Sports briefs
High school softball
Seanna Riggle led off the top of the seventh inning with a tiebreaking inside-the-park home run, giving Chartiers-Houston a 6-5 win over Frazier in the WPIAL Class A third-place game Tuesday at West Mifflin High School.
Both teams had clinched berths in next week’s PIAA playoffs. Chartiers-Houston (14-6) will play District 10 champion Cambridge Springs in the first round Monday. Frazier (14-3) will play the District 6 champion.
Chartiers-Houston pitcher Meadow Ferri had a big game, striking out 14, tossing a six-hitter and driving in a run.
Lauren Rush also homered for the Bucs and finished with three RBI.
Chartiers-Houston led 5-1 in the fourth inning but Frazier battled back and scored four times in the fifth to tie the score at 5-5.
Riggle’s home run put the Bucs back on top and Ferri retired the Commodores in order in the seventh.
- Katie Armstrong pitched a four-hit shutout as Burrell defeated Waynesburg 3-0 in the WPIAL Class 3A third-place game at Gateway High School.
Both teams had clinched berths in the PIAA tournament. Waynesburg (16-5) will open play Monday against District 10 champion Jamestown.
Armstrong struck out 14 Waynesburg batters and did not issue a walk.
Burell scored one run in the second inning and two in the sixth.
Dani Stockdale had two of Waynesburg’s hits including a double.
- Bria Bosiljevac hit a tiebreaking solo home run and pitched a three-hitter with 16 strikeouts, powering Shaler to a 2-1 win over South Fayette in the WPIAL Class 5A third-place game at Gateway High School.
The win sends Shaler (19-1) into the PIAA playoffs while South Fayette has its season end with a 12-11 record.
South Fayette tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning when Liv Bonacci hit a home run.
Lions pitcher Emma Earley allowed only four hits to the top-seeded Titans. She walked three and struck out eight.
In auto racing
IndyCar owner Roger Penske says he is certain series officials will investigate what led to a wheel sailing over the catch fence and grandstands, then landing on a parked automobile, after coming loose during a crash in the Indianapolis 500.
“We haven’t had a wheel come off in a long time,” Penske said. “We were very fortunate we didn’t have a bad accident.”
The cars are supposed to have a tether that keeps the wheel attached even in the event of a wreck. But when Felix Rosenqvist hit the wall in Turns 1 and 2 in the closing laps Sunday, and Kyle Kirkwood launched off the rear of his car into the catch fencing, the wheel went soaring over the fence and the corner of the grandstand before landing in the parking lot.
- NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott for one race on Tuesday, less than one day after the five-time most popular driver and former Cup champion deliberately wrecked Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600.
Hendrick Motorsports said in a statement it will not appeal the suspension and Corey Lajoie will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend at Gateway, outside of St. Louis.
In the NHL
The Nashville Predators fired coach John Hynes on Tuesday, moving on from him more than six weeks after missing the playoffs.
Incoming general manager Barry Trotz announced his decision hours after reports emerged that Hynes had been informed he was out and Andrew Brunette was expected to be hired to replace him as coach.
The team announced only the dismissals of Hynes and assistant Dan Lambert.