Prep Blog

Sacramento State's thrill ride season continues.

On the heels of their first Western Athletic Conference baseball championship, the Hornets on Friday night beat Fresno State 8-3 in the WAC Tournament semifinals in Mesa, Ariz. to reach its first title game.

Second-seeded Sac State jumped to an early lead on a Clay Cederquist three-run double in the first inning. The former Fresno State player had three hits, as did Derrick Chung and Will Soto. David Del Grande and Brent Hottman each had two RBIs for the Hornets, who had nine hitters record a hit and seven score a run.

Freshman Brennan Leitao retired 13 consecutive Bulldogs at one point and struck out three, and relievers Garrett Kraemer and Tyler Hoelzen tossed shutout innings to advance the Hornets to Saturday night's title game against the winner of Saturday's Fresno State-Louisiana Tech consolation winner.

Sac State is in the midst of its best Division I season, having moved up from D-II in 1991. Sac State's 31 victories also mark the most the program has had in D-I.
- Joe Davidson
On Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

The wheel buckled a bit here and there, but they never came off.

Franklin High School overcame a slow start to this baseball season, dodged pitfalls and pot holes during a bumpy regular season amid injuries and stout competition and capped it Friday night with a slice of school history.

The Wildcats beat Delta Valley Conference rival Davis 3-2 to win their first Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North championship at Sacramento City College in Candlestick Park-like chilly conditions.

Davis stunned Franklin 5-3 earlier Friday on a Chris Gnos two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning to force the deciding game. Gnos had a chance to repeat his effort with two outs and two on in the bottom of the seventh in the clincher but he went down looking on a Kyle Von Ruden strikeout, eliciting a celebration months in the making.

True to form, Franklin's team bus had a blow out on the way home from a 6-2 outbracket win over Vintage of Napa to open this tournament, a complete-game effort for Von Ruden, and sat stranded on the freeway for two hours. On Tuesday, Franklin beat Davis 8-6 in eight innings in a winner's bracket final, and Wildcats first-year coach Bryan Kilby found his pickup with a flat in the parking lot.

On Friday, in Game 2, no such detours and no flats later.

"It's been an interesting road, but it's been a fun road," Kilby said. "I'm so happy for these kids and these coaches. We played two great games here today. Every game with Davis is like this. We wanted to put the ball in our senior's hands and let them decide it."

Decide it they did. Brandon Keup allowed five hits and struck out four. He hadn't pitched in nearly three weeks but looked the part of fresh, eager performer here. The Franklin juniors also had big moments, including Tyler Blake, whose RBI single in the third put Franklin up 2-1. Catcher Nick Frei had an RBI single to make it 3-1. Ryan Sarginson had three hits in the early Friday game and two more with an RBI in the clincher.

Freshman shortstop Hank LoForte threw out a runner at third base to end the sixth with that 3-2 lead. Von Ruden, the senior leader, came on in relief in the sixth. Up and down the lineup, the Wildcats received big efforts.

"What can you say about Von Ruden - a super kid, a great student," Kilby said. "And Hank LoForte plays beyond his years. His baseball IQ is unbelievable. You can tell he's a coach's kid."

Now LoForte and the gang want what LoForte's father has. Brian LoForte coached McClatchy to the 1998 section D-I championship, beating freshly drafted first-round pick C.C. Sabathia and Vallejo.

Franklin plays two-time defending D-I champion St. Mary's of Stockton in Game 1 of the best-of-three series on Friday at Pacific.

Davis, meanwhile, finishes a trying season that included a DVC championship and a spirited run in this postseason. Blue Devils coach Dan Ariola offered a lot of hugs for departing seniors such as ace Ben Eckels and leader George Hatamiya, the catcher and scholar who played gallantly despite losing his mother Nancy to cancer last week.

Hatamiya got the save in the first game Friday after a strong starting effort by Reinert Toft. Hatamiya tossed three more solid innings in the night cap. Franklin coaches congratulated Hatamiya for his career and resolve after the late game Friday. The senior was moved by the gesture.

"I can't ask any more than what these guys gave me, every one of them," Ariola said, exhaling. "Give credit to Franklin. Keup was pretty impressive, and Von Ruden was good. We can't complain. We had a great season."

Davis will lose some key seniors in Eckels, Hatamiya, Gnos, Reinert Toft, Jack Shelledy and Pat Kreidler, who epitomized his team's grit in laboring through a bad ankle down the stretch of the season. Kreidler played strong defense in center field in the playoffs.

Those returning for Davis for another run: Joe Murray, Ryan Plumb, Bobby Young, Hayden Duer, John Ariola, Chris Daunt and Matt Trask.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Joe Davidson co-hosts with Mike Finnerty on the SureWest Sports Radio Show on Saturday on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m. The show will also link later in the day on ESPN1320.net

Today is Senior Ditch Day at Davis High School, meaning those closing in on graduation can play hooky and go hang out at, say, the library for kicks and giggles.

Rest assured, the seniors for the Blue Devils baseball team will be in the front row of classes with their minds on the urgency for Friday night's engagement with rival Franklin.

With Ben Eckels dueling Elway Santistevan in a terrific, fast-paced pitching duel, Davis beat Vacaville 2-1 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North loser's bracket final at blustering Sacramento City College on Thursday night.

Sacramento State beat Nevada 15-5 on Thursday afternoon in Mesa, Az. to open Western Athletic Conference Tournament play.

Justin Higley had a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Will Soto had three hits and Rhys Hoskins had three RBIs, including a two-run double in the first for the second-seeded Hornets.

Reliever Tyler Hoelzen got the win, allowing two hits and no runs in 2-plus innings.

It is Sac State's first WAC Tournament appearance since losing to Nevada by that same 15-5 score - exactly four years to the date.

Sac State plays the winner of Thursday's late Fresno State-New Mexico State game at 7 p.m. on Friday with the winner advancing to the WAC title game.

Sac State is riding a feel-good wave with Reggie Christiansen earning WAC Coach of the Year honors, Andrew Ayers WAC Player of the Year and Hoskins Freshman of the Year.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

It's playoff time in the Sac-Joaquin Section and nothing comes easy with every win greatly appreciated.

Here's a run-down on some of the Wednesday action:

* Woodcreek 4, Rocklin 3 - The Timberwolves beat their Sierra Foothill rivals twice at American River College to advance to the Division II title game against a familiar foe in SFL member Granite Bay on Monday at Sacramento City College.

Stephen Nogosek came on in relief to earn the save, ending it with a strikeout after earning a complete-game 5-0 win in Game 2 of this best-of-three series. He at one point retired 12 consecutive Rocklin batters.

Kyle Zanzi is a scholar who packs the sort of of GPA that makes you nod and wonder just how large and active his brain is.

The Franklin High School junior takes Advanced Placement physics and calculus, and he's a pretty fair baseball talent, too.

The junior outfielder chugging with all his might scored the go-ahead run with two outs in the top of the 8th inning off a Taylor Waters single, and Josh Pigg slammed the door in relief from there to key an 8-6 victory over Davis on Tuesday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I-North semifinals at Sacramento City College.

As if that wasn't reason enough for the upstarts for Elk Grove to celebrate, cup cakes anyone? Zanzi's father John blushed when his 50th birthday was announced early in this rivalry rematch of Delta Valley Conference foes by public address voice Steve Gill. Zanzi family members gleefully handed out frosted eats.

Pigg, the team ace, devoured all comers, too. The powerful senior earned the win in relief, striking out seven, including the side twice. He spelled fellow senior leader Kyle Von Ruden, who struck out nine and really only struggled in the first inning, a frame that ended with a 4-4 tie.

Pigg tied it with a two-out hit up the middle in the seventh. He may start the title game on Friday against the winner of the Thursday loser's bracket finale between Vacaville and Davis. Or Franklin could go with Tyler Blake, who tossed a complete-game gem to beat Elk Grove 9-1 on Saturday. Or perhaps Brandon Keup. In other words, a lot of arms and possibilities for first-year coach Bryan Kilby, whose pitching coach is brother Brad Kilby. Brad Kilby logged several pitching seasons in the A's organization and is hopeful of a return when his arm returns to health.

Bryan Kilby said he he delighted with the makeup and poise of his young team.

"Zanzi's a brilliant kid, way smarter than us coaches," the coach said. "Von Ruden is our guy, the leader. He wants to do everything right. Pigg is a super athletic kid. He'd be unbelievable in football and basketball but he loves baseball. You want the ball in his hands because he gives you everything he's got. So many great guys. It's a joy to coach them."

Ryan Sarginson had two hits, Pigg two RBIs and Adams had a two-run single for Franklin. Ben Eckles had a three-run triple in the first for Davis and John Ariola had two hits and three RBIs. Eckels will likely start against Vacaville on Thursday. He struck out 12 on Thursday to beat Oak Ridge 5-2.

* Granite Bay 12, McClatchy 7 at American River College - Sophomore designated hitter Justin Lehman continued his hot playoff hitting, belting a three-run home run for the Grizzlies, who closed out the Lions in two games to reach the Division II title game Monday at Sac City. The Grizzlies, who led McClatchy 11-0 after two innings, play the winner of today's other D-II semifinal between Sierra Foothill League rivals Rocklin and Woodcreek.

* Valley Christian 7, Elliott Christian 5 - Jake Sween, a 6-foot-5 senior who just signed a letter of intent with Westmont College, went the distance, walking none and escaping jams, and Isaac Van Patten had three hits for the Lions of Roseville, who advanced to the D-VII title game for the fifth consecutive season. VC seeks its fourth title under coach Brad Gunter Jr. Gunter, a man with personality and pride, has been sporting an ever-growing beard, one he won't touch as long as this 18-game winning streak grows.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

PHOTO CAPTION: Franklin thirdbaseman Josh Pigg readies for the pitch during the Delta Valley League game wth Elk Grove at Franklin High School in Elk Grove April 25, 2011.

A season of firsts continues for the Sacramento State baseball team.

The Hornets on Tuesday learned that Reggie Christiansen was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for guiding his program to a WAC tri-championship a year after finishing last, Andrew Ayers was named WAC Player of the Year and Rhys Hoskins is the WAC Freshman of the Year, all voted by WAC coaches.

The only other Division I program to go from worst to first this season was Cornell of the Ivy League. Christiansen, in his second year as head coach, said he will continue to build his program with "80 to 85 percent local players."

Christiansen calls Hoskins the most mature freshman he has coached, saying, "he has no upside. It's limitless. I think he'll be playing this game for a long time."

Since entering D-I play in 1991, the Hornets have not gained any of these honors.
Ayers, a junior from Eureka, played the infield and outfield and batted in every spot in the lineup except cleanup. He led the WAC in hitting with a .427 average and had 18 RBIs in 18 WAC games. Hoskins of Jesuit High School led Sac State in batting (.355), home runs (10) and RBIs (49).

Christiansen calls Hoskins the most mature freshman he has coached, saying, "he has no upside. It's limitless. I think he'll be playing this game for a long time." He said Ayers provided leadership, versatility and clout all season.

Ayers led the WAC with 32 hits, 18 RBIs and a .627 slugging percentage in 18 games. He was second in the WAC with seven doubles. He batted .335 overall this season with 32 runs, 15 doubles and three home runs. He started 43 games at second base, six at shortstop, three in left field and one in right.

Despite all the movement, Ayers made just three errors all season. The last honor similar to this for the Hornets was Mike Eby earning WAC Western Division Player of the Year in 1995.

Christiansen, a defensive-minded coach, saw his Hornets finish in the NCAA top 10 for fielding percentage and was top ranked for four weeks.

Making first team All-WAC for the Hornets: senior catcher Derrick Chung and sophomore outfielder Justin Higley. Senior designated hitter Trevor Paine and sophomore pitcher Dallas Chadwick earned second-team All-WAC honors.

Paine of Jesuit batted .340 in WAC play. He missed most of last season with a wrist injury. Chadwich had a 3.06 ERA in six WAC appearances

Sac State opens WAC Tournament play on Thursday in Mesa, Az. - The Hornets made a journey of it, heading to Arizona by bussing to Pasadena, then to Phoenix to catch the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Tony Gonsolin has had a monster playoff run and promises he isn't finished yet.

Neither are his gritty Vacaville Bulldogs.

Gonsolin tossed a complete-game three-hitter, struck out six and smacked two doubles, and teammate Elway Santistevan had a two-run home run to key a 7-3 victory over Elk Grove on Monday night in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I elimination game at Sacramento City College.

Santistevan pitched a gem against two-time defending North champion Jesuit in a playoff opener on Saturday, with Gonsolin earning the save when he struck out Zach Green swinging to seal that 3-2 win in the bottom of the seventh inning. That was Vacaville's first playoff win in nine years. Elk Grove eliminated the Bulldogs in a playoff opener last season.

Gonsolin and Santistevan bat 1 and 2 in the Bulldogs lineup and got things going in a hurry against Elk Grove. They combined for six hits.

The only pitch Gonsolin truly regretted was the first-inning meat pitch he offered Rowdy Tellez, who drove it over the right-field fence some 425 feet onto the Sac City softball field. Tellez going yard is nothing new. He has scouts wildly intrigued about his power and potential.

Vacavile advances to Thursday's semifinal against the loser of Tuesday night's Davis-Franklin winner's bracket contest at Sac City.

Elk Grove bows out after another strong season. The Thundering Herd entered the season top ranked by The Bee and tied Davis for the Delta Valley Conference. Elk Grove tossed a no-hitter to beat Napa 1-0 in a playoff opener behind David Smith before falling to Franklin 9-0 on Saturday.

Elk Grove will return a wealth of talent next season under veteran coach Jeff Carlson, including Tellez, Dom Nunez, Smith, Nick Madrigal, Michael Wright, Derek Hill and Robert Ortega, among others.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

When Cosumnes River College opens its new baseball complex next season, the Hawks of Sacramento will be able to decorate the place a bit with a spiffy, new banner and a reminder of a road well traveled.

Specifically, a California Community College Athletic Association State championship, courtesy of today's dramatic 8-6 victory over nationally ranked No. 3 Rio Hondo of Whittier in Bakersfield.

In the top of the 12th inning, Josh Silver scored Colby Brenner with a single for a 7-6 lead. Brenner got on with a bunt single and then stole second. Phillip Roa then doubled off the wall to score Silver for the score.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

A month ago, Tyler Blake wasn't sure how many innings he would pitch this high school baseball season. Or how effective he would be.

He has a pretty clear indication now.

With the 6-foot-7 junior lefty looking fit and focused and his teammates smacking 10 hits, the Franklin Wildcats belted rival Elk Grove 9-1 on Saturday afternoon in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North playoff game at Sacramento City College.

Blake rested a tender pitching elbow most of the season, tossed a complete-game 4-0 shutout against Grant to help secure a playoff berth and looked even better here. Blake threw six consecutive shutout innings in negating a Thundering Herd lineup known to light up all comers.

Blake wasn't overpowering with just two strikeouts, but he was beautifully effective. Yet there he was running back and forth on the warning track, between the foul poles, after the Wildcats of Elk Grove improved to 3-0 in the postseason for the first time. Turns out the conditioning drill is mandatory for all pitchers, win or lose.

"I'm tired but I feel good," said a winded Blake, who also had two hits and drove in a run. "I love pitching and this team. Glad to be back on the mound."

Josh Pigg had a two-run single and Kyle Von Ruden had a three-run triple to highlight a six-run Franklin third inning. Von Ruden earned the win in an opening 6-2 playoff victory over Vintage of Napa and Pigg was the winning pitcher in an 11-5 effort against Pleasant Grove on Wednesday.

Now the Wildcats have a sudden surplus of arms. They will face another familiar foe Tuesday night in Davis, which tied Elk Grove for the Delta Valley Conference championship. Franklin finished third, though it did have wins over Elk Grove and Davis.

"The guys are playing well," Franklin coach Bryan Kilby said. "Tyler Blake was phenomenal on the mound, Pigg had a great game at the plate, Kyle was unbelievable (at second base) and his three-run triple was a back breaker."

* Davis 4, Vacaville 3 - Hayden Duer had a no-out, walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Blue Devils, who moved to 2-0 in this increasingly tense tournament that has featured surprise blowouts and outcomes. A junior designated hitter batting seventh, Duer pumped after his fist as Davis overcame three errors and used a double play in the Vacaville eighth to avoid the loser's bracket.

"That was a great game," Davis coach Dan Ariola said.

Davis received strong pitching from starter Matt Trask, who allowed no hits and left with a 3-2 lead in the third, and Reinert Toft, who struck out five and allowed two hits. Vacaville starter Deandre Casovia struck out four and walked four. Chris Gnos, Bobby Young and Ben Eckels each had an RBI for Davis.

Vacaville beat two-time defending North champion Jesuit 3-2 in a playoff opener on Wednesday and now plays Elk Grove on Monday night in an elimination game. Davis opened this event with a 5-2 victory over Oak Ridge with Eckels striking out 12.

* Granite Bay 4, McClatchy 3 at American River College - Devin Lehman had the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning and Gabe Meza tossed two close-out innings for the Grizzlies, who took Game 1 of the best-of-three Division II series. Lehman had six RBIs in an 11-3 opening-round win over Del Campo on Friday.

* Rocklin 9, Woodcreek 0 - Austin Dick tossed a complete-game four-hitter with four strikeouts and one walk, and Timberwolves pitchers hit eight batters in the other D-II three-game series opener.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Another win, another step closer to a unique piece of state and school history.

Cosumnes River College beat Big 8 Conference rival Sierra College 12-8 on Saturday afternoon in the California Community College Athletic Association State Baseball semifinals in Bakersfield behind Colby Brenner (four RBIs) and Josh Silver (two RBIs). CRC scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth inning to take a 7-2 lead.

The Hawks advanced to their first state-title game Sunday and need to win once against Rio Hondo, which eliminated Sierra with a 4-1 triumph Saturday night, to become the only team to win a championship without the benefit of playing any home games. CRC is undergoing a facilities upgrade and hasn't even had a home practice. A second game Sunday follows, if necessary.

Will Gilliland scored four runs for CRC and Nick Smart earned the win to improve to 6-5. Smart struck out four and gave up five earned runs.

Though Sierra beat CRC two out of three meetings in Big 8 play, the Hawks surged late and won the conference, which crowned state champions in 2008 (Sierra) and last season (Delta College of Stockton).

CRC under coach Tony Bloomfield started league play at 2-5 and celebrated the Big 8 title by having a pool part at the coach's house in Davis. CRC has gone 6-1 in this postseason with two Regional titles and a 3-1 state-opening win over Rio Hondo to snap the Whittier team's national-leading 33-game winning streak.
Kaden Kamoe drove in two for Sierra.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Hayden did it.

Hayden Duer - pronounced do-er - had a no-out, walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Davis High School past Vacaville 4-3 on Saturday afternoon in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I-North playoff game at Sacramento City College.

Davis moved to 2-0 in this increasingly tense tournament of large-schools chock full of odd twists, turns and upsets and moves to Tuesday's winner's bracket final to face the winner of Saturday's Elk Grove-Franklin second-round game.

A junior designated hitter batting seventh, Duer admitted he was trying to "do too much" with earlier at-bats" but relaxed in this situation. He pumped his fist as the winning run scored. Davis overcame three errors and used a double play in the Vacaville eighth to avoid the loser's bracket.

"That was a great game," Davis coach Dan Ariola said.

Davis received strong pitching from starter Matt Trask, who allowed no hits and left with a 3-2 lead in the third, and Reinert Toft, who struck out five and allowed two hits.

Vacaville starter Deandre Casovia struck out four and walked four. Chris Gnos, Bobby Young and Ben Eckels had RBIs for Davis.

Vacaville beat two-time defending North champion Jesuit 3-2 in an opener on Wednesday and now plays Monday night against the loser of the Elk Grove-Franklin game. Davis opened this event with a 5-2 victory over Oak Ridge with Eckels striking out 12.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Sophomore designated hitter Devin Lehman has a three-run double in the first inning and a three-run triple in the second, and Brendan Keeney toessed five consecutive shutout innings for Granite Bay in an 11-3 Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff win over Del Campo at American River College on Friday night.

Keeney, a Bee All-Metro quarterback for the D-I section champion Grizzlies last fall, improved his record to 6-0 this spring. After sitting out last baseball season to focus on football, Keeney has provided leadership and pitching depth for the Grizzlies. Keeney will walk on at Cal this fall to play quarterback.

Four Del Campo pitchers walked 13. Mitch Hart had two RBIs for the Grizzlies, who made some spectacular defensive plays, including second baseman Vinny Esposito, son of veteran coach Pat Espisoto. Granite Bay plays McClatchy on Saturday at ARC to start that best-of-three series.

Granite Bay, winners of the brutally competitive Sierra Foothill League, played for the D-II section title in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and won it in 2001. All told, an SFL team has won the D-II title in seven times since 2000, including three in a row. An SFL team has placed second five consecutive seasons in a show of league superiority.

