September 4, 2019 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pirates rookie right-hander Mitch Keller has been pulled from a game with a bruised right wrist after being struck by a line drive. Keller was injured in the second inning on a comebacker hit by Miami’s Garrett Cooper. Considered the Pirates’ top prospect coming into the season, Keller was making his eighth major league start. He is 1-3 with an 8.18 ERA.
September 3, 2019 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. Open will continue without the defending women’s singles champion. Top-ranked Naomi Osaka was ousted from the tournament with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 13 Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. Osaka was hampered by left knee pain and was visited by medical personnel during the second set. She looked nothing like the player who rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win over 15-year-old Coco Gauff on Saturday. Bencic will take on Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals. Vekic survived a match point to beat Julia Goerges 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Final Eight in a Grand Slam for the first time. American Taylor Townsend’s longest trek through a grand slam has ended with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian made up for seven double-faults with six break points to reach the quarterfinals. Elise Mertens rolled into the quarters with a 6-1, 6-1 win against American Kristie Ahn. Mertens hit 17 winners and took advantage of 25 unforced errors from her opponent. On the men’s side, second seed Rafael Nadal easily passed his first test of the tournament and reached the quarterfinals at a ninth consecutive Grand Slam by downing 2014 champion Marin Cilic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Nadal dropped a set for the first time in this year’s tournament but quickly responded by breaking to lead 3-1 in the third set and was on his way. Nadal is seeking his fourth title at Flushing Meadows and his 19th Grand Slam trophy overall.
September 3, 2019 3:05 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joe Haden is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran cornerback and the team have agreed to a new three-year, $32 million contract that will keep Haden in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Haden was in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with Pittsburgh after being released by the Cleveland Browns on the eve of the 2017 season. “Letssss Goooo!!!” Haden posted on Instagram late Sunday night. “So glad we got the deal done! On to week 1! Locked IN!!” The 30-year-old has resurrected his career with the Steelers, becoming the team’s top cornerback while helping an inexperienced secondary find its footing. Haden has played 26 games across two seasons for Pittsburgh, with one interception and 19 passes defensed. He did not play in the preseason as a precaution due to an ankle injury. The two-time Pro Bowler said last week the injury would not prevent him from playing in Pittsburgh’s season opener at New England on Sept. 8.
September 2, 2019 4:03 am
DENVER (AP) – Steven Brault came into the dugout after his first big league home run ready to celebrate with his teammates. Instead, they greeted him in jest with silence. It was only fitting after he quieted the Colorado Rockies’ bats for most of the afternoon. Brault hit a towering shot into the second deck and pitched effectively into the seventh inning to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Rockies 6-2 on Sunday for a four-game sweep. Adam Frazier homered on the first pitch of the game, the second straight day the Pirates did that. Kevin Newman connected against Tim Melville on Saturday night, and Newman also led off Thursday’s game with a home run. It was the third time in major league history a team hit three leadoff homers in a four-game series. Pittsburgh had 63 hits and 37 runs at Coors Field over the weekend. Brault, who pitched three years at Regis University in Denver, socked a 441-foot solo homer that made it 3-1 in the seventh. He rounded the bases trying unsuccessfully to suppress a smile and was met with indifference when he got to the dugout. “That’s the longest silent treatment I’ve ever seen and everybody got mad at Trevor (Williams) for breaking it so early,” Brault said. “It’s cool to get the silent treatment, that’s a cool feeling.” Brault (4-3) allowed only one hit until Nolan Arenado lined a two-out fastball into the seats in left field in the sixth for his 35th home run. Brault left in the seventh when the Rockies got a run on two hits and an error, but Richard Rodriguez got out of the jam by fanning Trevor Story. Brault allowed just one earned run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Josh Bell and Colin Moran each hit an RBI single for the Pirates. Bryan Reynolds had three hits. Pittsburgh could have scored more runs but Colorado cut down three baserunners in the first six innings. Reynolds was thrown out at home trying to score from first base on a double in the third, Starling Marte was picked off in the fifth when he broke for second too early, and Erik Gonzalez was thrown out trying to stretch a single in the sixth. That helped limit the damage for Jeff Hoffman (1-5), who was recalled from the minors before game. Hoffman lasted just two innings in his previous start for the Rockies but held Pittsburgh to two runs and nine hits over five innings Sunday. It wasn’t enough to prevent last-place Colorado from losing its sixth in a row.
September 1, 2019 8:03 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Sean Clifford completed 14 of 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 15 Penn State over Idaho 79-7. Making his first career start, Clifford chipped in 57 rushing yards on seven carries and hooked up with receiver KJ Hamler for scoring strikes of 36 and 21 yards. The Nittany Lions overcame early sloppiness before coasting the rest of the way to their biggest point total since an 81-0 win against Cincinnati in 1991.
August 31, 2019 4:00 am
Washington County has, quite possibly, the top three teams in Class 2A. Wash High topped Charleroi, 42-14, the Little Prexies scoring the last 36 points of the game. Burgettstown handled Seton-La Salle 35-8 with the Blue Devils putting of the last 28 points against the Rebels. McGuffey went toe-to-toe with perennial power Clairton, beating the Bears, 42-27, after a 14-14 tie.
