Sports briefs
High school softball
South Allegheny combined its nine hits with 12 Ringgold errors to defeat the Rams 12-3 in a non-section game Friday.
South Allegheny pitcher Brenna Komranisky struck out 14 and did not walk a batter. She helped her cause by leading the Gladiators (6-1) at the plate by hitting three doubles, scoring three times and driving in three.
Peyton LaFlash hit two doubles and Karlie Russell belted a double and triple for Ringgold (2-6). LaFlash had two RBI and scored a run.
In tennis
McMurray native Alison Riske and Jessica Pegula gave the United States a 2-0 lead over Ukraine on Friday in the best-of-five Billie Jean King Cup qualifier.
Riske beat Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (18-16), 7-5, surviving an epic first set that lasted 1 hour, 27 minutes. Pegula beat Katarina Zavatska 6-2, 6-1 in the second match.
The 34-point tiebreaker was the second-longest in Billie Jean Cup history, surpassed only by the 40-point tiebreaker in a doubles match when India’s Manisha Malhotra and Sania Mrza beat Uzbekistan’s Ivanna Israilova and Vlada Ekshibarova in the 2004 Asia/Oceanic Group 1 event, 21-19.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what happened,” Riske said. “It was so bizarre and amazing at the same time. I felt like every time I got a set point, she would come up with something, a great serve or a great return, that would put me on offense. I had a couple second serves throughout that time that I was a little nervous on and didn’t quite execute, so those were unfortunate.”
Riske said it was an emotional match.
“I was just really proud that I was able to keep my head in there and overcome that,” Riske said. “I wanted to win for my team. I want to win for my country. I’m honestly just very proud that I was able to do that.”
Pegula will play Yastremska, and Riske will face Zavatska Saturday in the reverse singles. There will also be a doubles match. The United States only needs to win one of those matches to advance to the finals.
WVU signs transfer
Former South Carolina guard Erik Stevenson has signed with West Virginia for the 2022-23 season.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins announced Stevenson’s signing Friday. The 6-4 Stevenson will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Stevenson spent his first two seasons at Wichita State and one season at Washington. He started every game at South Carolina last season, averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He missed one free throw all season.
The signing was the third announced in as many days. Huggins announced the addition of junior college forward Mohamed Wague and former Iowa guard Joe Toussaint.
In the NFL
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was riding in a sport utility vehicle from which a man was fatally shot about two months ago, Joseph’s attorney said Friday.
Cameron Ray, 20, was shot about 2 a.m. March 18 outside a nightclub in the Lower Greenville entertainment district of East Dallas.
A newly released surveillance video showed two groups, one of which Ray was part of, engaged in a brief altercation outside the nightspot. The video shows a black SUV drive by Ray’s group, and shots were fired from at least one of its windows, wounding Ray. He died a short time later at a nearby hospital.
“Kelvin Joseph did not shoot Cameron Ray,” Barry Sorrels, Joseph’s attorney, said in a statement. “Mr. Ray’s death is a tragedy, and Kelvin extends his deepest condolences.”