- By Joe Davidson
Davidson and Mike Finnerty co-host the SureWest Sports Radio Show on Saturday morning from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320 and linked later to ESPN1320.net. Topics include the prep playoffs, the latest in area football news and the SureWest Coaches of the Year.

The Road Warriors have invaded Bakersfield and now they aim to make more history.

Cosumnes River College snapped Rio Hondo's national-leading 33-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory in an opening-round California Community College Athletic Association State Championship contest in Bakersfield on Friday night.

Ace Austin Ales (11-2) tossed a complete game with three strikeouts and one walk for the Hawks (26-15-1), who are attempting to become the only team to win a state title without the benefit of a single practice or game at home due to construction for facilities upgrades.

Josh Silver, Phillip Roa and Ryan Case each had an RBI for CRC, in the state tournament for the first time. Rio Hondo came in 38-3, last losing in mid February.

CRC won the Big 8 Conference over rival Sierra College, which beat nationally ranked No. 1 Orange Coast 4-0 in the early game (see link on Sacbee.com).

CRC coach Tony Bloomfield and Sierra skipper Rob Willson are the best of friends, but they joke that they are also like competitive brothers, badly wanting to beat each other.

Never have the stakes been higher, of course. Sierra (26-15-1) won the state title in 2008. The Big 8 has had a team in the state finals in three of the past five years, with Delta of Stockton winning it last season.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Bee file photo of Tony Bloomfield by Andy Alfaro

The Correa name resonates at McClatchy High School.

Brothers Dom and Howie Correa spearheaded championship baseball teams in the 1990s, with Howie and friends beating C.C. Sabathia of Vallejo to win the 1998 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship. Their father Steve has been a decades-long fixture as a youth coach that fed talent into the Freeport Boulevard school.

These days, it's Greg Correa, nephew of Dom and Howie and grandson to Steve, who has inspired his teammates with a refocused effort in the classroom and bulldog results on the mound.

Now competing in the Division II postseason, Correa put the clamps on free-swinging Oakmont in relief by retiring seven of the nine batters he faced in a 6-5 opening-round playoff triumph Friday night at American River College.

A stout 6-foot-1 senior, Correa picked off the only man who managed a hit off of him at first base, and he struck out two in the seventh inning for the Metro Conference champions. The relief and pride was evident on his face, and his coaches raved about his drive to be a student to match his athletic feats.

Correa had to take extra classes to get back on track academically. He worked with teachers and counselors after considering getting his GED before his head coach Mike de Necochea and teammates convinced him to finish as a Lion.

"I had to get on it academically, and I realized that education is important and graduating with these guys would be special," Correa said. "And baseball is something I live for. I'll never forget this. It's all come together."

Said de Necochea, "Greg stuck with it, a testament to him. He's a hard-luck story who earned this. He's been our big guy."

McClatchy is also known for being an academic powerhouse with its renowned HISP offerings - Humanities, International Studies Program. Senior leaders Alex Jang, Rod Mackey, Kevin Krause and Kenny Nishimura are all HISP students with 4.0 GPAs headed to college. The power and personality comes in the form of another solid student in Jared James, pictured, a senior slugger who expects to be drafted next month. Add it all up and it's no wonder the Lions are all grins.

"We can be pretty good," De Necochea said.

Nelson Muniz and Nishimura each had two hits and Krause double.d Muniz had an RBI double for a 5-4 Lions lead in the fourth inning and James had a ground-out RBI in the fifth to make it 6-5.

Jimmy Lunardelli, Justin Garvin and Robert Walton combined for seven hits for Oakmont, which bid farewell to retiring coach Dean Perkins. Perkins helped guide 17 playoff teams in 25 years with the Roseville school.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Joe Davidson and Mike Finnerty will break down the baseball playoffs and offer football talk on the SureWest Sports Radio Show on Saturday from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320 (linked later in the day to ESPN1320.net).

Bee photo of Jared James by Manny Crisostomo

The improbable journey continues for Sierra College baseball.

Josh Eagle didn't allow a hit until there were two outs in the fourth inning, and Kaden Kamoe had a two-run home run as the Wolverines of Rocklin beat nationally ranked No. 1 Orange Coast 4-0 in a California Community College Athletic Association State Championship opener in Bakersfield on Friday afternoon.

Eagle (11-2) struck out seven, walked three and allowed six hits in moving to 3-0 this postseason while handing Orange Coast (36-6-1) its first shutout in 95 games, dating back to 2010. Sierra (26-15-1) is 6-0 in this postseason and seeks its second state championship since 2008 under coach Rob Willson. The Wolverines finished fourth in the Big 8 Conference, with Cosumnes River winning it. CRC plays Rio Hondo tonight at 6 p.m.

Orange Coast, state champions in 2009, move into the loser's bracket phase of the event.

For Sierra, Jared Snow had two hits and Eddie Mora-Loerra drove in a run. Eagle struck out Pirates cleanup hitter Stefan Sabol two times as he left three runners on base. Eagle walked three. The inspirational sophomore from Antioch was born with a left-foot abnormality that required five major surgeries before his 10th birthday. Doctors once suggested to his parents that they amputate. Baseball, Eagle said in a recent Bee interview, "made me feel normal, like one of the guys."

Eagle walks with a slight limp and his left foot points toward third base when he's in the wind up. Eagle is know as "The Bulldog" by his teammates and coaches. Willson says of his humble star, "he's just amazing."
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

David Smith suspected he might get some work Thursday night, but not with this sort of entry and with these results.

When Elk Grove High School starter Rowdy Tellez walked off the mound with a tweaked sore left elbow after hyperextending it in a fall earlier in the week, Smith was immediately summoned to action.

The 6-foot-3 junior with a breaking pitch, changeup and fastball calmly delivered one of the most memorable efforts in Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North playoff history, tossing an unusual combination no-hitter to beat Napa 1-0 at Sacramento City College.

Tellez recorded one out before switching to first base. From there, it was a duel with Napa's Brett Obranovich, who came in 10-1 and allowed two hits against the mashing Thundering Herd before departing in the seventh. Smith struck out nine and walked two, and then he worked over a lollipop after the game to ease his nerves.

"I didn't expect this," said Smith, who improved to 6-0 and moved the Thundering Herd into Saturday's double-elimination round against Delta Valley Conference rival Franklin.
Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson said of all his years playing and coaching it, he can't recall being more frantic.

"I've never been more nervous than that last inning; I wanted him to have (that no-hitter) so bad," Carlson said. "It's crazy. It's not how I drew it up. I can't say enough about David and his composure."

Nick Madrigal scored the lone run in the first inning on a Dom Nunez infield groundout. Madrigal walked and reached third on a wild pitch. Tellez could return to the mound as early as Saturday.

Said deflated Napa coach Todd Pridy, "It was a tough spill swallow. You get 21 outs and you can't manage a hit. But I'm proud of these guys."

* Davis 5, Oak Ridge 2 - Ben Eckels struck out 12, and batterymate George Hatamiya had a leadoff single in honor of his late mother as the Blue Devils knocked out the third and final Delta River League heavyweight from this D-I tournament. Pleasant Grove and Jesuit lost openers on Wednesday.

Eckels pitched what he and coach Dan Ariola deemed his best game of the season. Hatamiya's mother Nancy died Tuesday after a year-long battle with lung cancer. She pleaded with her son to continue playing. Joe Murray had two hits and two RBIs, Chris Gnos had three hits and drove in a run, Bobby Young had an RBI double and Eckels and John Ariola each had RBIs for Davis, which plays Vacaville on Saturday at noon.

"That's why I'm out here because mom wanted me to play, and I needed to play," Hatamiya said. "Feels good to win this."

Said Davis coach Dan Ariola, "We wanted to win it for Nancy and Ben was in control, outstanding."

* Rocklin 1, Rosemont 0 - Tanner McVey struck out 11, allowed two hits and overcame three Thunder errors in Division II opener at American River College. Christian Bennett had two of Rocklin's five hits, including scoring Jake Faulkner in the fifth. Faulkner doubled with two outs. McVey struck out the last batter in the fourth after his only walk. Rosemont's Sam Long allowed five hits and walked two.

* Woodcreek 4, Bella Vista 0 - Despite the flu, Stephen Nogosek struck out 10 and allowed three hits to eliminate the Broncos in another D-II opener. Woodcreek will play Sierra Foothill League rival Rocklin in a best of three series
starting on Saturday. Nogosek's performance came nearly a year after his 16-strikeout,
one-hit 2-0 win in the Timberwolves' 2011 D-II opener against Casa Roble.

* Placer 12, River Valley 1 - A.J. Sanchez slugged a grandslam, Kevin Giles had four RBIs and Ryan Mason allowed two hits, walked two and struck out nine for the Hillmen in a Division III opener. Mason, the Cal-bound senior ace, also had two hits.
- By Joe Davidson and Bill Paterson.
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Stephen Nogosek is a formidable pitcher any time of year. But the 6-foot-2 junior seems to hit an even stronger stride once the playoffs start, even when he's not 100 percent.

Nogosek struck out 10 and didn't allow a hit after the first batter in the second inning to lead Woodcreek to a 4-0 win over Bella Vista in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II do-or-die baseball opener tonight at American River College.

The performance came nearly a year after his 16-strikeout, one-hit 2-0 win in the Timberwolves' 2011 D-II opener against Casa Roble.

While not quite as sharp as last year's outing because he was battling the flu - Nogosek walked five and hit a batter - Bella Vista couldn't get much going after getting two singles in the first and another to lead off the second.

Shaun Mize's first-inning run on a passed ball after he tripled to lead off the game was all Nogosek needed.

But Woodcreek added plenty of insurance with three runs in the third inning on three hits, three walks and a steal of home by Alex Montes. That's no surprise. Woodcreek stole 73 bases during the season.

George Hatamiya honored his mother with a lead-off base hit and his pitching pal batterymate Ben Eckels honored her even more with his best effort of an already impressive season.

With its two anchor stars leading the way, Davis High School eliminated Oak Ridge from the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North baseball playoffs on Thursday afternoon with a 5-2 victory at Sacramento City College to cap an emotional week that went well beyond balls and strikes.

Hatamiya's mother Nancy succumbed to lung cancer Tuesday after a courageous year-long battle. She pleaded with her son the to continue his catching duties and to represent his family, school and town. Eckels struck out 12 in a complete-game two-hitter against a lineup that generally feeds off fastballs to advance the Blue Devils into Saturday's double-elimination round.

And just like that, the Delta River League is on vacation. DRL heavies Pleasant Grove, Jesuit and Oak Ridge each bowed out in the first game here. Each spent time as The Bee's top-ranked team.

Davis of the Delta Valley Conference came in No. 2 by The Bee and features the sort of senior leadership and pitching staff to make a title run. Players embraced Hatamiya before and after the game. There was a moment of silence, and Hatamiya's father Lon was among those who applauded every Davis run and Eckles strikeout.

"That's why I'm out here because mom wanted me to play, and I needed to play," Hatamiya said. "Feels good to win this."

Said Davis coach Dan Ariola, "We wanted to win it for Nancy. Our guys were on. Very resilient."

Said Eckels: "I felt great. I feel really good for George."

Eckels said he also thought of Scott Heinig, his pitching coach at Davis last season who was also a close friend. A former Davis High and UC Davis pitcher, Heinig died last spring.

Davis won section titles in 2001 and 2004 in compiling a streak of seven consecutive opening-round wins in this event. The Blue Devils lost its last three openers coming in, including to Oak Ridge last season.

"Great win, and now we're in it," Airola said. "Oak Ridge can really rip the ball, but Ben was in control. Best game he's thrown. Outstanding."

Joe Murray had two hits and an RBI, Chris Gnos had three hits and drove in a run, Bobby Young had an RBI double and Eckels and John Ariola each had RBIs for Davis, which plays Vacaville on Saturday at noon. Vacaville beat Jesuit 3-2 on Wednesday.

Oak Ridge finished 20-8. Leadoff hitter Alec de Watteville had a home run and Lance Berringer a triple for the Trojans of El Dorado Hills.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter @sb_joedavidson

Tanner McVey struck out 11, allowed two hits and overcame three errors to lead Rocklin to a 1-0 win over Rosemont in the do-or-die Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball opener today at American River College.

Christian Bennett, who had two of Rocklin's five hits, singled in Jake Faulkner with the game's only run in the fifth inning. Faulkner doubled with two outs.

McVey struck out the last two batters in the first inning after Rocklin errors put Rosemont runners at second and third with one out.

He struck out the last batter in the fourth after his only walk and another error put runners at second and third again.

Rosemont's Sam Long pitched well in losing effort. He allowed five hits and walked was a hard-luck loser for Rosemont. He allowed five hits and walked two.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

It hasn't been a breeze of a season by any measure for the Franklin Wildcats baseball team.

There was the slow, out-of-the-gates start when the bats were as cool as the weather, followed by an 4-0 effort in the Fresno Easter Tournament. A third-place finish in a power-packed Delta Valley Conference that includes Elk Grove and Davis placed Franklin in a play-in Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North contest Monday in Yountville. Surviving that, Franklin played like a team that has come of age and fears no obstacle in belting Bee No. 1 Pleasant Grove 11-5 on Wednesday at Sacramento City College to formally enter the serious contender category.

"I really liked our chances and think we can be the best team in the section if we play like we can," Franklin coach Bryan Kilby said. "Our guys really respond to adversity. They're fired up. It's a super group of kids."

The Wildcats (19-9) led 11-1 after their half of the third inning. They scored five in the first off ace Zach cq Stilwell, who has been dominant at times this season but hit three, walked three and surrendered three hits in that five-run first. All told, Franklin smacked 15 hits, and Josh Pigg struck out five to earn the win.

With Tyler Blake and Kyle Von Ruden now with healthy arms to go with Brandon Keup, the pitching staff is poised for a title run. Blake had three hits and three RBIs, Kyle Zanzi had three RBIs, Kyle Von Ruden drove in two, Connor Adams had two hits and Taylor Watersr had two doubles.

Pleasant Grove (22-6) had beaten Franklin 8-6 and 3-0 in nonleague games, and the Eagles also beat Oak Ridge twice and previous No. 1 Jesuit twice to win the Delta River League. But somewhere on the way to this venue, the wheels fell off on Highway 99.
"I didn't see this coming, and give credit to Franklin," Pleasant Grove coach Rob Rinaldi said. "Matt Stafford pitched well (in relief) and had four zeroes on the scoreboard, but it was too late. It was a slow torture for us."

J.Q. Folena, superb at shortstop and the plate all season for Pleasant Grove, homered in his final appearance for the Eagles.

* Vacaville 3, Jesuit 2 - Elway Santistevan scattered six hits and his defense threw out a runner at home and picked off two on the bases to stun Bee No. 3 Jesuit, eliminating the two-time defending North champions.

The Bulldogs of the Monticello Empire League played relaxed and aggressive, executing double steals and behaving like a team that fully expected to win this. It is Vacaville's first playoff win since the 1990s after some crushing opening-game, elimination losses, including 5-3 to Jesuit in 2007.

Vacaville (18-9) lost to Pleasant Grove 4-3 and beat Davis 4-3 and Franklin 3-1 early this season in nonleague games.

"We showed up here, we competed and we played well," Vacaville coach Abe Hobbs said. "Elway doesn't pass the eye test, but that's a competitive young man."

Vacaville reliever Anthony Gonsolin struck out Zach Green swinging with a man on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh to end it. Logan James struck out eight for Jesuit (20-8). For Vacaville, Gonsolin and Ben Gamba had RBIs and Santistevan had two hits.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

He doesn't pass the look test, but he certainly passes with flying colors otherwise.

Say hello to Elway Santistevan, a 5-foot-6 junior pitcher for Vacaville High School who introduced his off-speed pitches and drive to the two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North champions on Wednesday night.

With Santistevan scattering six hits against a formidable lineup and his teammates playing superb defense and taking advantage of four errors, Vacaville stunned Jesuit 3-2 to bounce Big Red and suddenly elevate itself into Saturday's double-elimination phase
at Sacramento City College.

Santistevan only struck out two, but he piled up shutout innings, thanks in part to a defense that picked off runners at first base or threw out runners at home. The Bulldogs of the Monticello Empire League played relaxed and aggressive, executing double steals and behaving like a team that fully expected to win this. It is Vacaville's first playoff win since the 1990s after some crushing opening-game, elimination losses, including 5-3 to Jesuit in 2007.

Vacaville lost to Pleasant Grove 4-3 and beat Davis 4-3 and Franklin 3-1 early.
"We showed up, we competed and we played well," Vacaville coach Abe Hobbs said. "Elway doesn't pass the eye test, but that's a competitive young man."

So was the man who relieved him in the bottom of the seventh. Jesuit, ranked third by The Bee and second by NorCalPreps.com, cut it to 3-2 on a Louis Mejia fielder's choice RBI, setting up Zach Green with two outs. Jesuit's senior slugger struck out swinging to end it on a high, hard fastball by Anthony Gonsolin.

As for Santistevan, he said his lifetime baseball highlight was a no-hitter in Texas as part of a summer All-Star travel team as an eighth grader. This might wind up topping that.
"Fearless," he said of his mentality. "Compete against anyone."

Jesuit's four errors led to two unearned runs for Vacaville. Gonsolin and Ben Gamba had RBIs and Santistevan had two hits.

Julian Barron and Andre Gregory had two hits each for Jesuit, which spent several weeks this season top-ranked by The Bee after beating previous No. 1 Oak Ridge two out of three times in one week.

Jesuit will bid farewell to seniors such as Green, Mejia, Parker Abercrombie, Max Eggleston, Nick Viola, Joe Williams, Gabe Araj and Logan James, who struck out eight in his final Marauders appearance. He is headed to Stanford.

Jesuit will return a wealth of talent, including Gregory, Barron, Lorenzo Arcuri, Jordan Hanlin, Dan Johnson, Alex Larivee and Josh Falco.

Jesuit coach Joe Potulny, winner of five section championships at his alma mater, offered long embraces to his players. He said that if you coach this sport long enough, you experience the wins and the crushing quick-exit losses. Here, the engine seized up.

"It did today," the coach said. "I feel bad for the seniors. This is a tough way to go out. We as coaches get to come back and do it again next year. Vacaville was tough. I was very impressed with (Santistevan). He competed his rear end off."
-By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Franklin High School beat Vintage 6-2 on Monday in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I outbracket game, and now the real fun starts.

The Wildcats of Elk Grove received a complete-gem effort Kyle Von Ruden, allowing one earned run as he rounds back into form after an early season saw him slowed by an arm strain. Von Ruden also had three hits and drove in a run, Ryan Sarginson had two hits and scored a run, Taylor Waters had a triple and two RBIs and Kyle Zanzi had two hits for Franklin, which not takes on Pleasant Grove on Wednesday at Sacramento City College at 1 p.m.

That game is followed by Jesuit-Vacaville at 4 p.m.

On Thursday at Sac City, Davis takes on Oak Ridge, followed by Elk Grove-Napa.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

SAN MATEO - They have traveled near and far, so what's one more road trip to cap what's developed into a record season?

Cosumnes River College, the ultimate road-warrior crew, beat host City College of San Mateo 13-3 on a blustery, coolish late Sunday afternoon in conditions better suited for sailing in the nearby Bay to capture the program's first Northern California Super Regional baseball championship.

CRC lost to San Mateo in the first game Sunday here, forcing a winner-take-all finale, and the Hawks typically rallied against any form of adversity. Next is the California Community College State Championships in Bakersfield, a locale that promises to be a good five-hour drive and a great bit warmer.

At this point, CRC would trek to the Canandian border by horse and buggy if it meant more games. The Hawks of South Sacramento became the only team to win a NorCal Super Regional without the benefit of a single home practice or game as their campus is undergoing a significant athletic facilities upgrade.

"It's amazing what these kids have done," CRC coach Tony Bloomfield said. "I don't know if playing every game on the road and still making the state championships will be done again. We're a small group, and we don't carry that many guys with 19, but we're like a family, like brothers. It's such a resilient group."

The resiliency certainly includes winning pitcher Chris Smart. He went six strong innings after being pulled in the third inning of Friday's Super Regional opener. Bloomfield wanted a fresh, motivated Smart ready in case it came down to this, and he reveled in the results.

"He was eager, and he was great," Bloomfield said of Smart.

Also for CRC, Colby Brenner had four RBIs and Jake Schu, Josh Silver and Luke McDonald each drove in two. Silver also had some more superb plays at shortstop, making spectacular plays look routine.

CRC won the brutally competitive Big 8 Conference title, holding off rivals such as Sierra College, which won the other NorCal Super Regional in Quincy by beating Fresno City in 11 innings (see earlier posted report on Sacbee.com).

