April 1, 2025 4:45 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Mangum got two hits from each side of the plate to finish 4 for 4 in his second major league game, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 in their first game under the lights at Steinbrenner Field. The Rays had just four players with a four-hit game all of last season. The 29-year-old Mangum, who made his big league debut on Sunday, got his first career hit in the third inning and then stole his first base. He finished with a double, three singles and two RBIs. Drew Rasmussen allowed two hits in five scoreless innings to get the win. Carmen Mlodzinski took the loss for the Pirates.
April 1, 2025 4:41 am
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Paige Bueckers carried UConn to its record 24th Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament, scoring 31 points Monday night in a 78-64 victory over Southern California, which couldn’t overcome the loss of injured star JuJu Watkins. UConn heads to Tampa, Florida, to face overall No. 1 seed UCLA on Friday. Freshman Sarah Strong added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the second-seeded Huskies, who have won a record 11 NCAA titles, all under coach Geno Auriemma. Their most recent championship was in 2016, the last of a run of four straight. Rayah Marshall scored 23 points for top-seeded USC.
April 1, 2025 4:42 am
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Madison Booker scored 18 points and No. 1 seed Texas used its stifling defense to reach the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003, beating well-traveled point guard Hailey Van Lith and second-seeded TCU 58-47. The Longhorns will face defending champion South Carolina on Friday night in Tampa, Florida, for a spot in the national title game. Texas won a regional final for the first time under coach Vic Schaefer, who previously made two Final Four trips with Mississippi State. The Longhorns’ 35 wins are one more than its only national title-winning squad had in 1986 under Jody Conradt, who was in the stands Monday night.
March 31, 2025 4:38 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Johni Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State 70-64 and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. Auburn earned its second Final Four trip. Michigan State fell short in its bid to send coach Tom Izzo to his ninth national semifinal. Auburn’s only previous Final Four appearance came in 2019, also under coach Bruce Pearl. The South Region champion Tigers are the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.
March 31, 2025 4:33 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored a power-play goal in overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 1-0 on Sunday. Crosby has eight goals and 15 points during a 10-game point streak. Crosby also extended a 13-game home point streak. Ridly Greig was called for hooking with three seconds remaining in the third period, giving Pittsburgh the overtime power play. Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots for his 20th career shutout and his first of the season. The embattled Pittsburgh goaltender, who spent time in the American Hockey League with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, allowed 11 goals in his last three appearances. Anton Forsberg made 34 saves for Ottawa.
March 31, 2025 4:37 am
MIAMI (AP) — Griffin Conine hit a home run, Derek Hill scored the winning run from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth and the Florida Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2. Conine hit a solo shot to make it 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh. His father, Jeff Conine who is known as “Mr. Marlin,” was inducted in the the franchise’s hall of fame earlier Sunday. Hill walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error before he scored on the wild pitch by David Bednar.
March 31, 2025 4:35 am
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Some people might be anxiously waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind about whether he’s going to play this upcoming season. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is not among them. Tomlin told reporters at the NFL’s owners meetings that while he enjoyed spending some time with the four-time league MVP when Rodgers visited the team’s facility earlier this month, he has no intention of putting Rodgers on a clock. Tomlin said he doesn’t think creating an arbitrary deadline would help matters. Pittsburgh currently only has two quarterbacks on the roster in Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
March 30, 2025 12:12 am
South Fayette used a 15-0 run to and held Archbishop Wood without a field goal for more than 14 minutes as the Lions won their first-ever PIAA Girls Basketball state title. Trailing 22-17, SF scored six straight points to take a one-point lead into the locker room at the half. The Lions outscored the Vikings 13-2 in the third quarter, holding the four-time defending state champions to just a pair of free throws. Meanwhile, Juliette Leroux scored three buckets from the floor with three other SF players adding field goals in the run. Archbishop Wood, looking for its 10th state title since joining PIAA in 2010, got no closer than eight midway through the fourth. Leroux led SF with 15 points. Ryan Oldaker added 10 for the winners.
March 29, 2025 4:34 am
Oneil Cruz homered as part of a two-hit performance for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Miami Marlins on Friday night at loanDepot Park. The homer comes a day after a costly fielding error helped spoil Paul Skenes’ opening day start. Friday’s starter Mitch Keller pitched well, but some ninth-inning stress caused some nail-biting, due to closer David Bednar. The Pirates (1-1) broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning when Andrew McCutchen doubled with a pair of runners on. Three batters later, the Pirates were gifted a run when Adam Frazier hit a shallow fly ball to right field. First baseman Matt Mervis cut off a throw home from Griffin Conine, allowing Bart to score uncontested. The Pirates and Marlins play again Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The game can be heard on WJPA AM.
March 29, 2025 4:27 am
On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates placed infielder Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture in the left ankle. Infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez, who will wear No. 48, has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 26-year-old Valdez was acquired from Boston on December 15 in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Joe Vogatsky. Valdez has played in a total of 76 games over four stints with the Red Sox last year while being a member of the team’s Opening Day roster. He has made 112 appearances (100 starts) at second base, three appearances (one start) at third base, one appearance at shortstop and one appearance in left field during his career. Photo courtesy MLB.com.
