Bill Beckner stories, Page 67

Franklin Regional did not have much time to dwell on its first loss of the WPIAL baseball season. After a night game against neighboring Gateway — just a few miles up Route 22 — the Panthers welcomed the Gators for an after-school Section 1-5A rematch Tuesday. Swiftly and soundly, the...

Walk-off wins have become a hot commodity for the Seton Hill baseball team. Nobody has done it better lately, or with more flair, than the Griffins. They were at it again Sunday, earning two thrilling, extra-inning victories against visiting Pitt-Johnstown to stretch their winning streak to 11. (The streak has...

Rosters were revealed this week for the Roundball Classic senior all-star basketball games, set for May 18, 19 and 20 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls. Teams feature players from the WPIAL, City League and District 10. Players will wear their school uniforms. The nine-game schedule features two games Thursday,...

Jake Williams took a gap year after he left Franklin Regional and enrolled at Yale. Now, he is hitting gap shots for the baseball team. Williams, a junior, was a hero last week for the Bulldogs when he capped a four-hit game with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom...

Having struck out three times, like a couple of her Southmoreland softball teammates had, Amarah McCutcheon admitted she didn’t have much expectation when she stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. On this day, a foul tip was an accomplishment against Ligonier Valley ace Cheyenne Piper,...

Greensburg Central Catholic soccer standout Kyler Miller accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Robert Morris, extending his playing career to the Division I level. The senior forward will have a roster spot and can earn scholarship money later. “It means everything to me,” he said about fulfilling his dream of...

Emma Armstrong let the world know her softball career was over. The senior first baseman at Towson announced via social media last week that she tore her ACL and meniscus and is done for the season. The Penn-Trafford alum had started 26 of 27 games this year and was hitting...

As he shops around his talent with Division I schools in an effort to close out his career at the highest level of college basketball, one thing is clear about Bryce Butler, the versatile swingman from West Liberty: He is one of the best players in Division II. Maybe the...

Tiffany Zelmore Sr., F, Mt. Pleasant The ball goes up, hits the backboard with force and rims out. But Tiffany Zelmore is not discouraged. In one motion, she cleans up her own miss, grunting as she pulls down the rebound, and goes back up for two points. She is fouled...

Adam Bilinsky Sr., G, Norwin Whether he was commanding a double-team at the top of the key from a defense that didn’t want to get dunked on or pulling up in the lane for a syrupy-smooth jumper, Adam Bilinsky was a tough matchup for any team. “He was the best...

Haden Sierocky School: Ligonier Valley Class: Senior Sport: Baseball Claim to fame: The left-handed pitcher had a career game against Greensburg Central Catholic as he struck out 17 and allowed one hit in a 6-0 win. A three-sport standout, Sierocky is headed to Seton Hill to play baseball. Sierocky was...

A local pair of boys volleyball players were lauded by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association for their recent play. Penn-Trafford senior setter Daniel Tarabrella was named a Class 3A player of the week, while Tyler Nelson, a senior hitter from Latrobe, received the same honor in 2A. Latrobe recently...

The Norwin boys volleyball team won its 16-team tournament on March 25, holding back Butler in the final for the title. The top-seeded Knights beat Central Catholic in the quarterfinals and Latrobe in the semis. Norwin won a couple of matches leading up to the tournament, defeating Baldwin, 3-0, and...

Norwin did not make its way through the PIAA girls basketball playoffs like it was touring a museum, pausing to look at others’ accomplishments with an enjoy-the-ride mentality. The Lady Knights were not slack-jawed as they stared down each round in the state’s largest classification. No, their run to the...

With Latrobe on Hempfield’s bumper late in Thursday’s nonsection baseball game, the host Spartans turned to their defense to bail them out of some tense moments, particularly those attached to two of the final three outs. First baseman Adam Hess made a long throw across the diamond to knock out...

The Ohio trip has become a tradition at Latrobe. And if the Wildcats don’t make the trek to Upper Arlington to play the Golden Bears to christen a new baseball season, then the Golden Bears come to them. Upper Arlington is coached by Latrobe alum Nate Phillips. The initial thought...

Junior Blake Bertucci and his fellow Franklin Regional baseball pitchers are playing with less stress these days. With the offense giving them leads to work with, their job is less complex. It comes down to limiting the damage, getting off the field and allowing the hitters to get back to...

Watching softballs fly over the fence can make some coaches jump around like a child on a trampoline. But Latrobe’s Bob Kovalcin doesn’t overreact to home runs. He admits he would rather see base hits and sacrifice bunts, crisp execution over power. “They’ve made a fool out of me,” Kovalcin...

Plum’s softball field is known for its short dimensions. A coach whose team was playing there for the first time called it a litter box. On Monday, Franklin Regional mistook it for a driving range. In one of the wildest games you will see, Franklin Regional out-clubbed host Plum, 28-19,...

After striking out 17 times in the series opener against Ligonier Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic was eager to get the bats around on some pitches in the rematch. The offense had been mostly stagnant through three games this season, and the team was looking to break out. “We walked a...

Saint Vincent freshman basketball player Jaden Gales continues to reap the benefits of a dazzling debut season. Gales was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Rookie of the Year, and also garnered All-ECAC Second Team honors. Previously, the 6-foot-6 forward was tabbed the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Rookie of...

Fresh off a 32-point performance in front of a CBS audience as well as a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Tournament, Bryce Butler is testing the waters of the transfer portal. The Latrobe alum and All-American entered the college database in an effort to attract offers from Division...

Pitt-Greensburg knows how to put the business-end of the bat on the baseball. The highest-scoring team in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, the Bobcats have piled up 150 runs, which is 45 more than second-place Hilbert. UPG (11-3) has scored double-digit runs seven times, even racking up 27 in a...

About eight months ago, when he was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer, Joe Purdue said this: “I am letting God take the wheel on this one.” The Franklin Regional grad and former football player put up a fight as support grew around him, but he could not hang on any...

Josie Straigis School: Latrobe Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Straigis helped power Latrobe to a 3-0 start with her bat and her arm. She delivered a walk-off home run to beat Norwin, 9-8, in the opener. In that game, she went 4 for 4 and hit for the...