Now the Hawks and Sierra College take on what Bloomfield deems "the big boys" from down south. Sierra (25-15-1) opens with Orange Coast College (36-5-1) on Friday at 3 p.m. in Bakersfield, followed by CRC (25-16) taking on Rio Hondo College (38-3). This is a double-elimination, round-robin tournament with the title game set for Sunday.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Sierra College is back in the California Community College State Baseball Championship Final 4, feeling as if it can still play even better ball.

Four years after winning the title, the Wolverines are greedy for a bit more after winning their Northern California Super Regional in Quincy with a 10-6, 11-inning effort. Sierra scored four times in the 11th, and seldom-used Collin Monagle pitched a scoreless 10th and 11th.

Sierra is 5-0 in the playoffs and now aims for the program's second state championship since 2008 under coach Rob Willson. Brady Steiger had three hits and three RBIs, and Travis Israel, Brad Gerig and Casey Friederich each had two hits for the Wolverines, who turned five double plays.

Sierra beat top-seeded and host Feather River 5-3 in this Super Regional opner on Friday behind ace Josh Eagle, who struck out eight of the first 13 batters he faced in moving to 10-2 on the season.

On Saturday, Sierra beat Fresno City 5-4 on a two-out, two-run home run by Brad Gerig in the eighth inning. Gerig had a bottom-of-the-11th homer to eliminate - and stun - Laney of Oakland in a NorCal Regional playoff opener a week earlier. That put Sierra into Sunday's title game where Fresno City had to win twice to take the title.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

SAN MATEO - Josh Silver took two years off from college academics and the baseball grind to rediscover himself and grow as a man. Silver missed it too much to stay away, and his return to the sport has been a significant story line for the surging Cosumnes River College Hawks this improbable season.

The sophomore shortstop from Franklin High School in Elk Grove roped three hits, including two towering doubles, and played more superb defense in inching CRC closer to a bit of school history.

With ace Austin Ales tossing seven consecutive shutout innings and allowing four hits, the Hawks clubbed City College of San Mateo 8-1 on Saturday afternoon in a winner's bracket Northern California Community College Super Regional playoff.

San Mateo (31-11) eliminated Diablo Valley later Saturday 5-2 in a double-elimination finale and now must beat CRC twice today here to deny the Hawks their first Super Regional title in school history.

CRC (24-15) has been in a Super Regional in seven of the past eight seasons, the most of any team in the North. Now they want that one elusive milestone victory.
"It's all coming together and we know that we've got more to do," Silver said, adding that he is delighted to be a student/athlete again. Silver played one season at San Jose State after his prep career before the hiatus.

"I couldn't stay away," Silver said. "I'm a better player, more mature. And it's fun."
Fun also comes in the form of watching Ales work. The freshman from Oak Ridge struck out four and moved to 10-2 on the season with a 1.10 ERA. With Silver and centerfielder Colby Brenner, CRC often makes spectacular plays.

"Silver's the best shortstop I've ever coached, and Brenner is so good out there," CRC coach Tony Bloomfield said. "And Ales - that's our guy. Poised and confident, that's what you want. He looks like a polished veteran out there."

Ales will only be at CRC this season. He will go on a yet-to-be-determined Mormon Mission starting in the fall.

"It's something I really want to do and something I'm ready for," Ales said. "But it'll be hard to leave. We've had so much fun this year."

Bryan Case had two hits and three RBIs for CRC. CRC took a 3-1 lead in the first inning on three hits and two errors. Brenner had an RBI to make it 7-1 and Silver an RBI double for an 8-1 lead in the CRC sixth.

The Hawks are attempting to become the first team to win a Super Regional without the benefit of having a single practice or game at home. CRC is undergoing a massive facilities upgrade.

* Sierra 5, Fresno City 4 - Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs at Feather River College, Brad Gerig crushed a two-run home, and Ryan Millison tossed his first complete game to put the Wolverines a win away from the program's second Super Regional championship since 2008, when they won the state championship.

Gerig had a bottom-of-the-11th homer to eliminate Laney of Oakland in a Regional playoff opener a week earlier. This time, Wolverines coach Rob Willson cq fantasized about more heroics.

"I swear, I called both his majestic bombs and I do not say that every pitch or opponent," Willson said. "This one was a no-doubt bomb."

Sierra finished second to CRC in the Big 8 Conference, which is looking to produce its fourth state champion since 2004. Sierra and CRC are a combined 8-0 in the playoffs this season.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Bee file photo of Tony Bloomfield by Andy Alfaro

Sierra College used another monstrous and inspired outing from ace Josh Eagle and Cosumnes River used a big inning as the Big 8 Conference rivals won Northern California Super Regional baseball openers Friday.

Josh Eagle (pictured) struck out eight of the first 13 batters he faced in pitching seven superb innings to improve to 10-2, and Kaden Kamoe stole home with two outs in the eighth inning for an insurance run in a 5-3 victory over top-seeded Feather River, the host school.

Sierra plays Fresno City at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Kamoe's steal made it 4-1. Chris Daniels earned the save for the Wolverines, who won the state title in 2008.

Eagle now has 98 strikeouts, second in the state by three.

"He was great again," Sierra coach Rob Willson said a week after Eagle tossed a complete-game, 9-strikeout gem to beat Laney of Oakland 4-2 in a NorCal Regional opener.

CRC, the Big 8 champion, beat Ohlone 10-4 at San Mateo, scoring three in the top of the sixth for a 5-2 lead. Jake Schu, Phillip Roa and Josh Silver each had three hits. Garrett Heisinger had a sacrifice fly to put CRC up for good at 3-2, scoring Roa. Luke McDonald drove in Shawn Wheeler to make it 4-2, and Blake Harrison earned the win.

CRC now takes on City College of San Mateo on Saturday at 11 a.m. CRC continues to impress as the ultimate road warrior team. Due to construction of a new field on their south Sacramento Campus, the Hawks have not had a single practice or game at home. They are attempting to become the first team in state history to win a Super Regional with the entire season played on the road.

CRC and Sierra can reach the Super Regional finals with a win Saturday in inching closer to the State Final Four. Each program would have to lose twice to be eliminated.

* In women's Super Regional softball action at San Mateo, Ohlone upset Sierra 7-3 to put the Wolverines into the loser's bracket. The Wolverines have to win three consecutive games to win this event.

Sierra had beaten Ohlone three times this season. It now plays College of the Sequoias on Saturday at noon, a team the Wolverines crushed 17-3 earlier this season.
Taylor McGregor had a three-run home run for Sierra, giving her team 73 homers for the season.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Bee photo of Josh Eagle by Paul Kitagaki Jr.

Round I went to Pleasant Grove High School on Monday in a battle of title contenders in the Delta River League.

The Eagles of Elk Grove scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning, highlighted by Matt Stafford's walk-off hit up the middle, for a wild 6-5 victory over Bee No. 1 Jesuit.

Aces Zach Stilwell and Logan James combined for 11 shutout innings before fatigue finally set in for the stellar seniors. Jesuit scored five times in the top of the seventh and basked momentarily in that thrill ride before Pleasant Grove responded in front of an overflow crowd with its rally.

The teams play Tuesday at Jesuit and cap the regular season Wednesday back at Pleasant Grove. Pleasant Grove is 21-4 overall and 12-1 in league play, losing only to Oak Ridge. Jesuit is 19-6 overall and 11-2 in league play with the other loss coming to Oak Ridge.

"For six years, you've got to beat Jesuit to win this league, and now we've got our shot," Pleasant Grove coach Rob Rinaldi said in praising his team and the Marauders.

Rinaldi and Jesuit coach Joe Potulny have a great deal of respect for each other. The coaches have faced off for nearly 20 years in some epic games, including when Rinaldi led power teams in Woodland in the 1990s.

On Monday, it was Stilwell and James who endured the emotional roller coaster. Stilwell was cruising in keeping Jesuit's terrific offense in check through six innings.

Pleasant Grove took a 3-0 lead in the fifth on an Ian Chandler sacrifice fly, a Bronson Grubbs score off a passed ball and a JQ Folena base hit. Jesuit took a 4-3 lead in the seventh on Jordan Hanlin's 2-run double. Stilwell agonized at first when he was pulled in the seventh, and then was ecstatic with the rally.

"Great win," Rinaldi said. "I was so upset for Zach because he pitched so well, worked so hard, but he was happy at the end when we pulled it out. This team's been pretty resilient. We played great baseball with a couple of double plays, then the three-run inning to win it."

Stilwell tossed a perfect game with 13 strikeouts in his last outing, against Ponderosa, and he had a 15-strikeout gem against Sheldon. He fanned five against Jesuit and raved about the efforts of his teammates. He also said he admired the effort of James, saying, "He's a great pitcher. I love going against him."
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Baseball and superstition go hand-in-hand, so it's no wonder Colby Brenner hasn't once considered a request for fresh duds.

The Cosumnes River College centerfielder has game pants that bear a gaping hole in the hamstring region, courtesy of his relentless efforts. On Sunday afternoon, Brenner had a stolen base, a diving catch in the outfield and a hustling three-run double that keyed the seventh-seeded Hawks' 7-3 close-out victory over No. 10 College of the Sequoias in a Northern California Regional playoff series at American River.
CRC advances to next weekend's four-team Super Regional in the Bay Area.

CRC athletic specialist/equipment guru Jason Neary will sew up Brenner's pants again, but that's about the only hole you'll find in the Hawks' game otherwise. Defense, sound pitching and timely hitting again told the story for the Hawks, in the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons under coach Tony Bloomfield.

"No need for a new pair of pants because these work," said a smiling Brenner, an Elk Grove High graduate.

Brenner's double came with two outs in the second inning and gave CRC a 4-0 lead against the Giants of Visalia.Garrett Heisinger, Jake Schu and Pete Pendley each drove in a run for the Hawks, and Austin Ales improved to 9-2 with a complete-game seven-hitter. He allowed two earned runs and struck out five. Ales also has four saves this season. The freshman from Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills has been superb all season, Bloomfield said.

So has the defense, a unit that includes some personalities. Brenner and shortstop standout teammates Josh Silver each sport the sort of sideburn mutton chops that would make Elvis proud. Bloomfield cracked that he's mellowed too much in his old age - he's closing in on his 50th birthday - in evan allowing facial hair. He has for years adhered to a clean-cut policy, but again, superstition and a good vibe.

"I've gotten soft," Bloomfield said. "They're having fun with this."

So is the coach. Bloomfield has kept the Hawks together and loose this season, one in which they have not had a single practice or game on campus due to a facilities upgrade. Bloomfield was again wearing long sleeves even on a warm day because he's worn those same sleeves for a lot of wins. He also wears socks a certain way.

All told, CRC will continue to stick with what works as the results show a Big 8 Conference title in what has fast emerged as the state's toughest league, including Sierra College winning the state title in 2008.

* Sierra 10, Laney 9 - Brad Gerig hammered a solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning on a 3-1 pitch, and Chris Daniels pitched two perfect innings in relief for the win as the 11th-seeded Wolverines won their seventh Regional in nine seasons in eliminating the No. 6 Eagles in Oakland. Gerig's blast traveled 450 feet, Sierra coach Rob Willson said, setting off a celebration.

"Brad just destroyed it, and it went over the net that is there to keep balls from leaving the place," Willson said. "It was an amazing game, incredible."

An outfielder, Gerig had three hits, two RBIs and scored three runs. Clinton Brill, Eddie Mora and Kaden Kamoe each had two hits for Sierra.

Laney forced extra innings with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, and back and forth the teams went.

"The most incredible game we've been in," Willson said. "Some titanic home runs. We're up three, then they score four. They're up, then we tie. Gerig's homer landed on top of a new building. He's strong."

* Sierra College softball 15, De Anza 9 - State Player of the Year Ashley Osier had a two-run homer and a three-run blast, giving her a state-leading 20 for the season, and the Wolverines eliminated the Dons in a NorCal Regional.

Kacy Romero also homered for Sierra, on her 19th birthday. Annette Merjano had three hits, two doubles and two RBIs, and Jenna Thorn drove in four for the Wolverines, who have a state-leading 72 homers this season.

Sierra coach Darci Brownell said this group has the best team chemistry of any she has had in her 24 years on the Rocklin campus. Sierra plays at San Mateo in a Super Regional next weekend. San Mateo eliminated American River in two games. ARC was in the playoffs for the first time in more than 10 years.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Playing an entire season on the road due to construction for new facilities presented plenty of challenges for the Cosumnes River College baseball team this spring.

There were rained-out practices or brief 90-minute sessions. There was the role of visiting team even when they were the home club in the scorebook, not to mention a lot of gas expenses.

So what about the opening-game of a California Community College Northern California Regional playoff series? Another road trip and more encouraging results.

The Hawks of south Sacramento received 8-plus innings of strong pitching from Nick Smart, more superb defense and just enough timely hits to take Game 1 over College of the Sequoias 5-1 on Saturday afternoon at American River.

CRC, winners of what has become the state's top league in the Big 8 Conference, can deliver the knockout blow to the Giants of Visalia today in Game 2 at 11 a.m. Game 3 follows, if necessary.

"Great group of guys," CRC coach Tony Bloomfield said of his 19-man roster. "We don't care where we play. We just play."

Smith, a left-handed freshman from Fairfield, relied on his curveball in scattering nine hits. He struck out five and walked one. Smart wanted to complete the game but Bloomfield pulled him with one out in the ninth with 107 pitches. Blake Harrison came in and induced a double play for the Hawks.

"That was all defense today helping me," Smart said. "We have the best defense in the league, hands down. That's what makes me look good. We didn't feel any pressure. And being on the road all season, it feels kind of normal now."

Shawn Wheeler scored Josh Silver with a single in the first to open the CRC scoring, and Garrett Heisinger drove in two with a shallow single to right for a 4-1 lead. Colby Brenner's RBI single in the eighth made it 5-1 in the eighth. Brenner had two hits.

CRC will go with ace Austin Ales of Oak Ridge High School in Game 2. Ales is 8-2 with four saves.

"We would've used Ales in relief today if it was a 1-run game," Bloomfield said. "He can go every day. We have to tone him down he's that into it."

* Sierra 4, Laney 2 - Josh Eagle tossed a complete game with one walk and nine strikeouts, and the Wolverines scored two in the top of the 10th to win Game 1 of their regional opener in Oakland.

In the 10th, Brady Steiger had a pinch-hit double to score Eddie Mora, who had two doubles, and Brad Gerig had a sacrifice fly. Eagle, a sophomore from Antioch, improved to 9-2 in drawing more praise from his head coach.

"He's an amazing pitcher and young man," Sierra coach Rob Willson said. "He's got a fast ball, a curve, his change, and a cutter. He has four pitches. Just amazing what he's done."

Sierra will go with Ryan Millison on Sunday in Game 2. Millison is the staff co-ace and a scholarship signee to Long Beach State. Sierra seeks its seventh regional title in nine years under Willson, whose 2008 club won the state championship.

* Feather River 13, Sacramento City 5 - The top-seeded Golden Eagles scored five in the fifth inning and five in the eighth to win their regional opener a year after the Panthers stunned them in the opening round. Michael Bennett earned the win for Feather River, improving to 10-1 on the season.

Feather River can win its sixth regional title since 2000 with a win Sunday. Sac City has been in the postseason every season since 1976.

* Sierra softball 12, De Anza 0 - Ashley Osier tossed a one-hitter to improve to 17-2, and the Wolverines clubbed two more home runs to give them 69 for the season in a 5-inning opening-round rout of the Dons.

Amanda Wright hit her third grand slam of the season, and Michelle Fogal had a three-run home run, her 12th of the season. Jenna Thorn had a three-run triple for Sierra, which moved to 36-5 on the season.

Osier struck out four with no walks. The state Player of the Year, Osier leads the state with 18 home runs under coach Darci Brownell, in her 24th season at the Rocklin school.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Baseball with purpose - and for a purpose - was the theme of the day at Sacramento City College on Saturday.

The Fourth Annual Albie Swingin' for Life breast cancer benefit featured four games, eight teams and varying emotions. Scores of people were on hand who know someone who has been afflicted with cancer or lost someone. Umpires wore pink and donated their time. Players had pink wrist bands and ran on pink bases.

Proud survivors threw out a first pitch before each game. One was Caryn Carlson, wife of Elk Grove High School coach Jeff Carlson. For the third Albie event in a row, she fired a first pitch, then radiated with good cheer the rest of the afternoon, selling raffle tickets, offering high fives and hugs.

Missy Maxin and Andrea Wickstrom also threw out first pitches with Caryn Carlson. Both admitted to having a fit of nerves with clammy, cold hands. Replied Caryn in a calming, yet emphatic tone, "You're a breast-cancer survivor! Throwing out a first pitch is the fun part!"

Jesuit was the host school of the event with athletic director Chris Fahey the event coordinator. Scores of players wearing Albie T-shirts approached Fahey throughout the day to thank him for the invite and experience. He thanked them right back for their participation and effort.

A closer look at the games:

* Franklin 13, Antelope 3 - The Wildcats of Elk Grove smashed 11 hits against the Titans in five innings, highlighted by a 10-run fourth inning.

Alberto Rojas and Tyler Blake each had two RBI for Franklin. Josh Pigg had three hits and three RBI and Kyle Von Ruden had two hits for the Wildcats. Trent Spallas earned the win to improve to 4-1. With Blake earning the first complete-game win of his career on Friday with a 4-0 win over Grant, the Wildcats are poised for a playoff march down the stretch.

A Monday win against Grant secures at least a playoff berth for Franklin with Davis and Elk Grove also battling for Delta Valley Conference honors. The Division I playoffs will include Jesuit, Davis, Elk Grove, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Grove and Franklin all in the North. St. Mary's of Stockton, the two-time defending large-school champion, looms in the South.

* Oak Ridge 7, Roseville 6 - The Trojans of El Dorado Hills scored five runs in the fifth inning and won it on a Mason Watkins two-out, walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Oak Ridge leadoff man Alec de Watteville had a double and triple, Zack Mahon had a triple, and Logan Marston and Cody Uharriet each had doubles. Dylan McBride and Mark Reece each doubled for Roseville, which won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship on this very field a year ago.

Oak Ridge coach Todd Melton said his team is rounding back into form after enduring agonizingly tough series against Jesuit and Pleasant Grove in the Delta River League and then getting past Sheldon. Only a collapse from here would prevent the Trojans from reaching the postseason. Oak Ridge reached the Division I North finals last season and has the pitching and hitting for a return trip.

* Elk Grove 17, Pioneer 7 - The Thundering Herd scored five runs in the second inning, eight in the fourth and four in the sixth to beat the Patriots of Woodland.

Elk Grove slugger Rowdy Tellez had five RBI, including a three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth to end it, per the mercy rule when a team leads by 10 or more after at least five complete innings. Herd freshman infielder Nick Madrigal had four hits and two RBI, Derek Hill had two hits and three RBI, David Smith had two hits and Michael Wright drove in two.

The Thundering Herd is battling Davis and Franklin for Delta Valley Conference top honors. How many teams in Northern California can match Elk Grove's offensive clout with Tellez and Nunez, the versatile junior lead off hitter?

Pioneer earlier this season beat Jesuit in a nonleague game when the Marauders started ace Logan James. The Patriots certainly loom as a threat in the Division III playoffs.

* Jesuit 6, Christian Brothers 5 - Josh Falco doubled, advanced to third on a hidden-ball trick that was resulted in a balk and scored on a sharp single by Andre Gregory in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Marauders in the nightcap.

CBS loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth before Max Eggleston struck out the final two batters to seal it.

Louis Mejia had four hits, including a double, and Lorenzo Arcuri had two RBI for Jesuit, the top-ranked team by The Bee.

Hunter Dodson had four hits for CBS and Jeff Johnson and Jared Cottini combined for four hits for CBS, which is in a three-way tie for second place in the Capital Valley Conference with Oakmont and Del Campo behind Bella Vista.

Jesuit and Pleasant Grove are tied for first in the Delta River League with both teams facing each other in a three-game series to close out the regular season starting May 7.

* Other breast-cancer survivors who threw out a first pitch included: Tina Machua, Tami Jones, Cheri Person, Thelma Lazano, Patricia Nannini, Dianna La Motta, Maureen Feirera, Noelle Malone, Michele Muinn, Ellen Grant and Sandra Cummings, the grandmother of Jesuit catcher Jordan Hanlin.

- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson. Listen to radio link on www.espn1320.net

Bee file photo of Rowdy Tellez by Andy Alfaro

In a move that will have a major impact on the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason landscape, the section will bump the Sierra Foothill League to Division I starting in 2012-2013.

The section's board of managers also decided on Wednesday to move girls basketball powerhouses Sacramento and St. Mary's of Stockton and the Modesto Christian boys into higher divisions next year.

The moves are part of an effort by Commissioner Pete Saco and the board of managers to try to even the playing field in the geographically large and diverse section that stretches from Merced to Yuba City.

The SFL traditionally has been a D-II league but its growing dominance of that division - it won 15 of 29 section titles in 2010-11 - forced the section's hand, say section officials.

