May 11, 2021 10 min read

High school baseball

Nathan Klodowski pitched a shutout, Andrew Brendel drove in five runs, and Brodie Kuzior and A.J. Kuzior each homered as Burgettstown cruised to an 11-0 victory in five innings over host Fort Cherry on Tuesday to clinch a playoff berth out of Class 2A Section 4.

Burgettstown (7-4, 10-5) scored in every inning and had 12 hits, which was plenty of offensive support for Klodowski, who threw a two-hitter, did not issue a walk and struck out 11.

Brendel went 3-for-5 with a double. Brodie Kuzior was 2-for-3 with a double, home run and three RBI. A.J. Kuzior was 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBI.

Klodowski helped his cause by hitting a triple and scoring three times.

• Carmichaels clinched the outright Class 2A Section 1 title with a hard-fought 5-3 win over visiting Beth-Center.

Stush Ferek and Jacob Fordyce each hit a home run for Carmichaels (9-0, 14-1). The Mikes led 3-0 before Beth-Center (5-4, 6-9) scored twice in the top of the fifth. The Mikes scored two of their own in the bottom of the inning to push the lead to 5-2. The Bulldogs scored the game’s final run in the sixth.

Ferek and Nick Ricco each drove in two runs, and pitchers Gavin Pratt and Drake Long scattered seven hits and struck out 14.

Losing pitcher Cam Palmer struck out six and did not issue a walk. He also went 3-for-4. Dylan Kninzer scored two of B-C’s runs.

• Playoff-bound Chartiers-Houston had no trouble with visiting Carlynton, rolling over the Cougars 16-1 in four innings in Class 2A Section 4.

Jimmy Sadler was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs and a stolen base. Nathan Miklos doubled and drove in three as the Bucs (8-3, 12-3) scored in every inning, including six times in the fourth to end the game.

Winning pitcher Chase Bitz scattered three hits, walked only one and struck out seven.

• Canon-McMillan scored four times over the final two innings to nail down a 7-2 victory over host South Fayette in a non-section game.

Mekos Matalis went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, including one in the third inning that gave the Big Macs a 3-2 lead. Winning pitcher Tyler Greenleaf, the second of four pitchers used by C-M (7-10), hit a triple and Andrew Kocan doubled. Greenleaf pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Tristan Bedillion was 3-for-3 for South Fayette (14-3), which had its five-game winning streak snapped.

• Charleroi scored nine runs over the final three innings – including four in the top of the seventh – to rally for a 12-10 win over Waynesburg.

Charleroi’s Kenny Weaver hit a two-run single in the seventh that broke an 8-8 tie. Ethan Hadsell had a double and three RBI as the Cougars (6-8) overcame a 7-3 deficit.

Tyler Switalski and Ross Jones each had a double for Waynesburg (4-9) and Lincoln Pack had three singles. Switalski was 3-for-3 with two RBI.

• Brayden Mooney wiggled out of a one-on, two-out situation to secure a 7-6 victory by West Greene over Mapletown in a Class A Section 2 game.

Morgan Kiger had two doubles and knocked in three runs for the Pioneers (7-3, 8-4). Caleb Rice had two RBI and Dillon Shields scored twice.

Freshman AJ Vanata hit his first scholastic home run and losing pitcher Brodie Evans had two hits for the Maples (1-8, 1-9). Zach Brewer had two hits and four RBI and Aidin Delansky went 3-for-4. Lance Stevenson had two hits, Clay Menear scored two runs and Cohen Stout had two hits, two runs and RBI.

• Winning pitcher Bryce Bedilion fired a two-hitter and helped his cause by belting a grand slam as Jefferson-Morgan defeated Monessen 15-1 in a five-inning game in Class A Section 2.

The Rockets (7-2, 10-5) broke open a close game with a nine-run fourth inning that included Bedilion’s big hit. Liam Ankrom was 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI.

• Brent Kurtz hit a two-run double with one out in the top of the seventh inning as Trinity rallied to beat McGuffey 5-4 Tuesday night in a non-section game at Wild Things Park.

McGuffey (11-4) trailed 3-1 before scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead into the final frame. Kurtz’s double gave the Hillers (5-11) the lead and Aiden Metts pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

Trinity’s Braydon May hit a triple and Ben Hardy scored twice. Matthew Smith, the second of three Hillers pitchers, was the winner.

Jake Orr doubled, and Austin Hall and Brock Wallace each drove in two runs for McGuffey.

High school softball

Trinity scored six runs over the final two innings Tuesday and hit six home runs as the Hillers rallied late for a 9-5 win at West Allegheny in Class 5A Section 4.

The six home runs are believed to be a Trinity single-game record.

Alyssa Rager led the Hillers (7-3, 8-4) with two home runs. West Allegheny led 4-3 entering the sixth inning but Rager led off with a home run and Kristina Bozek hit a solo homer to give Trinity a 5-4 lead.

Finley Hohn and Emma Morgan hit back-to-back homers in the seventh, and Rager added her second round-tripper in as many innings.

Addison Agnew homered in the third inning to give the Hillers an early 3-1 lead.

