May 9, 2022 3:02 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning have tied their Stanley Cup first-round series at two games apiece. Brad Marchand delivered two goals and three assists as the Bruins turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Steven Stamkos, Pierre Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon scored in the first eight minutes of the Lightning’s 7-3 win against Toronto.
May 9, 2022 3:03 am
POTOMAC, Md. (AP) -Max Homa played solid, steady golf during a week of cold, wet conditions and a back-and-forth Sunday duel with Keegan Bradley. He closed with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Wells Fargo Championship. The 31-year-old Homa finished at 8-under 272 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. He won for the fourth time overall, third in 15 months and second since he gave up his popular podcast. Bradley started the day with the lead, gave it away and took it back before Homa moved ahead for good on the back nine. He closed with a 72 to finish two shots back, tied with Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick.
May 8, 2022 5:43 am
PITTSBURGH — Louis Domingue remembers dragging a net out into the street, pulling on his rollerblades and dreaming what it would be like to be in the NHL playoffs. The reality is surpassing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ backup to the backup goaltender’s greatest expectations. The journeyman stopped 32 shots — including a handful on the penalty kill in the third period with the Penguins reeling — to set the stage for Danton Heinen’s late tally as Pittsburgh surged past the New York Rangers 7-4 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. The Penguins grabbed control of the series heading into Monday night’s Game 4 by chasing Vezina Trophy-favorite Igor Shesterkin in the first period, blowing a three-goal cushion in the second then responding even with the top line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust contributing nothing on the scoresheet until New York’s net was empty in the final minutes. The Penguins killed off a pair of penalties in the first half of the third to keep the score tied before Heinen jumped on a loose puck near the New York goal line and flicked a shot by Alexandar Georgiev 11:02 into the third to put the Penguins in front to stay. Evan Rodrigues had two goals and assisted on another for the Penguins. Jeff Carter also scored twice for the Pittsburgh while Brock McGinn started the scoring on what became two-plus hours of seismic momentum shifts with his first goal of the playoffs. Kaapo Kakko, Frank Vatrano, Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp scored for the Rangers. Georgiev finished with 19 saves on 20 shots after taking over for Shesterkin, who was chased after allowing four goals in the first period.
May 8, 2022 5:46 am
CINCINNATI — Josh VanMeter had just one thought when he suddenly realized the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him as a catcher. “Pure panic,” he said. Forced into an emergency role, VanMeter had a rough time Saturday when he moved from second base for his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager. The Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 in the opener of a doubleheader. In the nightcap, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run homer and Yoshi Tsutsugo and Diego Castillo had back-to-back home runs as Pittsburgh won 8-5 for a split. VanMeter did not play in the second game after his position switch in the first game. Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter’s mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst. Pirates starting catcher Roberto Pérez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth of the opener. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout. That left VanMeter as the Pirates’ next best option behind the plate, so he traded his infielder’s glove for a catcher’s mitt. It had been a while, too, for a player who’s listed as a second baseman/outfielder. “I think it was when I was 14 in summer ball, but they didn’t throw as hard and their stuff didn’t move like that,” he said. VanMeter quickly gathered the equipment he needed. He grabbed Knapp’s gear, but wound up using Perez’s glove.
May 8, 2022 5:48 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Anyone anticipating a return to normalcy in the Kentucky Derby got a dose of crazy Saturday when an 80-1 shot came charging up the rail to win at Churchill Downs. With favorite Epicenter and Zandon engaged in a duel at the front, Rich Strike stole the show with the second-biggest upset in the Derby’s 148-year history. The chestnut colt beat 4-1 favorite Epicenter by three-quarters of a length. Zandon finished another three-quarters of a length back in third. Rich Strike paid $163.60 Only Donerail in 1913 had a higher payout of $184.90. Rich Strike wasn’t even in the Derby until Friday when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas scratched Ethereal Road, making room for the chestnut colt who had just two previous wins in his career. “We found out about 30 seconds before the deadline on Friday,” owner Rick Dawson said. “It put us in the race and really we always felt if we just got in we’ve got a shot.”
