Sports briefs 7/28
South Hills wins Host Area
For the second consecutive year, a team from the South Hills will be playing in the Pony League World Series.
On Sunday, South Hills won the Host Area tournament that was played in Mt. Lebanon. South Hills defeated Johnstown 5-0 in the championship game.
South Hills will play its first game in the Pony League World Series on Saturday, Aug. 8 against Navojoa, Mexico at 2:30 p.m.
In winning the Host Area tournament, South Hills went 4-0 and gave up only one run over the final three contests. South Hills received a bye in the first round of its five-team bracket and then defeated Mt. Lebanon 15-3. That was followed by a 10-0 victory over Western PA Pony that moved South Hills into the bracket final. Another win over Western PA Pony, 4-1, sent South Hills into the championship game.
Johnstown won its five-team bracket, beating Peters Township 3-2, Youngstown, Ohio, 6-3, and Peters Township again, 3-1.
Belle Vernon out of Legion play
Despite leading by as many as five runs, Belle Vernon lost to Philipsburg 8-5 on Monday in the Pennsylvania American Legion baseball tournament at Lycoming Valley Intermediate School.
The loss eliminates Belle Vernon from the double-elimination tournament.
Belle Vernon lost despite out-hitting Philipsburg 10-6. Vincenzo Francia led Belle Vernon with two hits.
A single by Jesse Sobczak extended Belle Vernon’s lead to 5-0 in the third inning.
Philipsburg flipped the script in the bottom of the fifth, scoring eight runs on six hits to take the lead, 8-5. The biggest blow in the inning was a single by Fischer White that drove in two runs.
Nick DeSimone was the winning pitcher. The lefty gave up three hits over four shutout innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Belle Vernon starter JB Crovak did not allow a hit or walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out six.
WVU moves Ohio to ’27 opener
West Virginia football changed the date of the home football game against Ohio to the start of the 2027 season. The Mountaineers’ game against the Bobcats will be played on Aug. 28, 2027, instead of the originally slated Sept. 18, 2027. It will be the home and season-opener for the 2027 season.
The non-conference schedule for the Mountaineers in 2027 now features three straight home games against Ohio on Aug. 28, Southern Mississippi on Sept. 4, and VMI on Sept. 11.
Baseball
Former pitcher Chan Ho Park became the first Korean to purchase a stake in a major league club, the second significant addition in the past week to the Athletics’ ownership structure as they prepare to move to Las Vegas in 2028.
Park, the first Korean major league player who pitched 17 seasons (1994-2010), going 124-98, also will take on the title of senior adviser to owner John Fisher.
The investment group, Team61, announced Sunday night its investment will total $70 million, of which $55 million is committed with another $15 million if Major League Baseball approves the deal.
College football
North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The school announced the move with a statement Monday morning, coming days before the Tar Heels open preseason camp. The school didn’t provide details as to the reason, noting that employees and athletes aren’t permitted to address the topic “as is standard procedure with personnel matters.”
Lombardi joined Bill Belichick in making the NFL-to-college move when the school hired the former New England Patriots coach in December 2024. Lombardi’s career as an NFL executive had included being the GM of the Cleveland Browns in 2013, and he was an immediate hire by the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach in Chapel Hill.
A few months into Belichick’s tenure, Lombardi said the goal was running a college program in a way similar to the NFL, saying the Tar Heels “consider ourselves the 33rd (NFL) team” due to the staff connections to the pros.
The Tar Heels went just 4-8 in Belichick’s first season.
NBA
Spencer Jones will return to Denver for a third season after the team matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offer sheet.
The Thunder had offered a guaranteed two-year, $12 million offer sheet, according to ESPN.
The Nuggets signed Jones out of Stanford as a free agent in 2024. His retention as a restricted free agent brings with it severe financial implications for Denver, which faces a $32 million increase in current luxury taxes, according to multiple reports.
Jones started 37 of 64 games last season and averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.