Ryan Mason struck out 12, allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter to lead Placer to a 2-0 win over Bear River today at James Field in Auburn.

Mason, a 6-foot-6 righthander and Cal scholarship signee, threw 93 pitches in helping the Hillmen (15-6, 7-4) to move to within a game of first place Lincoln (11-11, 8-3) in the Pioneer Valley League.

A.J. Sanchez homered, Todd Valliere drove in a run with a base hit and Michael Reale had a double to highlight Placer's offense.

Placer plays host to Lincoln on Tuesday.

Blake Harrison and Austin Ales combined for a three hitter and Garrett Heisinger had a double and two runs batted in to lead Cosumnes River College to a 4-0 win over Santa Rosa today at American River College to secure the Big 8 Conference baseball title.

Cosumnes River lost the second game of the doubleheader 4-3 in 14 innings to the Bearcubs (21-13, 13-10) to finish the regular season 15-9 in conference and 20-15 overall.

The fourth annual Albie Swingin' for Life Breast Cancer Awareness Baseball Showcase will be held April 28 at Sacramento City College.

Four games will be played, including The Bee's three top-ranked teams. The matchups:

10 a.m. - No. 11 Franklin vs. Antelope
1 p.m. - No. 2 Oak Ridge vs. Roseville
4 p.m. - No. 3 Elk Grove vs. No. 14 Pioneer
7 p.m. - No. 1 Jesuit vs. Christian Brothers

In three years the event has raised more than $25,000 to help support the Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation.

A year ago Tuesday, the town of Davis was devastated by the loss of one of its own.

Scott Heinig, a Davis High School and UC Davis pitcher and then coach, died from injuries suffered from a fall. He was 22. Heinig last season was the pitching coach for his alma mater Blue Devils and players had his jersey No. 20 stitched into the back of their caps. They also made sure his jersey No. 20 was in the dug out, home and away, to serve as motivation and a reminder.

Blue Devils ace Ben Eckels was especially close to Heinig. He admitted that Tuesday was an especially difficult day and starting assignment, his mind elsewhere, though Bee No. 4 Davis beating No. 3 Elk Grove 5-4 in a key Delta Valley Conference certainly helped sooth matters. Eckels struck out two with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to escape his most serious jam, his seventh and eighth punch outs of the day.

"It was a pretty tough day," Eckels said, holding onto jersey No. 20. "It was hard to focus. I had to do what I could, had to focus."

Coach Heinig, Eckels said, meant more to him than he could articulate.

"He helped tutor me, he was a mentor, we worked on baseball, would go to UCD games," Eckels said. "I woke up this morning and said I'd win it for him."

Eckels said he wasn't at his best, but considering the situation and opponent, he was plenty pleased.

"I thought how Ben got out of the sixth inning was huge," Davis coach Dan Ariola said. "It hasn't been easy on Ben losing Scott. He was a freind, a mentor - everything to Ben, a big loss. Scott would be proud of what Ben has done."

Eckels gave Davis a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a run-scoring double. Batterymate and team captain George Hatamiya had an RBI for a 3-2 Davis lead in the fourth and Chris Gnos had a two-run single for a 5-2 lead in the sixth.

Dom Nunez had an RBI triple in the Elk Grove third and fellow junior national recruit/prospect Rowdy Tellez tied it 2-2 with a base hit in the same inning. Hatamiya earned the save.

Davis plays host to Grant on Wednesday and face Pacers ace Cameron Avila-Leeper, he of the 17-strikeout gem earlier this season. Avila-Leeper fanned 13 against Franklin last week in a victory. Elk Grove finishes the week week with two league games against Monterey Trail and a showcase game Saturday against Monte Vista of Danville in the Banner Island Classic in Stockton.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson, www.surewestsports.com and www.ESPN1320.net

Former San Juan High School baseball star Josh Dreier, now at Phoenix's Arizona Christian University, is the Association of Independent Institutions Male Athlete of the Week.

Dreier set several Arizona Christian school records with a strong performance against La Sierra University of Riverside on Saturday.

He extended his school-record string of scoreless innings to 21 with a one-hitter while striking out a school single-game record 16 batters over seven innings.

Jesuit beat Oak Ridge two out of three times this week in a high school baseball showdown in the Delta River League in what very much felt like a playoff series.

Oak Ridge came into the week top-ranked by The Bee with Jesuit at No. 2, and the teams performed like the region's best clubs with pitching, defense, timely hitting, coaching tactics and player leadership.

Jesuit won the opener Tuesday 1-0 on a Logan James gem and a last at-bat home run by leadoff hitter Andre Gregory.

A year ago, the Grant High School baseball team went to Franklin in Elk Grove and got clobbered 18-1.

With the same group a bit older and a lot more seasoned, The Bee-ranked No. 15 Pacers pulled an 8-3 road victory over No. 7 Franklin 8-3 in a Delta Valley Conference game, issuing a formal statement that the league race goes well beyond heavyweight programs such as Elk Grove, Davis and Franklin.

Sophomore left hander Cameron Avila-Leeper produced yet another strong effort, pitching with power and composure. He struck out 13 and walked two and now has strikeout games of 13, 13, 16 and 17.

With the bases loaded on an infield hit, an error and a walk with no outs in the bottom of the first, Avila-Leeper promptly struck out the side to get out of it. He also struck out the side in the second in working with a freshman catcher in Sammy Revalis, who got his first varsity start after junior starter Sammy Si separated his shoulder in a game last week.
Grant scored six runs on seven hits in the second off RBI singles by Michael Lee, Brandon Nunn, Omar Pina and Vinnie Wright. A senior outfielder, Wright had four hits and two RBI, including two triples.

Grant at 10-2 is off to its best start since 1991 under coach Danny Chavez, a Bee All-Metro pitcher for the Pacers in the late 1980s. The Pacers play host to dangerous Laguna Creek on Friday then plays Elk Grove and Davis next week.

Franklin, meanwhile, is up against the backstop. The Wildcats got off to a slow start this season while taking on top-tier competition, then went 4-0 in the Fresno Easter Tournament. Elk Grove beat Franklin 5-4 on Monday. The Wildcats still expect to make a run for the title behind Ryan Sarginson, Trent Spallas, Kyle Von Ruden, Tyler Blake, Nick Frei and Josh Pigg, among others.

As for Grant, the rise to respectability continues. Grant hasn't won 10 ore more games since 1991.

"We're coming together," Chavez told his team. "We're forming a bond, becoming brothers. Where we came from a year ago....we lost here 18-1 the last time we were here. All the dedication, the hard work is paying off. Now keep it up in the classroom, too. There are 35 days left of school, and we're nothing without education."
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

In response to our Thursday PrepsPlus feature on Tim Lincecum lookalike Ryan Mason of Placer, former Inderkum baseball coach Todd LaClasse says to take a look at Dixon's Christopher Rost.

"Not only does he look like him, his pitching motion is almost identical," LaClasse said in an email. "And, of course, he wears No. 55. We played them last year, and he pitched like Lincecum too. Very good."

Rost, who is hitting .476, recently tossed a three-hitter in a 12-1 five-inning win over Marysville.

Dixon is 5-1 in the Golden Empire League.

The Christian Brothers baseball program this season is playing on a newly renovated diamond that includes, for the first time we're told, an outfield fence.

On March 7, the Falcons' standout sophomore shortstop Brandon Hunley belted the first home run over that fence in the Falcons' 10-0 nonleague win over Kennedy.

So at 4 p.m. on Monday, as part of new-field celebration, Hunley will present the home run ball to school officials so it can be put in the school's trophy case.

After the festivities, CBS will play a Capital Valley Conference game against Casa Roble.

In the spirit of dominating pitching of late, say hello to Zack Stilwell.

The Pleasant Grove High School senior tossed a complete-game two-hitter with a school-record tying15 strikeouts to beat rival Sheldon 5-0 in a Delta River League game Tuesday.

Stilwell shares the record with Kyle Devore against Woodland in 2009.
Last week, Eddie Vanderdoes of Placer struck out 16 in six innings against Churchill County of Nevada and Grant sophomore Cameron Avila-Leeper struck out 17 in a complete-game gem to beat Inderkum.

Stilwell has had recent strong outings against Davis, Franklin and Buchanan of Fresno, allowing one run in four games, stretching 26 innings.

"He's been a big-time pitcher for us since his 10th grade year," Pleasant Grove coach Rob Rinaldi said. "He's definitely been through it all. He has great command. He's always been a good strike thrower but he's got a fastball, a curve, slider and changeup, and he's been a great leader."

J.Q. Folena went 4 for 4 from his leadoff spot to pace the Eagles on offense. He has recovered from an ankle injury to resume his stellar play at short stop.

Pleasant Grove plays Sheldon on Thursday and on Saturday.
For more news, updates and story links, follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Five Del Campo junior varsity baseball players and an assistant coach are being suspended as a result of a brawl with Yuba City during a tournament April 2 in Granite Bay.

Two players are being suspended for two games; three for one game and the coach for one game, according to San Juan Unified District spokesman Trent Allen.

No names were released.

The email did not say when the suspensions would take place.

Del Campo was scheduled to play this afternoon against Casa Roble.

Del Campo principal Vera Vaccaro and athletic director Gary Summerhays conducted the investigation, which Allen said was concluded this afternoon.

Last Thursday, eight Yuba City players were removed from the team because of their participation in the brawl, according to sources.

Yuba City Unified School District officials have declined to confirm that information, citing "federal confidentiality laws."

Dom Nunez would play right field, center or first base if asked to do so. He'd sit on a bucket in the dugout and chart pitches, too, but that would be out of sheer loyalty to the program, not from desire. This is a player, and few have his overall skill set.

Nunez is one of the most versatile talents in high school baseball in the Sac-Joaquin Section - effective with a bat, dangerous with a glove and respected as a leader. The junior for the Bee-ranked No. 3 Elk Grove Thundering Herd on Monday afternoon started at short stop, played some catcher and then got the save on the mound in relief with an emphatic game-ending strikeout to lift his club to a 5-4 victory at rival No. 7 Franklin in a key Delta Valley Conference showdown that included a large crowd, some scouts and a bizarre ejection.

Nunez also had two hits, an RBI, a run and a stolen base as Elk Grove improved to 30-1 in the DVC lifetime.

The No. 17 Cordova Lancers made veteran coach Guy Anderson proud on Thursday.

Trailing Menlo-Atherton from the Bay Area 10-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Cordova Easter Baseball Tournament, the Lancers scored four runs, then added three more in the bottom of the seventh to take an 11-10 walk-off victory.

Nathan Jacobson and Jonanthon MacMonagle each drove in three runs and Nigel Robinson had a double, single and two RBI.

No. 6 Pleasant Grove appears ready to challenge top-ranked Oak Ridge, No. 4 Jesuit and No. 8 Sheldon in the ultra competitive Delta River League baseball race that gets underway on Tuesday.

The Eagles are 9-3 heading into Tuesday's game at Sheldon.

Coach Rob Rinaldi's Eagles went 3-1 in this week's Fresno Easter Baseball tournament, defeating West of Bakersfield 11-0, Buchanan of Fresno 8-1 and North of Bakersfield 5-0.

Their only loss was to state power Clovis West 4-0. Clovis West is 18-3 and ranked No. 13 in California by Cal-Hi Sports.

Senior pitcher Cody Haley struck out six, walked four and allowed three hits in leading No. 10 Bella Vista to a 3-2 win over top-ranked Oak Ridge in the championship game of this afternoon's Gina Montes/Surewest Easter Baseball Invitational at Raley Field.

Ryan Locke went two-for-three, drove in a run and had a stolen base and Dylan Svoboda and Jack Cronin also had RBIs for the Broncos.

Bella Vista (9-3) scored all its runs in the second inning. Oak Ridge (8-3) had single runs in the first and fourth.

Bella Vista defeated Ponderosa 10-0, Union Mine 8-7 and No. 8 Sheldon 13-3 in earlier tournament games.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

This was so good, we are in the midst of digging through the archives and picking old brains to see if it is a record.

It appears history was made.

Cameron Avila-Leeper of Grant High School struck out 17 in seven innings of blistering work in a 3-2 nonleague victory today over Inderkum in what is believed to be a Pacers record.

Just a sophomore, the hard-throwing left-handed Avila-Leeper struck out the side three times, delighting scores of Grant fans who have come out in full force in this revival season for the Pacers, who are off to a 7-2 start, the program's best since Mike Alberghini last coached the team in 1990. One of Alberghini's top arms in his baseball career before his monstrous ongoing run as the Pacers football coach was Danny Chavez, a key player for Grant's 1989 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship team that went 37-5.

Chavez is now the Grant coach who has worked wonders in rebuilding a Pacers program that won nearly 500 games under Alberghini in the 1980s, through 1991. The Pacers in the 1960s and '70s were also regional powers under famed names such as Leron and Leon Lee and Tony Pepper. Still, for all of those great teams and great arms, no one struck out 17 in a game, Alberghini said tonight. Alberghini also raved about the job Chavez has done, thrilled to see the Pacers back on track after years of misery.

Chavez points to his players for their efforts, including a strong pitching staff anchored by Avila-Leeper and 6-foot-3 junior Brandon Nunn.

"Those kids have been great," Chavez said. "The whole team - everyone's getting better. We're trying to get baseball back to where it once was, to get that Pacer Pride, that Pacer four Life back into baseball. To see all the people come out and support us, it feels so good. They're watching real baseball again."

And a real live arm in Avila-Leeper, all of 5-10 and 160 pounds of gas. In addition to the 17 strikeouts he had against Inderkum, Avila-Leeper fanned 16 against Rio Linda and 13 against Folsom.

"Those are really big numbers," Chavez said.

Nine games in, so is the team's 7-2 showing.

* Grant coach Danny Chavez joins Joe Davidson and Mike Finnerty on the SureWest Sports Radio Show on Saturday morning from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320. The show will link on demand to ESPN1320 later in the day.
* Also check surewestsports.com for Finnerty's game report of Grant's win over Inderkum.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Yuba City parent said her son has been kicked off the team and suspended in the wake of a fight during a high school baseball game earlier this week.

The brawl between the Del Campo and Yuba City junior varsity baseball teams erupted at a tournament Monday in Granite Bay.

Video of the fight was posted on the internet and drew national attention.

A Del Campo fan captured the scene and posted it on YouTube that shows more than a dozen Yuba City players sprinting across the field toward first base after the Honkers' pitcher fired a ball at a Del Campo coach.

The Yuba City Unified School District, citing confidentiality reasons, has not said if any punishment has been meted out to the players.

Parent Stacy Todd, who said she was at the game, said Friday that the coach was totally out of line by insulting the pitcher's mother.

She said she could only speak for her son, Camryn Danna, a third baseman, for Yuba City. She said her son was kicked off the team and been suspended from school for five days.

The Marysville Appeal-Democrat, citing an unnamed source, said that 8 players have been removed from the team. In addition, the newspaper said, players will serve a five-day suspension, and there may be expulsions.

San Juan Unified School District spokesperson Trent Allen said the district is still conducting an investigation of Del Campo players' behavior during the incident and expects to have "something early next week."

Read the full story at appealdemocrat.com

Here is the raw video of the brawl, posted on YouTube. Warning: The footage contains foul language.

Although Yuba City Unified School District officials report that they have conducted a "thorough investigation" into Monday's fist-swinging brawl between Yuba City High School and Del Campo JV baseball players, they do not indicate what, if any action, they have taken against the players involved from Yuba City.

"Due to state and federal confidentiality laws, the district cannot release information specific to any student," the district said in a press release emailed late this afternoon. "... However, the behavior displayed at the game will, in all applicable circumstances, subject players to both removal from the team and suspension or expulsion from school."

In a YouTube video that went viral, it shows more than a dozen Yuba City players sprinting across the field at Granite Bay High School toward first base after the Honkers' pitcher threw a ball at a Del Campo assistant coach in the sixth inning with the game tied.

At least three Yuba City players are seen throwing punches at a handful of Del Campo players as they try to turn their backs to dodge the blows.

The Yuba City team already has been suspended from play until this Monday.

"The district expects that student athletes will represent their schools with character and respect," the release also said. "We hope that this incident is a reminder to all involved - students, parents, coaches and umpires - that sportsmanship is a shared responsibility. As a community we must work together to teach our children that high performance requires self restraint and an unwavering display of good sportsmanship."

San Juan Unified School District spokesperson Trent Allen said they are still conducting their investigation of Del Campo's behavior during the incident and expect to have "something early next week."

Antelope won the ExecOne/Woodland Easter Baseball Tournament in unusual fashion.

The Titans defeated Vanden 10-3 in Wednesday's championship game, but it took a coin flip to get coach Javy Valdivia's team into the finals.

On Tuesday Antelope played Winters to a 2-2 deadlock through 15 innings in a game called just before the 10 p.m. curfew as rain started to pelt the two teams.

Placer rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Pioneer Valley League rival Colfax 4-3 in today's River City Classic Tournament baseball championship game in West Sacramento.

Ryan Mason pitched the five-hit, seven-strikeout, two-walk complete game win, and sophomore Austin LeBleu had two hits and an RBI. Mason also drove in a run; Zac Hersh doubled; and catcher Michael Reale had three stolen bases.

Placer is now 10-5; Colfax 9-5.

School officials are continuing to investigate a fist-swinging brawl between the Del Campo and Yuba City junior varsity baseball teams at a tournament Monday in Granite Bay.

Video of the fight and its aftermath has gone viral and gained national attention.

A Del Campo fan captured the scene and posted it on YouTube that shows more than a dozen Yuba City players sprinting across the field toward first base after the Honkers' pitcher fired a ball at a Del Campo coach.

At least three Yuba City players are seen in the video throwing punches at a handful of Del Campo players as coaches for both teams stepped in to try and break things up.

Members of the Yuba City High School junior varsity baseball team engaged in a vicious brawl with Del Campo athletes on Monday afternoon in an Easter Tournament game in Granite Bay, sullying a program that has produced championship varsity teams for decades.

A Del Campo fan captured the scene with images that have gone viral on YouTube. In the sixth inning of a game tied 3-3, the footage reveals Yuba City players sprinting across the field toward first base to throw punches, including the pitcher who fired a fast ball toward first base at a Del Campo coach.

The footage also shows a Yuba City parent going onto the field to try and calm matters, and then get into an expletive-filled exchange with Del Campo fans.

The Bee has learned that the Yuba City JV team suspended play for the remainder of the week and that there could be as many as six Yuba City players suspended. Some could also face expulsion. Del Campo coaches could not be reached for comment regarding any Del Campo suspensions.

The Sac-Joaquin Section office, big on sportsmanship and accountability, said Tuesday that it will let the schools handle disciplinary action.

Email, Twitter and text concerns to me that this melee will ruin the Yuba City baseball tradition are an impulse reaction. Yuba City is one of the giants in prep baseball in this section.

The Yuba City varsity won four consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division III baseball championships in going 116-9 from 2007-2010 under famed coach Jim Stassi, who retired following the 2010 season with a sparkling reputation as a coach and sportsman.

A Bee 1978 All-Metro player for Yuba City, Stassi coached 18 years at his alma mater. He mentored his three sons at Yuba City in Brock, Max and Jake. Max was The Bee's Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

The Honkers, again ranked by The Bee with a win over current Bee No. 1 Oak Ridge this season, seek the program's eighth consecutive league championship. Dave Rodriguez is the current coach for the varsity team that is 9-5.

Here is the raw video of the brawl, posted on YouTube, between Yuba City and Del Campo junior varsity baseball teams. The footage contains foul language.

Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Fueled by some impressive pitching and timely hitting, Placer will play Pioneer Valley League rival Colfax 4 p.m. Wednesday for the River City Classic Tournament baseball championship in West Sacramento.

National football recruit Eddie Vanderdoes, the Hillmen's 6-foot-4, 295-pound lefthander, got his team off to a great start on Monday.

The junior struck out 16 batters in six innings while making only his second start of the season in a 9-3 win over Churchill County of Fallon, Nev.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidsdon@sacbee.com

Logan James recorded some strikeouts as the starter and even drove in the go-ahead run to put a stamp on Monday night's 3-2 Jesuit win over Davis at Raley Field.

But the senior ace with a pretty steady bat wasn't entirely satisfied. He wants to polish up his game on the mound, to become the sort of dominant pitcher that has scholarship destination in Stanford so eager to get him down to The Farm.

James delivered a sharp single to score two in the bottom of the fifth and his reliever mates denied Davis the sort of late-game rally that had come to define the team this early season.

James had five strikeouts in his three innings of pitching work but also walked four as he was equal parts dominant and a shaky with control. Marauders coach Joe Potulny pulled him with Davis up 2-1 off a George Hatamiya 2-run single in the top of the second and went with fellow lefties Max Eggleston and Gabe Araj to give them some work and to allow as many players the Raley experience before heading to the prestigious Lions Tournament in Anaheim - a five-game tour against power programs starting Saturday.