May 7, 2022 3:57 am
Friday’s Pirates game against Cincinnati was postponed because of rain. It has been rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Thursday, July 7. The make-up game from Friday will be July 7 at 2:10 p.m., and the originally scheduled July 7 game will begin at 7:10 p.m. Weather permitting, the Pirates will try to take on the Reds as part of a doubleheader today, and you can hear that action starting at 12:10 p.m. on WJPA 1450 AM.
May 7, 2022 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith will miss the rest of the postseason after he had core surgery. DeSmith exited in the second overtime of Pittsburgh’s 4-3 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series against the New York Rangers. DeSmith’s injury leaves Louis Domingue as the starter as the series shifts to Pittsburgh. Domingue earned the victory in Game 1 but took the loss after allowing five goals on 40 shots in Game 2. The Pens take on the Rangers at PPG Paints Arena tonight at 7:00 p.m. for Game 3 of the first-round series.
May 7, 2022 3:59 am
(AP) – The last three runnings of the Kentucky Derby have been anything but normal. Maximum Security crossed the line first only to get disqualified for interference in 2019. The first Saturday in May became the first Saturday in September in 2020, thanks to the pandemic. And 2021 saw Medina Spirit winning the race, trainer Bob Baffert subsequently getting embroiled in yet another drug-testing scandal, the horse dying in December following a workout and then getting stripped of the Derby win early this year. Expect more unexpected on Saturday at Churchill Downs when the Triple Crown season gets underway.
May 6, 2022 2:19 am
Softball
Mt. Lebanon rallied with a four-run seventh inning to beat Canon-McMillan, clinching the outright 6A Section 1 title, the Blue Devils’ first since their PIAA title season of 2010. Chartiers-Houston’s win capped an unbeaten run to the 2A Section 1 championship. Only a handful of make-up games remain to be played. Playoff spots have been clinched by Canon-McMillan & Peters Township (6A), Trinity (5A), Chartiers-Houston, Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Chaleroi & Bentworth (2A).
Mt. Lebanon 9, Canon-McMillan 8
Elizabeth-Forward 7, Ringgold 0
Southmoreland 7, McGuffey 2
Chartiers-Houston 20, Aliquippa 0
Beth-Center 10, Wash High 9
Charleroi 4, Carmichaels 0
Baseball
Trailing 1-0 since the first, McGuffey plated three runs in the fifth inning, then held off a Waynesburg rally, clinching a 3A Section 4 playoff spot. Charleroi can also qualify with a win Monday section leader Yough. Seton-La Salle edged Burgettstown to sweep the two-game series, clinching a share of the 2A Section 4 title. Several sections have full slates of games set for Monday/Tuesday with a couple make-up games also left to play. Playoff spots are in hand for Peters Township (5A), McGuffey (3A), California, Bentworth, Beth-Center, Burgettstown & Fort Cherry (2A) and Avella (1A). Ringgold (4A), Charleroi (3A) and Chartiers-Houston (2A) are still alive. The Rams need a number of things to happen to qualify, including sweeping section leader West Mifflin. The Cougars qualify only with a win at Yough Monday. The Bucs make the post season with any win (vs. Fort Cherry) or any Brentwood loss (vs. Seton-La Salle).
McGuffey 3, Waynesburg 2
Seton-La Salle 2, Burgettstown 1
Ft. Cherry 9, Carlynton 5
May 6, 2022 3:52 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Artemi Panarin and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and two assists and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in Game 2 on Thursday night to even the best-of-seven first-round series. Chris Kreider, Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin made 39 saves two nights after stopping 79 shots in a triple-overtime loss in Game 1. Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist, and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Penguins. Louis Domingue, getting the start after replacing the injured Casey DeSmith in the second overtime of Game 1, finished with 34 saves. Game 3 is Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
