On Friday night, the Pirates lost a heartbreaker in the opener of a crucial three game set against division rival Cincinnati in one of the most crushing losses for the Pirates in recent memory. Everything was going the Bucs way: Francisco Liriano had shut down the Reds, allowing just 2 runs over 8 fantastic frames, the offense picked him up behind back-to-back homers by Jose Tabata and Neil Walker to lead off the game, and the best reliever in the National League, Mark Melancon, was on the bump ... Read More
Archives for September 2013
Steelers fall to 0-3 after loss to Bears
PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers are 0-3 to start the season. With last night's 40-23 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Steelers have dug themselves into a hole to start the season. Ben Roethlisberger, despite throwing for 406 yards and two touchdowns, had a tough game all around. Two of his turnovers were returned for touchdowns by the Bears defense, and he was hit hard a lot by the Bears defense as the game went along. Antonio Brown did play a spectacular game for the Steelers, catching nine passes ... Read More
Pirate Pitching Knocked by Reds in 10 – 3 Loss
Follow @TBerardi_OVA Jeff Locke couldn't get off to a good start and the Reds took advantage as they chased him after five runs in one inning as the Reds cruised to a 10- 3 victory on the final home date of the season for the Pirates. Locke got Billy Hamilton to ground out to lead off the game, but allowed a single, two walks, a double and a homer to put the Pirates in an early hole that they could not dig themselves out of. "Everything happened pretty fast," said Locke. "I think as a ... Read More
PSAC West Week 3 Round-Up
#8 IUP 26, Seton Hill 0 After a dismal first half, the IUP Crimson Hawks were able to pull out a 26-0 victory over Seton Hill in their PSAC West opener. Seton Hill forced three first-half turnovers and held IUP to just two points at the end of the first half. IUP's Mix Box was picked off by Seton Hill defenders three times in the first two quarters, including one when the Hawks had the ball on the goal-line. Box would finish 11-of-22 for 146 yards. IUP finally scored a touchdown with ... Read More
Pirate of the Week: Jose Tabata
As the season winds down, the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves battling for a Wild Card spot and possibly a division title. Going forward, it will take a team effort to push ahead. Jose Tabata showed this past week that he could be one of those guys to step up. Tabata had a solid week, hitting .389 while driving in six runs for the Pirates. Let's break down his week as the Pirates went 3-3 from Saturday to Friday. 9/14: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 Run, 1 RBI - Tabata's solo shot tied the game at 1-1 in the ... Read More
Bucs Bounce Back Behind Burnett 4 – 2
Follow @TBerardi_OVA A.J. Burnett followed Liriano's strong start with one of his own, but this time the Pirates held on to their lead for a pivotal 4 - 2 victory over the Reds on Saturday night. For the second time in this series, the Reds struck in the first when Brandon Phillips singled and scored on a Ryan Ludwick RBI single. That single would put runners on first and second with one out, but Burnett would induce an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam. The other run he gave ... Read More
Pirates Gameday: Burnett Looks to Bounce Back Bucs
Follow @TBerardi_OVA The Pirates (88 - 66) look to bounce back after another stunning loss to the Reds (88 - 66). A.J. Burnett (8 - 11, 3.43 ERA) faces Homer Bailey (11 - 10, 3.40 ERA) Leading Off With five games remaining between the Pirates and Reds, the season series stands at 7 - 7. If neither can catch the Cardinals, the winner of the season series will host the wild card game. Hurdle's Quotes On having a guy like A.J. Burnett pitch in a bounce back game after a tough loss -- "He's ... Read More
PITT’s Savage throws 6 TDs in shootout
DURHAM, N.C. -- Tom Savage tied an Atlantic Coast Conference record with six touchdown passes and Pittsburgh held on for a wild 58-55 win over Duke on Saturday. Savage threw for a career-high 424 yards on 23-of-33 passing with three scoring passes to freshman Tyler Boyd. The Panthers (2-1, 1-1) never trailed and claimed their first ACC victory despite receiving plenty of scares down the stretch from a persistent Duke team. Brandon Connette had four touchdown passes and four ... Read More
Bears and Steelers set to face off on Sunday Night Football
The season has been off to a rough start, and the Steelers would love to turn it all around tomorrow night against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. After poor offensive showings against the Titans and Bengals, the Steelers will need to step up if they look to beat a solid team in the Chicago Bears. As always, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is going to have to be the leader, and he comes into the game with 442 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His opposing ... Read More
Pirates Blow Ninth Inning Lead, Lose in 10
The Reds scored three unearned runs in the ninth off of Mark Melancon following a Jordy Mercer throwing error and one in the tenth to stun the Pirates and their sellout crowd 6 - 5 on Friday night. The loss erased an amazing performance by Francisco Liriano, who threw eight innings of two-run, three-hit ball while striking out seven. "I felt fine," said Liriano. "I was locating my pitches where I wanted to and made some adjustments on my pitches and put us in position to win the ball game. ... Read More