H-S Sportlight May 24
Evan Sanders
The Vikings’ Cody Reese, right, high-fives teammate Brady Duricko after Reese crossed home plate for the second run of the game during Mount Pleasant’s WPIAL Class AAA semifinal playoff game against Ellwood City at Fox Chapel High School on May 24, 2017. Mount Pleasant won 1-0 to advance to its first WPIAL championship in 28 years.
John F. Brothers
California’s Kailyn Clancy had a top distance of 45-6¾ to win the gold medal in the girls Class AA shot put at the 2014 PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University on May 24, 2014.
2019 — Frazier’s Julian Muccioli, Waynesburg Central’s Scott Benco and Monessen’s Darnel Howell all made the medal stand on the first day of the PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. Benco ended his career with a fifth-place medal in the Class AA javelin with a throw of 179-4. Howell cleared 6-2 to finish alone in seventh place in the Class AA high jump. Muccioli finished seventh in the Class AA long jump.
2017 — Connellsville broke open the Fayette American Legion Baseball League opener with six runs in the top of the fifth inning on its way to an 11-2 win at Waynesburg. Cole Shearer had a double and two singles in the win. Connellsville’s Cade Warrick and Nolan Porterfield both had two singles, and Brody Bonadio legged out a triple.
2017 — Hayden Harvey’s RBI single in the top of the fifth inning drove in what became the winning run in Mill Run’s 5-2 road victory over Better Edge. Jimmy Malone allowed five hits with 15 strikeouts and two walks for the win.
2017 — California senior Alex Adams lined a base hit between the third baseman and shortstop to score Drake Johnson in the 11th inning for a 4-3 victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the WPIAL Class AA baseball playoff semifinals. The Trojans (19-2) advanced to the WPIAL finals for the third time in the last four years, under coach Nick Damico.
2016 — Connellsville scored three runs in the top of the third inning for a season-opening 6-2 victory at Jefferson-Morgan in Fayette American Legion baseball action. Austin Puskar led the Connellsville offense with two singles, a double and an RBI. Jacob Ansell added a pair of singles. Corey Fogle pitched from the third through the seventh inning to earn the win. He struck out seven and walked five.
2016 — Travis Sankovich raced home on Adam Jacko’s two-out double for the winning run as Mitch’s Bail Bonds opened the FCBL season with a 1-0 victory over Mill Run. Brian Fisher went the distance for the win, allowing five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. Trevor Farrell also went the distance for Mill Run, allowing six hits with 16 strikeouts and two walks.
2014 — Southmoreland sophomore Vayda Farino ran a personal-best time to finish eighth in the Class AA 800 at the PIAA Track & Field Championships.
2014 — Brownsville sophomore Maris Seto finished 20th in the Class AA triple jump on the second day of the PIAA Track & Field Championships after two sixth-place finishes on the first day.
2014 — Seton Hill University junior Mallory Sanner became a three-time All-American after finishing seventh in the women’s javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Allendale, Mich. Although the Uniontown graduate fell short of defending her title, Sanner did make the podium once again to join Josh Wilks as the only two Seton Hill track athletes to become a three-time All-America.
2014 — Waynesburg Central junior Sean Hilverding and Uniontown senior Julie Gerber both ran personal-best times at the PIAA Track & Field Championships. Hilverding finished fourth in the Class AA 3,200, while Gerber placed 12th in Class AAA.
2013 — Waynesburg’s Colton Lippencott pitched a one-hitter in a 9-0 win at Farmington in Fayette American Legion Baseball League play. Lippencott had 11 strikeouts and five walks in earning the win. Teammate Willie Ziefel was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored.
2011 — Third-seeded Carmichaels entered its WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game against Shenango with an undefeated record, but was unable to mount an offensive attack for a 2-1 loss. Cameron Grimes allowed four hits in the loss.
2011 — Yough advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA softball semifinals with a 9-1 win over Belle Vernon. Winning pitcher Nicole Sleith scattered three hits and struck out 11 batters.
2008 — Connellsville junior Rodney Richter won the silver medal in the Class AAA shot put at the PIAA Individual Track & Field Championships. Albert Gallatin’s Anthony Stevenson won a pair of medals on the second day of the state meet after finishing eighth in both the Class AAA long jump and high jump.
2008 — California’s Dan Thomas ripped a two-run home run in the first inning of a doubleheader, en route to a 2-1 win over Bud Murphy’s in Fayette County Baseball League action. Bud’s turned things around in the nightcap with a 6-1 victory. Matt Dishong held Bud Murphy’s at bay in the first game with a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Tommy Darrell picked up the win in the second game with four strikeouts and no walks.
