Category: Sports

Castro Ditches Phone, Brings Bat, Pirates beat D-backs 6-4

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro slides over to make a catch on a liner hit by Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Rodolfo Castro had two hits to spark the offense one night after a smartphone faux pas, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4. The 23-year-old Castro mistakenly left his phone in the back pocket of his baseball pants during Tuesday’s game, and it came flying out on a headfirst slide into third base. On Wednesday, he left his phone in the clubhouse but certainly remembered to bring his bat. Mitch Keller threw 5 1/3 solid innings as Pittsburgh improved to 5-4 in August.

Castro Loses Phone in Pirates’ 6-4 loss to Diamondbacks

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Rodolfo Castro reacts after making the last out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Phoenix. Called up from Triple-A Indianapolis before the game, Castro slid headfirst into third in the fourth inning against the Diamondbacks and had his phone fly out of his back pocket. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

PHOENIX (AP) — Pittsburgh infielder Rodolfo Castro lost his phone on the field and the Pirates were stymied by rookie Tommy Henry in a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Henry was sharp in his Chase Field debut, allowing a run on four hits in seven innings. Castro made a different kind of noise after being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. The second baseman walked in the fourth inning and went to third on Oneil Cruz’s single. Castro slid headfirst into the bag to beat the throw and the impact sent his phone flying from his back pocket. Third base umpire Adam Hamari immediately saw the phone and pointed to it on the ground. The 23-year-old Castro picked up the phone and handed it to Pirates third base coach Mike Rebelo, who had an exasperated look on his face before taking it.

Gallen’s Pitching, Marte’s Hit Lift D-backs over Pirates 3-0

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched seven dominant innings, Ketel Marte had a crucial two-out, two-RBI single in the eighth and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 . Gallen gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. The seven innings matched a career high he’s reached 13 times in the big leagues. He threw just 89 pitches but manager Torey Lovullo opted to bring in lefty Joe Mantiply for the eighth. The decision worked. Mantiply retired the Pirates in order in the eighth and Ian Kennedy handled the ninth for his seventh save.

Pirates Sweep Brewers With Second Walk Victory in a Row

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds raced home on a wild pitch with one out in the 10th inning, lifting the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 to complete a three-game sweep. Reynolds tied it earlier in the inning when he hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line off Matt Bush (2-2). Reynolds moved to third on a fly to right field by Ke’Bryan Hayes and raced home when a pitch from Bush slipped by Brewers catcher Victor Caratini to give the Pirates their third comeback win over first-place Milwaukee in as many days.

Cardinals Acquire Veteran Lefty Quintana from Pirates

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jose Quintana has parlayed his success in Pittsburgh into a job in St. Louis. The Pirates traded have the veteran left-handed pitcher to the Cardinals on in exchange for reliever Johan Oviedo and corner infield prospect Malcolm Nunez. The 33-year-old Quintana signed a one-year deal with the Pirates last fall intent on re-establishing himself as a starter after spending most of the last two seasons working out of the bullpen with multiple clubs. Quintana delivered, going 3-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 20 starts with Pittsburgh, including 5 2/3 shutout innings last week against Philadelphia.

Jordan Whitehead Returns To Central Valley To Host Youth Football Camp

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photos & Sound From Bob Barrickman/Beaver County Radio)

“The kids really make me feel humble and blessed to be out here supporting and helping them out.”

New York Giants wide receiver Robert Foster joined his former teammate in helping out at the Jordan Whitehead Youth Football Camp at Central Valley High School. (Photo/Bob Barrickman)

Jordan Whitehead was once one of those kids in the Central Valley School District, hoping to turn his love for sport into something more. Something more is what it became, as the defensive back turned in a standout career at the University of Pittsburgh before being drafted into the NFL in 2018. Two years later he would become a Super Bowl champion in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before signing in free agency with the New York Jets during this current offseason.

