Jul 15, 2018 3 min read

Wiffle ball champions

The Wiff Is Life League, a wiffle ball league composed of several teenagers from Canonsburg, won the 2018 National Wiffle League Association championship in Morenci, Mich.

It was the seventh annual NWLA tournament, which has 57 member leagues in the northeast and midwest.

The Waves, who qualified but failed to place in last year’s tournament, defeated Griffleball League, a team from Griffith, Ind., for the championship.

Pony baseball

Andrew Mackey and Kody Kuhns each drove in three runs as Mon Valley defeated Connellsville in the Southmoreland 14U Tournament, 11-2.

Mackey went 2-for-2. Braydon Baccino also had a pair of hits for Mon Valley.

Nathan White earned the victory in relief for Mon Valley, not surrendering a hit over three innings.

Southmoreland defeated Mon Valley in the semifinals, 5-3.

Pirates demote Meadows

The Pittsburgh Pirates demoted outfielder Austin Meadows to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday and recalled right-handed reliever Tanner Anderson.

The 23-year-old Meadows was the team’s first-round pick in the 2013 draft. He hit .298 in 48 games with Pittsburgh, but he has lost playing time to Corey Dickerson and Gregory Polanco. In July, Meadows hit .233 as his playing opportunities declined.

“I’m really excited about what he did, especially that first week,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “The last month hasn’t been as productive, and it’s tough to ask a young player to not play. It’s in his best interests and our best interests to let him grow and develop.”

Huntington rebuffed the suggestion that Meadows’ demotion was related to the possibility that he could qualify for salary arbitration early by gaining Super Two status. The general manager called such projetions “inexact.”

The 25-year-old Anderson had a 2.17 ERA in 27 games with Indianapolis and will provide bullpen depth after Saturday’s doubleheader against the Brewers.

Pens sign draft pick

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed second-round pick (58th overall) Filip Hallander to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Hallander will spend the following season playing for Timra IK of the Swedish Hockey League.

The Penguins moved up in June’s NHL Draft to select Hallander, a 6-1, 190-pound forward from Sweden.

Former NHL

goalie drowns

Former NHL goaltender Ray Emery has drowned in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. He was 35.

Hamilton Police said Emery was identified as the victim of the swimming accident Sunday morning. Staff sergeant Paul Evans said police received a call just after 6 a.m. that an adult swimmer did not surface and that the Niagara Police assisted in the recovery effort. Emery’s body was recovered Sunday.

Nicknamed “Razor” for his aggressive style, Emery played parts of 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks from 2003-2015. He helped the Senators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 and won it as a backup with the Blackhawks in 2013.

Emery dealt with off-ice problems throughout his career, including an incident of road rage, assault of a trainer in Russia and behavior that led to him being sent home from Ottawa’s training camp. Teammates and executives lauded Emery’s mentorship and leadership, especially in his final professional season in the American Hockey League in 2015-16.