June 20, 2021 7:33 am
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — With goalie Semyon Varlamov out of position in the closing seconds, New York defenseman Ryan Pulock knew he needed to get in the way of Ryan McDonagh’s shot at the open net. It was the biggest play in the Islanders’ latest series-tying Game 4 win. Matt Martin capped a three-goal second period, Pulock made a diving stop and the Islanders held on to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Saturday night to even their Stanley Cup semifinal series at two games apiece. Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal also scored, and Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech each had two assists. Semyon Varlamov finished with 28 saves to help the Islanders win a Game 4 to tie a series after dropping the previous game at home for the third time this postseason.
June 19, 2021 1:32 am
Tri-Valley’s only senior, Allie Huhn, doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Tri-Valley rallied past West Greene, 2-1, to win the PIAA Class 1A softball championship. Moments earlier, Grace Header hit a grounder off WG pitcher Kiley Meek allowing the tying run to score. Header sprinted home without a challenge on Huhn’s drive to the right-center gap. The state title is the first for Tri-Valley.
BreAnn Jackson gave West Greene a 1-0 in the top of the second. With Anna Durbin at first, Jackson doubled to the left-center gap, picking up her 10th RBI in the season.
Tri-Valley ran into several outs on the bases, keeping the Bulldogs off the board until the ninth. West Greene turned a 9-2-5 double play in the fifth, leaving Tri-Valley with just four batters in an inning in which the Bulldogs had three base hits. With one out and runners at first and second, a flyball dropped in right field. Olivia Kiger came up throwing to the plate to get the lead runner. Catcher London Whipkey threw to Lexi Six who tagged out the trail runner, ending the inning.
West Greene did not have a hit after the fourth inning, losing in walk-off fashion for the second time in the state. Williams Valley beat the Pioneers, 3-2, in the 2016 title game before West Greene beat Williams Valley the next two years at Penn State.
June 19, 2021 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer in a five-run first inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates nearly squandered a 10-run lead before holding on to beat the Cleveland Indians 11-10, snapping a 10-game losing streak. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a three-run double to highlight a five-run sixth inning and the Pirates seemingly had the game in hand 11-1. The Indians rallied with six runs in the seventh inning and three runs in the eighth, cutting the deficit to a run. The Pirates bullpen nearly blew the double-digit lead after winning pitcher Chad Kuhl allowed just one run in six innings.
June 19, 2021 4:01 am
MONTREAL (AP) – Josh Anderson scored his second goal of the night at 12:53 of overtime, Carey Price made 43 saves and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Friday night to a take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinal series. Cole Caufield also scored to help Montreal win without interim head coach Dominique Ducharme. He tested positive for COVID-19 before the game. Luke Richardson took over behind the bench. Nicolas Roy and Alex Pietrangelo scored for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots. Game 4 is Sunday night in Montreal.
June 19, 2021 3:59 am
Richard Bland, a 48-year-old Englishman who won his first tournament just a month ago, is tied atop the leaderboard at 5 under at the midway point of the U.S. Open. Co-leader Russell Henley is only slightly better known. A toughened-up Torrey Pines course that punishes mistakes as richly as it rewards birdies, has brought some other surprise players into the mix. But more than a few big-hitting stars – Matthew Wolff (4 under), Jon Rahm (3 under), Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau (even-par) – are out to prove they can play tough courses, too.
June 17, 2021 3:27 am
West Greene played in three straight PIAA championship games from 2016-2018, winning the last two over Williams Valley. The Pioneers lost in the state semifinals to DuBois Central Catholic in 2019, then everyone lost the 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, having beaten DCC in Monday’s semifinals, West Greene is heading back to Penn State for the PIAA 1A Softball title game, and we’ll be there to bring home the action Friday morning.
The Pioneers won their record-tying fifth straight WPIAL softball title two weeks ago after a narrow semifinal win over South Side Area. West Greene used a pair of one-run wins in the opening rounds of the state tournament before crushing DuBois Central Catholic, 12-1, to earn the return ticket to Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park.
Softball Brackets WPIAL PIAA Baseball Brackets WPIAL PIAA
PIAA Final, Beard Field, Penn State University
Friday, June 18
10:45 am — West Greene vs. District 11 champion Tri-Valley – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
June 18, 2021 3:51 am
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) – Brayden Point kept up his scoring touch with a tiebreaking goal late in the second period, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 2-1 Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Yanni Gourde also scored to help Tampa Bay improve to 6-1 on the road in the playoffs. Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders, and Semyon Varlamov finished with 23 saves. Game 4 is Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum, with Game 5 back in Tampa on Monday night.
June 18, 2021 3:52 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The opening round of the U.S. Open had to be suspended due to darkness with 36 players left on the course. The start of the round was delayed 90 minutes due to fog before giving way to bright sunshine on brutally-tough Torrey Pines. Russell Henley shot a 4-under 67 in the morning wave and is tied with Louis Oosthuizen, who will have to play his final two holes Friday morning. Francesco Molinaro and Rafa Cabrera Bello are one back after opening with 68s. A group of five players, including two-time U.S. Open champion and Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama, are two back.
June 18, 2021 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Dwayne Haskins wants to put a very forgettable run with Washington in the past. The 24-year-old first-round pick is eager for a fresh start in Pittsburgh and the opportunity to carve out a role in a crowded quarterback room that’s headlined by two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers signed Haskins to a futures contract in January, giving him a second chance after he flamed out in the nation’s capital in less than two seasons. He was 3-10 as a starter in two seasons in Washington.
June 17, 2021 3:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Paolo Espino got his first major league win at age 34, Josh Bell hit a two-run homer and the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 for a three-game sweep. Espino allowed three hits in five scoreless innings. He struck out two, walked none and threw 39 of his 53 pitches for strikes, a 74% strike rate. Washington has won four straight, matching its longest winning streak of the season. The Pirates extended their skid to 10 games. Espino made his fifth career big league start in the rotation spot of Max Scherzer, who’s on the 10-day injured list.
