Sports category, Page 664
Oneil Cruz single in 11th lifts Pirates to walk-off win over Orioles
When Oneil Cruz came to bat in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop wasn’t worried about the extra-inning stakes in a tied game against the Baltimore Orioles. With automatic runner Henry Davis on second base, Cruz simply wanted to put the ball in play. Jonathan Heasley...
Iowa-UConn women’s Final Four semifinal most-watched hoops game in ESPN history
BRISTOL, Conn. — Iowa’s 71-69 victory over UConn at the women’s Final Four on Friday night averaged 14.2 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-viewed women’s basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast. The previous women’s hoops mark was 12.3 million for last...
‘I think they enjoy those moments’: ‘Big 3’ lift Penguins over Lightning, into playoffs positionVideo
For nearly six years, the presence of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang hasn’t been enough for the Pittsburgh Penguins to win a Stanley Cup postseason series. The Penguins’ ongoing playoff series win drought, which dates to 2018, not to mention missing the postseason last year for the first...
MRI shows damage to Braves ace Spencer Strider’s elbow ligament, status in doubt
ATLANTA — Braves ace right-hander Spencer Strider has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, an MRI revealed Saturday, leaving his status for the remainder of the season in doubt. The Braves said Strider will be evaluated further by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, at a...
Central Catholic QB Payton Wehner wins Willie Thrower Award
Central Catholic senior Payton Wehner was the only finalist for the fourth annual Willie Thrower Award who was honored in 2022. Even though Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen won for the second consecutive year, Wehner knew he had a shot at the award if he dedicated himself to the sport. His hard...
Referee Steve Kozari leaves ice on stretcher during Penguins-Lightning gameVideo
NHL referee Steve Kozari was taken from the ice on a stretcher during the third period of Saturday’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena. Kozari collided with Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury with 13 minutes, 49 seconds remaining, with both players falling to the...
Penguins hold on to beat Lightning, continue implausible late-season run
Approximately one month ago — in the late hours of March 7, to be precise — the Pittsburgh Penguins swung a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes and jettisoned popular All-Star forward Jake Guentzel. With his team spinning out of orbit of a playoff position, coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged the...
Guardians ace Shane Bieber to have Tommy John surgery
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber pitched until the pain stopped him. Cleveland’s ace will have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery, a major blow to the Guardians and the 2020 Cy Young winner, who had looked like his dominant self in two strong recent starts. Bieber struck out a league-leading 20 and...
Long-time broadcast partners Bill Hillgrove, Dick Groat will join Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame
For 40 years, Bill Hillgrove and Dick Groat were an inseparable team calling Pitt basketball games on the radio. The University of Pittsburgh will put them together again Sept. 13 when they will be inducted into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame. Groat, who died last year at the age...
As stakes remain high, Penguins turn to Alex Nedeljkovic vs. Tampa Bay for 8th straight start
With their postseason hanging in the balance and only six games remaining, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sticking with the hot hand in net, as Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to make his eighth consecutive start Saturday afternoon. Coach Mike Sullivan revealed his starting goaltender a few hours before Saturday’s 1:05 p.m....
Plum Junior Olympic wrestlers prove to be among best in the state
A trio of Plum youth wrestlers — Nicholas Pifer, Braeden Watters, and Ethan Schwartz — recently qualified for and participated in the Keystone state tournament in Reading, and the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state tournament at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Schwartz, in the 10U 55-pound division, now is a two-time Keystone...
Onetime Hampton baseball player reaches NCAA Division II Elite Eight as basketball coach
Hampton graduate David Steckel took an unlikely path from a high school baseball player to an assistant coach for an Elite Eight men’s basketball team. Steckel, a 2011 Hampton graduate, capped his sixth season at Southern New Hampshire with a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Division II...
Bottom of batting order productive for Pirates through season’s 1st weekVideo
Just over a week into the 2024 campaign, the Pittsburgh Pirates have benefited from the presence of arguably the most dynamic No. 9 hitter in baseball. It’s been a small sample size, to be sure, but Michael A. Taylor has begun the season on a torrid note, batting .480 with...
