Sports briefs
Pony baseball
Joe Wilson had a moment to remember Monday night.
Wilson hit a two-run walk-off home run to give Chambers Insurance a 5-3 win over Turturice & Associates in the Washington Pony League championship game.
The blast ended what had been a good pitchers’ duel and made Anthony Giorgi the game’s winning pitcher.
The only other extra-base hit was a double by Asher Donley of Chambers Insurance.
Legion baseball
Belle Vernon and Connellsville traded blows Monday in a back-and-forth Fayette American Legion affair with Belle Vernon eventually gaining a 9-8 victory.
The score was tied 8-8 when Dante Defilices hit a tiebreaking RBI single.
Andrew Kostelnik pitched Belle Vernon (4-0) to the win.
Belle Vernon racked up 13 hits. Jack Sacco, Marion, von Fradenburgh, Jake Wessel, and Evan Morrow all had multiple hits.
Penguins promotions
The Pittsburgh Penguins promoted Chris Pryor to assistant general manager Tuesday, one of several front-office moves made by general manager Ron Hextall.
The 61-year-old Pryor spent last season as Pittsburgh’s director of player personnel, which included overseeing the team’s scouting efforts in North America and Europe. Pryor will assist Hextall in hockey operations while still keeping his hand in the team’s personnel decisions.
The Penguins also named Andy Saucier hockey operations analyst/pro personnel. The role, which was created exclusively for Saucier, makes him a liaison between the club’s coaching staff and analytics department.
The 35-year-old also will be involved in scouting while keeping his duties as Pittsburgh’s in-game video coordinator. Saucier has helped coach Mike Sullivan determine when to challenge a goal by an opponent.
Hextall also promoted Erik Heasley to general manager of the franchise’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
In college baseball
Washington & Jefferson concluded the season ranked No. 24 in the final American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III poll.
The Presidents had a 37-10 overall record. The 37 wins are tied with the 2021 team for the third most in a single-season in program history. Only the College World Series teams from 2017 and 2019 had more wins in a season. With a 10-2 victory over Westminster on May 14, W&J won its 14th Presidents’ Athletic Conference title and secured a berth to the NCAA Division III tournament for a ninth time. The Presidents were 25-2 in conference play and won 23 of 26 games at Ross Memorial Park.
National champion Eastern Connecticut State finished in the top spot with a 49-3 record. Salisbury, LaGrange, Marietta and Wisconsin-Stevens Point rounded out the top five in the rankings.
In soccer
Apple’s foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.
Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.
The deal is Apple’s second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing “Friday Night Baseball,” an exclusive weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball games.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said Apple is not paying a rights fee but rather a minimum guarantee against revenues that will be generated with both selling subscriptions.