April 17, 2024 4:34 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — T.J. Oshie scored into an empty net in the rare situation of a team pulling its goaltender in a tie game, and the Washington Capitals are in the playoffs after beating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Philadelphia coach John Tortorella pulled goalie Samuel Ersson for an extra attacker because his team needed to win in regulation to keep its hopes alive. Oshie’s goal with exactly 3 minutes left came perhaps a minute after Detroit scored to force overtime in Montreal, eliminating the Flyers. The Capitals will face the NHL-best New York Rangers in the first round.
April 17, 2024 2:55 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Whitey Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. Herzog, affectionately nicknamed “The White Rat,” was a manager for 18 seasons, compiling an overall record of 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses. He was named Manager of the Year in 1985. Under Herzog, the Cardinals won pennants in 1982, 1985 and 1987 and won the World Series in 1982, when they edged the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Tuesday the team had been informed of his death by Herzog’s family. He was 92.
April 16, 2024 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored his 42nd goal and added an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins preserve their playoff hopes with a 4-2 win over Nashville. Erik Karlsson also had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and Reilly Smith and Emil Bemstrom also scored. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves while making his 12th straight start for the Penguins. Pittsburgh remains one point out of a playoff spot with one game remaining. Filip Forsberg scored his franchise-record 48th goal for the Predators. Nashville has already locked up a playoff spot.
April 16, 2024 4:33 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Harrison Bader drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for the second day in a row, hitting a two-run double off an angry Aroldis Chapman that lifted the New York Mets over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3. New York overcame a 3-0, sixth-inning deficit and reached .500 for the first time since last June. The Mets have won eight of 11 following an 0-5 start under first-year manager Carlos Mendoza.
April 16, 2024 4:37 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling has announced his immediate retirement at age 85, a few weeks into his 36th season in New York’s broadcast booth. Sterling had cut back his schedule in recent years and was not with the team for its trip to Houston and Toronto. He called 5,420 regular-season games, the last against the Blue Jays on April 7, plus 211 postseason games. Sterling broadcast 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019 after starting with the Yankees as a pregame host.
April 16, 2024 4:35 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark has been selected with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career. Now she will try and help revive the Indiana franchise along with last season’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston. Los Angeles took Cameron Brink second and Rickea Jackson fourth. Chicago drafted Kamilla Cardoso third and Angel Reese seventh.
April 15, 2024 12:02 am
High school baseball opening day was one month ago. Baseball seems to have come through the torrents of rain slightly better off than area softball teams, but there are several with only a handful of completed games. Monday’s slate of action opens the second month of the regular season with athletic directors and coaches keeping a sharp eye on the skies. Here’s a snapshot of records following the first month:
Baseball: 6A Canon-McMillan (3-3) sits in fourth place, two games ahead of Central Catholic and Baldwin, teams the Big Macs will face to close Section 2 play after taking on unbeaten leader Hempfield this week.
5A Trinity (2-2) is tied for third in Section 2, Peters Township (1-3) sits in fifth place, each with six games left. Both teams have home-and-home series with Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair. The Hillers also play South Fayette, the Indians have a set with Connellsville.
4A Ringgold (0-2) is tied for fourth in Section 2 with winless Uniontown and Laurel Highlands.
3A Waynesburg (4-0) leads Section 4 with McGuffey (2-1) tied for second with Mt. Pleasant. The tied teams make up their rained-out second game later this week. Waynesburg has make-ups with Greensburg Salem and Brownsville.
2A Section 1: Chartiers-Houston (2-0) is in first, Burgettstown (1-0) won its section opener March 25th and hasn’t played since. Wash High (3-1) is in third place but is on schedule, likely in position to take advantage of opponents’ pitching shortages. Charleroi (2-2) and Beth-Center (2-3) lead winless Bentworth (0-4) in the battle for the fourth playoff spot.
1A Section 1 is led by a trio of unbeaten teams, with a pair of home-and-home series on the schedule this week. Avella (4-0) opens its two-game set with Fort Cherry (2-0) at home Monday before visiting the Rangers on Tuesday. Carmichaels (2-0) plays California (2-2) early before the Mikes and Rangers make up their series Thursday & Friday. West Greene (2-2) is tied with California with Jeff-Morgan (0-4) and Mapletown (0-4) trailing the field.
April 15, 2024 12:01 am
Opening day was one month ago. Beth-Center has managed to play one high school softball game so far. ONE. And, while the Bulldogs’ situation may be the most-impacted by Mother Nature’s opening month wrath, it is by far not the only program hampered by the repeated rains and flooding in the two-county area. Monday’s slate of action opens the second month of the regular season with some area squads needing to make up lots of section gmaes.
Softball: 6A Canon-McMillan (3-1) is in a three-way tie for second with Hempfield and North Allegheny. The Big Macs play three times this week, five the following week.
5A Trinity (1-1) and Peters Township (1-1) are in a five-way tie in Section 4. Both have three games on this week’s schedule.
4A Ringgold (0-2) trails the field in Section 2.
3A McGuffey (1-1) and Waynesburg (0-1) have both lost to Section 4 leader South Park. The HIghlanders have three games this week, including a set with Seton-La Salle (1-1). The Raider play four times including two with Brownsville.
2A Bentworth (3-0) and Beth-Center (1-0) are tied with unbeaten OLSH atop Secion 3 entering the week. The Bearcats play three straight days finishing the week at home against OLSH. The Bulldogs have four games on this week’s docket starting against Wash High (1-3) on Monday. The Little Prexies’ win at Fort Cherry last week is just the second varsity win in nearly a decade. Fort Cherry is winless in four section starts but has four shots at ending that drought this week.
1A Section 2 starts the week with three unbeatens, a pair of one-loss teams and two others looking for their first wins. Chartiers-Houston (3-0), Carmichaels (2-0) and Mapletown (1-0). The Mikes and Maples each play for times this week with the Bucs on the field three times, including a Tuesday/Friday home-and-home with the Mikes. West Greene (1-1) faces the two winless teams, Avella (0-2) and California (0-4), then takes on Mapletown. Jeff-Morgan (1-1) has games with CHHS and Carmichaels, then plays the bottom two teams.
April 15, 2024 4:35 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit his 300th home run, Jack Suwinski had a grand slam and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-2 to gain a split of the four-game series. Phillies star Bryce Harper was 0 for 4 and is in a 2-for-30 slide that has dropped his average to .190. The 37-year-old McCutchen, who played for the Phillies from 2019-21, drove a Ricardo Pinto slider into the left-field seats in the ninth inning. He became the 13th player with 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 45 triples, 300 homers and 200 stolen bases.
April 15, 2024 4:38 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is the Masters champion for the second time in three years. And once again, it wasn’t particularly close. Scheffler grabbed the lead for good with magnificent shots around the turn. And then he let Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa and Max Homa make all the mistakes. Scheffler closed with a 68 for a four-shot victory. He’s the fourth-youngest player to have two green jackets. And he stretches his lead at No. 1 in the world to levels not seen since the peak years of Tiger Woods. Scheffler now has three wins in his last four starts.