Potulny has challenged James to up his game, to be that national recruit leader, to perform at the level he and the pitcher himself expect.

"I can get better," James said. "Sometimes my leg kick is too far and it's pulling me, things like that. I can feel it."

As for the championship potential of Jesuit in general and the looming Anaheim event, James said, "definitely excited for that." Jesuit will be in a Delta River League that is again top heavy with Oak Ridge, Pleasant Grove and surging Sheldon, off to a school-record best 8-0 start.

Davis starter Matt Trask pitched admirably for 4 2/3 innings in starting opposite of James, a Davis resident who still keeps in touch with Blue Devils players, including ace Ben Eckels. Trask struck out Jesuit slugger Zach Green twice.

Monday was one of 24 high school games the River Cats are hosting in the franchise's continued effort to reach out to the community. Tony Asaro is the brain trust behind the high school programs competing at Raley, a baseball die hard who beams at how popular this has become. Players and coaches relish the Raley experience, naturally, and this showdown among rivals is a natural for such a venue.

Jesuit and Davis have combined to win eight Sac-Joaquin Section championships and both have the sort of teams to make another title run. What's more, Potulny and Davis coach Dan Ariola are two of the very best in the section. They are good friends.

"The feeling is that as long as Dan and I are coaching, we'll do this game and we'll do it here," Potulny said. "It's a god, playoff-type experience."

Davis needed late-game dramatics to beat Rocklin last week at Raley, trailing 6-0 and winning 7-6 in its final at-bat when Hatamiya scored the winning run when a throw to the plate bounced off his helmet. Hatamiya is one of the section's most versatile talents - a starting catcher who can play the field and pitch. The senior struck out two in one inning of relief against Jesuit

Louis Mejia , Josh Falco and Parker Abercrombie each had base hits for Jesuit.
Elk Grove and Rodriguez of Fairfield are scheduled to play at Raley on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. - rain permitting
Read Tuesday's Bee for the latest rankings and a story on teams believe in ambitious scheduling.

Former Jesuit High School player Stephen Ostapeck was named the Big East Pitcher of the Week today, marking the second time this season that the Villanova junior has won the award.

Ostapeck is coming off a three-hit shutout in an 8-0 victory over St. John's on Saturday afternoon.

Ostapeck retired 13 consecutive St. John's batters at one point and allowed two walks and hit a batter in addition to the three hits.

Ostapeck is 2-0 with a 4.35 earned-run average in 31 innings. He pitched a four-hit shutout over Norfolk State last month.

He is the first Villanova pitcher in 16 years to throw two complete game shutouts in the same season, and the fourth Villanova pitcher ever to be Big East Pitcher of the Week twice in one season

As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-6, 208-pound right-hander was 2-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 20 appearances.

Ostapeck was a member of Jesuit's 2009 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship team. As a senior that season, Ostapeck was 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 20 innings.

Is there a Bee baseball and softball rankings jinx?

Elk Grove was ranked No. 1 in baseball and Woodcreek No. 1 in softball in our first Bee rankings published earlier this week.

But both lost on Wednesday.

Elk Grove fell at home in an eight-inning thriller 5-4 to two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion St. Mary's of Stockton.

St. Mary's slugger Gio Brusa had a home run, single and three RBI and Joey Caffese earned the win in relief of starter Taylor Johnson. Elk Grove junior standouts Ryan Tellez and Dom Nunez each had two hits, including doubles.

Woodcreek, which opened the season on a 9-0 run and having allowed just three runs, lost 7-0 to No. 12 Roseville (6-2-1) in a Sierra Foothill League game. Roseville's Kayla Fields tossed a four-hitter and had three hits and two RBI.

Woodcreek entered the week ranked No. 7 nationally and third in the state by Maxpreps.com and No. 7 in Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.

Elk Grove (2-1) entered the game against St. Mary's ranked No. 5 in California by Cal-Hi Sports. St. Mary's (4-3) was unranked.

No. 19 Pioneer showed it can play with the big boys after beating No. 2 Jesuit 2-1 Tuesday in a nonleague baseball game in Woodland.

Junior Alejandro Caravalho scored the winning run on a two-out, bases-loaded walk to junior Marcus Vidales in the bottom of the seventh in what was otherwise a pitching gem for both teams.

Junior right-hander Thomas Galart allowed four hits and struck out seven in earning the complete-game win for Pioneer (2-2).

If the weather cooperates, two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion St. Mary's of Stockton is scheduled to play at Elk Grove 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday March 21 in an early season nonleague baseball showdown.

Elk Grove is off to a fast start.

The Thundering Herd scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a wild pitch and bases-loaded base on balls for a walk-off 7-6 win over Rocklin March 6, then toppled Bay Area power Valley Christian of San Jose 7-1 on Saturday behind left-hander Ryan Tellez.

High school baseball season is here and we offer a peek at the top teams, players, coaches and what to look for as I join Mike Finnerty in a SureWest Sports special to preview the regional heavyweights.

Think Jesuit, Davis, Elk Grove, Franklin, Pleasant Grove, Oak Ridge - and others from Placer County, Yolo County and in between. At The Bee, we are compiling lists of the top players, teams and more for an upcoming baseball preview...

For the SureWest link, go here ...

In a game that saw no-hitters thrown by both teams, Roseville defeated Pioneer 2-0 Thursday night at Raley Field, home of the Sacramento River Cats.

The game was part of the 2012 Raley Field High School Baseball Series.

Roseville's Mark Reece threw a complete game no-hitter in the seven-inning contest, while Pioneer pitchers Robert Daugherty and Thomas Galart combined to hold Roseville hitless.

The Marysville Gold Sox have announced their roster for the upcoming Horizon Air Summer Series.

While a number of players on the the 2012 squad have seen some time with the club, only Brandon Creel (Sacramento State, Rosemont), Kenton Bevacqua (Oklahoma State, River Valley), Justin Charles (Fresno State, Elk Grove) and Mitch Wilhite (Lewis & Clark) saw extended time last season.

Among the area players on the roster are pitcher Paul Moeller (Pacific, Folsom), catcher Justin Lamb (San Francisco State, Yuba City) and outfielders Brook Brooks (Eastern New Mexico, Elk Grove), Justin Higley (Sac State, Jesuit) and Tommy Lininger (Allen Hancock CC, Bella Vista).

Leading the club for his sixth season will be manager Jack Johnson. Also returning to the team's coaching staff is Jim Stassi, the former Yuba City High coach.

This year's club is made up of players from 18 colleges, including 12 NCAA Division I players.

The Gold Sox will open the 2012 campaign on May 24, when they take on the Chico Pirates 7 p.m. at Appeal-Democrat Park.

Twelve Jesuit students will participate in an NCAA letter of intent signing ceremony 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Carmichael school's gym.

Those scheduled to participate are:

Gabe Araj, Pacific, baseball; Ben Corfee, UC Davis, golf; Jacob Crayne, Utah, diving; Zach Green, Oregon State, baseball; Steve Guzman, UC Davis, soccer; Logan James, Stanford, baseball; and Nick Kramer, Georgetown, swimming.

Others slated to participate are Chris Macasaet, Pacific, golf; Louis Mejia, Pacific, baseball; Gus Orlando, Seattle, tennis; Jeff Rose, Seattle, soccer; Pete Wajda, Chico State, soccer.

Pioneer of Woodland will be a baseball team to watch this spring, thanks to three outstanding juniors who have announced verbal college commitments, including two to the Pac-12.

Pitcher Zach Aukes, a USA Baseball junior national team player, has selected Oregon; pitcher-first baseman Robert Daugherty plans to play for Washington; and outfielder Marcus Vidales says he will play for Cal State Fullerton.

"A coach is lucky to get one D-I guy, let alone three," said Pioneer coach Craig Marquez. "They're part of a real talented group that's been playing together for a long time. They and their families have done a real good job of getting their names out at the showcases."

Stockton Ports catcher Max Stassi will host his third annual "Homers for the Hungry" charity benefit 11 a.m. Saturday, rain or shine, at Yuba City High School.

Stassi is accepting pledges for every home run he hits during a 30-minute session, with money raised going to local food banks and Hands for Hope, an organization that helps homeless families.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. There will be food, drink and games as well as a raffle for autographed memorabilia.

There El Dorado High athletes will do a ceremonial college signing 4 p.m. today at the school.

They are:

Justin Dillon, baseball, Sacramento State
Jesslyn Jana, soccer, Arizona Christian
Shana Jastrab, softball, University of Kanas-Wesleyan

Three Oak Ridge athletes are scheduled to sign NCAA national letters of intent 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the El Dorado Hills school.

They are:

• Bryce Scott, basketball, Lafayette
• Elizabeth Shaeffer, lacrosse, USC
• Alex Fitchett, baseball, Sac State

Placer's Ryan Mason, a 6-foot-5 pitcher, will sign a national letter of intent with Cal 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Auburn campus.

Mason originally verbally committed to St. Mary's College before deciding to switch to Berkeley.

Seven area baseball players, members of the El Dorado Hills Vipers travel team, will sign national letters of intent during a ceremony 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Croatian American Cultural Center, 3730 Auburn Boulevard.

The players are:

• Logan James, Jesuit, Stanford.
• Sutter McLoughlin, Rio Americano, Sacramento State.
• Zach Green, Jesuit, Oregon State
• Louis Mejia, Jesuit, Pacific
• Gabe Araj, Jesuit, Pacific
• Alex Fitchett, Oak Ridge, Sacramento State
• Justin Dillon, El Dorado, Sacramento State

Four Jesuit baseball players are schedule to sign NCAA national letters of intent on Wednesday.

They are:

&%149; Zach Green, Oregon State
&%149; Louis Mejia, Pacific
&%149; Gabe Araj, Pacific
&%149; Logan James, Stanford

Jesuit pitcher Logan James has verbally committed to play baseball on scholarship at Stanford.

The 6-foot, 170-pound left-hander was 4-0 and had 50 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings last season for the 25-9 Marauders.

James, who competed in the North-South series and Area Code games this summer, is a Pac-12 caliber pitcher, according to Jesuit coach Joe Potulny.

Rio Americano senior pitcher Sutter McLoughlin has verbally committed to play baseball at Sacramento State.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound McLoughlin was the Capital Athletic League MVP last season in leading the Raiders to the league championship for the second consecutive season.

He went 7-0 with a 1.62 earned run average, striking out 89 in 61 one-third innings.

Several long-time high school coaches/athletic directors have announced their departures.

• Mondo Alzono, who coached football, track, wrestling and skiing at one time or another at Colfax, has retired from teaching after 38 years at the foothills school. Co-coaching football with Tony Martello from 1996 to 2005, Alonzo helped the Falcons win nine league championships and three section titles.

• Tom Van Der Wende's 29-year career of coaching versatility at Oak Ridge came to a close when he stepped down as the boys volleyball coach. Van Der Wende also coached softball, football, track, girls volleyball and freshmen boys basketball at the El Dorado Hills school.

• Highly respected Kelly Mayo ended a 25-year coaching career in the Roseville Unified School District with his decision to retire as the Woodcreek baseball coach.

• Energetic Monte White, who oversaw one of the area's top athletic programs at Del Oro, has stepped down as athletic director.

Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Sheldon (27-6) finished No. 8 in the final Cal-Hi Sports state softball rankings.

D-I section runner-up Elk Grove (28-6) was No. 17 and D-I semifinalist Pleasant Grove (18-10) No. 27. Santiago (28-5) of Corona finished No. 1.

In baseball, Jesuit (25-9) finished No. 28; Pleasant Grove (22-9) No. 39 and Elk Grove (23-7) No. 40. Buchanan (30-2) of Clovis finished No. 1.

Here are some more noteworthy highlights from the 2010-2011 high school sport season to complement Joe Davidson's year-in-review story in today's sports section.

• Legally blind athlete Kym Crosby, a distinctive presence on area tracks because of her bright red hair and pale skin, finishes as River Valley's most accomplished track and field athlete. The Chico State scholarship signee sets school records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and lands Tri-County Conference MVP honors after winning the triple jump and 400 and finishing second in the 200 at the league finals.

• Sheldon, behind Bee Player of the Year Darius Nelson, plays one of the most ambitious boys basketball schedules in area history, competing in major invitationals in Southern California, Kentucky and Louisiana. The Huskies repeat as D-I section champions, but lose by two points to De La Salle of Concord in a physical NorCal D-I semifinal.

• Davis' Wade Allen wins the Sac-Joaquin Section 50- and 100-yard freestyle swim championships to cap an incredible run of 13 individual section titles by the Allen family. Jake Allen, now swimming at Stanford, won six individual titles; Trevor, now playing water polo at UC Davis, won three and Wade, the youngest, finishes with four titles.

• Area baseball and softball players make the dramatic adjustment to two game-changing new rules. More baseball squads gravitate to small ball as hitters adapt to less explosive composite bats while softball gets an injection of offense with the pitcher's circle moved back three feet.

• Despite graduating all their starters and beginning anew under new coach Paul Hayes, there is no rebuilding for Woodcreek boys basketball. The Timberwolves make a return trip to the CIF Northern California Regional Division II championship game at Power Balance Arena, falling to parochial power Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

• The Davis girls soccer team, ranked No. 1 nationally most of the season, beats St. Francis to end the Troubadours' three-year reign as D-I champions while another nationally ranked team, Rio Americano, finishes an unbeaten season by beating rival Benicia for the D-III championship.

• With high-profile national recruits Vei Moala and Puka Lopa of Grant leading the way, 28 area players sign NCAA football national letters of intent. Cal and coach Jeff Tedford enjoy the the biggest coup in landing both Moala and Lopa. But the Pac-10 plucks six others - Grant's Darryl Paulo, Burbank's T.J. Poloai and Sheldon's Mansel Simmons to Washington State; Grant's James Sample to Washington; and Folsom's Tyler Trosin to Oregon State.

• Bonded by teamwork and a best-friend unity, Del Oro girls basketball enjoys its greatest run in coach Mike Takayama's momentous 25-year career. Only nationally ranked St. Mary's of Stockton can stop the 27-5 Golden Eagles in the postseason.

• The Davis girls basketball team rebounds from the firing of popular coach Jeff Christian (and the reinstatement of twin stars Malika and Khaliya Wilkins who he had booted for "conduct detrimental to the team") to win the Delta Valley Conference under interim coach Dennis Foster, the first-year athletic director.

• UCLA scholarship signee and St. Francis four-year player Zoe Nightingale finishes as one of the area's all-time greats by earning All-American honors. Only one other St. Francis player has done that, Troubadour coach Alynn Wright's daughter, Taryn Wright.

• Multi-talented Davis senior Ian Rock readies for decathlete duties at Duke by beating a loaded field in the rain to win the boys pole vault with a personal best 16 feet, 2 inches at the CIF State Track and Field championships in Clovis.

- Bill Paterson

The South swept both the small and large school Optimist All-Star baseball games on Saturday night at American River College.

The South won the large school game 13-9 over the North. Oak Ridge's Austin Ales was the South MVP and Roseville's Nick Blaser the North MVP. The two were a combined nine-for-nine with four doubles and four runs batted in.

McClatchy's Nick Mar landed South MVP honors in leading his team past the North 9-3 in the small school game. San Juan's Logan Day was the North MVP.

For more on the two games, see Rick Cabral's report at BaseballSacramento.com.

- Billl Paterson

Here are the Tri-County Conference spring all-league teams released to The Bee:

BASEBALL
Offensive MVP: Tyler Olson, Yuba City
Defensive MVP: Nate Gonzalez, Pioneer
All-league: Christian Divelbiss, Yuba City; Cody Kent, Yuba City; Robbie Kunkle, Yuba City; Raul Lozano, Yuba City; Blake Parks, Yuba City; Mike Barron, Pioneer; Mike Chavarria, Pioneer; Robert Dougherty, Pioneer; Jay Puckett, Pioneer; Cameron Boomgarden, River Valley; Cameron Olson, River Valley; Jake Phillips, River Valley; Isaiah Hernandez, Woodland; Mason Roddy, Woodland; Nathan LaCasse, Inderkum.

SOFTBALL
Co-MVP's: Brittanie Akey, Pioneer; Courtney Smith, River Valley
All-league: Alex Tinoco, Natomas; Shelby Baertsch, Pioneer; Karissa Cobey, Pioneer; Jesyka Eredia, Pioneer; Lucy Fernandez, Pioneer; Kaitlin Carpenter, River Valley; Rachel Quinn, River Valley; Nicole Robinson, River Valley; Hailey Shelton, River Valley; Ecella Tafoya, Woodland; Delanie Windbigler, Woodland; Anjelica Cisners, Yuba City; Andrea Hazel, Yuba City; Maria LaBouyer, Yuba City; Jordan Thompson, Yuba City.

BOYS GOLF
MVP: Taylor Brown, Yuba City
All-league: Alex Arroyo, Inderkum; Steven Spatafore, River Valley; Lucas Vaughn, River Valley; Will Scarlett, Woodland; Matt King, Woodland; Riley Horan, Yuba City; Gus Wiezorek, Yuba City.

BOYS TENNIS
MVP: Joseph Clark, Pioneer
All-league: Kisham Patel, Pioneer; Zaid Karajeh, Pioneer; Brayden James, Woodland; Lucas James, Woodland; Merrick Mooshian, Woodland; Jody Montry, Natomas; Julien Froude, Natomas; Finn Maloney, Inderkum; Thomas Coolidge, Inderkum; Darian Orozco, River Valley; Jose Pequeno, Yuba City.

BOYS SWIMMING
MVP: Brandon Presswood, Yuba City
All-league: Andy Fan, Pioneer; Tyler Bellenfant, River Valley; Samuel Cesena, River Valley; Johnny Crystalinas, River Valley; Keegan Lammert, River Valley; Maxwell Lammert, River Valley; Connor Lamon, River Valley; Varinder Singh, River Valley; Tyler Linsenbach, Woodland; Kyle Morley, Woodland.

GIRLS SWIMMING
MVP: Erica Bellenfant, River Valley
All-league: Nina Cooper, Pioneer; Gabriella Coomes, River Valley; Samantha Ludwig, River Valley; Paola Maldonado, River Valley; Allison Sawyer, River Valley; Shayna Sayre, River Valley; Emily Borchard, Woodland; Brianna Cameron, Yuba City; Kimmey Gillming, Yuba City; Katie Higdon, Yuba City; Audrey Kitchen, Yuba City; Ally Krueger, Yuba City.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
MVP: Bernell Barmore, Yuba City
All-league: Bernard Jones, Inderkum; D.J. Myart, Inderkum; Jakori Ford, Natomas; Damonte Wesley, Natomas; David Jimenez, Pioneer; Jimmy Mahoney, Pioneer; Swarnjit Boyal, River Valley; Kenny Coleman, Woodland; Doug Coman, Woodland; Billy Landis, Woodland; Matt Murphy, Woodland; Jo An Fernandez, Yuba City; Juan Guzman, Yuba City; Victor Ly, Yuba City.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
MVP: Kym Crosby, River Valley
All-league: Alexis Browner, Inderkum; Mariah Burke, Inderkum; Allante Morris, Natomas; Tierra Ross, Natomas; Kathleen Davis, Pioneer; Ashton Kershner, Pioneer; Leanne Jarvis, River Valley; Vanessa Kennedy, River Valley; Natalie Alvarez, Woodland; Katie Beerman, Woodland; Evie Borchard, Woodland; Melissa Mahoney, Woodland; Brianna Mayfield, Woodland; Jamie Wright, Woodland.

Here are the Sierra Valley Conference spring all-league teams reported to The Bee:

BASEBALL
Co-MVP's: Kasey Chapan, River City; Tyler Glenn, Galt
Coach of the year: Scott Seffens, Vista del Lago
All-league: Matt Mejeski, Vista del Lago; John McCants, Vista del Lago; Tyler Quesada, Vista del Lago; Brian Barraclough, Vista del Lago; Alex Muzzi, Vista del Lago; Wyland Sylvan, Vista del Lago; Blake Harrison, Galt; Zack Frizzell, Galt; Jake Pott, Galt; Brennan Baglietto, Galt; Shane Santos, Galt; Javi Martinez, River City; Lance Lozano, River City; Chris Swineford, El Dorado; Justin Dillon, El Dorado; Chris Beck, Union Mine; Jon Wong, Union Mine; Walker Neville, Union Mine; Chris Logoteta, Cosumnes Oaks; Jon Kendall, Liberty Ranch.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Maddy Fish, Cosumnes Oaks
Coach of the year: Lynda Bettencourt, Cosumnes Oaks
All-league: Karyna Scott, Cosumnes Oaks; Clarissa Beverly, Cosumnes Oaks; Taylor McClanahan, Cosumnes Oaks; Melia Roberts, Cosumnes Oaks; Morgan Theis, Vista del Lago; Brittany Soares, Vista del Lago; Tayana Mata, Vista del Lago; Catherine Guidry, Vista del Lago; Ashley Muzzi, Vista del Lago; Ally Medina, Liberty Ranch; Tori Mikelson, Liberty Ranch; Shelby Gill, Liberty Ranch; Sarah Phillis, Union Mine; Amy Pedretti, Union Mine; Tori McLaury, Union Mine; Jessica Dager, Union Mine; Riley Sexton, Galt; Kayla Rodriguez, Galt; Kierstin DalBianco, Galt; Karina Callazo, River City; Katie Harris, El Dorado.

