Bears score 33 runs in sweep

NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — Riley Bruce totaled six hits and six runs and Danica Holden and Kayla Wright each drove in six runs as the Oak Glen softball team swept Wheeling Linsly, 16-5 and 17-2, Saturday.

Holden and Neveah Heath homered in the opener. Holden drove in four runs and was the winning pitcher, giving up one earned run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in four innings.

Addie Smith doubled, singled, drove in three runs and scored three more.

Bruce had three hits and three runs in the second game. Smith and Holden each had three hits and three runs. Maddie Murray had two hits and three runs and Wright drove in four runs.

Carney was the winning pitcher, giving up two earned runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in four innings.

First Game

OG: 1-0-2-2-3-2-6–16-16-4

WL: 2-0-0-0-0-2-1– 5- 6-4

Second Game

WL: 2-0-0-0– 2 -3-2

OG: 7-3-5-2–17-19-1

Split for Oak Glen baseball

NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. — The Oak Glen baseball team beat Trinity Christian, 5-4, in the opener and then lost 10-5 in the second game Saturday.

The Golden Bears trailed 3-1 in the first game before scoring three runs in the sixth inning.

Maddox McKay tripled with Noah Willey and Sam Jenkins hitting RBI singles in the sixth inning.

Trinity Christian tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning on an Ethan Hartley sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the seven, Lucas Zoellers hit into a fielder’s choice to win the game for Oak Glen.

Josh Maher earned the victory, giving up one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings. Noah Willey gave up two earned runs on five hits with 13 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Noah McKay collected three of Oak Glen’s six hits.

In the second game, Trinity Christian took a 9-0 lead through two innings. Trinity collected five hits and 12 walks.

Camm Dittman went 2-for-2 and scored a run for the Golden Bears. Lucas Zoellers hit a two-run triple and Josh Maher a two-run single in the third inning.

Christian Chappell paced Oak Glen pitchers with 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief.

Oak Glen is scheduled to play at Cameron today.

First Game

Oak Glen 5, Trinity Christian 4

TC: 0-0-2-0-1-0-1–4-6-1

OG: 0-0-0-1-0-3-1–5-6-3

Second Game

Trinity Christian 10, Oak Glen 5

TC: 4-5-0-0-1-0-0–10-5-1

OG: 0-0-5-0-0-0-0– 5-5-1

Oak Glen girls tennis drops pair

At Morgantown, W.Va., Saturday

Morgantown 6, Oak Glen 1

FIRST SINGLES: Maya Greenlee (M) def. Elle Monaco, 8-0.

SECOND SINGLES: Nataalia Cassim (M) def. Leah McMahan, 8-0.

THIRD SINGLES: Annabelle Goodykoortz (M) def. Ruby Chaney, 8-1.

FOURTH SINGLES: Reese Witherow (OG) def. Tina Chen, 8-4.

FIRST DOUBLES: Maya Greenlee-Tina Chen (M) def. Elle Monaco-Reese Witherow, 8-4.

SECOND DOUBLES: Nataalia Cassim-Annabelle Goodykoortz (M) def. Leah McMahan-Ruby Chaney, 8-1.

THIRD SINGLES: Andrea Rader-Joyce Hu (M) def. Roxye Brown-Zoey Caughey, 8-2.

University 6, Oak Glen 1

FIRSt SINGLES: Jacqueline Masio (U) def. Elle Monaco, 8-0.

SECOND SINGLES: Victoria Pei (U) def. Leah McMahan, 8-3.

THIRD SINGLES: Julianne Minchau (U) def. Ruby Chaney, 8-4.

FOURTH SINGLES: Reese Witherow (OG) def. Hannah Stemple, 9-7.

FIRST DOUBLES: Jacqueline Masio-Victoria Pei (U) def. Elle Monaco-Ruby Chaney, 8-3.

SECOND DOUBLES: Julianne Minchau-Hannah Stemple (U) def. Leah McMahan-Reese Witherow, 8-3.

THIRD SINGLES: Vanessa Wiesinger-Izzy Ringler (U) def. Roxye Brown-Zoey Caughey, 8-6.

UConn coach not slowing down

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Geno Auriemma has accomplished more than just about anyone in college basketball.

The 71-year-old UConn coach passed former Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer as the winningest coach in Division 1 earlier this season. He won his 12th NCAA title on Sunday, 30 years after winning his first one. He has done it all in his 40 years at UConn, and amid the celebration of his latest championship gave no indication that he’s slowing down just yet.

“We don’t like to admit that we’re older because we still act younger because of the people that we’re dealing with, said Auriemma, who became the oldest coach to win a national championship. “Yeah, I may be 71 number-wise, but otherwise, I’m more able to do stuff with those young people because I’m around them every day and they rub off on me.

“Does that mean I can do this for another X number of years? No … These kids are fun, but there is going to come a time where the fun doesn’t eliminate how hard it is to do this job. This job is really hard to do.”

Auriemma’s love-hate relationship with Bueckers

Auriemma took over at UConn in 1985 and has spent the past four decades building the program into one of the greatest dynasties in sports. Before he came to the school from Virginia, the program had only one winning season. Since then, Auriemma only has one losing season in his career — his first one with the Huskies — has been to 24 Final Fours and has led the Huskies to 29 conference tournament championships.

He led UConn to four straight titles from 2013-16 with Breanna Stewart. The Huskies are still the last program to repeat as champions, but before Sunday, they hadn’t won another title since that run.

“There was a big part of my inner circle of people that I trust that were hoping that after the Stewie fourth in a row that I should have called it a day back then,” Auriemma said. “That would’ve been pretty apropos, I guess.”

Stewart, a WNBA champ and Olympic gold medalist is just one of many prolific players who have been coached by Auriemma. Stewart, along with Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Maya Moore were all in attendance on Sunday.

Ask any of them about their former coach, and they’ll all have high praise and fond memories. Some of the older players might say he’s gotten softer since their days. The younger ones may talk about his sense of humor.

Paige Bueckers is the latest UConn megastar who credits Auriemma with shaping her dominant career. When Bueckers checked out of the game on Sunday, her collegiate finale, she hugged Auriemma for several minutes.

“Just gratitude for all that Coach has meant to me and how much he’s shaped me to the human I am, to the basketball player I am throughout this entire five years,” Bueckers said. “And just putting it all together in one hug what our journey has been together.”

When asked what they said to each other, Bueckers quipped: “He told me he loved me. I told him I hated him. We both love each other, but we hate each other some days.”

Celtics coach a big Auriemma fan

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is another Auriemma fan.

He urged reporters to quickly get through his Washington Wizards pregame news conference Sunday so he could watch UConn play in the title game. Mazzulla has a relationship with Auriemma, even to the point of attending some practices, and likens him to another of his coaching friends and idols — soccer’s Pep Guardiola of Manchester City.

“He’s been amazing. I think when I first got the job, the Italian connection and really the connection of just being in New England, but to me, he’s the basketball version of what we talk about with Pep,” Mazzulla said. “He has the ability to outcoach you tactically, manage the best players, manage talent and all the things that some of the best players of all-time say about him, it just shows what type of person and coach he is.”

Mazzulla made no secret of how highly he thinks of Auriemma.

“He really took me under his wing of just kind of how to go after greatness, how to manage talent, how to coach talent to the highest level and how to do it with great perspective,” Mazzulla said. “As successful as he’s been, he’s got great perspective.”