Sports briefs
Boys soccer
Peters Township picked up a key victory in Class 4A Section 2 by beating Mt. Lebanon 1-0 Thursday night.
The lone goal of the match was scored by Blake Gabelhart.
The win clinched a playoff berth for the Indians, who are 9-3 in the section and 10-3 overall. They are tied for second place with Norwin and 1 1/2 games ahead of fourth-place Canon-McMillan (7-4-1, 7-6-1). Mt. Lebanon is in fifth place in the section at 6-5-1. The top four finishers qualify for the playoffs.
Wild Things add pitcher
The Wild Things announced Friday that they have acquired lefthanded pitcher Griffin Baker from Sussex County Miners to complete a midseason trade that sent pitcher Jack Dellinger to the Miners.
Baker pitched in 12 games (11 starts) and had a 6-4 record and 4.96 ERA for Sussex County. One of his wins came July 9 against the Wild Things.
It was Baker’s second season in the Frontier League. He played for Florence in 2022 and had a 4-3 record and 7.43 ERA. He played his college baseball at Belmont Abbey.
In football
Receiver Cooper Kupp is expected to make his season debut for the Los Angeles Rams against Philadelphia on Sunday.
Coach Sean McVay said Friday that Kupp will be activated from injured reserve and will play at SoFi Stadium “unless something different happens in the next 48 hours.”
Kupp returned to practice this week with the Rams (2-2) after missing the first month of the regular season with a hamstring injury. The Super Bowl 56 MVP was hurt early in training camp, and he aggravated the injury in late August.
In golf
Matt Fitzpatrick is showing no sign of any emotional hangover following Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup.
The Englishman shot 8-under 64 at Kingsbarns on Friday to take a one-stroke lead at the Dunhill Links Championship, the European tour event that also takes place at St. Andrews and Carnoustie. After a round at each of the three Scottish courses, the final round is back on the Old Course on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick, who had Friday’s low round, was on 13 under par and a shot clear of Scotland’s Grant Forrest (67) and Spain’s Nacho Elvira (66) after a day when strong winds affected the scoring. Forrest and Elvira both played at St. Andrews.
- Ben Griffin joined a crowded pack of contenders in the Sanderson Farms Championship and then moved past them with a 30 on the back nine, sending him to a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead going into the weekend.
Griffin’s score was one shot better than his previous best in his rookie season, highlighted by a 65-foot eagle from the fringe on the par-5 14th hole at the Country Club of Jackson.
Only one of his seven birdies came from inside 10 feet.
Griffin was at 14-under 130, two shots ahead of Harrison Endycott (65), Luke List (66), Carl Yuan (66) and Henrik Norlander (67).
In baseball
Team-initiated video reviews were slightly less successful in the major leagues this season, which saw overturned calls drop to 48.5% from 50.2% in 2022.
Major League Baseball said Friday that 625 of 1,288 club challenges were overturned. There were 304 calls confirmed (23.6%) and 359 allowed to stand (27.9%)- where there was not enough evidence to confirm or overturn.
Miami led the major leagues with a 75% success rate, followed by Washington (74.2%), Houston (67.7%), Arizona and Kansas City (65.1% each).
The Los Angeles Angels (29.4%), Detroit (32.6%), Pittsburgh (38%), Cincinnati (38.7%), Toronto (38.9%) and Baltimore (39.6%) were the least successful.
- The Baltimore Orioles are starting Kyle Bradish in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against Texas on Saturday.
Manager Brandon Hyde made the announcement Friday and said rookie Grayson Rodriguez is set for Game 2 on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Bradish (12-7) finished third in the American League with a 2.83 ERA this season. Rodriguez (7-4) was one of baseball’s top pitching prospects at the beginning of the year. He struggled early and was sent back to the minors for a bit, but he’s gone 5-2 with a 2.58 ERA since the All-Star break.