COED TENNIS
Boys
MVP: Taylor McClain, Union Mine
All-league: Timmy Jacobs, Vista del Lago; James Carey, Vista del Lago; Kyle Johnson, Vista del Lago; Victor Vang, River City; Rudy Maltez, River City; Tony Yang, River City; Terry Vang, River City; Danny Kronenberg, Cosumnes Oaks; Colton Kingsbury, El Dorado.
Girls
MVP: Ella Zagorenko, Vista del Lago
All-league: Nikki Manvar, Vista del Lago; Savannah Barnhill, El Dorado; Brynn Allen, El Dorado; Jai London, River City; Michelle Truong, River City; Elizabeth Maniulit, River City; Christine Maltez, River City; Ellie Klumb, Union Mine; Christina Peters, Galt.

Here are the Sierra Valley Conference spring all-league teams reported to The Bee:

BASEBALL
Co-MVP's: Kasey Chapan, River City; Tyler Glenn, Galt
Coach of the year: Scott Seffens, Vista del Lago
All-league: Matt Mejeski, Vista del Lago; John McCants, Vista del Lago; Tyler Quesada, Vista del Lago; Brian Barraclough, Vista del Lago; Alex Muzzi, Vista del Lago; Wyland Sylvan, Vista del Lago; Blake Harrison, Galt; Zack Frizzell, Galt; Jake Pott, Galt; Brennan Baglietto, Galt; Shane Santos, Galt; Javi Martinez, River City; Lance Lozano, River City; Chris Swineford, El Dorado; Justin Dillon, El Dorado; Chris Beck, Union Mine; Jon Wong, Union Mine; Walker Neville, Union Mine; Chris Logoteta, Cosumnes Oaks; Jon Kendall, Liberty Ranch.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Maddy Fish, Cosumnes Oaks
Coach of the year: Lynda Bettencourt, Cosumnes Oaks
All-league: Karyna Scott, Cosumnes Oaks; Clarissa Beverly, Cosumnes Oaks; Taylor McClanahan, Cosumnes Oaks; Melia Roberts, Cosumnes Oaks; Morgan Theis, Vista del Lago; Brittany Soares, Vista del Lago; Tayana Mata, Vista del Lago; Catherine Guidry, Vista del Lago; Ashley Muzzi, Vista del Lago; Ally Medina, Liberty Ranch; Tori Mikelson, Liberty Ranch; Shelby Gill, Liberty Ranch; Sarah Phillis, Union Mine; Amy Pedretti, Union Mine; Tori McLaury, Union Mine; Jessica Dager, Union Mine; Riley Sexton, Galt; Kayla Rodriguez, Galt; Kierstin DalBianco, Galt; Karina Callazo, River City; Katie Harris, El Dorado.

COED TENNIS
Boys
MVP: Taylor McClain, Union Mine
All-league: Timmy Jacobs, Vista del Lago; James Carey, Vista del Lago; Kyle Johnson, Vista del Lago; Victor Vang, River City; Rudy Maltez, River City; Tony Yang, River City; Terry Vang, River City; Danny Kronenberg, Cosumnes Oaks; Colton Kingsbury, El Dorado.
Girls
MVP: Ella Zagorenko, Vista del Lago
All-league: Nikki Manvar, Vista del Lago; Savannah Barnhill, El Dorado; Brynn Allen, El Dorado; Jai London, River City; Michelle Truong, River City; Elizabeth Maniulit, River City; Christine Maltez, River City; Ellie Klumb, Union Mine; Christina Peters, Galt.

Here are the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League spring all-league teams released to The Bee:

BASEBALL
MVP: Jake Sween, Auburn Christian
Coach of the year: Matt Sween, Auburn Christian
All-league: Jr. Casas, Valley Christian Academy; Robert Bristol, Auburn Christian; Jimmy Shaw, Valley Christian Academy; Caleb Van Patten, Auburn Christian; Anthony Kersting, Trinity Prep; Chris Harmon, Faith Christian; Luke Sween, Auburn Christian; Tony Sciacca, Trinity Prep; Andrew Conemac, Trinity Prep.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Libby Purtill, Buckingham Charter
Coach of the year: Jon Hill, Buckingham Charter
All-league: Midori Bounds, Valley Christian Academy; Carly Gish, Valley Christian Academy; Sam Shoemake, Valley Christian Academy; Presleigh Sinerius, Valley Christian Academy; Taylor Hill, Buckingham Charter; Sabrina Joseph, Buckingham Charter; Haley Moody, New Life Christian; Katie Johnson, Sacramento Adventist.

GIRLS SOCCER
MVP: Sarah Hall, Faith Christian
Coach of the year: Robert Ripley, Faith Christian
All-league: Alex Arnold, Faith Christian; Lacy Bicknell, Faith Christian; Corissa Olmstead, Faith Christian; Barbara Bakh, Trinity Prep; Frances Arend, Trinity Prep; Aanna Arend, Trinity Prep; Francesca Bell, Sacramento Country Day; Allison Walter, Sacramento Country Day; Marina Serrano, Sacramento Country Day; Elexa Walker, Buckingham Charter.

Here are the Sierra Delta League spring all-league teams that were released to The Bee:

BASEBALL
MVP: Brady Dragmire, Bradshaw Christian
Coach of the year: Drew Rickert, Bradshaw Christian
All-league: Keean Kondo, Vacaville Christian; Luke Miller, Vacaville Christian; Johnny Barum, Vacaville Christian; Lorenzo Runnels, Encina; Mark Seaberg, Golden Sierra; Jake Adkins, Bradshaw Christian; E.J. Ediburgh, Bradshaw Christian; Alex Popovich, Bradshaw Christian; Bryant Stone, Bradshaw Christian; Taylor Blackford, Bradshaw Christian; Dylan Reade, Highlands; Luke Carrasco, Highlands; Monty Mohammad, Highlands; Logan Day, San Juan; Kevin Daniel, San Juan; Austin Green.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Sarah Rasmussen, Golden Sierra
Co-Coaches of the year: Elaine Rasmussen, Golden Sierra; Alyson Stiles, Rio Vista
All-league: Erin Dallenbach, Vacaville Christian; Emily Matthews, Golden Sierra; Jordan Perry, Golden Sierra; Stephanie Douglas, Highlands; Shannon Manchester, Golden Sierra; Macy Chase, Bradshaw Christian; Ashley Nunez, Bradshaw Christian; Rukeisha Winn, Highlands; Taylor Kennedy, San Juan; Maci Ruiz, Golden Sierra; Cindy VanBogart, San Juan; Hollie Johnson, Golden Sierra; Summer VanBogart, San Juan; Marissa Mayhood, Rio Vista; Cierra Carnduff, Rio Vista; Jenesy Alvarez, Rio Vista; Sheila Rae Peters, Rio Vista.

GIRLS SOCCER
Defensive MVP: Chloe Hudson, Bradshaw Christian
Offensive MVP: Hannah Dumas, Bradshaw Christian
Coach of the year: David Gleason, Golden Sierra
All-league: Emily Petree, Bradshaw Christian; Lauren Beyer, Bradshaw Christian; Taylor Gleason, Golden Sierra; Michaela Thorn, Vacaville Christian; Jenna Pendzinski, Golden Sierra; Jessica Syracuse, Bradshaw Christian; Sam Waits, Encina; Brittney Simmers, Vacaville Christian; Chloe Lee-Watkins, Encina; Courtney Knitter, Vacaville Christian; Sarah Morgan, Bradshaw Christian; Sarah Trapp, Bradshaw Christian; Alexandra Dukes, Golden Sierra; Kayla Anderson, Golden Sierra; Cassie Ames, Rio Vista; Natalie Parks, Bradshaw Christian; Meghan Bio, Vacaville Christian; Karla Cruz Highlands; Miriam Barajas, Highlands; Karli Passmore, Bradshaw Christian; Annie Knitter, Vacaville Christian.

BOYS GOLF
MVP: Scott Ecklund, Bradshaw Christian
All-league: Scott Gardner, Vacaville Christian; Willie Roundtree, San Juan; Dylan Crownover, Bradshaw Christian; Matt Dyson, Vacaville Christian; Jacob Rudd, Highlands; Nick Maurer, Rio Vista.

COED TENNIS
Co-Coaches of the year: Steve Eakes, Highlands; Steve Robinson, Forest Lake Christian; Lori Patton, Encina
Boys
MVP: Damien Blake, Sacramento Country Day
All-league: Nathan Burnett, Forest Lake Christian; Dylan Repsher, Sacramento Country Day; Mohammad Aboukhadija, San Juan; John Egamino, Encina; Cameron Patton, Forest Lake Christian; Brandon Bryditzki, Forest Lake Christian; Oleg Valyavskiy, Encina.
Girls
MVP: Alina Shkrabak, Encina
All-league: Natalya Reznik, San Juan; Amanda Timmerman, Forest Lake Christian; Lyuda Khokhlan, Highlands; Alina Khil, San Juan; Kourtney Turner, Forest Lake Christian; Jennifer Rabowsky, Sacramento Country Day; Tanya Biskupets, Highlands.

BOYS SWIMMING
MVP: Sheldon Simas, Bradshaw Christian
All-league: Tim Balinset, Jacob Dye, Micah Byerly, Gavin Simas.
GIRLS SWIMMING
MVP: Leslie Tay, Bradshaw Christian
All-league: Raquel Pea, Sami Azevedo, Lynn Tay, Celeste Grey, Amanda Gruba.

TRACK AND FIELD
Boys Track MVP: Eddie Litvinov, Highlands
Boys Field MVP: Denesheo Moore, San Juan
Boys Coach of the year: Phil Leonhardt, Highlands
Girls Track MVP: Taylor Amato, Golden Sierra
Girls Field MVP: Olesya Khokhlan, Highlands
Girls Coach of the year: Mike Brown, Golden Sierra
All-league: Gwen Brown, Golden Sierra; Rebecca Brown, Golden Sierra; Emmalee D'Angelo, Golden Sierra; Megan Harston, Golden Sierra; Julia Patterson, Golden Sierra; Gianna Poseley, Golden Sierra; Emily Reddish, Golden Sierra; Brittney Weinmeister, Golden Sierra; Conner Barla, Golden Sierra; Drake Jaramille, Golden Sierra; Brittany Jones, Highlands; Olga Khokhlan, Highlands; Joshua Barlow, Highlands; Omar Gonzalez, Highlands; David Taylor, Highlands; Brandi Abercrombie, San Juan; Shyreese Davis, San Juan; Angel Guillory, San Juan; Andaes Williams, San Juan; Bryce Goffney, San Juan; John Poelzahko, San Juan; Matthew Richardson, San Juan; Paskell Tyiska, San Juan; Payton Osborne, Vacaville Christian.

Here are the Pioneer Valley League spring all-league teams that were released to The Bee:

BASEBALL
MVP: Michael Lucas, Bear River
Coach of the year: Mike McCabe, Colfax
All-league: Sean Fox, Lincoln; Coleman Huntley, Bear River; Ryan Glazner, Colfax; Jordan Albarron, Lincoln; Nate Lukes, Center; Eddie Vanderdoes, Placer; Paul Bandanza, Placer; Scott Wright, Colfax; Zach Welz, Bear River; Josh Toft, Bear River; Josh Aguirre, Foothill; Devon Loomis, Colfax; James Harris, Bear River; James Pallas, Lincoln; Nick Rebello, Center; Zach Woods, Foothill; Anthony Caldwell, Foothill; Ethan Liddle, Lincoln.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Stephanie Ceo, Bear River
Caoch of the year: Donna Tofft, Lincoln
All-league: Nikoli Sharp, Lincoln; Natalie Hampton, Center; Katie Emerson, Lincoln; Alyssa Reina, Bear River; Jessica Grisler, Foothill; Randi Anderson, Colfax; Ashley Scott, Colfax; Courtney Edwards, Bear River; Kacie Freymond, Lincoln; Haley Tupen, Placer; Ashley Sutter, Center; Maddie Phelps, Bear River; Kacy Romero, Placer; Ashleigh Stidman, Lincoln; Cassidy Martin, Center; Taylor Hill, Placer; Mikhaila Freas, Foothill; Taylor Gerlach, Colfax.

GIRLS SOCCER
Defensive MVP: Kate Bianchi, Colfax
Co-Offensive MVPs: Emma Obray, Placer; Janelle Jensen, Bear River
Coach of the year: Lefty Wilks,
All-league: Elisha Partin, Colfax; Savannah Newman, Colfax; Christina Keyes, Colfax; Ashley Gassaway, Colfax; Brittany Thomas, Colfax; Shea Glaspey, Bear River; Maddi Dunn, Bear River; Claire Newman, Bear River; Jacqui Betz, Bear River; Laura Nash, Placer; Celeste Havener, Placer; Caitlin Letcher, Placer; Savannah Porter, Center; Janida Penn, Center; Andrea Loza, Center; Mariel Iniquez, Lincoln; Diana Ruiz, Lincoln; Katherine Rodriguez.

BOYS GOLF
MVP: Rob Schauble, Placer
Coach of the year: Brett Lewis, Lincoln
All-league: Hayden Emerson, Lincoln; Kenny Bills, Lincoln; Aubrey Harwell, Bear River; Trever Wilson, Lincoln; Ryan Holden, Placer; Austin Childress, Placer; Cory Langseth, Bear River; Jake DePass, Bear River; Patrick Cabrera, Colfax.

COED TENNIS
Coach of the year: Tom Isaac, Placer
Boys
MVP: Dave Fux, Lincoln
All-league: Phillip Schoenhoff, Placer; Steven Fraguglia, Placer; Kyle Borges, Colfax; Connor Phillips, Bear River; Brad Ray, Placer; Jake Smith, Center; Blair Meyer, Placer.
Girls
MVP: Jessica Ho, Lincoln
All-league: Maria Pireda, Placer; Deja Kitchiner, Center; Lindsay Holden, Placer; Lindsey Harter, Bear River; Kirsten Malo, Bear River; Veronika Zherdeva, Center; Kurstin Schauble, Placer.

Here are the Metro Conference spring all-league teams that The Bee has received:

BASEBALL
MVP: Max Cordy, McClatchy
Coach of the year: Mike DeNecochea, McClatchy
All-league: Nick Marr, McClatchy; Hunter Carolan, McClatchy; Jared James, McClatchy; Dylan Moore, Rosemont; Andre Contreras, Rosemont; Anthony Enriquez, Rosemont; Lee Carter, Sacramento; Brian Kennedy, Sacramento; Justin Beacham, Sacramento; Sal Barajas, Hiram Johnson; Sal Garcia, Hiram Johnson; Richard McGee, Burbank; Josh Vegas, Burbank; Chris White, Florin; Alfredo Arias, Florin; Marcel Thurston, Kennedy.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Aliesha Ayers, Rosemont
Coach of the year: Heidi Pierson, Kennedy
All-league: Kierston Jackson, Rosemont; Jennifer Romo, Rosemont; Melissa Mosqueda, Rosemont; Sara Delso, McClatchy; Cindy Palmeras, McClatchy; Iesley Pilgrim, McClatchy; Caitlyn Seymour, Kennedy; Bianca Rodriquez, Kennedy; Darrian Garnett, Kennedy; Erica Foster, Kennedy; Monika Qiokata, Hiram Johnson; Cheyenne Crump, Burbank; Dee Lee, Valley; Sunshine Gomez, Sacramento.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
MVP: Peter Vang, Valley
All-league: Philip Yang, Kennedy; Alex Ganchenko, Kennedy; Jamon Joe-Smith, Florin; Steve Jones, McClatchy; Alex Chao, McClatchy; Vue Thao, Hiram Johnson; Phillip Nguyen, Valley; Mark Demille, Valley; Chan Bui, Valley; Anthony Jones, Sacramento; Wan Lee, Burbank.

Here are the Golden Empire League spring all-league teams The Bee has received:

BASEBALL
MVP: Derrick Brown, Marysville
Coach of the year: Jay DeAlba, Marysville
All-league: Ben Ritchey, Capital Christian; Angel Lara, Dixon; Tim Zucco, Lindhurst; Davis Walker, Marysville; Blake Freechtle, Marysville; Ty Schimpf, Capital Christian; Tyler Long, Mesa Verde; Chad Perry, Marysville; Bubby Shanahan, Lindhurst; Moises Saldana, West Campus; Jacob Woehler, Capital Christian; Taylor Landis, Dixon; Brock Hanson, Capital Christian; Daniel Contreras, West Campus; Kory Hall, Dixon; Blaine Huber, Marysville.

SOFTBALL
MVP: Ashten Welch, Marysville
Co-Coaches of the year: Wes Besseghini, Dixon; Maurice Clavelle, Marysville
All-league: Noelani Kakalia, Mesa Verde; Giana Moore, Mesa Verde; Samantha Lucero, Mesa Verde; Meghan Smith, Mesa Verde; Marissa Clavelle, Marysville; Tressa Arostegui, Marysville; Morgan Welch, Marysville; McKenzie Kraus, Marysville; Audrey Musgrove, Dixon; Jaymi Boicelli, Dixon; Jenna Bassler, Dixon; Kristina Brown, Dixon; Morgan Thome, Lindhurst; Jamie Mahoney, Lindhurst; Shawna Hulsey, Lindhurst; Kara Wall, West Campus; Ashley Fryer, Capital Christian.

GIRLS SOCCER
Defensive MVP: Kelsey Dolk, West Campus
Offensive MVP: Jena Mamola, West Campus
Coach of the year: Rogelio Rubio, West Campus
All-league: Brianna Greenly, Capital Christian; Nathalee Allen, Capital Christian; Emily Long, Capital Christian; Chloe Cooknick, Capital Christian; Cannessa Lewis, Capital Christian; Aimee Echeverria, Dixon; Desiree Gutierrez, Dixon; Belen Pequeno, Dixon; Victoria Garcia, Dixon; Brittany Roupp, Dixon; Alexandra Cook, Lindhurst; Ellie Yang, Lindhurst; DeeDee Yang, Lindhurst; Makayla Synak, Marysville; Nallely Ferreira, Marysville; Alma Guerra, Marysville; Casidee Lynch, Mesa Verde; Jaycee Neuman, West Campus; Zoe Worobel, West Campus; Katie Martin, West Campus; Jordan Larson, West Campus.

BOYS GOLF
MVP: Garrett Rasmussen, Dixon
Coach of the year: P.J. Garza, Capital Christian
All-league: Logan Mitchell, Dixon; Seth Just, Capital Christian; Matt Donlan, Capital Christian; Michael Blakeman, Capital Christian; Casey Gee, Capital Christian; Drake Hankins, West Campus.

COED TENNIS
Coach of the year: Anne Bestgen, West Campus
Boys
MVP: Kris Chow, West Campus
All-league: Luka Alaupovic, Dixon; Peter Yang, Lindhurst; Derek Fong, West Campus; Armando Montejano, Marysville; Ricky Fong, West Campus; Byeong Cha, Capital Christian; Robert Williams, Dixon.
Girls
MVP: Krystle Ito, West Campus
All-league: Janelle Mariana, Dixon; Jamie Hurdt, Marysville; Tori Porras, West Campus; Annie Lin, Marysville; Han Tran, Mesa Verde; Zoe Kratzer, Dixon; Courtney Ngai, Marysville.

BOYS SWIMMING
MVP: Zach DeMotte, West Campus
Coach of the year: Danielle Young, West Campus
All-league: Alex Labass, Dixon; Zachary Schulman, Dixon; Will Pagozzo, Dixon; Matthew Sprengler, West Campus; Reginald Trimmingham, West Campus; Jordan Eldridge, West Campus; Bryan Poole, Dixon; Austin Anderson, Dixon.

