Sports category, Page 177
Texas is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 for 1st time, edging Penn State, Ohio State
For the first time, Texas will open a college football season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25. The Longhorns hardly have a mandate in the poll released Monday: They edged out Penn State by just five points in the closest preseason vote since 1998. Texas received 25...
Reagan Bills leads Johnstown team to Little League Softball World Series title
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Behind Reagan Bills’ two-way heroics, Johnstown defeated Floyds Knobs, Ind., 1-0 on Sunday to win the state’s first Little League Softball World Series since 1978. Pennsylvania, representing the Mid-Atlantic Region, was led by Bills, who hurled a 105-pitch complete-game one-hitter with seven strikeouts, while also collecting two...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Sofia DeCerb earns preseason honor
James Madison redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb (Latrobe) was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. DeCerb started 21 games last season and made the Sun Belt all-tournament team. She produced a conference-best seven shutouts for the conference champion Dukes. She finished 12-4-4 in 21 starts with...
Mark Madden: Mason Rudolph again proves to be among NFL’s most reliable backups
Steelers fans went into the preseason hoping that sixth-round draft pick Will Howard would breathe life into their imagined status of him being a long-term hope at quarterback. He didn’t, and won’t. Howard’s broken finger will likely sideline him for the entire exhibition campaign. Instead, the citizens got a reminder...
Paramount will become the new home to all UFC events in the U.S. under 7-year deal with TKO Group
NEW YORK — Paramount will become the new home to Ultimate Fighting Championship events across the U.S. next year, through a seven-year agreement announced with TKO Group on Monday. The news comes just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of...
First Call: Strong preseason debuts for Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Mitch Trubisky; ex-Steeler DB now a Raider
Monday’s “First Call” has a roundup of how ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Mitch Trubisky did quarterbacking their teams in the first week of the 2025 preseason. We also get you up to date on some player movement involving a few former Steelers, and the Pirates visit Milwaukee...
Madden Monday: Kaleb Johnson ‘would still be my guy’ despite underwhelming debut
There was a lot to like from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason game Saturday night. It was a 31-25 victory in Jacksonville. The most obvious positives were the two quarterbacks, as Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson threw a total of four touchdowns and posted a combined 135.5 passer rating. In...
Pirates playing the ‘short’ game by having Jared Triolo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa switch positions
After years of being blocked at third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates by one of the best defenders in baseball, Jared Triolo viewed the trade of Ke’Bryan Hayes as a bittersweet opportunity. Although Triolo is a Gold Glove winner, he also is someone who studies the game and its best...
Pitt volleyball’s revamped roster aims to get up to speed for another deep NCAA run
There’s a paradox about the Pitt women’s volleyball team: The Panthers are coming off their fourth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals, yet that source of pride also is a source of pain. Being so consistently strong is nice, but the Panthers long to kick in the door to the...
Shilo Sanders makes presence felt in NFL debut
TAMPA, Fla. — Shilo Sanders quickly made his presence felt in first NFL preseason game. Sanders creeped up to the line of scrimmage, blitzed untouched and hit Brandon Allen, driving him to the ground just after he threw the ball away. A night after his younger brother had an impressive...
Scrimmage schedule set for Western Pa. high school football teams
Training camps officially begin Monday for all 127 WPIAL, City League and independent teams. The week then concludes with a scrimmage. The second week of camp concludes with most teams playing a Week Zero game Aug. 22-23. There are still a few schools that prefer a second scrimmage instead of...
Verlander has muted reaction reaching 3,500-strikeout mark in a disappointing season
SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Verlander added another memorable chapter to his legendary pitching career Sunday, yet was hardly in the mood to celebrate. Verlander struck out the side in the first inning against the Nationals to become the 10th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,500 career strikeouts. Not long...