This past weekend, however, he returned to inspire the youth that were once in his position as he hosted the Jordan Whitehead Youth Football Camp at Central Valley, along with former teammate Robert Foster–who himself found his way to New York this offseason as he signed with the New York Giants. Beaver County Radio sports director Bob Barrickman talked to both of the former teammates and talked to them during the weekend’s festivities. Audio can be heard below:

Pirates hit 4 Homers to beat Brewers 8-6, Win Series

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)
By TOM KERTSCHER Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Touted rookie Oneil Cruz hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and Daniel Vogelbach added a three-run shot in the ninth to power the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Michael Chavis and Ke’Bryan Hayes also went deep for the Pirates, who took two of three from the NL Central leaders. Andrew McCutchen had a two-run homer in the ninth for the Brewers. Chavis tied it 4-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth off losing pitcher Trevor Gott, who had just replaced starter Eric Lauer. Two outs later, the 6-foot-7 Cruz connected for his fourth home run of the season. Vogelbach made it 8-4 with his drive off Chi Chi González.

Commissioner Craig Patrick Talks About New 3ICE Hockey League On A.M. Beaver County

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo used with permission from 3ICE/Getty Images)

Craig Patrick has been in the middle of many a moment in the history of the NHL during his tenure as head coach, general manager, and several other roles. Now he is seeking to do the same as commissioner of a brand new summer league.

The 3ICE hockey league is in its first year of operations, featuring 3-on-3 action (similar to that of NHL overtime) featuring a mix of former NHLers and young upstarts in fast-paced back-and-forth battles every week. Patrick–who is the commissioner of the 3ICE league–joined Matt Drzik on the July 8 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about the creation of this league and what it offers to the many audiences who be witness to the action.

Patrick noted that the origins of 3ICE have deep connections to the Pittsburgh area, as the founder was Eddie “EJ” Johnston, the son of the former Penguins head coach and GM. “He would go to the Penguins’ rookie camp and the [New Jersey] Devils’ rookie camp, and at those rookie camps they play 3-on-3 hockey,” Patrick said. “He noticed that all the people that werethere were sitting on the edge of their seats, just enamored with these no-name guys doing their skill things. And he thought that this would be great for TV.”

Thus began a four-year process of putting 3ICE together, making Patrick the Commissioner and–after waiting to begin due to the pandemic–beginning action on June 18 with games in Las Vegas. The league runs weekly throughout the summer making stops in eight different North American cities, including a stop at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on July 23. As far as being “great for TV”, the games will be airing throughout the season on the CBS Sports channel.

Each of the six teams in the 3ICE league is coached by a former NHL star, including former Penguins players Bryan Trottier, Larry Murphy, Joe Mullen and John LeClair. Another former Penguin–Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone–is a player in the 3ICE league, but according to Patrick: “we have some former NHL players, but they haven’t been the standouts…the guys who are standing out are the guys just out of college, and some guys playing in Europe who are coming back for the summer.” The top scorer after each week gets to don a golden helmet as a symbol of achievement–and also a target for other players to try and top.

For more information about the 3ICE hockey league, check out their website for upcoming tour dates and information about players, coaches, and game results. To hear the full conversation with 3ICE commissioner Craig Patrick, click on the player below!

Gibsonia Resident Nails Hole In One On Tuesday At Suncrest

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

On a perfect day for golf, Debbie Guadagnino hit the perfect shot.

The Gibsonia native hit a hole-in-one on the 9th hole at Suncrest Golf Course, located on Brownsdale Road in Butler. According to Suncrest marketing director Christina Mock, it is the first hole-in-one for Guadagnino and that “I’ve never seen a more excited player yet” in regards to Debbie’s reaction to her achievement.

A final score from Guadagnino’s full round was not released.

Pirates Swept By Rays, Nationals Next

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Shane McClanahan struck out 10 over seven innings, Tampa Bay had a three-run seventh keyed by an overturend call and the Rays completed a three-game sweep by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. McClanahan allowed one run and four hits, and had 10 strikoeouts, lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.77 ERA and grabbing the big league lead in strikeouts with 123. The Rays took a 4-1 lead in the seventh on Ji-Man Choi’s run-scoring double and RBI singles by Josh Lowe and Isaac Paredes off Anthony Banda, who replaced Tyler Beede (0-1) with one on and two outs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates enter tonight’s matchup against the Washington Nationals as losers of three straight games. Washington has a 12-26 record in home games and a 27-48 record overall. The Nationals have gone 11-3 in games when they hit two or more home runs.

Pittsburgh is 12-23 on the road and 29-43 overall. The Pirates have an 18-6 record in games when they scored at least five runs. Monday’s game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Pirates are up 3-1 in the season series.