Pirates farm report for April 5, 2024: Paul Skenes throws 3 more dominant innings for Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 3-3) beat Memphis (Cardinals ), 8-3, in Paul Skenes’ second Triple-A start. Skenes (0.00) allowed one hit – a single to 1B Luken Baker to lead off the second – and one walk while striking out six in three scoreless innings. LHP Eric Lauer (1-0, 4.05) followed and...
Caitlin Clark leads Iowa rally for 71-69 win over UConn in women’s Final Four
CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark led Iowa back to the national championship game, scoring 21 points as the Hawkeyes rallied past Paige Bueckers and UConn 71-69 in the women’s Final Four on Friday night. Next up for the Hawkeyes (34-4) is a rematch with unbeaten South Carolina, which lost to Iowa...
What charges could Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice face after a crash in Dallas?
DALLAS — Nearly a week has passed since Saturday evening’s multivehicle hit-and-run collision involving Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice, and it’s not yet clear what charges the 23-year-old might face for his role. Rice’s attorney, state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said he expects Dallas police to file charges soon...
Minor league report: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton qualifies for playoffsVideo
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs with a 3-2 overtime win against the Cleveland Monsters at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (34-22-8-1) returns to the postseason for the first time since 2022. Forward Radim Zohorna scored the winning goal 35 seconds into overtime. Forward...
South Carolina women stay perfect, surge past N.C. State 78-59 to reach NCAA title gameVideo
CLEVELAND — All-America center Kamilla Cardoso scored 22 points, and unbeaten South Carolina avoided a second straight stumble in the women’s Final Four, surging past N.C. State, 78-59, on Friday night. The talented and tenacious Gamecocks (37-0) led by one at halftime before putting their full arsenal on display in...
Akshay Bhatia stretches lead to 5 shots at windy Texas OpenVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia survived a rocky start Friday in the Valero Texas Open by rallying with a pair of late birdies for a 2-under-par 70 that stretched his lead to five shots and raised hopes of getting the final spot in the Masters next week. Bhatia started with...
Tim Benz: As expectations rise for Pirates roster, they increase for manager Derek Shelton, as well
Before Friday’s home opener at PNC Park, former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Leyland threw out the ceremonial first pitch to current manager Derek Shelton. In advance of the pregame festivities, both men discussed their strong relationship. From Leyland reaching out to Shelton when he got the job to their regular...
Westmoreland athletes excited for Mercyhurst’s move to Division I
Division II athletes one day, Division I the next. That’s the reality of what happened in a flash this week when Mercyhurst University in Erie announced it is leaving the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and joining the Division I Northeast Conference, instantly bolstering the reputation of its...
Mets, Julio Teheran finalize 1-year contract, filling hole in rotation
CINCINNATI — Julio Teheran and the New York Mets finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract Friday, filling an immediate need in the team’s injury-depleted rotation. A longtime Mets nemesis with the rival Braves, the veteran right-hander is scheduled to start Monday against his former club in the opener of a...
Before Alabama’s biggest basketball game, the insults will be flying
GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the 15 minutes before Alabama makes its first Final Four appearance in school history Saturday, there probably won’t be many warm and fuzzy moments in the locker room. Instead, there will be insults. Lots of them. One of the most important jobs during the Crimson Tide’s...
Inter Miami says Lionel Messi will play Saturday against Colorado in MLS match
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi is coming back to Inter Miami’s lineup, with the team saying his absence for a hamstring injury will end Saturday at home in an MLS match against the Colorado Rapids. “He’s back,” the team wrote in a social media post Friday. Messi has missed...
Jared Jones delivers quality start, but Orioles beat up Pirates bullpen in home opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates got a ceremonial first pitch from a legendary manager who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a quality start from a rookie right-hander and a pair of home runs in the home opener. What they didn’t get was a win. The Baltimore Orioles played the...
