Aug 6, 2018 3 min read

Pony World Series field finalized

The field is set for the Pony League World Series that begins Friday at Lew Hays Pony Field in Washington Park.

In the 5:30 p.m. opening game, North Zone champion Bay County, Mich., will play Yaguate, Dominican Republic, the champion of the Caribbean Zone. After the opening ceremonies, Host Area winner Youngstown, Ohio, will play Vienna, Austria.

Washington County will make it tournament debut Saturday at noon against the East Zone winner, Bronx, N.Y. That is the first of three games Saturday. Bronx edged Cleveland Prospect, Ohio, 4-3, in the zone final.

At 2:30 p.m., South Zone champion Brownsville, Texas will play Tijuana, Mexico. The final game of the day, scheduled for 5 p.m., pits Asia-Pacific winner Chinese Taipei against the winner of the Bay County-Yaguate game.

Play continues with three games Sunday, including West Zone champion Long Beach, Calif., play its opening game at noon against the Washington County-Bronx winner. Long Beach had to win three games in the losers’ bracket to get to the zone’s championship game.

Four games are scheduled for both Monday and Tuesday with the morning session starting at 10 a.m. and the night session at 5:30 p.m.

Play continues through the championship game Wednesday, Aug. 15.

Cal hires

basketball assistant

Steven Bridgeman, a former player and graduate assistant coach in the region, has been hired as an assistant men’s basketball coach at California University.

Bridgeman spent the last two seasons as the graduate assistant coach at Wheeling Jesuit following a one-year stint as the assistant coach at Goshen (Ind.), an NAIA program. He spent one season of his playing career at Ohio Dominican before transferring to Wheeling Jesuit for his final three years and played under then-head coach Danny Sancomb, who will be in his first season with Cal this winter.

“Cal U is an exceptional place with incredible people and I’m very thankful for the opportunity that the administration and athletic department has given me,” Bridgeman. “I’m excited to work with Coach Sancomb and all the student-athletes in our program.”

At The Meadows

Southwind Storm captured her third straight Pennsylvania Stallion Series split Monday at The Meadows, a facile victory in which she never was cut loose.

The $100,000 stake for freshman filly trotters was contested over five divisions, with Navarone Hanover, Sand Lauren Blu, Lollypop Lindy and Cardinale taking the other splits. Dave Palone enjoyed a stake double – among his three wins on the 13-race card – behind Southwind Storm and Navarone Hanover.

Hammered down to 1-5, Southwind Storm zipped to the lead from post 2 and was under restraint for much of the opening half. The daughter of Muscle Hill-Say What won comfortably in a career-best 1:58.2, 2-3/4 lengths better than the pocket-sitting Paint The Corners. Explosive Paige completed the ticket.

Longtime NFL executive dies

The Denver Broncos said former executive Tom Heckert has died at 51 following a long illness.

Heckert spent five years in the Broncos’ player personnel department and 27 years in the NFL.

Heckert also had stints as general manager of the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.

Heckert stepped away from the Broncos after last season after being diagnosed in recent years with a disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs. He died Sunday night.