(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Buffalo, NY) The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted two twin brothers in the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York over the weekend. The Penguins selected Liam Ruck at 22nd overall in the first round on Friday. However, it was a family affair for Liam as the Penguins selected his twin brother Markus Ruck at 39th overall on Saturday in the second round. The twins are from Osoyoos, British Columbia, and they spent more than two seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. Markus, a forward, led the WHL with 108 points last season, while Liam, a right winger, finished in second with 104 points. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tyler Callihan (37) celebrates with Ryan O’Hearn (29) as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered twice in a game for the third time in the majors and drove in four runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates avoid a series sweep with a 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

O’Hearn put Pittsburgh in front 5-4 in the fifth inning with a 421-foot drive to right off Brady Singer (3-7).

After 65-minute rain delay with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Pierce Johnson walked Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales before O’Hearn hit a three-run shot to make it 8-4. Esmerlyn Valdéz followed O’Hearn by homering for a third straight game.

Mitch Keller (6-5) went six innings for the Pirates, allowing four runs — three earned — and five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

X-rays were inconclusive on Eugenio Suárez’s left hand after he was hit by a pitch from Keller in the sixth inning and forced to leave the game. Manager Terry Francona said Suárez will have a CT scan on Monday after traveling with the team to Milwaukee for the start of a four-game series against the Brewers.

Singer gave up five runs and nine hits with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings for the Reds.

Pittsburgh scored four runs before recording an out in the second inning. Gonzales and O’Hearn started with a pair of singles before Valdéz made it 1-0 on a ground-rule double. Tyler Callihan then sent a sinker 412 feet to right for a three-run homer.

Elly De La Cruz reached safely on a fielding error by Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe to begin the fourth. A double by Sal Stewart put two runners in scoring position. JJ Bleday took advantage with a two-run single that dropped into right field and cut the deficit to 4-2.

Tyler Stephenson lined an RBI double past a diving Callihan in left field and scored on Edwin Arroyo’s single down the line in right, tying it at 4 in the fifth.

The Pirates twice failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs. Konnor Griffin grounded into a force out, Lowe struck out and Reynolds grounded to third in the fourth. In the seventh, Henry Davis popped up to short and Griffin hit into a double play.

Up next

Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA) will take the mound Monday for the first of a four-game set in Milwaukee against Brewers LHP Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA).

Pirates: RHP Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07 ERA) will start the first of a four-game series in Philadelphia on Monday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58 ERA).

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suárez celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning that rallied the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Trying to protect a one-run lead, Gregory Soto (4-2) let the first two Reds batters reach safely in the ninth before getting Sal Stewart to ground into a double play. Soto then walked JJ Bleday in front of Suárez, who drove a 2-2 sinker below the strike zone 344 feet the other way to right field.

Chase Petty retired the side in order in the ninth for his first major league save.

Suárez’s homer came after Esmerlyn Valdéz put Pittsburgh ahead 7-6 with a pinch-hit homer off Caleb Ferguson (1-0) in the eighth.

The Reds led three times and trailed twice. They were in front 2-0 and 6-4 before going up for good in the ninth. The Pirates went on top 4-2 in the fourth.

Stewart produced Cincinnati’s first two runs. After a 36-minute rain delay, he sent a fastball from Jared Jones 372 feet over the right-field wall in the first inning for his team-leading 15th homer. In the third, Stewart drove in Jose Trevino with a two-out single that pushed third baseman Nick Gonzales to the edge of the infield ahead of an errant throw to first.

Brandon Lowe gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the third with a three-run homer.

Endy Rodríguez doubled in the fourth and scored on Jared Triolo’s two-out single for a 4-2 lead.

Edwin Arroyo hit an RBI double for the Reds in the fifth and scored on Lowe’s fielding error at second base with two outs, tying it 4-all.

Jones went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) and four hits.

Trevino put Cincinnati back ahead 6-4 by sneaking a two-run single through the right side in the sixth.

Reds ace Chase Burns was pulled after giving up a leadoff double to Triolo in the seventh. Triolo scored on Lowe’s sacrifice fly.

Burns was charged with five runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. He struck out 10.

Ryan O’Hearn tied it 6-all with a two-out RBI single off Sam Moll later in the seventh.

Up next

Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (5-5, 4.89 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday against RHP Brady Singer (3-6, 4.81).

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Cincinnati Reds’ Noelvi Marte (4) celebrates with Sal Stewart (27) as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mason Montgomery during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pinch-hitter Noelvi Marte hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning after Cincinnati scored four runs off Paul Skenes in the second, and the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Friday night.

Given a 1-0 lead on Konnor Griffin’s homer leading off the first, Skenes allowed RBI singles to Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson and sacrifice flies to Blake Dunn and Elly De La Cruz. After the singles put the Reds ahead 2-1, Cincinnati loaded the bases with no outs when a called third strike by umpire Jeremie Rehak against Matt McLain on a full-count pitch was changed to a ball in an ABS appeal.

Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, gave up four runs, six hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings. His ERA rose from 2.86 to 3.10.

With the score 4-4, Sal Stewart singled off Mason Montgomery (2-3) with one out in the eighth and Marte followed with a 405-foot homer.

Griffin, at 20 years, 63 days, became the fifth-youngest player to hit a leadoff homer after the Kansas City Athletics’ Lou Klimchock (18-348) in 1958, Bob Kennedy of the Chicago White Sox (19-257) in 1940, the New York Yankees’ Mickey Mantle (19-328) in 1951 and the Boston Braves’ Sibby Sisti (19-356) in 1940.

Brock Burke (3-3) walked one and had two strikeouts in an inning of relief and Caleb Ferguson pitched a one-hit ninth for his first save since 2024 with the New York Yankees.

Cincinnati had lost its five previous games against Pittsburgh.

Tyler Stephenson had two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati.

Marcell Ozuna and Esmerlyn Valdez also hit solo homers for the Pirates.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott gave up four runs — three earned —- and six hits in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Cincinnati placed relieved Tony Santillan on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday, because of a strained left oblique that manager Terry Francona said is likely to sideline the right-hander for a significant period.

Up next

Reds RHP Chase Burns (9-1, 2.00 ERA) starts Saturday opposite Pirated RHP Jared Jones (1-1, 5.75).