The Tribune-Democrat
JOHNSTOWN —
SOFTBALL
High School
Richland 8, Bedford 0
BEDFORD – Freshman pitcher Nicki Mihalik had 12 strikeouts in a two-hitter as Richland blanked host Bedford.
The Rams’ Kaleigh Hudak went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. She had a double.
Lauren Keffer went 3-for-4 with a double. Mihalik went 2-for-5 and scored a run.
Alexis Dona had two hits.
BASEBALL
High School
Somerset 16, Johnstown 1
SOMERSET - Max Marker had two hits and drove in five runs as Somerset defeated visiting Johnstown in an abbreviated game.
Austin Sleek and Drew Hemminger each had two hits for the undefeated Golden Eagles.
Johnstown’s Nolan Eidem singled and scored his team’s lone run. Tyler Boyd had a run-scoring single.
WRESTLING
High School
Ligonier girl wins championship
Shadiya Howell, a junior from Laurel Valley who participates on the Ligonier Valley wrestling team, won a national championship in the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association National Tournament last weekend in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The event, held at Eastern Michigan University, included between 400 and 500 girls, some of whom traveled from as far away as Alaska and Maine.
Howell wrestled in the 116-pound class in the High School Division. She had won the Pennsylvania Girls Wrestling championship two weeks ago, and represented Pennsylvania at the national tournament.
After receiving a first-round bye Howell recorded a convincing 14-2 win in the quarterfinals against Ohio’s Katherine Cameron. In her semifinals match, she won a 6-0 decision over Alaska’s Paige Warnke.
She then faced a nationally ranked opponent in Oklahoma’s Kristina Reif. After leading 7-2, Howell secured the title with a second-period pin at 2:53.
VOLLEYBALL
College
St. Francis’ Varee sets record
FAIRFAX, Va. – One of the St. Francis University men’s volleyball program’s “unbreakable” sideout-era records was broken during a 3-2 loss at George Mason on Wednesday.
Jordan Varee reached his 1,805th career kill against the Patriots, passing Jack Zebo for the all-time mark in the 26-year history of the Red Flash men’s volleyball program.
The mark was once thought unreachable due to the change from the sideout-era to the rally scoring-era, but the four-year starter has averaged 4.59 kills per set over 393 career sets, and 5.16 kills per set over the past two seasons.
“That’s a number I honestly thought would never be broken,” said Red Flash head coach Mike Rumbaugh. “It’s so tough for anyone to reach any of those sideout era totals.”
Varee has at last four more matches to pad his career stats. The Red Flash take on IPFW and Ball State this weekend, and will travel to Ohio State for a match on April 17.
That will be followed by their first round match in the EIVA Tournament against an opponent yet to be determined.
HOCKEY
High School
Ligonier skater in showcase
Ligonier Valley high school hockey player Dace Ludwig has been selected to participate on the Team Pittsburgh Gold squad that will compete in USA Hockey’s “America’s Showcase” on April 14-19 at the Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center near Pittsburgh.
A junior forward who attends Laurel Valley High School, Ludwig will be on one of the two Pittsburgh-based teams in the event that features 18 high school all-star teams. The five-day event formerly was known as the “Chicago Showcase” prior to its move to Pittsburgh.
Teams from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, northern New England, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Oregon and Washington will participate in the event that draws scouts from major colleges and junior hockey programs.
The PIHL is the host of “America’s Showcase.”
BASKETBALL
College
BASKETBALL
Lions’ Battle to enter NBA draft
STATE COLLEGE – Penn State junior guard Talor Battle is entering the NBA draft.
Battle said Thursday that he won’t hire an agent, meaning he has until May 8 to decide to withdraw his name from consideration and return for his senior season.
Battle hopes to hold workouts for several NBA teams during the next few weeks, though he hasn’t scheduled any.
The 5-foot-11 Battle averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists, all team highs, this season for the Nittany Lions (11-20).
He is seventh in career scoring and eighth in assists at Penn State.
Penn State’s Grant selected
UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State senior guard Tyra Grant has been selected by the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury in the second round of the WNBA Draft.
Grant, the 24th overall pick, is the 12th Lady Lion to be selected in the WNBA Draft and is the first since Amanda Brown was picked with the 38th selection in the 2007 draft.
Grant became the fourth player in school history to reach the 2,000-point plateau, joining Kelly Mazzante, current St. Francis coach Susan Robinson-Fruchtl and Kahadeejah Herbert. Grant finished her career with 2,044 points, which is third in Lady Lion history.
