BASEBALL
UPJ sets record for season wins
The Pitt-Johnstown baseball team, ranked third in the North Atlantic Region, earned a 9-4 and 8-2 sweep at Ohio Valley Saturday night to improve to 35-15-1 and break the school’s single-season win mark for the eighth time in the last 11 years.
Matt Hanley hit two home runs and drove in six in the opener, before adding his fourth homer of the series in the nightcap.
UPJ broke the single-season win mark set in 2006 when the team posted a 33-18 record and advanced to its first NCAA Regional Tournament.
Hanley wrapped up the three-game series 7-for-12 at the plate with four home runs, 14 RBIs and seven runs. As a team, Pitt-Johnstown hit nine homers and outscored Ohio Valley 31-10 in the three-game series.
Field set for WVIAC tourney
The pairings are complete for the 2008 WVIAC Baseball Championship.
All six teams in the field own 26 or more victories, including a quartet of 30-plus win squads, as the tournament moves to Point Stadium
Friday's opening contests include Northern Division champion Pitt-Johnstown (35-15-1) facing Central Division runner-up Alderson-Broaddus (26-16-1) in the 9:30 a.m. opener. Another 9:30 a.m. start at UPJ’s campus field sees red-hot West Virginia State (30-11), the Southern Division winner, against Northern Division second-place finisher Shepherd (28-19).
The final first-round game has West Virginia Wesleyan (31-15), the victors in the Central Division, playing Southern Division bridesmaid Concord (35-11).
Pitt-Johnstown enters the tournament with a 10-game win streak. The Mountain Cats won two games of a three-game set with Alderson-Broaddus earlier this season. UPJ won 3-2 and 8-4 on March 21 before the teams battled to a 4-4 tie on the following day in a contest stopped due to weather after six innings.
Curve drop series finale
ERIE – The Erie SeaWolves used a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh by prized Tigers prospect Wilkin Ramirez to slip by the Altoona Curve Sunday at Jerry Uht Park by a 5-4 count. The loss is the third straight for the Curve.
Former State College reliever Chris Castorri (0-1) took the loss in his Double-A debut. Castorri is the second player in history to play for both the Spikes and the Altoona Curve, joining Brandon Williams (2007).
Melvin Dorta hit his second home run of the series in the fourth inning to tie the game, 1-1. The Curve tacked on to their lead in the top of the sixth by way of a Jonel Pacheco RBI single, and a sacrifice fly from Anthony Webster, to put Altoona up, 3-2.
Castorri tossed three innings, allowing two runs on five hits and struck out five batters.
Local Sports
Sports briefs - 4/28
- Local Sports
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Pirates pick up fourth straight victory
There were times earlier in his career when James McDonald would run into trouble and innings would slow to a crawl. Even worse, runners would disappear, and not in a good way.
Too much thinking. Not enough attacking. -
Sympathetic Pirates add to Cubs’ slide
Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates can relate to what the Chicago Cubs are going through.
Perhaps more than anyone, they know what it feels like to be on an extended losing streak
– 12 in a row, in the Cubs’ case. -
AAABA League will open after busy offseason
The AAABA League opens on Tuesday at Point Stadium with two new, but familiar managers, a new but familiar sponsor, an expanded interleague schedule and two new franchises committed to the 2013 season.
A lot of activity took place during the offseason, including the AAABA national committee’s vote to expand the age limit to 21 years old beginning in 2013. -
Richland's Lumley settles for pair of silver medals
Paige Lumley was on an emotional roller coaster and seeing silver on Saturday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
The Richland senior had state record jumps twice during the triple jump competition, but ended up with a silver–medal leap of 40 feet,
1¾ inches.
Defending state champion, second-seeded junior Lanae Newsome of Brookville, won with a jump of 40-3½. -
Ridge’s Dull takes second with school-record time
Matt Dull finished his athletic career with his best on Saturday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
The Chestnut Ridge senior ran a career-best time of 38.12 to finish second in the 300 hurdles final, also setting another school record. -
Hit batsman lifts Pirates over Cubs
Matt Hague was hit by a pitch from Rafael Dolis with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates sent the Chicago Cubs to their 11th straight loss with a 3-2 victory Saturday night.
Hague took a 96 mph fastball from Dolis (2-4) in the back near the shoulder blade, scoring Jose Tabata and eliciting an incredulous look to the sky by the Cubs reliever. -
Generals return to defeat Sting
It’s been a dramatic month for the Johnstown Generals.
There were two postponed games that left the immediate and long-term future of the franchise in serious doubt just two weeks ago. -
Greater Johnstown Speedway failed to win the support of fans
Back in the late 1950’s, the area stock car racing landscape was populated by a very strong and popular three-track weekend circuit, consisting of the Windber Stadium Speedway, Jennerstown Speedway and the Ebensburg Fairgrounds Speedway.
Thus, it came as a major surprise when the announcement was made that a new track, the Greater Johnstown Speedway, would be built and begin operation in 1958. -
Final PIAA track update - No gold for local athletes
Richland senior Paige Lumley broke the state triple jump record twice in the PIAA Class AA Track and Field Championships today, but it wasn't enough to earn a gold medal.
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PIAA track update - Central Cambria's Brandis earns medal
Central Cambria's Alyssa Brandis claimed the first local medal of this morning's action at the PIAA Track and Field Championshps.
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