In other action, Mt. Lebanon topped Canon-McMillan, giving Bob Palko his first win as head coach of the Blue Devils. Peters Township beat Upper St. Clair for the first time. Greensburg Salem downed Trinity in overtime. Thomas Jefferson rolled Ringgold and Aliquippa pounded Waynesburg. Carmichaels edged Beth-Center while Fort Cherry dropped to 0-2 with a loss at Carlynton. West Greene ran past Bentworth. California won easily at Monessen while Chartiers-Houston opened the home schedule with a shutout against Jeff-Morgan. Avella won a non-conference home game against Bishop Canevin and Mapletown lost at Trinity Christian, WV.
August 30, 2019 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Clemson is looking like the same dominant team that captured last year’s national championship. Travis Etienne ran for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one from 90 yards out as the Tigers opened their season with a 52-14 pounding of Georgia Tech. His 90-yard score tied for the longest rushing TD in Tigers history. Etienne added scoring runs of 14 yards and 48 yards as Clemson opened a 35-0 lead. Trevor Lawrence was picked off twice after throwing just four interceptions last year. He finished 13 of 23 for 168 yards, including a 62-yard scoring strike to Tee Higgins. In other college football action:
– Kellen Mond threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score in just more than three quarters as No. 12 Texas A&M hammered Texas State, 41-7. Mond threw for 194 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the first two quarters as the Aggies raced to a 28-0 halftime lead.
– Zack Moss ran for 181 yards and a touchdown and No. 14 Utah scored three more TDs off three BYU turnovers and beat the Cougars 30-12 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams. The Utes (1-0) earned their ninth straight victory in the 100th game in the Holy War rivalry. Moss propelled the offense after halftime by gashing the Cougars for a series of big runs. He averaged 6.2 yards on 29 carries.
August 30, 2019 3:48 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Mason Rudolph and Kyle Allen turned in solid efforts and appeared to solidify their No. 2 quarterback roles for their respective teams in the Carolina Panthers’ 25-19 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Pittsburgh’s Rudolph continued to outperform Josh Dobbs, completing 7 of 11 passes for 125 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Holton. The second-year quarterback from Oklahoma State led three drives resulting in a touchdown, field goal and a missed field goal to give the Steelers a 16-10 halftime lead.
Dobbs started, but both of his possessions came up empty and he finished 3 of 5 for 21 yards for the Steelers (3-1). Allen has been Cam Newton’s presumed backup in Carolina, starting three of four preseason games, and there was no reason to believe anything has changed in Ron Rivera’s mind. Allen led one drive, completing 4 of 6 passes for 41 yards while showing good pocket presence and the ability to escape pressure by slipping out of the backfield for a 13-yard run and a first down. The drive ended in a missed field goal. Rookie Will Grier played the remainder of the first half for Carolina (2-2) and had mixed results. The third-round pick from West Virginia completed 11 of 18 passes for 189 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown to Aldrick Robinson. However, he also was the victim of a strip-sack by linebacker Jayrone Elliott, who returned the fumble 88 yards for a 7-0 lead. Grier continued to struggle with his decision making, tossing an interception along the right sideline, although there appeared to be some confusion over the route with intended receiver Jaydon Mickens. It was Grier’s third pick of the preseason. Taylor Heinicke, last year’s No. 2 quarterback, has been fourth on the depth chart throughout the preseason. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and a 2-point conversion pass to lead Carolina’s second-half comeback.
August 29, 2019 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – Goalie Goalie Cam Ward has signed a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes so he can retire as a member of the team he helped lead to a Stanley Cup. General manager Don Waddell called Ward “a cornerstone for this organization for more than a decade.” The 35-year-old Ward won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2006 playoffs and holds numerous club records for goalies, including 318 victories, 668 regular-season games played, a .557 winning percentage and 27 shutouts.
August 28, 2019 3:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) – There were moments on Tuesday when Naomi Osaka looked nothing like a No. 1 seed or a defending U.S. Open women’s singles champion. She fell behind 3-0 and wasted a match point in the second set while displaying questionable body language. But Osaka eventually found her rhythm and completed a 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 victory over Anna Blinkova despite finishing with 50 unforced errors, more than double Blinkova’s total of 22 in the opening-round match. American Sloane Stephens is out of the U.S. Open in the first round, just two years after winning the title. The No. 11 seed was stunned, 6-3, 6-4 by the 127th-ranked Anna Kalinskaya. Coco Gauff has won her U.S. Open debut with a comeback effort against Anastasia Potopova. The 15-year-old Gauff lost the first set and was down a break before posting a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. Gauff got a wild-card entry from the U.S. Tennis Association after making a surprising run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last month, her first Grand Slam event. Gauff and Osaka are joined in the second round by fourth seed Simona Halep, who also needed three sets before posting a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over American Nicole Gibbs. Halep had dropped her previous U.S. Open matches, falling to Maria Sharapova and Kaia Kanepi. Sixth seed Petra Kvitova and No. 7 Kiki Bertens dropped just six games apiece in breezing into the second round. Men’s second seed Rafael Nadal remains unbeaten in opening-round matches at Flushing Meadows following a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win against Australian John Millman. Nadal had little trouble against the player who knocked out Roger Federer in the fourth round last year. There were a trio of top-10 upsets on the men’s side as fourth seed Dominic Thiem (teem) was dispatched by Thomas Fabbiano in four sets. Eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was beaten in five sets by Andrey Rublev and No. 10 Roberto Bautista-Agut dropped a five-setter to Mikhail Kukushkin.
