Local Sports

74th Little League Season Opens Tuesday

The Ellwood City Amateur Baseball Federation will open its 74th season on Tuesday. The Moose hosts Shenango at Freidhoff Field at 6:00 p.m. in the Lawrence County Little League opener. The Ellwood City Little League, which started in 1950, was the first Little League program in Lawrence, Beaver, Butler and Mercer Counties. Ellwood City has three teams competing in the 2023 campaign: The Moose, the Lions and the Wolves in the 16-team league. Ellwood City, Neshannock and Laurel each have three entries apiece. Shenango and Union have two teams and Mohawk, New Castle and Wilmington have one entry apiece. The…


EC Baseball, Softball Each Rebound With Victories

Both Ellwood City baseball and softball teams each rebounded from recent losses last week with victories over the weekend. The Lady Wolverines lost a heartbreaking 2-1 extra innings affair to its rival Riverside on Thursday, but rebounded to hand section foe Hopewell its first section loss on Friday. Ellwood City avenged an earlier section loss Friday as they beat Hopewell 6-0 at Stiefel Park.  With just four games left, the title is very much up for grabs as Hopewell leads with a record of 5-1 followed by Ellwood City and Central Valley tied for second with 4-2 section slates.  Mohawk…


Sturgeon Captures 1st Place In High Jump At ‘Rock Relays’ On Saturday

Sophomore Delaney Sturgeon captured a 1st place finish in the Girls High Jump at the Slippery Rock University “Rock Relays” on Saturday. The high school invitational took place at the William Lennox Track at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium with teams from more than 40 high schools across the region participating. Sturgeon earned the top podium spot with a final jump of 5’0″ that bested six other athletes who all finished tied at 4’10”. Sturgeon also finished 3rd in the Pole Vault (8’0″) and 5th in the Long Jump (15’10”). Just last week, Sturgeon finished 1st overall in the high jump, 2nd overall…


Ellwood City Amateur Baseball Federation Opening Day POSTPONED

UPDATED April 21st 11:32 a.m. — The opening day parade and ceremony has been postponed untiled next Saturday, April 29th due to weather forecasts. The schedule of events will remain the same Ellwood City Amateur Baseball Federation (ECABF) will hold its opening day ceremony on Saturday April 22nd. A parade will start at approximately 9:00 a.m. at the Old Ewing Park School field and head to Freidhoff Field where games will follow the ceremony and introduce all the teams. Tee Ball will proceed to the grass area, where they will play during the season. Games will start at roughly at…


NO-NO: Lucarelli, Harper Combine For No-Hitter Over Hopewell

Just two days after two Panther pitches twirled a two-hit shutout on Senior Day again Union, Christian Lucarelli and Ronnie Harper combined to toss a complete game no-hitter on Thursday. The unbeaten Panthers easily dismissed the visiting Hopewell Vikings 8-0 behind the stellar pitching performances. Lucarelli started the contest for Riverside, tossing five innings of no hit baseball. Lucarelli struck out 10 batters while only issuing three walks. Harper came on in relief, and so much as he did on Tuesday, did not allow a run in his two innings of relief work. Harper struck out four Vikings without issuing…


PHOTOS: Lady Panthers Knock Off Wolverines In Extra Innings

For two rival teams that haven’t met in five years, Thursday’s 2-1 extra innings affair at Riverside proved to be well worth the wait. The Lady Panthers rallied late to tie things up in the seventh and won it in the eighth on a clutch two out, two strike single by Aliya Ottaviani. It was a classic pitcher’s duel as Samantha Rosenberger whiffed 14 for the winners while Amber Mcquistion and Sara Schwarz combined for 13 punch outs for the Lady Wolverines. The teams played the first five innings in less than 45 minutes until Ellwood City got on the…


Rosenberger Swats Homer, Strikes Out 15 Bulldogs

Senior Samantha Rosenberger swatted a solo home run at the plate and struck out 15 Freedom Bulldogs on the mound Wednesday as the Lady Panthers defeated Freedom 8-4. Riverside raced out to an 8-0 advantage before the host Bulldogs gathered four runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Left fielder Danielle Rosenberger collected four singles to lead the Panthers offensively while Camryn Friello collected three hits. Rosenberger added three steals. Second baseman Aliya Ottaviani collected a team-high three RBIs for Riverside.  The Panthers scored a run in each of its first six innings offensively. On the mound, Rosenberger,…


PHOTOS: Two Panther Pitchers Twirl Two-Hit Shutout On Senior Day

Ethan Santillo and Ronnie Harper combined to twirl a two-hit five inning shutout in Riverside’s 10-0 victory over Union Area during Tuesday afternoon’s senior day game. Santillo started the contest, going three innings while Harper closed out the five inning mercy rule victory with two innings in relief. Each pitchers allowed only one hit and walk while striking out two hitters each in their line of work. Offensively, Riverside erupted for four second innings runs sparked by a solo homerun by Mitch Garvin. Evan Burry and Bo Fornataro each had RBI singles in the frame. Burry paced the offense out…


Riverside Claims Lead In Fifth Inning To Defeat Hopewell

Riverside nabbed the lead late in the game in a 10-6 victory over Hopewell on Friday to remain unbeaten. The Panthers trailed 6-5 in the top of the fifth inning when Evan Burry doubled on a 1-0 count, scoring two runs. Hopewell scored four runs in the second inning, but Riverside still managed to pull out the victory. The Vikings offense in the inning was led by John Vescio, Landon Fox, and Lucas Arington, all knocking in runs in the inning. Hunter Garvin was the winning pitcher for Riverside. The pitcher went three innings, allowing zero runs on one hit,…


Central Valley Withstands Furious Rally By The Lady Wolverines To Hold Onto A 5-4 Victory

Central Valley jumped out to a 5-0 lead and withstood a furious late inning rally by the Lady Wolverines to come out with a 5-4 victory on Saturday. After the Warriors made it 5-0 in the fourth by scoring three times, Ellwood City started its rally in the sixth inning. Aliya Garroway led off with a bloop double down the right field line and scored on a single to left by Sara Schwarz. Schwarz moved over to third after an error and a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout to second by Keira Rozanski. Things really got interesting…