Angela Costa smacked two home runs for West Allegheny (8-2, 11-3).

• West Greene clinched at least a share of the Class A Section 2 championship with a 15-0 win in three innings over host Monessen.

The Pioneers (8-0, 12-2) scored seven runs in both the second and third innings, and winning pitcher Kiley Meek fired her second career no-hitter. Meek struck out five and walked only one.

Katie Lampe led the West Greene offense, going 2-for-2 with a double, triple and three RBI. Lexi Six was 2-for-2 with three RBI, and London Whipkey, Meek and Anna Durbin each smacked a double.

• Hanna Richey led off the top of the eighth inning with a game-winning solo homer as Chartiers-Houston knocked off Class 2A Section 1 leader Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 6-5.

It was the first section loss for OLSH (9-1, 12-2). Chartiers-Houston (9-3, 12-5) has won six straight.

The Bucs 5-3 in the seventh inning on the strength of two home runs by winning pitcher Nicolette Kloes, who was 4-for-4 with four RBI. In the circle, Kloes tossed a seven-hitter and struck out 10.

OLSH forced extra innings with two runs in the seventh.

• Lenna Henderson scored on Riley Jones’ single with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Charleroi a 5-4 victory over Beth-Center in Class 2A Section 3.

Beth-Center (2-9, 4-10) had tied the score at 4-4 with a run in the top of the seventh, but Henderson led off the bottom of the inning by reaching on an error and stealing both second and third, setting up Jones’ game-winning hit. Jones was 3-for-4 with three RBI and Henderson scored three runs. Sofia Celaschi had a double for the postseason-bound Cougars (6-3, 9-7).

Jennifer Zelenik had two doubles for B-C, including the game-tying hit in the seventh.

• Penn-Trafford scratched out two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge Canon-McMillan 2-0 in a non-section game.

Penn-Trafford (13-4) started the sixth with a walk and a double, then scored on a groundout and an error. Winning pitcher Mia Smith allowed one hit over four innings of relief.

C-M’s Lauren Duke allowed only four hits and two runs (one earned). She struck out seven.

• Tayler Vanata scored from third base on a bouncer back to the pitcher to give Mapletown a 4-3 victory over Jefferson-Morgan in a Section 2-A game.

Taylor Dusenberry had two hits and an RBI and winning pitcher had a single, double and RBI. She also struck out 13 and walked one. Macee Cree doubled for the Maples (6-2, 8-4).

Losing pitcher Jasmine Demaske had a single and double for J-M (4-5, 5-7).

• Greensburg Central Catholic scored four runs in the fourth inning and went on to a 9-1 win over Jefferson-Morgan in Class A Section 2.

Emma Henry pitched a one-hitter and struck out nine for GCC (5-2, 8-3).

Jefferson-Morgan (4-5, 5-7) has clinched a playoff berth.

• Fort Cherry swept a Class 2A Section 1 doubleheader from Carlynton, 9-7 and 18-6.

Macy Roble had a big day the plate for the Rangers (7-4, 10-6), going 7-for-10 with seven runs and two triples. Annika Rinehart was 5-for-6 with a triple and five RBI in the nightcap and winning pitcher Adryonna Herbst went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in the second game.

Rinehart tripled in both games and Amy Alrutz doubled in each.

• Yough scored eight runs over the first three innings and went on to defeat Belle Vernon 9-1 in Class 4A Section 2.

Winning pitcher Emma Augustin struck out 10.

Lexi Daniels had a double as Belle Vernon (6-6, 9-9) fell back to the .500 mark.

• Playoff-bound Burgettstown swept a Class 2A Section 1 doubleheader Monday from Carlynton, 12-2 and 7-2.

Junior Aubry Krivak had a big day for the Blue Devils (9-3, 9-7). She was the winning pitcher in the opener, striking out seven. At the plate, Krivak homered in each game.

Burgettstown’s Hayden Abott belted a triple in each game, and Madison Kozares had smacked a home run and triple in the second contest. Kaylin Caffardo tripled in the opened and Julia Jastrezbski was the winning pitcher in the nigthcap.

In the NHL

Michael Raffl scored from a tight angle with 1.8 seconds remaining and the Washington Capitals beat the short-handed Boston Bruins 2-1 Tuesday night in the teams’ regular season finale.

Carl Hagelin also scored and Vitek Vanecek stopped 25 shots for Washington in a game between teams who will meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Capitals also welcomed right wing Alex Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom back from lower-body injuries.

Curtis Lazar scored for the Bruins, who played largely a reserve squad. That included nine players that entered Tuesday with fewer than 10 games this year and only six with 40 or more. Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves for the Bruins.

In the NBA

Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic each scored 30 points, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Charlotte Hornets 117-112 Tuesday night to snap a two-game slide.

Jokic had 11 rebounds and six assists. Porter knocked down six 3-pointers as the Nuggets withstood a furious late rally led by Devonte Graham, who scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, including five 3-pointers.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points and Anthony Edwards added 22 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the undermanned Detroit Pistons 119-100 in a game with significant lottery implications.