Bill Beckner stories, Page 194

No. 3 Hempfield (15-6) vs. No. 1 North Allegheny (15-6) 2:15 p.m. Thursday at Peterswood Park Coaches: Bob Kalp, Hempfield; Morgan Vescovi, North Allegheny Players to watch: Emma Hoffner, So., C, Hempfield; Rachel Martindale, Sr., SS, North Allegheny WPIAL titles: Hempfield 6 (2018, ‘17 6A; ‘16, ‘15, ‘09 4A; ‘98...

Mt. Pleasant softball players, coaches and fans held their collective breath when Courtney Poulich dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. It was the Section 1-4A opener at home against Indiana, and Poulich stretched out to pull in a potential putout at first base. The attempted stab was more stabbing:...

Refreshed and refocused, Penn-Trafford quickly closed the door on a sour loss in the WPIAL softball semifinals and rebounded for a historically significant victory in the Class 5A third-place game. Emma Little and Brooke Cleland each had two hits as the Warriors set the scene early and downed Franklin Regional,...

Another one of the WPIAL’s top sophomore softball players has opened her recruitment. Mt. Pleasant’s versatile Haylie Brunson decommitted from Louisiana-Lafayette, a school she pledged to as a freshman. She will see what interest begins to materialize this summer during the travel ball season and go from there. “For the...

With his college season finished, Mark Goetz returned to Greensburg to play his home course. Make that, overtake his home course. Goetz carved up a career round Monday — and had a Memorial Day to remember – with a course-record 10-under par 60 at Hannastown Golf Club. A sophomore at...

WPIAL baseball championships Class 6A 1-Penn-Trafford (18-3) vs. 2-Pine-Richland (17-4) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Coaches: Dan Miller, Penn-Trafford; Kurt Wolfe, Pine-Richland Players to watch: Maclean Maund, Sr., P, Penn-Trafford; Matt Wood, Sr., C Pine-Richand WPIAL titles: Penn-Trafford 0; Pine-Richland 5 (2017 6A; ’10 4A; ’06, ’05,...

Some athletes have “hello world” moments in college sports. Collin Liberatore has had a “hello world” season at Indiana State. The junior starting pitcher was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. Liberatore, a right-hander from Greensburg Central Catholic who transferred from Pitt and sat out a season,...

Seton Hill midfielder John Miller will play in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I/II All-Star Game Friday at the U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Md. The 78th all-star event features top-tier seniors from around the nation. Miller was an All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference first team player for the...

Rising coach Brennan Marion is a sponge when it comes to gaining — and sharing — football information. Which made him a perfect candidate for the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit. Marion, the offensive coordinator at William & Mary and a Greensburg Salem graduate, will join a number of other NFL...

How quickly things can change in the WPIAL softball playoffs. “You don’t feel comfortable with any lead until the game is over,” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. Top-seeded Penn-Trafford built an early four-run advantage, but several defensive lapses led to a drastic swing in momentum and allowed No. 4 Connellsville...

Center fielder Sydney Kanuch made a terrific, over-the-shoulder catch to snap closed the sixth inning. Third baseman Haylie Brunson clubbed a solo home run to deep right. Fast-armed pitcher Carolyn Alincic allowed just four hits against a team that made decent contact against her. And coach Chris Brunson almost lost...

Seton Hill senior Lexi Stevenson will make a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II track and field championships Thursday through Saturday at Javalina Stadium at at Texas A&M Kingsville. Stevenson will compete in the shot put after qualifying with a throw of 14.79 meters at the PSAC championships....

Some athletes have “hello world” moments in college sports. Collin Liberatore has had a “hello world” season at Indiana State. The junior starting pitcher was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. Liberatore, a righthander from Greensburg Central Catholic who transferred from Pitt and sat out a season,...

Andrew Muraco changed gloves, then helped Franklin Regional change momentum in the sixth inning. The sophomore pitched five-plus innings before moving to right field, but he had an immediate impact at his new position. Muraco made one of two key defensive plays that not only eliminated baserunners for which he...

Decorated Point Park track standout Anna Shields has more regional athlete of the year awards than a relay team has runners. The senior was named the NAIA Great Lakes Region Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association —...

Buddy Valinsky said he would have remained at Allderdice had the school joined the WPIAL in boys basketball. Because that wasn’t going to happen, though, he decided to leave the program he built into a perennial power to make inroads to the WPIAL, only in a different way. Valinsky, who...

Washington & Jefferson baseball took down No. 11 Rowan, 6-5, Sunday in Salibury, Md., to win the NCAA Division III Salisbury Regional and advance to the Super Regional round. Mullen Socha hit a two-run home run and Dante Dalesandro added a solo homer for the Presidents (35-11), who rallied to...

Point Park removed the interim tag from Joe Lewandowski Friday and officially named him head men’s basketball coach, the university announced. Lewandowski coached the Pioneers last season, filling in at the last minute after the departure of Gabe Bubon, who left to take the head boys hoops job at Warren...

Down by one and its season on the line, Jeannette had a runner at third with nobody out in the top of the seventh inning. Knowing they were locked in a pure pitcher’s duel where defense was exceptional and offense was hard to come by, the Jayhawks had to react...

Slightly perturbed by its WPIAL playoff seeding, Norwin took out its frustration on — and laid the aluminum to — Bethel Park. “We beat Hempfield twice so I feel like maybe we should have been up a little higher,” Norwin junior third baseman Victoria Shimko said. “But what can you...

Thursday’s games Baseball First round Class 6A No. 8 Upper St. Clair (12-6) vs. No. 9 Hempfield (11-9) 4 p.m. at West Mifflin Winner plays: No. 1 Penn-Trafford (16-3) Coaches: Jerry Malarkey, Upper St. Clair; Tim Buzzard, Hempfield Players to watch: Eli Shedd, Jr., P, Upper St. Clair; Luke Hudson,...

Courtney McQuaide fought back tears as she limped to the medal stand and pulled herself up to the top block to receive her gold medal. It wasn’t the writhing pain she felt in her left foot or the thrill from winning a third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference pole vault...

Auston Kranick was glad to be collateral damage. That is how recruiting sometimes can work. Funny story, though, how Kranick became a Division-I soccer player. The Franklin Regional senior was not the recruit Oakland University was coming to scout during a game last season, but the Golden Grizzlies are glad...

Emma Nedley was so good this season for the Penn softball team, the postseason award she garnered Wednesday almost seemed anticlimactic. Nedley was rewarded for her breakthrough season by being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. A freshman outfielder from Penn-Trafford, she also made the all-conference first team as...

Carnegie Mellon sophomore Jason Li is a semifinalist — one of 30 players nationally — for the prestigious NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. Li, a Sewickley Academy graduate, is having one of the best scoring seasons in the country. He was selected by the...