GIRLS SWIMMING
MVP: Laura Garcia, Dixon
Coach of the year: Adrienne Anderson, Dixon
All-league: Alexis Tyhurst, Dixon; Rachel Stalie, Dixon; Jaida Aikens, Dixon; Gina Garcia, Dixon; Kacie Barrett, Dixon; Nicole Hagstrom, Dixon; Jordan Chance, Dixon.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
Track MVP: Devan Sawyerr, West Campus
Field MVP: David Oates, Capital Christian
Co-Coaches of the year: Ron Gerringer, Capital Christian; Eric Hoefler, Lindhurst
All-league: Josh Green, Mesa Verde; Jurell Davis, Lindhurst; Anthony McDermott, Dixon; Miguel French, Lindhurst; Jarrade Davis, Lindhurst; Brett Williamson, West Campus; Chris Birkman, West Campus; Kwann Williams, West Campus; Kendall Caporale, Lindhurst; Matthews Kearns, Lindhurst; Jesus Garcia, Lindhurst; Tyler Holmes, Capital Christian; Ryan McNamee, Dixon; Marcos Pangelinan, Dixon; Brandon Roznos, Capital Christian; Keenan Armbrust, Capital Christian.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
Track MVP: Nicole Albanese, Capital Christian
Field MVP: Raelle Roberson, Capital Christian
Coach of the year: Marcy Tarr, Marysville
All-league: Rachel Roberts, Capital Christian; Kayleigh Bates, Capital Christian; Jasmine Fletcher, Marysville; Bria Avery, Dixon; Laura Dang, West Campus; Stevie Jones, Capital Christian; Jasmine Cranshaw, Capital Christian; Hayleigh Filer, Capital Christian; Jordan Irvine, Dixon; Peri Daley, Marysville; Ivy Dunn, Dixon.

Here are the Delta Valley Conference spring all-league teams reported to The Bee:

Baseball
MVP: J.D. Davis, Elk Grove
Coach of the year: Scott Heinig, Davis
All-league: Josh Cosio, Davis; Ben Eckels, Davis; Galen Hashovksy, Davis; George Hatamiya, Davis; Alec Miramontes, Davis; Ryan King, Elk Grove; Dominic Nunez, Elk Grove; Ryan Tellez, Elk Grove; Jorge Vina, Elk Grove; Tyler Blake, Franklin; Jordan Johnson, Franklin; Josh Pigg, Franklin; Jon Zunich, Franklin; Robert Munoz, Grant; Jonathan Ruiz, Laguna Creek.

Softball
MVP: Shelby Wisdom, Elk Grove
All-league: Emily Glass, Davis; Melanie Habab, Davis; Becky Nakano, Davis; Megan Winton, Davis; Jordan Brenner, Elk Grove; Maryssa Harris, Elk Grove; Jessica Venturelli, Elk Grove; Amanda Absher, Franklin; Sade Estes, Franklin; Chantelle Oakley, Franklin; Makayla Fama, Laguna Creek; Jaime Goodrich, Laguna Creek; Leeza Woods, Laguna Creek; Brehanna Hamilton, Monterey Trail; Shawnyce Talbot, Grant.

Girls soccer
MVP: Anna Maria Gilbertson, Davis
Coach of the year: Allen Carlson, Davis
All-league:Dana Granger, Davis; Jennie Hawkins, Davis; Olivia Muller, Davis; Ali Yule, Davis; Anna Brown, Elk Grove; Lauren Chetner, Elk Grove; Rebecca Pasqual, Elk Grove; Julie Alltop, Franklin; Anastasha Barba, Franklin; Tatyana Garrett, Franklin; Crystal Vega, Franklin; Victoria Vue, Grant; Courtney Jacobs, Laguna Creek; Lydia Jimenez, Laguna Creek; Paris Mazzocchi, Monterey Trail.

Boys volleyball
MVP: Justin Doucetter, Franklin
Coach of the year: Julie Crawford, Davis
All-league: Derrick Coronado, Davis; Jonathan Wardrip, Davis; Brad Altman, Franklin; Kyle Cooper, Franklin; Kameron Tinsley, Franklin; Charles Faraimo, Grant; Greg Grady, Grant; Ilialo Timoti, Grant; Austin Bulda, Laguna Creek; Ashanti Jackson, Monterey Trail; Stedman Saunders, Monterey Trail.

Boys golf
MVP:Jordan Baroody, Davis
All-league: Cjase Dossa, Davis; Charlie Klein, Davis; Patrick Levin, Elk Grove; Brennin Hardy, Franklin; Cody Moore, Franklin; Byron Tam, Franklin; Eric Tam, Franklin.

Boys tennis
MVP: Glenn Hull, Davis
All-league: Andrew Dumit, Davis; Paul Klavins, Davis; Robert Lipman, Davis; Russell Richardson, Davis; Isaac Yee, Davis; Matt Yee, Davis; Chris Paclibar, Elk Grove; Lester Paclibar, Elk Grove; Andrew Amor, Franklin; Sahil Gupta, Franklin; Kevin Ha, Franklin.

Boys swimming
Coach of the year: Stuart Jackson, Franklin
200 medley relay: Harrison Dew-Hiersoux, Andrey Shalnev, Chad Smith, Jacobi Kelly, Laguna Creek. 200 free: Dylan Newsom, Davis. 200 IM: Kyle Nadler, Davis. 50 free: Wade Allen, Davis. 100 fly: Marc Blumberg, Davis. 100 free: Nick Tuttle, Franklin. 500 free: Dylan Newsom, Davis. 200 free relay: Cameron Franke, Kyle Nadler, John Varley, Wade Allen, Davis. 100 back: Connor Stapleton, Davis. 100 breast: Cameron Franke, Davis. 400 free relay: Marc Blumberg, Kyle Nadler, Dylan Newsom, Matt Whittle, Davis.

Girls swimming
200 medley relay: Tara Halsted, Hanna Levien, Beverly Nguyen, Marissa LaFreniere, Davis. 200 free: Rachel Johnson, Davis. 200 IM: Beverly Nguyen, Davis. 50 free: Marissa LaFreniere, Davis. 100 fly: Beverly Nguyen, Davis. 100 free: Rachel Johnson, Davis. 500 free: Tara Halsted, Davis. 200 free relay: Michelle Greenough, Rachel Johnson, Keelia Houston, Beverly Nguyen, Davis. 100 back: Tara Halsted, Davis. 100 breast: Michelle Greenough, Davis. 400 free relay: Marissa LaFreniere, Keelia Houston, Tara Halsted, Rachel Johnson, Davis. Diving: Quetzal Moreno, Franklin.

Boys track and field
100: Courtney Williams, Davis. 200: Shaquille Thompson, Grant. 400: Delvonte Jonson, Monterey Trail. 800: Paul Mohr, Davis. 1,600: Trevor Halsted, Davis. 3,200: Trevor Halsted, Davis. 100H: Nick Martinez, Elk Grove. 300H: Nick Martinez, Elk Grove. 4x100 relay: Shaquille Thompson, Isaiah Taylor, B.J. Edwards, James Sample, Grant. 4x400 relay: Henry Sanders, Lee Leverrier, Spencer Bowen, Alex Zavala, Davis. HJ: Ian Rock, Davis. LJ: Ian Rock, Davis. TJ: Matthew Austin, Davis. PV: Ian Rock, Davis. SP: Nick Denton, Davis. DT: Josh Letuligasenoa, Elk Grove.

Girls track and field
100: Esther Higgwe, Monterey Trail. 200: Esther Higgwe, Monterey Trail. 400: A'Jah Love, Monterey Trail. 800: Sophie Meads, Davis. 1,600: Sophie Meads, Davis. 3,200: Sophie Meads, Davis. 100H: Ciara Levy, Monterey Trail. 300H: Ciara Levy, Monterey Trail. 4x100 relay: Ciara Levy, Esther Higgwe, A'Jah Love, Phoenisha Schuhmeier, Monterey Trail. 4x400 relay: Ciara Levy, A'Jah Love, Esther Higgwe, Desiree Turner, Monterey Trail. HJ: Maddie Trost, Davis. LJ: Brionna Thompson, Franklin. TJ: Rachel Gardner, Monterey Trail. PV: Danielle Gantar, Davis. SP: Sarah Hussey, Elk Grove. DT: Lauren Sens, Elk Grove.

Here are the Delta River League spring all-league teams that were reported to The Bee:

Baseball
MVP: Tyler Evanoff, Ponderosa
Coach of the year: Joe Potulny, Jesuit
All-league: Zach Green, Jesuit; Logan James, Jesuit; Louis Mejia, Jesuit; Brian Celsi, Jesuit; Joe Williams, Jesuit; Chris Muse-Fisher, Oak Ridge; Austin Ales, Oak Ridge; Cole Hansen, Oak Ridge; Jake Wehr, Oak Ridge; Zach Mahon, Oak Ridge; Zach Stilwell, Pleasant Grove; Josh Adams, Pleasant Grove; Garrett Heisinger, Pleasant Grove; Hunter Gallant, Ponderosa; Jerod Bravo, Ponderosa.

Softball
MVP: Danielle Henderson, Sheldon
Coach of the year: Mary Jo Truesdale, Sheldon
All-league: Nicole Clark, Folsom; Jade Matsumoto, Oak Ridge; Kasey Stanchek, Oak Ridge; Janessa Jeppesen, Oak Ridge; Ally Carda, Pleasant Grove; Lindsey Willmon, Pleasant Grove; Amber Murray, Pleasant Grove; Olivia Licatuorto, Ponderosa; Natalie Kessing, Ponderosa; Mary Mumper, St. Francis; Stephanie Heyward, St. Francis; Bailey O'Mara, St. Francis; DeJanee Moore, Sheldon; Alexis Cooper, Sheldon; MeShalon Moore, Sheldon.

Boys golf
MVP: Joel Slack, Folsom
Coach of the year: Carl Massey, Oak Ridge
All-league: Taylor Knoll, Folsom; Chris Macasaet, Jesuit; Patrick Cairns, Jesuit; Ben Corfee, Jesuit; Michael Grenz, Pleasant Grove; Corey Pereira, Ponderosa; Derek Trofimczuk, Ponderosa.

Girls soccer
MVP: Kasey Curtis, St. Francis
Coach of the year: Richard Carrigan, St. Francis
All-league: Danielle Zezoff, Folsom; Marissa Ribeiro, Oak Ridge; Emily Duff, Pleasant Grove; Alyssa Andress, Pleasant Grove; Natalie Hanson, Ponderosa; Aubrey Wimmer, Ponderosa; Michelle Kimball, Ponderosa; Andrea Damian, St. Francis; Haley Hughes, St. Francis; Jennifer Lum, St. Francis; Kayla Nanoo, St. Francis; Megan Smith, Sheldon; Sidney Coleman, Sheldon; Ashari Hines, Sheldon; Christine Platt, Sheldon.

Boys swimming
200 medley relay: Trevor Dong, Dylan Kubick, Brandon Mille, Garrison Yeandle, Oak Ridge. 200 free: Sonny Fierro, Sheldon. 200 IM: Brandon Mills, Oak Ridge. 50 free: Garrison Yeandle, Oak Ridge. 100 fly: Nick Kramer, Jesuit. 100 free: Matt Hamilton, Jesuit. 500 free: Sonny Fierro, Sheldon. 200 free relay: Austin Beckwith, Matt Hamilton, Matt Flodin, Pat Macart, Jesuit. 100 back: Andy Cunningham, Ponderosa. 100 breast: Brandon Mills, Oak Ridge. 400 free relay: Austin Beckwith, Matt Hamilton, Nick Kramer, Pat Macart, Jesuit. Diving: Jacob Crayne.

Girls swimming
200 medley relay: Sydney Johansen, Carissa Metcalf, Cora Stebbins, Alex Rieger, St. Francis. 200 free: Taylor Lehr, Ponderosa. 200 IM: Sydney Johansen, St. Francis. 50 free: Alex Rieger, St. Francis. 100 fly: Kylie Ahnell, Folsom; Annclaire Macart, St. Francis. 500 free: Taylor Lehr, Ponderosa. 200 free relay: Cora Stebbins, Natalie Green, Jessica Poelman, Alex Rieger, St. Francis. 100 back: Sydney Johansen, St. Francis. 100 breast: Carissa Metcalf, St. Francis. 400 free relay: Sydney Johansen, Natalie Green, Carissa Metcalf, Annclaire Macart, St. Francis. Diving: Amy Crayne, St. Francis.

Boys tennis
MVP: Suresh Eswaran, Jesuit
Coach of the year: Pat Ryan, Oak Ridge
All-league: Tanner Scurfield, Folsom; Glen Zhou, Folsom; Gus Orlando, Jesuit; Josh Lin, Jesuit; Avery Moore, Jesuit; Miles Flam, Jesuit; Andrew Hall, Oak Ridge; Nick Atkinson, Oak Ridge; Jimmy Giovannini, Oak Ridge; Tanner Schmutte, Oak Ridge; Kevin Valentine, Ponderosa.

Boys volleyball
Co-MVP's: Branden Torado, Jesuit; Jon Tuttle, Oak Ridge
Coach of the year: Jason Johnson, Jesuit
All-league: Jackson Whitlow, Folsom; Alex Gaskin, Jesuit; Parker Bellinger, Jesuit; Mason Pigman, Jesuit; Jack Hoisington, Oak Ridge; Trent Stigerts, Oak Ridge; Tim Spykerman, Oak Ridge; Griff O'Camb, Ponderosa; Nick Jokerst, Ponderosa; Quyet Phan, Sheldon.

Boys track and field
100: Austin Mitsch, Jesuit. 200: Austin Mitsch, Jesuit. 400: Alex Robards, Ponderosa. 800: Colton Misono, Jesuit. 1,600: Benji Xie, Oak Ridge. 3,200: Benji Xie, Oak Ridge. High hurdles: Zach Youngberg, Oak Ridge. Low hurdles: Zach Youngberg, Oak Ridge. 4x100 relay: Austin Mitsch, Julian Wallace, Zane Westmoreland, Tommy Krotine, Jesuit. 4x400 relay: Jerry Turner II, Malcolm Willis, Devonni Terrell, Andre Woodson, Sheldon. HJ: Will Findlay, Oak Ridge. PV: Troy Osland, Jesuit. LJ: Thomas Sperbeck, Jesuit. TJ: Thomas Sperbeck, Jesuit. SP: Stephen Boals, Jesuit. DT: Stephen Boals, Jesuit.

Girls track and field
100: Cekarri Nixon, St. Francis. 200: Cekarri Nixon, St. Francis. 400: Cekarri Nixon, St. Francis. 800: Samantha Ralstin, Oak Ridge. 1,600: Samantha Ralstin, Oak Ridge. 3,200: Jacqueline Mansoor, Oak Ridge. High hurdles: Shannon Trumbull, Oak Ridge. Low hurdles: Shannon Trumbull, Oak Ridge. 4x100 relay: Tre'ana Johnson, Breanna Smalley, Kacy Corrigan, Mallanie Castillo, Sheldon. 4x400 relay: Brittany Adams, Alexis Davenport, Cami Crawford, Samantha Ralstin, Oak Ridge. HJ: Jessica Gannon, Folsom. PV: Haley Carbullido, St. Francis. LJ: Andrea Furtado, St. Francis. TJ: Danylle Kurywchal, Ponderosa. SP: Kayla O'Brine, St. Francis. DT: Brooke Sperbeck, St. Francis.

Here are the Capital Valley Conference spring all-league teams we have received:

Baseball
MVP: Dustin Vaught, Bella Vista
All-league: Miles Chambers, Rio Linda; Dustin Jenkins, Rio Linda; Brandon Hunley, Christian Brothers; Hunter Dobson, Christian Brothers; Kyle Jones, Oakmont; Jimmy Lunardelli, Oakmont; Jared Virtue, Oakmont; Mike Nantz, Del Campo; Derek Rodigo, Del Campo; Tyler Smith, Del Campo; Ben Brooks, Bella Vista; David Dellaserra, Bella Vista; Tommy Lininger, Bella Vista; Shane Rae, Casa Roble; Chris Stapleton, Casa Roble; Mitch Samson, Casa Roble; Matt Cox, Casa Roble

Softball
MVP: Krystal Aubert, Casa Roble
All-league: Kaitlyn Garcia, Casa Roble; Ali Aguilar, Casa Roble; Madison Zetz, Casa Roble; McKenzie Kenobbie, Casa Roble; Amber Swett, Rio Linda; Jenna Thorne, Rio Linda; Kristin Gross, Rio Linda; Amy Lara, Rio Linda; Hannah Howell, Del Campo; Makayla Props, Del Campo; Jackie Caramazza, Del Campo; Tia Turner, Oakmont; Marisa Andrade, Oakmont; Krista Bedford, Oakmont; Haley Snyder, Christian Brothers; Maddy Grover, Christian Brothers; Hannah Gunter, Bella Vista.

Boys golf
All-league: Andrej Bevins, Christian Brothers; Hunter Rappleye, Christian Brothers; Kit Carson, Christian Brothers; Dylan Fuller, Chrisitan Brothers; Dylan Neal, Casa Roble; Mason Welch, Del Campo; Cory Eddings, Oakmont; Zach Will, Oakmont; Mike Croisetiere, Oakmont; C.J. Wells, Bella Vista.

Girls swimming
200 medley relay: Jenny Miller, Elizabeth Rodgers, Camille Andre, Natalie Miner, Bella Vista. 200 free: Hailey Struckmeyer, Del Campo. 200 IM: Kathleen Schiavenza, Christian Brothers. 50 free: Tabitha Ellsworth, Del Campo. 100 fly: Brittany Rojo, Christian Brothers. 100 free: Brittany Rojo, Christian Brothers. 500 free: Hailey Struckmeyer, Del Campo. 200 free relay: Heather Gordon, Hailey Struckmeyer, Jenner Johnson, Tabitha Ellsworth, Del Campo. 100 back: Stephanie Bedford, Casa Roble. 100 breast: Paige Emery, Bella Vista. 400 free relay: Jenny Miller, Courtney Keene, Paige Emery, Camille Andre, Bella Vista. 1-meter diving: Shelbie Holden, Bella Vista.

Boys swimming
200 medley relay: Steve Barbich, Brett Emery, Naran Lodhia, Alex Peterson, Bella Vista. 200 free: Taylor Nordell, Oakmont. 200 IM: Brett Emery, Bella Vista. 50 free: Alex Peterson, Bella Vista. 100 fly: Steve Barbich, Bella Vista. 100 free: Alex Peterson, Bella Vista. 500 free: Jake Struckmeyer, Del Campo. 200 free relay: Naran Lodhia, Colton Barbich, Tyler Miguel, Alex Peterson, Bella Vista. 100 back: Jake Struckmeyer, Del Campo. 100 breast: Brett Emery, Bella Vista. 400 free relay: Tyler Miguel, Savo Gojkovich, Austin Stevenson, Brett Emery, Bella Vista. 1-meter diving: Naran Lodhia, Bella Vista

Boys track and field
MVP: Robby Templeton, Christian Brothers
Most Outstanding Track: Robert Pflasterer, Del Campo
Most Outstanding Field: Kevin Logue, Bella Vista
100: Robby Templeton, Christian Brothers. 200: Robby Templeton, Christian Brothers. 400: Anthony Hernandez, Casa Roble; Jared Powell, Bella Vista. 800: Edixon Puglisi, Oakmont; David Silvert, Bella Vista. 1,600: Robert Pflasterer, Del Campo; Jordan Rushing, Del Campo. 3,200: Robert Pflasterer, Del Campo. High hurdles: Anthony Castaneda, Christian Brothers. Low hurdles: Derrick Booth, Oakmont. 4x100 relay: Aaron Terrell-Byrd, Andrew Stoltenberg, David Hudnall, Robby Templeton, Christian Brothers. 4x400 relay: Daniel Cattolica, Adam Ciszewski, Jared Powell, David Silvert, Bella Vista. HJ: Kevin Logue, Bella Vista. PV: Lishen Lu, Oakmont. LJ: David Kulp, Del Campo. TJ: Anthony Castaneda, Christian Brothers. SP: Deandre Porter, Casa Roble. DT: Nelson Quinley, Oakmont.

Girls track and field
MVP: Jazmine Harper, Oakmont
Most Outstanding Track: Marisa Carino, Oakmont
Most Outstanding Field: Angie Charles, Bella Vista
100: McKenzie Sup, Bella Vista. 200: Jazmin Harper, Oakmont. 400: Jazmin Harper, Oakmont. 800: Marisa Carino, Oakmont. 1,600: Marisa Carino, Oakmont. 3,200: Sara Lack, Bella Vista. High hurdles: Sophia Vivaldi, Bella Vista. Low hurdles: Elise Stevens, Bella Vista. 4x100 relay: Lauren Bush, Li Lim, Audrey Lohmeyer, McKenzie Sup, Bella Vista. 4x400 relay: Kat Bailey, Madison Sabini, Amber Bunyard, Kellie Schmitt, Casa Roble. HJ: Sarah Reinhardt, Bella Vista. PV: Angie Charles, Bella Vista. LJ: Jazmin Harper, Oakmont. TJ: Michelle Hernandez, Bella Vista. SP: Leah Parrish, Bella Vista. DT: Keanna Velez, Bella Vista.