2007 — Ashley Nichols pitched her third consecutive playoff shutout and Belle Vernon advanced to its first WPIAL softball championship with a 2-0 win over Mars, its third consecutive 2-0 win. Belle Vernon advanced to play Elizabeth Forward in the final, the fourth time the two teams met in the season. The victory was the Lady Leopards’ 12th in a row.
2007 — Shane Molyneaux tripled and ripped three singles as Phil’s Tire upended Waynesburg, 13-7, in Fayette County Baseball League action.
2007 — Shayne Busti tagged a solo home run with two outs in the first inning in Blaney Farms’ 8-4 FCBL win over host Michael’s Heros.
2006 — Orlando Hudson tied a career high with four hits to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to an 8-7 win and a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2006 — California held off Bishop Canevin, 6-5, to advance to the WPIAL Class A championship against Section 1-A rival Geibel Catholic.
2006 — A failed suicide squeeze attempt turned into the game-winning run in Geibel Catholic’s 4-3 win over Rochester in the WPIAL Class A baseball semifinals. Brendan Costantino, who was hung out to dry between third and home on Nick Molchan’s failed bunt attempt, forced a throw back to third base before sprinting home and beating the rundown. The Gators rallied back from a 3-0 deficit. Molchan earned the win with fourth strikeouts and two walks.
2006 — Corey Fox’s two-run single drove in what proved to be the winning runs as Bud Murphy’s remained unbeaten with a 7-4 victory over visiting Carmichaels in Fayette County Baseball League action. Bud Murphy’s Brian Sankovich had two hits, including a double. Brent Rockwell and Wes Hughes added two hits each. Chris Buncic and Holt had a pair of hits for Carmichaels with Holt lacing one for a double.
2006 — Jeremy Miller and Dennis Show hit home runs in Mill Runs’ 10-1 FCBL win over Potter’s. Miller had three hits, including a solo home run with one out in the second inning. He also doubled. Show’s blast, a three-run shot, also came in the second inning.
2006 — Cory Borland scattered four hits over seven innings, and Jake Barnhart had three hits as host Uniontown breezed past Carmichaels, 10-4, in Fayette American Legion Baseball League action. Borland struck out four and walked just one.
2006 — Colonial 3 won its Fayette American Legion Baseball League opener, pounding out 19 hits in a 17-15 win over visiting Point Marion. The teams combined for 36 hits, all but six going for singles.
2005 — The Waynesburg Central softball team upset Sto-Rox, 3-2, in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals. Nikki Coleman drove in the winning run on a bases-loaded walk.
2005 — Carmichaels edged Union, 2-0, in the WPIAL Class A baseball semifinals. The Mikes (20-1) advanced to play Chartiers-Houston in the title game. Jared Lapkowicz scattered three hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Phil Judy drove in Jamie Bandish for the first run of the game and Lapkowicz had the second RBI.
2004 — Waynesburg Central score all of its run in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Lady Raiders defeated Derry, 4-1, in the WPIAL Class AA softball playoffs.
2004 — Ryan Misick, Brian Sankovich and Rich Means all knocked in three runs to lead Bud Murphy’s to an 18-2 Fayette County Baseball League road victory over New Salem Art. Dale Eutsey allowed two earned runs, striking out seven and walking two for his first win of the season.
2004 — Waynesburg scored five runs in both the third and fourth innings, and then capped the scoring with three more in the fifth to defeat Carmichaels, 13-3, in its first FCBL game of the season. Adam Dukate struck out six and walked four, and had the big blow at the plate with a three-run home run in the fourth inning to finish with four RBI.
2004 — The Carmichaels baseball team defeated Sto-Rox and Adam DiMichele, 10-0, to advance to the WPIAL Class A championship and defend its district title. Jared Lapkowicz allowed only three hits and struck out six in the win.
2003 — Brownsville’s Doug Patterson finished seventh in the Class AA long jump and Laurel Highlands’ Brandon Mahoney was fourth in the Class AAA pole vault on a rainy day at the PIAA Track & Field Championships. Connellsville’s Kenny King finished ninth in the Class AAA boys 1,600 with a time of 4:22.47 after leading the pack into the second of four laps.
2003 — Christina Roadman captured the first PIAA gold medal won by a Connellsville girl when she hit her best throw on the final attempt of the preliminary round of the Class AAA discus at the PIAA Track & Field Championships.
(Compiled by Jim Downey)