Apr 5, 2018 4 min read

McConnell-Serio

out at Pitt

Suzie McConnell-Serio is out after five years as the women’s basketball coach at Pittsburgh.

Athletic director Heather Lyke announced Thursday that McConnell-Serio will not return for the 2018-19 season. McConnell-Serio went 67-87 with the Panthers, including a 22-58 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Pitt lured McConnell-Serio away from crosstown rival Duquesne in 2013 and tasked her with turning the program around. She guided the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in her second season in 2014-15, when they went 20-12.

McConnell-Serio struggled to build on that tournament run. Pitt didn’t win more than 13 games in any of her final three seasons, including a 10-20 record this year.

Junko, Cunningham join area hall of fame

Two local, former WPIAL stars will enter the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame April 21 at the Pittsburgh Sheraton Station Square.

Trinity High School graduate Bob Junko and Burgettstown High School’s Dr. John Cunningham will be two of 10 inductees at the ceremony.

Junko, a football player and two-time state wrestling champion at Trinity, played linebacker at Tulsa University and spent several years coaching and recruiting at several colleges.

He currently serves as the director of player development and high school relations at Pitt.

Cunningham, a great soccer mind, served as the Bethany College men’s soccer coach for 33 years and never had a losing season. He compiled a 370-123-28 record and won 29 Presidents’ Athletic Conference titles, including 22 in a row from 1979-2000.

In college baseball

The Washington & Jefferson College baseball team swept Saint Vincent, 15-4 and 9-0, in a doubleheader to stay undefeated in Presidents’ Athletic Conference action.

In Game 1, W&J jumped out to a 10-0 lead after three innings and coasted to the easy victory.

Mark Merlino went 3-for-4 with three RBI and scored twice. Dan Trettel, Ryan Sciullo and Luke Zahren each had two hits for W&J (6-0, 13-8).

Satino Platt earned the win for the Presidents, giving up two runs in five innings.

In Game 2, W&J starting pitcher Ben Marsico allowed only four hits and no runs through six innings against Saint Vincent (1-3, 5-11).

Mullen Socha, Justin Griffin, Trettel and Merlino each had three hits for W&J.

In college softball

Led by pitcher Taylor Andres, the Washington & Jefferson softball team swept Presidents’ Athletic Conference foe Grove City 10-3 and 13-2 (five innings).

Andres shined in the circle on the afternoon, picking up the win in both games to improve to 5-3 this year and set a new single-season wins mark for herself. She struck out a career-best 13 in the first game, which is the most in a game for W&J (2-0, 6-8) since 2008. She pitched three innings in Game 2 against Grove City (0-2, 2-8).

Rachel Johnson had six hits on the day for W&J to extender her hitting streak to 14 games. Brooke Lapia hit two home runs in Game 2 for the Presidents.

W&J opened up Game 1 with nine runs in the bottom of the third after falling behind 2-0 in the top of the inning.

In high school lacrosse

The South Fayette High School boys lacrosse team defeated Trinity, 17-2.

In college lacrosse

The Waynesburg University women’s lacrosse team lost 23-0 to Franciscan in a non-conference game.

Correction

The Chartiers-Houston girls basketball team split the two meetings in the WPIAL finals against Vincentian Academy, winning last year.