May 5, 2024 6:22 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pinch-hitter Jack Suwinski singled home Connor Joe with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Joe led off the ninth with a single and came home when Suwinski singled up the middle against Nick Mears. Jared Jones, Colin Holderman and David Bednar (2-2) combined for a one-hitter as the Pirates won for just the fourth time in their last 18 games. The Rockies managed just one baserunner, a double by Elias Diaz leading off the fifth.
May 5, 2024 6:26 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a dramatic three-horse photo finish, edging out Sierra Leone and Forever Young for the upset victory. It was the 10th Derby to be decided by a nose, the closest margin in horse racing. Sent off at 18-1 odds, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the rail down the stretch with a short lead. Sierra Leone and Forever Young from Japan gave chase and pressured the leader to the wire in front of 156,710 at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek had teamed to win the Kentucky Oaks for fillies a day earlier with Thorpedo Anna. Mystik Dan ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.34 and paid $39.22 to win.
May 5, 2024 6:29 am
BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored on a feed from Hampus Lindholm 1:54 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in Game 7 to clinch their first-round series and advance in the NHL playoffs. Jeremy Swayman finished with 30 saves and Lindholm had the tying goal in regulation to help the Bruins avoid losing their second straight first-round series after holding a 3-1 lead. They have now defeated the rival Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs three times in the last seven years. Boston will meet the Florida Panthers, who upset the Bruins in seven games in the first round last year.
May 4, 2024 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan McMahon homered into the Allegheny River, Cal Quantrill pitched into the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies edged struggling Pittsburgh 3-2. Colorado led the entire way after trailing at some point in each of its first 31 games this season, a modern-era record. McMahon put the Rockies in front when he opened the sixth with a drive over the right-field stands against Martín Pérez for his fifth homer. Oneil Cruz hit a late two-run homer for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has dropped five straight and 14 of 17.
May 4, 2024 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Henry Davis will try to work out of his early season funk in the minors. The Pittsburgh Pirates have optioned the former first-overall pick to Triple-A Indianapolis. Davis, a catcher, is hitting just .162 with no home runs and four RBIs in 23 games for Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old, the top selection in the 2021 amateur draft, has struck out 29 times in 83 at-bats. Pittsburgh activated two-time All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal off the injured list to take Davis’ spot on the roster. Grandal missed most of spring training with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
May 4, 2024 1:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired assistant coach Todd Reirden. General manager Kyle Dubas announced the decision Friday, which came just weeks after the Penguins failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh’s power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star-studded unit that included Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh converted on just 15% of its power play opportunities, 30th in the 32-team NHL.
May 3, 2024 4:34 am
TORONTO (AP) — William Nylander scored twice, Joseph Woll made 22 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday night to force a seventh game in the first-round Eastern Conference series. Toronto has overcame a 3-1 series deficit, also staving off elimination with a 2-1 victory in overtime in Boston on Tuesday night, to send the series back to Boston for a winner-take-all finale Saturday night. The series winner will face the Florida Panthers. Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who also blew a 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers last year in the first round before losing in Game 7 following a record-setting regular season. Morgan Geekie spoiled Woll’s shutout bid with 0.1 seconds left.
May 3, 2024 4:31 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Comcast has blacked out 15 regional sports networks offered by Bally Sports, escalating a contract dispute with their distributor. The cutoff that began Wednesday affects games played by a dozen Major League Baseball teams based in nine states. Diamond Sports Group, which distributes the networks under the Bally name, called the blackout “disappointing” and blamed Comcast for refusing to “engage in substantive discussions.” Comcast, meanwhile, said that Diamond has declined several of its offers, such as allowing Diamond to unilaterally renew its existing agreement with Comcast for a year. As a result, Comcast said, it no longer has rights to the sports broadcasts and had no choice but to cut them off.
May 3, 2024 4:34 am
Tiger Woods is headed to the U.S. Open after receiving the first of what likely will be many special exemptions. Woods has been eligible for every U.S. Open since he played in his first one in 1995 as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. By the time he played his first Open as a pro, Woods already was the Masters champion. And 14 more major titles followed. Jack Nicklaus received eight U.S. Open exemptions. Arnold Palmer received five. Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion as part of his 15 majors. The U.S. Open is June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2.
May 2, 2024 9:27 am
The high school baseball & softball seasons are sprinting to the finish line. So far, 11 baseball and 9 softball teams from the Washington/Greene County area have locked up WPIAL playoff berths. Six more Washington County teams (3 baseball, 3 softball) are still in contention. Numbers in both categories will change on Thursday. Canon-McMillan softball can clinch a playoff spot with a home win against Baldwin, a team much improved since the Big Macs put an early-season 21-3 beatdown on the Highlanders. We’ll have today’s game on WJPA-AM (1450) with free video/audio stream on the WJPA Sports Network. Airtime is set for 4 pm. CM could still qualify after a loss but the Big Macs would need to pull a pair of upsets in their final two games to get in.
The 1A Section 2 softball title will be decided today when Chartiers-Houston (11-0) hosts Carmichaels (9-1), resuming their April 16th suspended game tied, 5-5, entering the 14th inning. CHHS won the other regular season meeting, 6-5, three days later.
Canon-McMillan’s baseball team faces Central Catholic with the winner qualifying and the loser eliminated from contention. PCC won both games against CM earlier this week.
Softball–Clinched: Bentworth, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Trinity, Carmichaels, Jeff-Morgan, Waynesburg, West Greene. Alive: Beth-Center, Burgettstown, Canon-McMillan
Baseball–Clinched: Avella, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Fort Cherry, McGuffey, Ringgold, Trinity, Carmichaels, Waynesburg, West Greene. Alive: Beth-Center, Canon-McMillan, Wash High
