August 10, 2025 7:19 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Jen Pawol has made history as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the major leagues. Pawol worked as the first base umpire for Saturday’s first game of a split doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. She made her first call in the third inning. Pawol worked third base in the second game of the doubleheader and will be in the spotlight when she calls pitches behind the plate in Sunday’s final game of the series. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and Braves bench coach Walt Weiss greeted Pawol when lineups were exchanged at home plate.
August 9, 2025 11:00 am
Washington County opened play in the 73rd PONY League World Series with a run-rule win. The next two games needed extra innings to separate the winners and losers. Corpus Christi broke a 2-2 tie with a six-run 10th inning to beat Bay County. Monterrey tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, then got a solo home run in the eighth to beat South Hills. First round action concludes when Colombia takes on Corpus Christi Sunday at 12 noon. The first elimination games of this year’s tournament follow Sunday afternoon. Division Finals are scheduled for Tuesday evening with the tournament’s championship game set for Wednesday night. Hear all of the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and online LISTEN HERE!
Saturday, Aug. 9 — Bracket
Washington County 12, Grosseto, Italy 2, 5 inn. Kaden Harkins two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth invoked the run rule and moving Washington County into the Winners’ bracket Monday night. With the game tied at one in the third, Niko Vitale singled home Ryan Lukas to put the locals in front to stay. Washington County added a pair of unearned runs later in the frame, then sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth. Lukas, Keegan Widenhofer, Vitale and Lucas Daniels drove in runs the inning, building the lead to 10-1. Grosseto scored its last run in the fifth, setting the stage for Harkins blast that ended the game. Vitale, Lukas and Luke Henderson each had two hits, helping Braxten Thompson to the win.
Corpus Christi, TX 8, Bay County, MI 3, 10 inn. Both teams scored single runs in the third and the eighth, before Corpus Christi batted around in the tenth, scoring six times to beat Bay County. JJ de los Santos went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs, including the tie-breaker in the final frame. Two batters later, Gabriel Trevino delivered a two-run double to give the South Zone squad more than enough to advance. Josh Garcia had a pair of hits and scored twice, all after regulation, helping Dos Villegas to the win. Mason Krager had three hits to lead Bay County. Both starters, Lincoln Ketter and Carter Maze were solid but neighter figured in the decision. Ketter did not allow an earned run in his 5+ innings of work. Maze allowed one run on four hits while striking out eight. Landon Deford took the loss.
Monterrey, Mex. 7, South Hills 6, 8 inn. Angel Ponce homered to centerfield in his only at-bat, walking off with the one-run, eight-inning win for Monterrey. South Hills had taken a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh, thanks to Jonah Koontz’ solo home run. In the Monterrey half of the inning, Abdiel Zavala singled with one out and moved to third on an infield error of a Sergio Guajardo batted ball. Derek Bustos grounded out to short, Zavala scoring to tie the game. South Hills took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, thanks to Johnny Parris’ two-run double. Monterrey answered with a three-spot in the bottom of the inning on just one hit, a two-run single by Guajardo. Koontz put the Host Area champions back in front with a two-run single in the fifth. That lead was short-lived as Guajardo singled to score Vladdy Angulo to tie the game at 4. Two errors brought Zavala home. Santiago Villanueva got the win, working 4.1 innings, charged with four runs while striking out 10. Dylan Koehler took the loss, pitching the final 2.1 innings. Koontz was the only South Hills player with two hits. Guajardo had a pair of singles and drove in three.
Sunday, Aug. 10
12:00 noon Barranquilla, Colombia vs. Corpus Christi
2:30 pm Elimination: Chinese Taipei vs. Bronx
6:00 pm Elimination: Grosseto vs. Bay County
Monday, Aug. 11
10:00 am Elimination
12:30 pm Elimination
4:30 pm Winners’ Bracket Monterrey vs. Simi Valley
7:00 pm Winners’ Bracket Washington County vs. Colombia/Corpus Christi winner
August 8, 2025 1:52 am
The 73rd PONY League World Series is underway at Lew Hays PONY Field. First round action Friday included Simi Valley, CA and South Hills, PA scoring come-from-behind wins to advance in the winners’ bracket. For South Hills, the 4-2 win over Bronx, NY is the first-ever for the program. The Host Area champions return to action Saturday (5:00 pm) against Monterrey, Mexico. Eliminations begin mid-afternoon Sunday. Division Finals are scheduled for Tuesday evening with the 73rd PONY League World Series Championship Game set for Wednesday night. Hear all of the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and online LISTEN HERE!
Friday, Aug. 8 — Bracket
Game 1: Simi Valley CA 6, Chinese Taipei 5 Tristan Theobald singled in two runs, then scored the game-winner as Simi Valley rallied past Chinese Taipei, 6-5. The West Zone scored three times in the sixth inning, with all the action in the inning coming with two out. Ean Devine and Braedon Halverson singled, putting runners at the corners. Theobald lofted a bloop single to shallow center, plating Devine and Halverson, and ended up at third on a throwing error. Riely Loggins doubled to give Simi Valley the lead. Halverson pitched a scoreless seventh inning to save the win for Kade Monica. Yi-Le Li took the loss, charged with all three runs after retiring the first eight batters he faced. En Chen had three hits, including a home run for Chinese Taipei. Halverson had three singles for Simi Valley.
