in the section before taking on section leader Waynesburg to close the regular season.
2A Charleroi, Burgettstown, Bentworth, Ft. Cherry–The Cougars have survived a pair of losses to Burgettstown to stay within one game of OLSH for first place. Burgettstown and Bentworth meet Friday for the second time with the winner taking control of a playoff spot. Ft. Cherry plays both of the leaders and likely needs to win out.
1A Chartiers-Houston, California–The Bucs have clinched a spot and are tied with West Greene, two games out of first place. California needs to win out and get some help to qualify.
Eliminated from playoff chase: Avella, Beth-Center, Wash High
Tuesday’s scores:
Ft. Cherry 10, Wash High 0
OLSH 15, Burgettstown 0
Chartiers-Houston 16, Avella 0
April 25, 2023 12:01 am
The high school baseball season sprints toward the finish line with about half the teams targeting a May 4th end date. The other half will play one additional week. WJPA’s Stretch Drive coverage began Tuesday afternoon and will continue with the biggest, most important games on-air and online. Following is a team-by-team rundown of the Washington County baseball teams:
6A Canon-McMillan–The Big Macs are alone atop the section again with four games left. Canon-McMillan visits Baldwin Thursday, then wraps up the regular season with a three-game series with Central Catholic next week.
5A Peters Township, Trinity–The Indians moved into sole possession of third place with Wednesday’s win over Upper St. Clair. The Indians face last-place Connellsville in a home-and-home set next week, needing one win to clinch a playoff spot. The Hillers are tied with Upper St. Clair for the last playoff berth, one game better than Connellsville. Trinity faces section leader Bethel Park for two while Upper St. Clair takes on second-place South Fayette to wrap up the season next week. Trinity & USC split their regular season series.
4A Ringgold–The Rams swept Laurel Highlands to move into a three-way tie with the Mustangs and Belle Vernon. Ringgold takes on last-place Albert Gallatin for two games next week.
3A McGuffey–The Highlanders sit in third place, one game up on Waynesburg. McGuffey has two against first-place Yough next week before closing the season May 8-9 against Waynesburg.
2A Chartiers-Houston, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Bentworth, Beth-Center, Wash High–The Bucs, Blue Devils and Cougars have all clinched playoff spots. Bentworth sits in fourth place, one game better than Frazier and Beth-Center. The Bearcats finish section play Monday/Tuesday with a home-and-home against B-C. A Bentworth win clinches a playoff spot. B-C has a pair of games against Wash High May 8-9 but have to win at least one against Bentworth to stay alive. Wash High has to win out and get some help.
1A Avella, California, Ft. Cherry–The Eagles fell out of first place with back-to-back losses to Carmichaels. Californai is tied for first with the Mikes. Avella is now tied for third with up-and-coming Fort Cherry. Avella finishes section play May 1-2 against California. Ft. Cherry has last-place Mapletown for two next week followed by a pair against Jeff-Morgan May 8-9.
Tuesday’s scores:
Canon-McMillan 6, Baldwin 5
Peters Township 10, Upper St. Clair 3
South Fayette 8, Trinity 2
Ringgold 4, Laurel Highlands 1
Brownsville 5, McGuffey 3
Burgettstown 11, Bentworth 1
Chartiers-Houston 15, Wash High 5
Charleroi 11, Frazier 1
Carmichaels 8, Avella 3
Ft. Cherry 4, West Greene 3
