August 19, 2021 2:30 am
Brownsville led, 4-1, 7-3 and 9-6 but needed a pair of runs in the eighth inning to beat Youngstown, OH and win the 69th PONY League World Series championship. Ruben Lopez stroked a three-run home run in the fourth, singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth and scored the ultimate game-winner on a Nehemiah Garcia double to win their first-ever championship game. Youngstown used a three run sixth to tie the game at 9, then loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh. But a lineout doubleplay and a groundout ended the walkoff attempt. After Brownsville took a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, the runners-up again loaded the bases but got only one run before a lineout to center ended the game. Miah Vela pitched the final three innings for Brownsville to get the win. Ruben Lopez finished with three hits and four RBI. Alexis Lopez had two doubles, two singles, a walk, two runs driven in and four runs scored, giving Texas its fifth PONY title, the first since Laredo won ten years ago. Javier Garcia took home the World Series ERA Award, not allowing an earned run in 9.0 innings of work.
Carter Wilson led Youngstown at the plate with four hits and three RBI. Hunter Garvin won the tournament’s Batting Champion Award, hitting .600 (6-for-10) in the World Series. Jake Rynd had three hits but the Host Area runner-up stranded 16 baserunners in the game, their first title game appearance since losing to Washington in the 1955 championship game.
Elizabeth Engle was named PONY Princess with Ava Bowman taking home PONY Hostess honors. Cameron Dames received the John D. Voytek Memorial Award as Washington County’s leading hitter, going 3-for-9 in the Hosts’ four tournament games.
August 19, 2021 3:51 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Max Muncy slugged two homers and drove in five runs to highlight a power performance by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 9-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Pirates, won their sixth in a row overall, and are now three games behind the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants, who lost to the New York Mets 6-2. AJ Pollock and Corey Seager also homered for the Dodgers. The Pirates were limited to three hits in losing their fifth in a row and 15th in 17 games.
August 19, 2021 3:53 am
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska has announced that the NCAA is looking into its football program amid allegations Cornhuskers staff improperly used analysts and consultants with the knowledge of coach Scott Frost . The team also allegedly moved workouts off campus last year when such activities were banned during the pandemic. Athletic director Trev Alberts confirmed the investigation first reported by The Action Network. Citing unidentified sources, The Action Network report said Nebraska has “significant video footage” confirming practice violations occurred in the presence of Frost and other assistants. Frost said any workouts were approved by his superiors.
August 17, 2021 2:55 am
Persistent rain during the day Monday led PONY officials to postpone the Division Finals to Tuesday afternoon.
In the opener, Brownsville, TX forced an “If Necessary” game with a 2-1 win over previously-unbeaten Johnstown, PA. Javier Garcia held the Host Area champions to one unearned run over six innings to get the win. Itziel Gonzalez doubled in one run in the fourth, Alexis Lopez sprinted home on a wild pitch in the fifth, giving the South Zone squad a 2-0 lead. Johnstown put two on with no outs in the fifth and sixth innings but managed just one run out of those chances. Ben Kormanski grounded out in the sixth, plating Anthony Grippo with Johnstown’s only run of the game. The two squads will play a five-inning game to decide a spot in the World Series championship game at 8 o’clock.
Youngstown, OH scored four times in the first inning, rolling past Washington County, 11-0, in five innings. Hunter Garvin’s two-run single opened the scoring, part of a big night for the Host Area runner-up’s starting pitcher. He picked up the win, holding the Hosts to two hits and no runs over four innings while driving in four runs with a single and a double. Carter Wilson, Quinn Meola and Jake Rynd also drove in runs, helping Youngstown return to the finals for the first time since losing to Washington in 1955. The local squad had two runners on base in three of the five innings but couldn’t cash in against Garvin. Cameron Dames finished the series as the leading hitter for Washington County, receiving the John D. Voytek Memorial Award.
