Mar 8, 2020 4 min read

PIAA announces basketball sites, times

The PIAA released the sites and times for the second round of the state basketball playoffs scheduled for early this week.

Only two local teams – the Belle Vernon boys and the Trinity girls – are still playing after this past weekend’s first-round games.

Belle Vernon (20-7) will play District 3 champion Lancaster Catholic Tuesday at Altoona High School. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Leopards won their first state playoff game since 1981 with a 65-60 win over District 9 champ Clearfield. Lancaster Catholic (24-3) edged Ringgold in the opening round, 59-56.

Trinity (20-5) will play District 1 runner-up Great Valley at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Chambersburg High School.

The Hillers bounced back from losing the WPIAL Class 5A Championship with a convincing 54-29 win over Penn Hills in the first round. Great Valley (23-4) slipped past West York, 40-39.

Pirates tie Rays

Mitch Keller pitched three strong innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates tied the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-2, in a spring training game.

Keller struck out five, allowed three hits and one run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning.

Tampa Bay scored in the fifth on a throwing error.

Pittsburgh tied the game at 2-2 when Charlie Tilson doubled to score Jared Olivia in the top of the ninth inning.

Colin Moran had a pair of hits for the Pirates.

College softball

The Washington & Jefferson College softball team dropped a pair of games, 5-1 to North Park and 2-0 to Penn State Hazelton, in the PFX Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.

The loss drops the Presidents to 3-3 overall.

In Game 1, W&J scattered eight hits and left nine runners on base. Brooke Stout and Mollie Charlton each went 2-for-3 for the Presidents.

North Park (1-0) scored three runs in the top of the third inning, including a two-run double from Hayley Jackson.

The Presidents failed to push a run across with just five hits in Game 2.

Penn State Hazelton’s Madison Clark pitched a complete game, struck out nine and allowed just one walk.

W&J pitcher Alish Kulka went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, six walks and striking out six.

College baseball

Hayden Kristophel and Patrick Brogan each scored three runs as California University defeated Ohio Dominican in a non-conference game, 8-1.

Cal (6-4) snapped a two-game skid with the win.

The Vulcans scored four runs in the first three innings to give starting sophomore pitcher Tyler Bedillion a lead.

Bedillion, a South Fayette graduate, scattered seven hits and allowed just one run in seven strong innings. He struck out seven for his first win of the season.

Worchester Polytechnic Institute held Washington & Jefferson to one run over two games, wining both games of a doubleheader against the Presidents, 2-0 and 3-1.

The two losses drop W&J to 1-4.

Presidents’ starting pitcher Ben Marsico was the tough-luck loser in Game 1. Marsico pitched a one-hit complete game, struck out five and suffered the 2-0 loss.

In Game 2, WPI (2-0) scored one run in each of the first two innings and limited W&J to four hits and one run.

Cal women earn at-large bid

The California University women’s basketball team earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Vulcans, who are 21-9 overall, are the seventh seed in the Atlantic Region and will travel to play second-seeded Gannon (25-6) at a day and time to be determined later this week.