September 8, 2019 7:12 am
Tyler Sabo pulled in two interceptions, the second coming with less than two minutes to play, helping #21 Washington & Jefferson past #18 Wittenberg, 16-8, Saturday afternoon. Defense and special teams ruled the day for both sides. W&J’s Jacob Adams threw three first-half interceptions and Justin Heacock added another as the Presidents committed four first half turnovers and gave up a safety on a botched punt snap. A Wittenberg fumble midway through the first quarter set up W&J for the game’s first score, an Adams to Josh Burns 21-yard TD pass. Wittenberg took an 8-7 lead following Heacock’s interception when Blake King connected with Thad Snodgrass for a 35-yard TD on the ensuing play. Very late in the third quarter, W&J punted from inside its own 35-yard line but the ball hit a Tiger blocker. Nick Freiwald recovered. The Presidents got a 24-yard field goal to go up, 10-8 with just under 13 minutes to play. On Wittenberg’s next possession, Mike Williams sacked King, forcing a fumble that Nick Getz scooped and returned 52 yards for the final score of the day. The teams traded punts before Sabo picked off Bobby Froelich pass deep in Presidents territory to seal the win. Adams was rushed most of the afternoon and struggled, but crossed the 4,000-career-passing-yards mark with a 5-yard completion to Jordan West midway through the third quarter. W&J is 3-0-1 all-time against Wittenberg. The Presidents visit Thiel next Saturday to begin defense of their PAC title.
September 7, 2019 4:04 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs and wide receiver Tyreek Hill have signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension. A person with knowledge of the deal says it includes a $5.8 million signing bonus and $35.2 million in guarantees. Hill had a tumultuous offseason in which he was barred from any team activities while the NFL and local authorities investigated allegations of domestic violence. Hill was cleared before the start of training camp. The two-time All-Pro was entering the final year of his rookie contract.
September 5, 2019 2:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Rookie outfielder Jason Martin will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his left shoulder Tuesday night when Marlins pitcher Jarlin Garcia fell on him during a play at the plate. Martin, though, will not require surgery. Meanwhile, Mitch Keller (bruised right wrist) played catch a day after being struck by a line drive and right fielder Gregory Polanco (left shoulder inflammation) will undergo a series of platelet-rich plasma injections. He won’t play again this season. Shortstop Kevin Newman missed his third straight start with a right hip injury but flied out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth.
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.
