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July 29, 2024

Ellwood City Falls Short In 73rd Little League Tournament; Zito Earns Homerun Derby Crown

After collecting an opening round win on Tuesday in the 73rd Annual Little League Tournament, Ellwood City squad could not advance any further, falling twice on Saturday, first to Laurel and again to Neshannock, each by a 5-2 count that eliminated the tournament host. Neshannock earned the tournament championship with two victories over Laurel on Sunday. Ellwood City’s Joey Zito won the the 23rd Ellwood City Little League Tournament Home Run Derby at Freidhoff Field. Zito launched eight home runs to defeat 29 other contestants from the tournament. Ty Cook of Neshannock was the runner-up with four home runs. On…

July 24, 2024

Ellwood City Rallies To Defeat Shenango In Its Little League Tournament Opening Game

Ellwood City rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to defeat Shenango, 5-2, in the 73rd Ellwood City Little League Tournament on Tuesday night. Ben Sukits smacked the key hit of the game with a three-run triple which erased a 2-1 deficit. Joey Zito and Luca Smith combined for a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts to lead Ellwood City on the mound. Shenango took an early lead in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Luca Fiore drew a base on balls and moved around the bases on three wild pitches to score to give Shenango…

July 24, 2024

FREE Co-Ed Basketball Camp To Be Offered At Ewing Park Courts

A free, five-day co-ed basketball camp is scheduled to begin at the Ewing Park Basketball Courts from Monday, July 29th thru Friday, August 2nd. Coaches Al Campman, Bob Rac, Herm Petti and Joe Fisher will host the camp that will run from 10 a.m. till noon during the week. Any boy or girl ages 7–11 are welcome to participate. The cost is FREE – just bring your own basketball and drinks. Coaching includes: ball handling, passing, dribbling, defense, shooting and games. Please note: participants must have their own insurance or must sign a waiver. Maximum camp attendees are twenty five…

July 19, 2024

BC3 Coach To Lead Team USA Seeking Gold Medal in 3×3 Men’s Basketball

(Butler, PA) Joe Lewandowski will open his luggage in a hotel in Paris, set aside his Team USA athletics wear and select one of his Butler County Community College polo shirts embroidered with the Pioneers’ logo near his heart to wear on his walk through an Olympic Village housing 15,000 athletes, coaches and staff. “That’s a big part of who I am,” said the head coach of the BC3 men’s basketball team and of the Team USA 3×3 men’s basketball squad debuting in the 2024 Summer Games. “That is standard for me. You always represent where you are from. That’s…

July 15, 2024

Gabe Lilly Among Three Area Athletes Competing At Fargo Nationals This Month

Ellwood City wrestler Gabe Lilly is among three area athletes competing out of Ellwood City High School’s Wrecking Crew Wrestling Club competing in the US Marine Corps Junior & 16U Nationals in Fargo, N.D. this month. The Fargo Nationals is the most elite national tournament for high school athletes and the tournament runs from July 13-20th, featuring both boys and girls brackets in a variety of weight classes and styles. As a soon-to-be Ellwood City senior student-athlete, Lilly finished in 6th place in Freestyle and finished as runner up in Greco Roman also qualifying for the PA wrestling team participating…

July 9, 2024

Hermitage Crowned Champion of Ellwood City 8U Firecracker Classic

Hermitage Area was crowned champion of the Ellwood City 8U Firecracker Classic this past weekend. The three day tournament featured area teams, including Ellwood City and Riverside 8U teams, competing across two fields in Ellwood City. Hermitage downed Central Valley 8-6 on Sunday to wrap up its championship run. Riverside earned three victories in the tournament before falling 6-5 to Central Valley in the semifinals on Sunday. Riverside opened up its tournament with an impressive 17-1 victory over crosstown rival Ellwood City on Friday. Riverside added on another rout Saturday, besting Shenango 21-2, and defeated Beaver Falls 7-4 on Sunday…

July 8, 2024

Wolves Down Moose 11-1 To Win Ellwood City Little League Championship

The Wolves downed the Moose, 11-1, to capture the in-house Ellwood City Little League Championship at Freidhoff Field on Tuesday night. Joe Zito powered the Wolves to the title with his arm and his bat. Zito fired a two-hitter and fanned 15 batters on the mound and rapped a triple and two doubles at the plate. The Wolves, managed by Justine Zona, went undefeated in the double-elimination playoff with a 3-0 record. After the Moose failed to score in the top of the first inning, the Wolves erupted for six runs in the bottom of the inning. Luca Zito led…

June 25, 2024

PART ONE: Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food & Entertainment Festival Series: 10k Race Has New Name, Organizer

In our annual series spotlighting the annual Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food & Entertainment Festival, we look at a series of subjects, people, and entertainers who will help the festival make its mark this 4th of July holiday season. PART ONE: Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food & Entertainment Festival Series: 10k Race Has New Name, Organizer The annual beloved 10k race will be held on Saturday, June 29, at 9 a.m. This year’s race has a different name and a new organizer, but runners and the community can expect the same great race that has been around for decades. There…

June 3, 2024

Panthers Fall To Punxsutawney In Opening Round Of PIAA Playoffs

The Riverside Panthers fell to Punxsutawney 3-0 Monday afternoon in the first round of the PIAA Playoffs. Parker Stahlman twirled a complete-game four hitter to stymie the Panthers offense and bounced the defending PIAA champions from the 2024 tournament. The sophomore hurler struck out eight and did not issue a walk in his performance that pitted two teams who had squared off just last June in the PIAA semifinals.  Riverside rallied late to knocked off Punxsutawney on its way to its 2023 PIAA Championship. However, Monday afternoon in Dubois, PA, the Panthers fell behind early and could not recover. The…

May 29, 2024

Avonworth Dethrones Riverside In Epic WPIAL Championship

Avonworth dethroned the defending Class 3A champion Panthers Tuesday afternoon in extra innings at Wild Things Park in Washington, PA. The 7-seeded Antelopes scratched out a run in the top of the 14th inning and held on for the historic 4-3 victory. The WPIAL Championship game was the longest ever recorded at Wild Things Park and the longest game since 1940. The marathon game lasted over four hours. Avonworth’s Luke Zelinko lined an RBI single to plate Mason Metz in the 14th inning and sophomore pitcher Cooper Scharding closed the door on the Panthers hopes of repeating. Scharding entered the…