Pirates place Jared Triolo on the injured list because of right knee tendinitis, recall Billy Cook

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jared Triolo scores on a double by Henry Davis off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed third baseman Jared Triolo on the injured list on Sunday and recalled outfielder/first baseman Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Triolo has a right knee patellar tendon injury. He is hitting .217 in six games.

Cook made the Pirates’ opening day roster but appeared in only one game and did not have an at-bat before being sent down. In two games at Indianapolis, Cook went 3 for 9 with a home run.

Pace Prosser’s double-double helps Gannon beat Lander 84-61 in Division II men’s college basketball championship game

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Gannon University Athletics, Posted on Facebook on April 6th, 2026)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pace Prosser totaled 28 points and 11 rebounds and Gannon beat Lander 84-61 on Sunday to win the Division II Championship.

Prosser made 10 of 19 shots with four 3-pointers for the Golden Knights (34-3) in a battle between two teams aiming for a first national championship. Prosser added five assists and five steals. Lucas Sekasi finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Mackenzie Morgan added 12 points and seven rebounds, while his twin brother Lucas scored 11.

Dylan Canoville totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Bearcats (30-6), who saw a 15-game winning streak end. Jacob Daniels and Greyson Pritzl both scored 11.

Second-year coach Easton Bazzoli led the third-seeded Golden Knights of Erie, Pennsylvania, to the title three years after a three-win season.

Prosser and Layne Sarver sank two straight 3-pointers in a 15-0 run that began and ended with baskets by Sekasi and the Golden Knights took a 20-9 lead. Canoville’s rebound basket ended the run as Lander scored six straight, but Prosser hit two 3-pointers in the final 1:11 for a 37-21 advantage at halftime.

Mackenzie Morgan hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half and Gannon upped its advantage to 43-22. The Bearcats got no closer than 14 from there.

Coach Omar Wattad and No. 5 seed Lander, out of Greenwood, S.C., upset defending champion and top seed Nova Southeastern 91-81 in the semifinals.

Gannon advanced to the title game one other time — in 1987 — but it ended in a 92-74 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan.

Ryan O’Hearn homers and drives in 4 to lift Pirates over Orioles 8-2 for 5th straight win

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ryan O’Hearn celebrates on second base after driving in a run off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Sunday to sweep a three-game series and extend their winning streak to five.

O’Hearn hit a two-run shot to right-center in the first inning. In the second, his two-run double highlighted a four-run outburst as the Pirates pushed their lead to 6-0.

Oneil Cruz made it 8-1 with a two-run homer to center field in the sixth. He also singled home a run in the second.

Cruz’s homer came off left-hander Cade Povich. The center fielder is 7 for 10 with three homers against lefties after going 11 for 108 with one homer last season.

That was plenty of support for Braxton Ashcraft (1-1), who allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks.

Pirates starters have given up two earned runs or fewer in each of their eight games since 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes was tagged for five runs while only getting two outs against the New York Mets on opening day.

Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (0-2) was roughed up for six runs in two innings. Signed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent just before spring training, the right-hander has given up 10 runs over 6 1/3 innings in two starts.

Pete Alonso had an RBI double and Taylor Ward got three hits for the Orioles, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Up next

Orioles: Were undecided on a starter for Monday night when they open a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox and Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.40 ERA).

Pirates: Begin a three-game home series with San Diego on Monday night as rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (0-0, 0.00) faces RHP Germán Márquez (0-1, 12.00).

Rakell scores twice, Crosby has a goal and two assists as the Penguins beat the Panthers 5-2

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates a goal on Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) as defenseman Connor Clifton (75), center Eetu Luostarinen (27) and defenseman Seth Jones (3) skate nearby during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickard Rakell scored twice, Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Sunday.

The teams faced off Saturday night and the Penguins beat them 9-4, eliminating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention.

Rakell scored his first goal for the Penguins with 48 seconds left in the first period on the power play, assisted on by Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. His second came with 1:52 left in the second period.

Bryan Rust and Elmer Soderblom also scored for the Penguins. Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Schwindt each scored for the Panthers.

Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs stopped 29 shots after tandem mate Stuart Skinner was ruled out with an upper-body injury. Daniil Tarasov allowed five goals on 23 shots in defeat.

Up next

Penguins: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Panthers: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

 

Malkin has 14th career hat trick, Penguins rout Panthers 9-4 to end Florida’s bid for a 3-peat

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea (5) celebratesa goal with right wing Justin Brazeau (16) and defenseman Samuel Girard (49) against the Florida Panthers during the second period of an NHL game, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin had his 14th career hat trick and added an assist to become the 23rd player in NHL history to reach 1,400 career points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Florida Panthers 9-4 on Saturday to eliminate the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention.

The Panthers began the season hoping to become the first team since the New York Islanders of the early 1980s to win three straight championships. It never came close to happening as injuries and shaky play in net sent them tumbling to the bottom of the standings early in the season, a hole from which they never fully recovered.

While Florida will miss the playoffs for the first time in four years, Pittsburgh is inching toward a return to the postseason after three straight absences.

The Penguins strengthened their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division by blitzing the Panthers during the first half of the second period, pouring in four goals in less than 10 minutes.

Anthony Mantha broke a 2-2 tie with his 31st goal of the season just 1:51 into the second. Malkin then beat Sergei Bobrovsky twice in less than three minutes to create more than enough breathing room.

Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists for Pittsburgh. Noel Acciari and Elmer Soderblom added a goal and an assist. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of assists to move past Hall of Famer and childhood idol Steve Yzerman and into seventh place on the NHL’s career scoring list (1,756).

Artur Silovs stopped 19 shots for the Penguins and had little work to do after Pittsburgh chased Bobrovsky following Soderblom’s third goal in 15 games since being acquired in a trade with Detroit.

Up next

The teams meet again Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in a rare back-to-back at the same venue.

 

Nick Yorke’s walk-off single lifts the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Baltimore Orioles 3-2

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds (10) scores on a sacrifice fly hit by Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Shane Baz during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Yorke singled home Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.

Reynolds doubled against Ryan Helsley (0-1) with one out. Baltimore then intentionally walked Ryan O’Hearn to bring up Yorke, who had entered as a pinch runner in the eighth. Yorke worked the count to 2-2 and fouled off a couple of pitches before Helsley delivered a 99 mph fastball that home plate umpire Dan Iassogna ruled a ball.

Helsley tapped his head to initiate an ABS challenge but the Orioles were out of them after failing on a pair of challenges earlier in the game. Yorke took the next pitch and lined a shot over the head of Baltimore left fielder Dylan Beavers to lift the Pirates to their fourth straight victory.

Reynolds had two of Pittsburgh’s eight hits. Jake Mangum delivered a game-tying run with an infield single in the eighth.

Dennis Santana (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth to set the stage for Yorke.

Adley Rutschman had two hits for Baltimore. Beavers and Leodys Taveras each drove in a run for the Orioles, who have dropped four of five. Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso went 0 for 4 and is now hitless in his last 11 at-bats.

The Pirates tied it in the eighth thanks to some shaky glove work by the Orioles. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna reached when Baltimore third baseman Colby Mayo couldn’t wrangle a soft tapper. Yorke came on to run for Ozuna and made it to third via two groundouts and scored when Orioles second baseman Blaze Alexander couldn’t cleanly field Mangum’s chopper to the left side of the infield.

Shane Baz limited the Pirates to just one unearned run over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander — a former first-round pick by the Pirates in 2017 — missed out on his first victory with the Orioles since being acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay when Baltimore’s defense faltered late.

Up next

The series wraps up on Sunday. Chris Bassitt (0-1, 8.31 ERA) starts for Baltimore against Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft (0-1, 3.00).

Teenager Konnor Griffin dazzles in debut as Pirates edge Orioles 5-4 for third straight win

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin hits an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin debuted in style. The 19-year-old Pirates shortstop delivered an RBI double in his first big league at-bat as Pittsburgh held off the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Friday.

