NHL; Montreal Stays Alive With OT Win

May 28, 2021 3:53 am

TORONTO (AP) – The Montreal Canadiens will play at least one more game this postseason.  The Canadiens have forced Game 6 in their Stanley Cup first-round series by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 in overtime. Nick Suzuki scored 59 seconds into OT after the Habs blew a 3-1 lead in the third period.  Jake Muzzin extended the game by scoring twice in a 5:02 span.  Joel Armia provided two goals for the Canadiens, who will host Game 6 on Saturday.  Montreal’s Carey Price finished with 32 saves.

Another Early Exit For Penguins

May 27, 2021 3:52 am

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) – Brock Nelson scored twice in New York’s three-goal second period and the Islanders advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6. The Islanders will face Boston in the next round. Anthony Beauvillier had a goal and two assists, and Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock also scored to help the Islanders beat the top-seeded Penguins in the first round for the second time in three years. Ilya Sorokin stopped 34 shots to move to 4-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average in the series. He had seven saves in the first period, 15 in the second and 12 in the third to finish with 150 in his four starts.

Pirates Losing Skid Hits 5

May 27, 2021 3:50 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Trevor Williams pitched six innings and singled twice against his former team, helping the streaking Chicago Cubs top the stumbling Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1. Chicago won for the fifth time in six games and stayed a half-game back of NL Central-leading St. Louis. David Bote hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, and Kris Bryant had three hits and two RBIs. Williams permitted one run and three hits in his first win since April 17. Pittsburgh dropped its fifth straight game. Rookie Wil Crowe recorded just four outs.

HS Semifinals Tuesday, Wednesday

May 25, 2021 2:59 am

SOFTBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets–West Greene (1A) and Canon-McMillan (6A) are the last remaining softball teams from our two-county area.  The Pioneers topped South Side Area and are back in the finals for a fifth consecutive season.  West Greene has won four straight WPIAL titles and clinched a state tournament berth with the win. The Big Macs have a semifinal date with Norwin Wednesday, a game we’ll have for you on WJPA-AM (1450) and online.  The Big Macs are back in the semifinals for the first time since 2014, the last of three straight trips to the final four.  This is Norwin’s third straight semifinal berth. Canon-McMillan must win today to return to the state playoffs for the first time in seven years.

BASEBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets— All four baseball teams from the two-county area came up short in semifinal games Tuesday. McGuffey, Peters Township, Carmichaels and Jeff-Morgan saw their WPIAL title hopes dashed but will all play in third-place games next week.  Peters Township and Carmichaels have clinched state playoff berths while McGuffey and Jeff-Morgan must win their consolation game to advance.

Wednesday, May 26 — Semifinals
6A #6 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Norwin, 1:50 pm at West Mifflin – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!

WPIAL Championship at California University’s Lilley Field–June 2-3
1A #1 West Greene vs. #3 Union, date/time to be determined

WPIAL Third-Place Consolations at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park–June 1-2
5A #13 Peters Township vs. #3 West Allegheny, date/time to be determined
3A #4 McGuffey vs. #2 Avonworth, date/time to be determined

2A #3 Carmichaels vs. #4 Serra Catholic, date/time to be determined
1A #6 Jeff-Morgan vs. #1 Eden Christian, date/time to be determined

Pederson’s 2 Homers Lead Cubs Over Pirates

May 26, 2021 3:52 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joc Pederson hit two home runs, Jake Arrieta beat Pittsburgh for the third time this season and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pirates 4-3. Pederson hit a solo shot in the third inning, and his two-run blast in the fifth tied it at 3. It was the 16th multi-homer game of Pederson’s career, and he doubled his season homer total to four. Arrieta put the Cubs in a 3-0 hole after two innings but settled down to raise his record to 3-0 against Pittsburgh in 2021. He has a 15-6 lifetime record versus the Pirates.

Wash/Jeff Heads to NCAA D3 Baseball Regional

May 26, 2021 12:15 am

Washington & Jefferson College will be the #2 seed at the High Point, NC Regional starting Thursday. In the second game of the tournament, the Presidents (36-1) will play #5 Birmingham-Southern (25-14). Salisbury (25-4) is the top seed in the bracket followed by W&J, LaGrange (24-8), Lynchburg (34-13), Birm-Southern and Marymount (20-5). The double-elimination bracket runs through Sunday with the winner earning a trip to the D3 College World Series in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Steelers Report For OTA’s

May 26, 2021 3:49 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided not to boycott offseason activities after all. A majority of the 90-man roster showed up for the start of organized team activities. The players hinted last month they may skip the voluntary OTAs due to concerns over health protocols and protections. Defensive end Cam Heyward said the team worked with the players to resolve any issues so the players would be at ease. Heyward added he expects 100% participation during the club’s mandatory minicamp in June.

Islanders Stun Pens In Double Overtime

May 25, 2021 3:51 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into the second overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 5 of their first-round series. Bailey took advantage of a giveaway by Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry to fire the puck into the empty net as New York grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle also scored for New York. Rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 48 shots for the Islanders. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh but the Penguins are in danger of a third straight early playoff exit.

Softball Quarters Monday, Baseball Semis Tuesday

May 24, 2021 12:12 am

SOFTBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets–Frazier is the defending PIAA champion. The Commodores downed Chartiers-Houston Monday, eliminating the Bucs.  Laurel has won the last two WPIAL titles. The Spartans got a two-hit shutout from Autumn Boyd to oust Burgettstown. The freshman right-hander struck out 19 Blue Devils. West Greene and Canon-McMillan are the last two softball teams from the two-county area.  The Pioneers are in the Class 1A semifinals on Tuesday, the Big Macs in the 6A semis Wednesday against Norwin, a game we’ll have on WJPA-AM (1450) and online.

BASEBALL–CLICK for WPIAL Brackets— McGuffey and Peters Township are the last two Washington County teams standing.  The Highlanders haven’t allowed a run but will face #1 Hopewell Tuesday afternoon at West Mifflin and on WJPA-FM (95.3). Meanwhile, the #13 Indians continue toward a WPIAL title but will now face the 5A top seed in Franklin Regional. Those two play at Latrobe and on WJPA-AM (1450).  West Greene lost a run-rule game against #1 Eden Christian and was eliminated. Jeff-Morgan topped #3 Rochester to reach the semifinals. A number of games were re-scheduled to Tuesday including Carmichaels 2A semifinal vs. Shenango.

Tuesday, May 25 — Semifinals
1A #1 West Greene vs. #4 South Side Beaver, 3:00 pm at Montour
5A #13 Peters Township vs. #1 Franklin Regional , 3:50 pm at Norwin – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!
3A #4 McGuffey vs. #1 Hopewell, 4:50 pm at West Mifflin – WJPA-FM (95.3) or Listen Here!

2A #3 Carmichaels vs. #2 Shenango, time TBD at Norwin
1A #6 Jeff-Morgan vs. #7 Riverview, 4:30 pm at Plum

Wednesday, May 26 — Semifinals
6A #6 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Norwin, 1:50 pm at West Mifflin – WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here!

Pirates Drop 3 Of 4 In Atlanta

May 24, 2021 3:52 am

ATLANTA (AP) – Austin Riley drove in five runs while hitting two of Atlanta three homers and the Braves capped their impressive power display in the series by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1. Dansby Swanson added a two-run homer. The Braves hit 15 homers, adding to their major league lead, while winning three of four games against the Pirates. Max Fried allowed one run and four hits and three walks in seven innings. It marked his fourth consecutive start allowing only one run. After losing the opening game of the four-game series 6-4 on Thursday night, the Braves outscored the Pirates 33-3 in three consecutive wins.