Game 2: South Hills, PA 4, Bronx, NY 2 Johnny Parris stroked a two-run double to the wall in right, lifting South Hills past Bronx Friday night. Trailing 1-0, Brody Cole doubled and moved to third on Gavin Stock’s base hit. One out later, Parris gave the Host Area champions a lead they’d not give up. Two batters later, Parris scored on an infield throwing error. In the sixth, Parris grounded softly to short with the bases loaded to drive in South Hills’ final run. Jonah Koontz pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to get the win. Stock worked the final 1.1 innings to earn the save.
Saturday, Aug. 9
12:00 noon Washington County vs. Grosseto, Italy
2:30 pm Corpus Christi, TX vs. Bay County, MI
5:00pm South Hills vs. Monterrey, Mexico
Sunday, Aug. 10
12:00 noon Barranquilla, Colombia vs. Corpus Christi/Bay County winner
2:30 pm Elimination: Chinese Taipei vs. Bronx
6:00 pm Elimination: Washington County/Grosseto vs. Corpus Christi/Bay County
August 9, 2025 3:42 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds had a two-out, two-run triple in the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Friday night. Isiah Kiner-Falefa drew a one-out walk off Tony Santillan (1-4), and Tommy Pham singled with two outs to put runners on the corners. Reynolds tripled to right on Santillan’s first pitch. Kyle Nicolas (1-0) pitched the eighth for the victory, and Dennis Santana worked the ninth for his seventh save. Pirates starter Mitch Keller allowed two runs on six hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Reds rookie Chase Burns stuck out 10 in six innings, and allowed a run on three hits. He topped 100 mph five times while striking out the side in the first.
August 9, 2025 3:39 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris was in stable condition after he was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the field in an ambulance Friday night against Atlanta, with the preseason game ending early. The Lions released a statement, saying: “Morice Norris is in stable condition and has feeling and movement in all his extremities. He will remain at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta overnight for observation.” Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Nathan Carter. When play resumed, Atlanta’s Emory Jones took a snap and held the ball as players from teams stood at the line of scrimmage as the clock continued to run. Finally, with 6:31 left, an official said the game was suspended with Detroit up 17-10.
August 8, 2025 4:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out eight in six shutout innings, Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. Skenes (7-8) allowed seven hits, the highest mark of his career, and remained undefeated against Cincinnati in four career starts. His record streak of allowing six or fewer hits to open an MLB career ended at 46 games. The longest such streak to begin a career (excluding openers), according to OptaStats, had belonged to Shohei Ohtani, who went 31 starts from 2018-21 for the Los Angeles Angels. Skenes extended his scoreless streak to 27 2/3 innings; he last allowed a run June 8 against Philadelphia. He lowered his ERA to a MLB-best 1.94.
August 8, 2025 4:45 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers won’t make his Steelers debut in Pittsburgh just yet. Coach Mike Tomlin says Rodgers and other top starters will sit out the preseason opener against Jacksonville. Tomlin believes their experience means they don’t need as much preseason action. Rodgers, who joined the Steelers in June, was open to playing but Tomlin feels it’s unnecessary for now. The first-team offense struggled early in training camp but has improved. Rookie quarterback Will Howard is out with a hand injury. The Steelers signed Logan Woodside, a backup with ties to Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, to take some of the reps while Howard recovers.
August 8, 2025 4:42 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and most of the starting lineup for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles took a night off. The Eagles used their contentious short-yardage play, the tush push, to help them beat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 in the preseason opener for both teams. Without Hurts in the lineup, quarterback Tanner McKee got a helpful shove for a score. McKee, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford, played into the second half and finished 20 of 25 for 252 yards and two touchdown passes. The Eagles remain the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl.
August 7, 2025 4:21 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers isn’t ruling himself out of Pittsburgh’s preseason opener against Jacksonville. Rodgers, who last appeared in an exhibition game two years ago, says he’s on board to play if coach Mike Tomlin asks. The 41-year-old last played in the preseason in 2023 during his first season with the New York Jets. The short-term loss of rookie quarterback Will Howard, dealing with a hand injury, might complicate things. Rodgers has been mentoring Howard since signing with the Steelers in June. Rodgers says he’s seen progress in recent days as he grows more comfortable in the system.
August 7, 2025 2:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dominic Smith hit a go-ahead double in the ninth inning, and the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Jung Hoo Lee hit a one-out double down the right-field line off Dennis Santana (3-4). Smith, pinch hitting for Christian Koss, brought Lee in with another double to right to make it 3-2 and Patrick Bailey extended the lead with an RBI single. Giants reliever Ryan Walker (4-4) struck out the side in the eighth, including Oneil Cruz with two on and two outs. Randy Rodríguez pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. In the top half, Isaac Mattson gave up a leadoff single to Bailey, a one-out single to Rafael Devers and another single to Willy Adames before departing with the bases loaded. Matt Chapman tied it with a sacrifice fly. Nick Gonzales put the Pirates ahead with a two-out single to left in the first. Jerar Encarnacion tied it in the fifth with a 442-foot drive to left off a fastball from Andrew Heaney, his second home run of the season after hitting one in an 8-1 win Tuesday. The Pirates have RHP Paul Skenes (6-8, 2.02 ERA) on the mound Thursday to start a four-game home set against Cincinnati. RHP Brady Singer (9-8, 4.36 ERA) will start for the Reds.