Brownsville completed the sweep against Johnstown, downing the Host Area champions, 6-2, in the five-inning ‘if necessary’ game. The South Zone champions scored twice in the third, using an RBI single from winning pitcher Ruben Lopez plus a Christopher Ramos sacrifice fly. Johnstown tied the game in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back doubles by Chase Williamson and Aaron Smearman but the latter made a wide turn at second and was tagged out, quashing the rally. Miah Vela doubled to open the fourth and scored on two straight flyball outs to right. Jorge Garza doubled in a run and later scored on Nehemiah Garcia’s two-run single. Johnstown had just one baserunner over the final two innings. Brownsville reaches the World Series championship game for the first time ever. Johnstown was stopped short in their bid for the same prize.
August 18, 2021 3:46 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Matt Beaty hit a tiebreaking, two-run double with two outs in the fifth inning to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. The Dodgers extended their franchise-record winning streak to 15 games against the Pirates. Los Angeles has won five in a row and 10 of 12 overall, but still hasn’t gained any ground on NL West-leading San Francisco. The LA bullpen turned in another stellar effort, with Corey Knebel getting the victory with 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball. Cody Ponce took the loss for the Pirates.
August 18, 2021 2:23 am
(WPXI) – A prominent Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver was hurt at practice on Tuesday. Chase Claypool went down with a knee or ankle injury, according to our partner DKPittsburghSports.com. Reporter Dale Lolley tweeted that Claypool’s fellow players had to help him into the locker room. Coach Mike Tomlin later said that Claypool is being evaluated. Lolley reports the injury appears to be to Claypool’s right leg.
August 16, 2021 12:32 am
Brownsville, TX scored six times over the first two innings and rolled to an 8-1 win over Manchester, NH, eliminating the East Zone champions. Three hits and a walk after two outs in the first proved to be enough to stay alive. Nehemiah Garcia’s RBI single opened the scoring and the skies as the teams endured a rain delay of nearly seven hours, just five batters into the game. When play resumed, Miguel Soto singled, scoring two more runs. Manchester scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the inning, but managed just one more hit through the rest of the five-inning game. Garcia work 3.2 inning to get the win. The Texans took advantage of three Manchester errors to add five unearned run to put the game away. Noah Durham finished the tournament with a .571 batting average, the best among eliminated players.
Bayamon scored first and last, but Washington County scored the most as the Host team topped the Caribbean champions, 8-2, in a five-inning elimination game. The locals sent eight batters to the plate in the second and third innings, scoring three times in each frame. Zeke Watkins doubled home Kole Olszewski, tying the game in the second. Following a line out and a walk, winning pitcher Brogan Meighen scorched a grounder past second, giving Washington County a lead it would not surrender. Cameron Dames followed with a run-scoring base hit. In the third, Olszewski singled and scored later on a wild pitch. Dames stroked a two-run single with the bases loaded to break the game open. Washington County added two runs in the fourth, loading the bases with nobody out. Watkins picked up his second RBI with a single. Derek Falvo’s groundout plated the final run. Joniel Cuadrado doubled in a run in the bottom of the first, another in the bottom of the fifth for Bayamon. The Puerto Rico squad had just two other hits, both singles. Meighen went the distance, not allowing an earned run and just four hits, one walk.
August 17, 2021 3:53 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Max Muncy hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates for their fourth straight victory. Billy McKinney’s solo shot – his first as a Dodger – tied the game in the seventh. The Dodgers’ winning streak over the Pirates reached 14 games and they’ve won 11 in a row against them at home. They are 21-2 against Pittsburgh since 2017. Blake Treinen got the win in relief. He struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 24th save, but not without some suspense.
August 16, 2021 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Willy Adames scored twice, Christian Yelich had two hits and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the sloppy Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1. Adames scored in the first and third as Milwaukee never trailed. The NL Central-leading Brewers took two of three in the series against the last-place Pirates. Brent Suter struck out two in the fifth to earn the win. Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.
August 16, 2021 3:48 am
Joe Walton, the former New York Jets coach who built Robert Morris University’s football program from the ground up, has died. He was 85. Robert Morris announced in an obituary posted on its website that Walton died Sunday. No cause of death was provided. Walton coached the Jets for seven years and went 53-57-1 while leading New York to the playoffs twice. A former NFL tight end for Washington and the Giants, Walton caught 178 passes for 2,628 yards and 28 touchdowns in seven seasons. The longtime NFL assistant was hired by Robert Morris in 1993 and 114-92-1 in 20 seasons.