A power loss changed everything: How Palou secured his fourth IndyCar title
Alex Palou wrapped up his fourth IndyCar championship in the last five seasons Sunday at Portland International Raceway when title contender Pato O’Ward lost power early in the race. O’Ward started from the pole and was the only driver mathematically eligible to beat Palou for the championship. Palou went into...
Justin Rose rallies late and beats Spaun in Memphis playoff
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Justin Rose made up a three-shot deficit over the last five holes against hard-luck Tommy Fleetwood, and then made two birdies in a playoff against U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday. Rose delivered another sterling performance, closing with a...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 10, 2025: Bubba Chandler allows 6 hits, 3 runs in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 66-47) lost a third straight game and fell 6-1 to Omaha (Royals). CF Ji Hwan Bae (.287) had two doubles. DH Nick Solak (.357) was 1 for 4 with an RBI, his 51st of the season. 2B Nick Yorke (.275) was 2 for 4 with a double. RF...
Rookie Shane van Gisbergen remains NASCAR’s king of the road courses with 4th victory of the season
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Shane van Gisbergen’s latest victory in NASCAR’s premier series was as historical as it was emotional. With his father, Robert, on hand for the first time this year, the Auckland, New Zealand, native set a Cup Series rookie record with his fourth victory, blowing out the...
Forrest wins at Trump International and gets congratulatory call from the U.S. president
ABERDEEN, Scotland — Grant Forrest won his second European Tour title Sunday in the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links and got more than just a trophy. Forrest received a video call from the course owner, President Donald Trump. Trump called from his course northwest of Washington, where he...
Bullpen blows up as Reds pound Pirates for 14 runs for 4-game series split
There was a long stretch of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates when a four-run deficit would have been insurmountable even if their pitching was impenetrable. Those roles were reversed Sunday afternoon, when the Pirates got offensive production but their bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Cincinnati Reds scored...
After communication errors in 2024, Steelers defenders see broader picture
After a tumultuous end to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season, a key word seemed to echo among the defensive players in the locker room: communication. Or a lack of it. Entering this season, many members of the Steelers defense seem encouraged that problem is behind them. With the addition of...
Yankees manager Aaron Boone ejected for 5th time this season in game vs. Astros
NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected from a game for the fifth time this season in the third inning on Sunday against the Houston Astros. Boone thought Jason Alexander’s sinker to Ryan McMahon was a low called strike. He argued with plate umpire Derek Thomas,...
Connor Zilisch sports a smile and elbow sling at Watkins Glen a day after his nasty fall
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Sporting a smile with his left elbow in a black sling draped around his neck, Connor Zilisch was back Sunday at Watkins Glen International and recounting his scary fall in victory lane. After winning Saturday’s Xfinity race at the road course, Zilisch took a nasty tumble...
‘Bet on it’: Pirates GM confident Bubba Chandler will make MLB debut this season
If Ben Cherington were a gambling man, the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager would be willing to bet top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler will make his major-league debut this season. The Pirates are playing the waiting game with the 22-year-old Chandler, a 6-foot-3, 218-pound right-hander who is ranked the No. 4...
Stock report has more winners than losers from Steelers’ win in preseason opener at Jacksonville
For three members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, simply putting on the uniform and playing in a game was deemed a successful outing no matter their contributions in a 31-25 victory at Jacksonville in the preseason opener. Considering what transpired last year — or in 2023, in one instance — these...
Greensburg Salem graduate Jayden Blake uses MMA to lose weight, build confidence
Jayden Blake’s self-confidence was way down. The Greensburg Salem graduate’s weight was on the rise and he needed a change. Blake, 19, turned to mixed martial arts three years ago to try and fix some of his problems. Blake, who is 5-foot-7 and topped out at 265 pounds when he...
Springdale grad Sean Dugan moves into new role as alpha linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan
Just before the start of the 2024 college football season, the NCAA amended its rule that had limited the number of coaches who could participate in on-field instruction. It was good news for Springdale grad Sean Dugan. Dugan was hired as a defensive analyst at Eastern Michigan before the 2023...