Griffin, called up on Thursday and the consensus top prospect in baseball, looked every bit the part during an electric afternoon at PNC Park.

He laced a double to center field off Kyle Bradish (0-2) in the bottom of the second, then showcased his speed while racing home on a single to shallow right field by Jared Triolo.

The teenager, the youngest player to make his major league debut at shortstop since Alex Rodriguez did it at 18 for Seattle in 1994, also drew a walk and handled all of his defensive chances without an issue as the Pirates won their third straight. Griffin became the first Pirate under 20 to reach base twice in his debut since Bobby Del Greco in 1952.

The sellout crowd at PNC Park, which opened 25 years ago, or a full half-decade before Griffin was born on April 24, 2006, roared when Griffin was introduced during the pregame ceremony. The roars drew even louder when he took an 85 mph curveball from Bradish and sent it rocketing to the fence in center field.

Triolo, who moved from short to third after Griffin’s promotion, had a pair of hits and his first RBI of the season. Ryan O’Hearn, Henry Davis and Oneil Cruz also drove in runs for the Pirates.

Mitch Keller (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Gregory Soto gave up a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson with two outs in the ninth, but rebounded by striking out former New York Mets teammate Pete Alonso to pick up his first save with Pittsburgh.

Henderson finished with three hits for Baltimore. Dylan Beavers and Blaze Alexander had two hits apiece for the Orioles. Bradish was touched for four runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in four innings.

Up next

The series continues Saturday when Baltimore’s Shane Baz (0-0, 6.75 ERA) faces Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0).

Sheetz and the Pittsburgh Pirates launching “Home Runz for Hunger” campaign this season to help out the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

(File Photo of PNC Park)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Sheetz and the Pittsburgh Pirates launched a new initiative for the 2026 season called the “Home Runz for Hunger” program to support local food security efforts. Sheetz will donate $100 for every home run hit by the Pirates at PNC Park this year to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. This will begin this afternoon when the Pirates take on the Orioles for the team’s 2026 home opener. Each donation of $100 allows the food bank to provide approximately 300 meals to residents in need. The 2026 season marks the first year Sheetz will serve as the official home run activation partner of the Pirates, which expands a relationship between them that began in 2024.

Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones suffers injury and is out for the season

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh Penguins’ Caleb Jones skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, in Pittsburgh, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones is now out for the rest of this NHL season with an injury. Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed this recently. Jones had one assist in seven games for the Penguins. However, he suffered a lower-body injury, which caused him to miss several months. The NHL suspended him for 20 games on February 4th, 2026 because he tested positive for a performance enhancing substance. 

Cirelli gets 2nd career hat trick and Lightning move into 1st in Atlantic after beating Penguins 6-3

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (71) scores against Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cirelli registered his second career hat trick, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning moved into first place in the Atlantic Division after a 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Zemgus Girgensons scored his 100th career goal and Brayden Point scored his second in 14 games for Tampa Bay, which improved to 7-1-2 in the past 10 games. Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves both had two assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves.

Egor Chinakov scored twice and Rickard Rackell also scored for Pittsburgh. Sam Girard and Kris Letang both had two assists and Stuart Skinner finished with 27 saves.

The Penguins remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the New York Islanders.

Cirelli scored Tampa Bay’s first two goals and he added an empty-netter for his first hat trick since Jan. 17, 2020.

Cirelli and Rakell traded goals 1:55 apart in the opening seven minutes of the game before Chinakov gave the Penguins their first lead of the game with a backhander from the right circle at 16:10.

Cirelli notched his second of the game 11 seconds into the second, deflecting a puck away from Bryan Rust and racing up ice for a breakaway, lifting a backhand shot over Skinner for a shorthanded marker.

Point put the Lightning back in front at 14:08 on a rebound. Girgensons took a pass from Gourde behind the net, pulled the puck to his forehand as he reached the crease and tucked a backhander into the open part of the net with 54.7 seconds left in the second.

Kucherov made it 5-2 at 13:50 of the third.

Up next

Pittsburgh: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday

Tampa Bay: Host the Boston Bruins on Saturday