Sports category, Page 1604
After others helped him become a pro, Pirates’ Cole Tucker now paying it forward
When Cole Tucker was working his way through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, unsure of how a professional baseball player should act, veterans such as utility man Sean Rodriguez were happy to show him the way. Separated by nine years of age, Tucker and Rodriguez often were seen inside the...
Wieters, Frazier, Kemp on U.S. roster for Olympic qualifying
CARY, N.C. — Pitchers Homer Bailey, Edwin Jackson and David Robertson, catcher Matt Wieters, infielder Todd Frazier and outfielders Matt Kemp and John Jay were among 28 players announced Sunday for a U.S. training camp ahead of the Americans’ second chance to qualify for the Olympic baseball tournament. Left-hander Clayton...
Sidney Crosby’s Penguins, Barry Trotz’s Islanders no strangers to pressure of series tied at 2
Of the more than 320 players who are taking part in this NHL postseason, only two have appeared in more postseason games than Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Only two defensemen still playing for the 2021 Stanley Cup have played in more than Kris Letang. Not many active in the...
Braves smack 3 home runs to beat Pirates, set record for most homers in a series
JT Brubaker suspects opponents are attempting to ambush the Pittsburgh Pirates early, knowing their anemic offense is practically powerless to recover from large deficits. The Atlanta Braves opted for an aerial attack, as Austin Riley homered twice and Dansby Swanson once off Brubaker in a 7-1 victory Sunday afternoon before...
Rookie Quincy Roche brings strong college numbers to Steelers defense
Even with two college destinations in his rear-view mirror, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie pass rusher Quincy Roche keeps getting caught up in a numbers game. In his third season at Temple, Roche was given a single-digit uniform number, an honor bestowed upon the team’s toughest players. After transferring to Miami (Fla.)...
No. 10 Pitt will play North Carolina on Tuesday in ACC baseball tournament
Pitt’s baseball team, ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation after taking two of three games from Virginia in March, will carry a seven-game losing streak into the ACC Tournament that begins Tuesday at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers (22-19, 16-17 ACC) are seeded No. 10...
Penn-Trafford grad Jordan Sabol has big year for Saint Vincent baseball
Saint Vincent baseball coach Mick Janosko knew he had someone special in Jordan Sabol during the shortened 2021 season. And when he talks about Sabol, you can understand what makes him so special. Sabol is a leader even though he’s only a sophomore. He started in center field for the...
Empty Thoughts: Islanders 4, Penguins 1Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Islanders in Game 4: For all the well-deserved criticism the Penguins received after this game, particularly from Western Pennsylvania, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal provided a profoundly pragmatic observation of the team that he had just defeated. “That’s a pretty veteran group over...
Minor league report: Nailers beaten in overtime
Forward Cody Sylvester had two goals for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-3 road overtime loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Saturday. Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon made 33 saves on 37 shots for Wheeling (19-34-6-1) which has lost five consecutive games. Highlights:...
Mark Madden: Penguins could benefit from changing up Sidney Crosby’s line
Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Long Island was frustrating and disappointing but hardly cataclysmic. The New York Islanders are good, too. Just like the Penguins, they want to win. That’s obvious and elementary but too often gets lost via home-team fervor. If coach Mike Sullivan went with exactly the same lineup...
Pirates farm report for May 22, 2021: Ke’Bryan Hayes starts rehab assignment, goes 1 for 2
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 11-5) beat St. Paul (Twins), 5-1. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes began a rehab assignment, going 1 for 2 with a first-pitch single through the right side of the infield in his first at-bat and a strikeout in his second. He played three innings in the field. Hayes has been...
Despite a man advantage, Riverhounds fall to Charlotte in home opener
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds returned to Highmark Stadium on Saturday for their home opener in front of 2,079 fans, but it didn’t quite go as planned. Despite playing with a man advantage for nearly 30 minutes in the second half, the Riverhounds couldn’t counter a first-half goal by the Charlotte Independence...
Penguins top line struggling to produce goals
UNIONDALE, N.Y — Arguably, the most consistent offensive force for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the course of the regular season was their top line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Guentzel and Rust were the only members of the team who appeared in all 56 games during the...
Wild ride puts Phil Mickelson 18 holes from history
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Phil Mickelson survived a wild ride Saturday at Kiawah Island with a 2-under-par 70 in the PGA Championship that left him 18 holes away from becoming golf’s oldest champion. The 50-year-old Mickelson walked off the 10th green with a five-shot lead and such amazing control of...
Tim Benz: No Penguins panic yet, but reasons to grouse
I suppose if you predict a series to go seven games, the team you predict to win is going to have to lose three times. I said the Pittsburgh Penguins would beat the New York Islanders in seven games in their opening-round playoff series. So, at 2-2 after four games,...
Mitch Keller allows 2 home runs in Pirates’ loss to Braves
While the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing for the 14th time in 20 games this month, there were brief moments of encouragement Saturday. • Michael Perez hit a home run to stop an 0-for-26 streak. It only raised his batting average to .096, but it was something. • Relief pitcher Chris...
Penalties, mistakes cost Penguins in Game 4 loss to Islanders
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — If there was any doubt Evgeni Malkin truly has returned, he answered that question fairly quickly Saturday. To be precise, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center made his presence abundantly clear 4 minutes, 7 seconds into regulation during Game 4 of his team’s first-round playoff series against the...
Seton Hill baseball falls to Bloomsburg in PSAC championship series
Home runs have been a friend of Seton Hill baseball this season, but the long ball came back to haunt the Griffins in their bid for a third Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship in five years. Bloomsburg homered five times to produce all its runs, and the Huskies won the...
Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov pace Lightning’s rout of PanthersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Killorn scored a pair of second-period goals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded from its first postseason loss to rout the Florida Panthers, 6-2, and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round Central Division playoff matchup Saturday. The reigning Stanley Cup champions pushed their intrastate...
Islanders to start goaltender Ilya Sorokin for Game 4 against Penguins
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The New York Islanders are expected to start rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Penguins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. Sorokin made his postseason debut during Game 1 on Sunday, a 4-3 overtime win at PPG Paints Arena....
Pirates place Trevor Cahill on injured list; Ke’Bryan Hayes starts rehab in Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a starting pitcher and gained a reliever Saturday when Trevor Cahill went on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain and Kyle Crick was activated from the IL. Cahill (1-5) left his most recent start Wednesday night in St. Louis after one inning. He...
Brandon Tanev became voice of calm for the Penguins late in Game 3Video
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Penguins forward Brandon Tanev has become something of a local cult hero early in the playoffs due to his frantic (or maniacal) approach to his vocation. Yet, when Game 3 of the Penguins’ first-round series against the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum devolved into...
Wisconsin coach thinks Isaiahh Loudermilk can scale new heights on Steelers defensive line
Before Isaiahh Loudermilk reported to rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, one of his college coaches made an apt observation. “He’ll be blocking out the sun there,” Wisconsin defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej said. Of the 34 players who attended rookie minicamp, Loudermilk was the second tallest, standing...
Franklin Regional grad Matt Busche wins A-10 title, sets Duquesne record
Matt Busche missed qualifying for the NCAA Division I Regional Track and Field championships by a second. But the Duquesne sophomore and 2018 Franklin Regional graduate has put the disappointment behind him and is already looking forward to the 2022 season. What takes away the hurt a little is the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Unwritten rules are height of stupidity
Nothing in sports is dumber than the unwritten codes. Example No. 1: The NHL playoffs have specialized in stupid since the puck dropped. Violence and dirty play are heightened as the league continues its descent back to thuggery. A particularly idiotic example occurred Thursday in the series opener between Montreal...
