Burrell girls again have postseason aspirations amidst challenging section slate
Coach Shaun Reddick and the Burrell girls basketball program are looking to accomplish more. After a season in which the Bucs went 13-10 and punched their ticket to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs with just one senior, Reddick and the Bucs are far from satisfied. “We still have some kids...
Burrell boys to lean on balanced attack against daunting Section 1-4A foes
Over the past few years, Burrell boys basketball coach Mike Fantuzzo has always had a player to lean on who could contribute 15 to 20 points a night. Brandon Coury, Macky Bennis and Tucker Bitar are all names that come to mind. But, as the Bucs prepare for the 2025-26...
Bentworth uses late goal to get past Sewickley Academy, win program’s 1st WPIAL soccer title
Bentworth coach Tyler Hamstra and the Bearcats girls soccer team knew they’d have a chance to capture their first WPIAL Class A soccer championship Thursday night. On a wet and rainy night at Highmark Stadium, it played out how they’d hoped. With 1 minute, 33 seconds left in regulation, sophomore...
Young Gateway volleyball team builds for future
With just three seniors and a roster full of inexperience, this season was an uphill climb for the Gateway girls volleyball team. The Gators made the best of it, though. After a five-match losing streak to start the season, they finished the year on a two-game winning streak, beating West...
7 Alle-Kiski Valley teams reach WPIAL football playoffs
When football teams from around the WPIAL take the field next Friday, seven Alle-Kiski Valley teams will be among them, following the bracket release Saturday afternoon. Of those teams, none was seeded higher than No. 6, two received No. 8 seeds and after its exciting win over Deer Lakes on...
Senior class helps Plum volleyball tackle season’s challenges with gusto
Led by a talented eight-player senior class, the Plum girls volleyball team put together a solid season in its second year of competition in Class 4A. After winning their first four games of the season, earning victories over Deer Lakes, Gateway, Knoch, and Connellsville while only dropping two sets, the...
Highlight-reel goal helps Mars boys soccer advance past Penn-Trafford in WPIAL 1st round
Mars senior Max Davis has attempted several bicycle kicks during his high school career. He’s come close a few times but never put the ball in the back of the net. Until Saturday. With his team trailing by a goal in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round matchup against No. 10...
Highlands boys soccer excited for 1st WPIAL playoff game in 21 years
For the first time in 21 years, the Highlands boys soccer team is heading to the WPIAL playoffs. The Golden Rams received the No. 15 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs Wednesday and will travel to Leetsdale to take on No. 2 Quaker Valley at 6:30 p.m. Monday. “We’re...
With some A-K Valley boys soccer teams already in the playoffs, others still fighting for spots
As the boys soccer regular season inches toward the end, teams around the Alle-Kiski Valley are preparing for their postseason run or looking to secure their spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Four teams — Plum, Fox Chapel, Deer Lakes and Springdale — have qualified for the postseason. Plum (14-2-1, 8-0-1)...
‘Big headache’ helps Deer Lakes boys soccer refocus for stretch run to postseason
The Deer Lakes boys soccer team entered the 2025 season with a talented senior class that contributed to its success over the past three years, and, through their first 11 games, that experience showed. The Lancers (10-3-1, 8-1-1) won nine of those games with their only two losses coming against...
From offseason work to early-season success, Springdale boys soccer works toward playoff goals
Heading into the 2025 season, Springdale boys soccer coach Mario Liberati and the Dynamos had some work to do. A year after going 14-5 and suffering a shootout loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals, the Dynamos were tasked with replacing 10 seniors...
Pirates lose 90th game and 35th by 1 run as Reds make 2 runs stand up
The Pirates couldn’t secure a three-game sweep of the Reds on Thursday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati but did clinch their first 90-loss season since back-to-back 100-loss seasons in 2021-22. A two-run fifth inning by the Reds was too much for the Pirates to overcome as they dropped...
Paul Skenes sparkles in final start of season as Pirates top Reds in 11 innings
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes missed out on earning his 11th win of the season Wednesday night in Cincinnati at the Great American Ball Park, but the Pirates did continue to spoil the Reds’ playoff hopes. After Skenes threw six shutout innings for his 14th outing of the season without...
Hunter Barco gets win in MLB debut as Pirates beat Reds for 3rd straight victory
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Hunter Barco took a few steps out of the bullpen at the Great American Ball Park on Tuesday and took the opportunity to look around. “I was like, ‘Whoa, all right. We’re here,’” Barco said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show. Barco, who is the Pirates’ fourth-ranked...
Pirates swept in Baltimore to run losing streak to 6 games
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo delivered his longest outing of the season Thursday afternoon at Camden Yards in Baltimore, but the Orioles made a late charge to hand the Pirates their sixth straight loss 3-2. Oviedo struggled through the first two innings of his sixth start, allowing two earned runs on...
Pirates waste Paul Skenes’ latest gem in extra-inning loss to Orioles
Another dominant start from Paul Skenes was wasted Wednesday night at Camden Yards in Baltimore as the Pirates lost to the Orioles in extra innings for the second straight night, 2-1. With the bases loaded in the 10th inning, Orioles right fielder Dylan Beavers squared up a 3-2 fastball on...
Pirates pitchers Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows taking advantage of various opportunities
Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows have shown the Pirates what they are capable of during their rookie seasons. The two right-handers have produced ERAs of 2.47 and 3.99, respectively, while taking the ball in a multitude of situations. Burrows, who was called up April 24, has started 17 games and...
Pirates lose to Orioles after replay review in 11th inning
At the end of a tightly contested, 11-inning affair, Tuesday night’s game between the Pirates and Orioles at Camden Yards was decided by a crew chief challenge. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo drove home the game-winning run with a pop fly...
Freeport boys find footing early in season as they prepare for difficult section schedule
At this point in the season, teams around the WPIAL are still developing their “brand,” or the style of soccer that allows them to play at their highest level when the games matter most. That often involves moving players around, trying new things, focusing on fundamentals and getting comfortable with...
Pitt hopes to use Saturday’s matchup with Duquesne to test depth
Coach Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers won’t be taking Duquesne lightly when the two square off at noon Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the first City Game since 1939, but they are still looking to answer a few questions. During his final news conference of the week Thursday, Narduzzi...
Bubba Chandler shines again, Tommy Pham lifts Pirates to victory
Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler is checking off boxes and he’s doing it quickly. Chandler, the top pitching prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, picked up his first major-league win Wednesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis as the Pirates held off the Cardinals to earn a 2-1 win,...
Pirates give Mitch Keller plenty of early offense in victory over Cardinals
The Pirates offense scored early and often Tuesday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, collecting eight hits in the first three innings, including a Henry Davis home run, to cruise to an 8-3 win over the Cardinals. Jared Triolo extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single...
Pirates blow lead, lose on walk-off homer in St. Louis
No lead was safe Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Pirates and Cardinals each gave up multi-run leads in the series opener of their four-game set, but the Cardinals got the last laugh as first baseman Alec Burleson connected on a 1-1 slider from Pittsburgh reliever Dennis...
Selectivity at plate makes Pirates’ Jared Triolo more than good glove
As the Pittsburgh Pirates inch toward September, Jared Triolo is making the most of his opportunities on the field. Since the July 31 trade deadline, Triolo has seen an uptick in playing time to prove he could be a viable option for the team’s future. In 18 games, he’s slashed...
Brashear looks to build behind young roster
Last season didn’t go as planned for the Brashear football team, but there’s excitement surrounding the program heading into the 2025 season. After a year in which they battled with low numbers and took just 24 players to their Week Zero matchup against Cornell, coach Andrew Moore and the Bulls...