Boys tennis
MVP: Jonathan Limhengco, Christian Brothers
All-league: Matt Alves, Casa Roble; Kyle Coates, Oakmont; Chris Deeble, Bella Vista; Dennis Costache, Bella Vista; Christian Serafin, Bella Vista; Winston Limhengco, Christian Brothers; Ryan Peebody; Zach Paiva, Oakmont; Andrew Meyer, Casa Roble; Ryan Jelicich, Casa Roble; Kyle Bakkie, Del Campo; Vince Bartsch, Del Campo; Serge Tsogtbaatar, Rio Linda.

Boys volleyball
MVP: Ryan Siu, Oakmont
All-league: David Dalisey, Christian Brothers; Kent Makishima, Oakmont; Luke Turner, Oakmont; Ryan Peabody, Christian Brothers; Anthony Gibson, Pioneer; Sean Standley, Del Campo; Tim Cook, Oakmont; Travis Limeberger, Christian Brothers; Sean Steimel, Christian Brothers; Forrest Gay, Pioneer; Joseph Lee, Rio Linda.

Girls soccer
MVP: Maddie Easterbrook, Bella Vista
All-league: Maria Huato, Rio Linda; Adriana Zuniga, Rio Linda; Cecilia Tapia, Casa Roble; Demi Muses, Casa Roble; Miami Whitehouse, Del Campo; Brooke Bermudez, Del Campo; Madison Nagle, Del Campo; Kayla Powers, Oakmont; Jena Tague, Oakmont; Katie Carte, Oakmont; Kendall Boshart, Oakmont; Jessica Small, Christian Brothers; Ellisa Munoz, Christian Brothers; Marisa Cuevas, Christian Brothers; Haley Hatfield, Christian Brothers; Ashlee Difuntorum, Christian Brothers; Chelsea Lewandowski, Bella Vista; Sarah Avery, Bella Vista; Moressa Lindsey, Bella Vista; Julia Platter, Bella Vista; Jordyn Delaney Bella Vista.

Here are the spring Capital Athletic League teams that The Bee has received:

Baseball
MVP: Sutter McLoughlin, Rio Americano
All-league: Guillermo Salazar, Rio Americano; Alex Mugnaini, Rio Americano; Alec Kazanjian, Rio Americano; Kenny Tripp, Rio Americano; Mark Ledbetter, Rio Americano; Sam Dardick, Whitney; Trent Duncan, Whitney; Josh Robinson, Whitney; Cody Cesna, Whitney; Lucas David, Cordova; Nathan Jacobson, Cordova; Jonathan MacMonagle, Cordova; Michael Gassaway, Antelope; Wyatt Castro, Antelope; Kyle Tibbett, Antelope; Cory Moore, Antelope; Cole Edner, El Camino; Dee Kuwabara, El Camino; Tim Johnson, Mira Loma.

Softball
MVP: Alyssa Schmidt, Whitney
Pitcher of the year: Taylor Cotton, Whitney
All-league: Ashleigh Hughes, Antelope; Catlyn Cavender, El Camino; Darian Harris, Whitney; Kayli Shaw, Whitney; Kaitlyn Gruchow, Whitney; Karolanne Tipton, Cordova; Kayla Dormer, Whitney; Michelle Tarlandoukht, Cordova; Carly Sayles, Rio Americano; Taylor Martinez, El Camino; Courtney Tanton, Antelope; Valerie Cain, Cordova; Taylor Minor, El Camino; Lauren Szoboscan, Cordova; Ashley Baumgart, Antelope; Cheyenne Drury, El Camino; Savannah Verdon, Mira Loma; Taani Johnson, Antelope.

Boys golf
MVP: Branden Vogel, Rio Americano
All-league: Eric Lee, Rio Americano; Spencer Cvitanov, El Camino; Ben Morgan, El Camino; Kyle Tribble, El Camino; Jared Moen, Antelope; Nathan Hodges, Whitney; Andy Hadley, Whitney; Matt Low, Whitney; Chris Stankievicz, Mira Loma; Benedict Tagle, Mira Loma; Daniel Tagle, Mira Loma.

Boys tennis
All-league: Wyatt Brown, Rio Americano; Charles LaSalle, Rio Americano; Kadyn Silva, Rio Americano; Patrick Johnson, Rio Americano; Edward Ni, Mira Loma; Jordan Smith, El Camino; Blake Ewen, El Camino; T.J. Papenfuss, Whitney; Sumer Sinha, Whitney.

Boys volleyball
MVP: John Fluette, Antelope.
All-league: Eric Giacoini, Justin Vaughen, David Parker, Rich Litvinchuk and Matt Reinking, Whitney; Taylor Davis, Brandon Giardina and Vitaliy Vechtomov, Antelope; Richard Young, Justen Beskeen, Brayden Giacomini, Bear River; David Deloney, Rio Americano.

Swimming
Girls
Swimmer of the Year: Lexie Franz, Rio Americano
All-league:
Whitney - Loree Olson, 200 medley relay, 200 IM; Colleen Daley, 200 medley relay, 50 free, 10 free; Stephanie Henderson, 200 medley relay; Mariah Patterson, 200 medley relay.
Rio Americano - Hailey Ferko, 100 fly, 200 free relay, 100 breast; Lexie Franz, 500 fee, 100 back, 400 free relay; Vicky Gyorffy, 200 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay; Taylor Yamahata, 200 free relay, 400 free relay; Cathy Woo, 400 free relay; Robyn Butler, 200 free relay.
El Camino - Molly Kearney, diving.

Boys
Swimmer of the Year: Adam Ferguson, Rio Americano
All-league:
El Camino - Jimmy Wiley, 50 free, 200 free relay; Nick Jordan, 200 free relay; Ben Moser, 200 free relay; Chris Smith, 200 free relay.
Rio Americano - Zach Yokoyama, diving; Tyler Llamas, 200 medley relay; 200 IM, 100 fly, 400 free relay; Adam Ferguson, 200 medley relay; 200 free, 100 breast, 400 free relay; Matthew Thalken, 200 medley relay; John Price, 200 medley relay, 100 free, 100 back, 400 free relay; Jake Hastie, 500 free; Johnny Neumann, 400 free

Bradshaw Christian three-sport standout Brady Dragmire was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 17th round of today's Major League Baseball draft.

The 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed pitcher was the 529th player taken in the draft.

Dragmire, who already has signed a letter of intent to Nevada, led the Pride to their second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section baseball title on Memorial Day.

Also a football and baseball standout, he was a member of five section championship teams at the South Sacramento school.

- Bill Paterson

Sacramento City College outfielder Justin James, the son of former major league player Dion James, was selected in the 13th round of today's Major League Baseball player draft by the New York Yankees.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound sophomore, who bats and throws left-handed, was the 419th pick overall.

Dion James finished his 11-year major league career with the Yankees. The outfielder was a first-round draft pick (25th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers from out of McClatchy in 1980.

Justin James, a basketball and baseball standout at Kennedy High School, batted .309, drove in 20 runs and led the Big 8 Conference in steals with 19 for Sacramento City this season.

- Bill Paterson

It figures that the San Francisco Giants might be looking to draft a catcher after Buster Posey's serious leg and ankle injuries suffered during a controversial home plate collision two weeks ago.

But Andrew Susac had no idea he might be the first guy the Giants tabbed in today's Major League Baseball draft. The Oregon State sophomore and former Jesuit High star was selected in the second round -- the 86th pick overall.

"I don't know if that's why I got drafted by the Giants - the Posey injury," Susac said. "I'm sure it crossed their minds, and it definitely crossed mine."

The Roseville resident was the third player selected by San Francisco behind shortstop Joe Panik of St. John's (first round, 29th overall) and Texas high school pitcher Kyle Crick (first round, 49th overall), taken during Monday's first day of the draft.

Susac, ranked as the third-best catcher by Baseball America entering the draft, was the sixth catcher selected behind four high school players and Arkansas' James McCann, who was picked in the second round by the Detroit Tigers (76th overall).

There had been talk that the Boston Red Sox might use one of their two first-round picks on Susac, but they chose high school catcher Blake Swihart instead.

Susac, who is hitting .313 for the Beavers, may have dropped because of concerns about a broken hemate bone in his left hand sustained in late March. He had surgery April 11 and returned May 11.

The speculation is that when Posey returns from a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments in his left leg, a position change to first base might be considered to prolong the budding star's career.

Scouting reports say that Susac is solid defensively with the ability to become a decent power hitter if he continues to develop.

- Bill Paterson

UC Davis junior pitcher Scott Lyman was selected by the Florida Marlines in the 10th round of today's Major League Baseball draft.

Lyman, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander, was the 313th overall pick.

He was 3-6 with a 4.64 ERA for the Aggies this season.

Lyman is an Alamo resident who played for Monte Vista High School in Danville.

- Bill Paterson

Former Woodcreek first baseman Ryan Rieger, now of College of the Sequoias, was drafted in the seventh round today (223rd overall) by the Florida Marlins.

Rieger, a sophomore, is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and bats and throws left-handed.

He was the Central Valley Conference Most Valuable Player this season. He batted .365 with 31 RBIs and seven home runs.

- Bill Paterson

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Elk Grove High School's J.D. Davis in the fifth round of today's Major League Baseball draft.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Davis, who swings and throws right handed, was the 180th player taken by the Rays. He was selected as a third baseman.

Davis, who already has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Fullerton, batted .484 with 45 RBI and nine home runs this seasonn for the Thundering Herd.

He is the second area high school player to be selected in today's second day of the draft.

Pleasant Grove's Kyle Castro was taken in the third round (113th pick) by the Texas Rangers.

Area college players Andrew Susac of Oregon State and Bryce Bandilla of Arizona also were selected by the San Francisco Giants.

Susac, a catcher from Jesuit, was selected in the second round (86th overall) and Bandilla, a pitcher from Bella Vista, in the fourth round (147th overall).

- Bill Paterson

Former Jesuit star Andrew Susac, now at Oregon State; Pleasant Grove's Kyle Castro; and ex-Bella Vista standout Bryce Bandilla, now at Arizona, were early selections in today's second day of the Major League Baseball First-Year player draft.

Susac and Bandilla were selected by the San Francisco Giants.

San Francisco took Susac, a catcher, in the second round, with the 86th pick overall. They selected Bandilla, a pitcher, in the fourth round, the 147th pick.

Castro was taken in the third round by the Texas Rangers, the No. 113 pick.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Susac played in 38 games, starting 37, and batted .313 with 32 runs batted in and five home runs for the Beavers this season. The Roseville resident was a 16th round draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies coming out of high school.

Bandilla, a 6-4, 235-pound junior left-hander, is 5-3, with a 3.47 ERA in 31 appearances for Arizona this season. He has struck out 48 batters in 46 2/3 innings. He was selected in the 28th round of the 2008 draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

The athletic Castro, also a football standout for Pleasant Grove, is a 6-4, 195-pound right hander. He was 5-4 with a 3.56 ERA for the Eagles this season. He struck out 65 batters in 55 innings.

- Bill Paterson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Players, coaches, moments and milestones.

That's the menu Mike Finnerty and I will explore in big-picture form as we talk and debate about the academic year on Saturday's SureWest Sports Radio Show on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m.

It's our last program until late August as we take a summer break.

Items of interest include:

* Folsom's fabulous football ride, going 13-1 and winning the CIF Division II bowl game behind Bee Player of the Year Dano Graves, who set state quarterbacking records.
* Del Oro winning a football section title despite some fans in Loomis pleading for the removal of coach Casey Taylor after a 2-4 start. He rallied the team by removing some players, then taking it all in D-III and emerging as The Bee's Coach of the Year.
* Rocklin winning a section title in girls and boys volleyball.
* Jesuit bearing down on an astounding 100 section titles this season, with recent celebrations in soccer and National Coach of the Year Paul Rose.
* The Del Oro basketball team of class and style, headed by Belle Obert and Bee Player of the Year Madeline Campbell.
* Michele Massari willing her Sacramento Dragons to a section D-III title and earning Bee Coach of the Year honors - and SureWest Sports Coach of the Year accolades - despite graduating four starters from last season.
* The Sac High boys basketball team overcoming the sudden and controversial transfer of high profile recruit Josiah Turner at midseason and the role of meddling parents in prep sports in general.
* The rise of Antelope athletics.
* The amazing run of success for small-school Bradshaw Christian.
* The Elk Grove Unified School District power in softball.
*Realignment.
* Transfers
* Mixed messages with recruiting
* Bill Baxter winning his 600th career game as the El Camino girls coach.
* The impact of amazing leaders such as Kris Richardson, Mike Alberghini, Max Miller, Joe Potulny, Guy Anderson and Mary Jo Truesdale.
* Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Every year Valley Christian baseball coach Brad Gunter Jr. loads up his preseason schedule with heavyweights.

The tiny Roseville private school played the likes of public school Roseville (which won tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship), Rosemont and Yuba City - all Bee Top 20 teams - to prepare for league and the postseason.

But despite that preparation, Valley Christian didn't have an easy journey through league or the playoffs this season.

For the first time in five years, Yuba City will not be playing baseball on Memorial Day.

The four-time Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champions were ousted from this year's tournament 10-3 by Rodriguez of Fairfield on Tuesday at McAuliffe Park near Sacramento State.

Rodriguez swept the best of three series in two games after rallying to beat the Honkers 4-3 in eight innings in Saturday's opener.

Rodriguez (26-4-1) will play Solano County Athletic Conference rival Benicia in Monday's 3 p.m. championship game at Sacramento City College.

Still is was a nice run for Yuba City (23-6) and first-year coach Vicente Luevano, who replaced popular Jim Stassi after he announced his retirement at the end of last season.

With only three returning starters and a new coaching staff, the Honkers won a fifth consecutive Tri-County Conference title and beat Whitney 9-0 to open the playoffs.

- Bill Paterson

Here is the schedule for the annual District 6 American Legion Memorial Day baseball tournament to be held Saturday through Monday at River City High School in West Sacramento.

Saturday, May 28 - West Sacramento vs. Yolo, 10 a.m. (Field #1); Yolo vs. Fair Oaks, 1 p.m. (Field #1); Folsom vs. Manhart, 1 p.m. (Field #2); West Sacramento vs. Folsom, 4 p.m. (Field #1).

Sunday, May 29 - Merced vs. Manhart, 10 a.m. (#1); Folsom vs. Yolo, 10 a.m. (#2); Manhart vs. West Sacramento, 1 p.m. (#1); Fair Oaks vs. Merced, 1 p.m. (#2).

Monday, May 30 - Merced vs. West Sacramento, 10 a.m. (#1); Manhart vs. Fair Oaks, 10 a.m. (#2); Yolo vs. Merced, 1 p.m. (#1); Fair Oaks vs. Folsom, 1 p.m. (#2).

- Bill Paterson

Steven Moreno had a base hit and drove in three runs; Scott Moller drove in two runs; and Tanner McVey and Brian Hosang combined to toss a five-hitter as Rocklin defeated Del Campo 5-2 in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball playoff game at Sacramento City College.

With the win, Rocklin (20-9) wins the best of three series in two games over the Cougars (16-14).

The Thunder will play the winner of Tuesday's Roseville-Woodcreek series (Roseville leads 1-0) for the championship 6 p.m. on Monday at Sac City.

Coach Roc Murray's Thunder will bid for its fourth D-II section title in five seasons.

- Bill Paterson

With a slew of injuries, a struggling pitching staff and the season on the ropes, Woodcreek baseball coach Kelly Mayo made a tough late-season decision.

He would move standout sophomore Stephen Nogosek into the starting rotation, taking him off the field as the team's outstanding shortstop.

Nogosek rewarded Mayo in a big way tonight.

The right-hander pitched a gem in leading Woodcreek to a 2-0 win over Casa Roble in the single-elimination opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs at Sacramento City College.

The Sierra Foothill League's stellar baseball reputation continues to hover over the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.

Roseville became the second SFL team in two days to advance from the single-elimination opening round when the Tigers rallied today to beat Rosemont 8-6 at Sacramento City College.

The win advances the SFL runners-up to Saturday's 3 p.m. best of three series against the winner of tonight's in progress game between Woodcreek and Casa Roble.

A Woodcreek win would give the SFL three semifinalists for the second straight year. Defending section champion Rocklin defeated Bella Vista 7-3 Thursday to also move into Saturday's semifinal round.

For awhile today, it appeared it would be Roseville (19-9) packing up the gear and going home and Rosemont (19-9), the Metro Conference runners-up, heading to the next round.

Rosemont's small-ball, hustling offense, highlighted by the bunting of lead-off hitter Anthony Enriquez, gave the Tigers all kinds of problems in producing a 6-2 lead through the first five innings.

Meanwhile, Roseville's hitters weren't having much luck against Rosemont ace Dylan Malone, who had held the Tigers in check with four hits through five innings.
Then it all unraveled for coach Paul Martinez' Wolverines.

In the bottom of the sixth, Roseville sent 12 batters to the plate to score six runs on five hits. There also were three walks and a hit batter.

Garrett Nunally had the big blow, a three-run double over the center fielder's head that cut Rosemont's lead to 6-5. Beau Smith tied it with a monster double of his own to left center.

The game produced a rarely seen defensive gem to open the game.
Roseville's Smith led off the bottom of the first with a walk, then stole second.

But as Smith scampered toward the bag, Rosemont catcher Parish Chavez tossed the ball to third baseman Andre Contreras. Chavez turned and ran toward the back stop as if there had been a wild pitch.

Smith started toward third before realizing Contreras had the ball. After a brief rundown, Smith was tagged out by Contreras.

- Bill Paterson

Jesuit and Pleasant Grove have advanced to Saturday's double-elimintion portion of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North baseball playoffs by winning tonight's opening round games at American River College.

Jordan Hanlin went three-for-three and Brian Celsi and Cameron Iwasa each drove in two runs to lead Jesuit (21-7) to a 6-3 win over the Napa Indians in the first game.

JQ Folena had two doubles and a single and drove in four runs and Zack Stilwell pitched six strong innings and had two hits and two RBI to lead Pleasant Grove (21-7) to a 12-2 win over Armijo in the nightcap.

The two Delta League rivals will go head-to-head at noon on Saturday at ARC.

In single-elimination games Friday, Oak Ridge plays Davis at 4 p.m. and Elk Grove faces Vacaville at 7 p.m.

Brett Sundberg had a triple, single and drove in two runs and sophomore Cody Smith scattered six hits to lead Del Campo past McClatchy 6-2 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball playoff game tonight at Sacramento City College.

Daniel Newman also had an RBI double and Austin Evanski two hits as Del Campo (16-12) advances to noon Saturday's best of three series against defending section champion Rocklin at SCC. Rocklin defeated Bella Vista 7-3 in tonight's opener.

The right-handed Smith showed plenty of poise in striking out six while not walking a batter.

He allowed a run in the first after McClatchy's Jake Luigi tripled and another in the sixth but the damage could have been bigger after the Lions' Hunter Carolan, Luigi and Jared James led off the inning with base hits.

But Smith got No. 4 hitter Max Cordy to pop to short, then got a ground out (that scored a run) and a fly out to center to end the threat.

UC Davis scholarship recruit Cordy, who had pitched only five innings since April 5 because of back and shoulder woes, struggled with his control and was betrayed by three McClatchy errors.

He struck out eight but also walked five and hit a batter.

McClatchy, the Metro Conference champions, finish the season 21-6.

Del Campo, which finished in a three-way tie for first with Casa Roble and Bella Vista in the Capital Valley Conference, won its fifth consecutive game.

- Bill Paterson

Austin Diemer had three hits, including a triple, and Trevor McVey doubled and drove in two runs to lead Rocklin to a 7-3 win over Bella Vista in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball playoffs at Sacramento City College.

The win in the single-elimination opening round moves the defending section champions into the best of three semifinals against the winner of tonight's McClatchy-Del Campo game.

Rocklin (18-9) will play noon Saturday at Sacramento City College. Bella Vista concludes its season with a 20-9 record.

- Bill Paterson

Best athletic moment: I hit a home run this season in a win against Rio Americano.

Funniest athletic moment: Two weeks ago - when it was really spring - we had a water fight after practice.

Inclement weather has led to postponement and rescheduling of a number of Sac-Joaquin Section softball and baseball playoff games.

Here's a brief rundown from Will DeBoard, the section's director of communications.

• As of noon, six of today's 10 outbracket softball games have been postponed. D-II Kennedy at Del Campo and D-III Benicia at Bear River and Colfax at Vanden have been moved to Wednesday. The D-I Franklin-Elk Grove at St. Francis game will be Thursday.

• The Cordova-Rodriguez outbracket baseball game (the lone game rained out Monday) will be 4 p.m. on Thursday.

• Today's D-V baseball games scheduled for Zupo Field (Capital Christian vs. Ripon, 4 p.m. and Hilmar-Summerville, 7 p.m.) have been moved to Friday at Galt Community Park, same times.

• The four D-III (Whitney-Yuba City; Lincoln-Cordova/Rodriguez; Rio Americano/Colfax; Benicia-Bear River) first-round baseball games scheduled for McAuliffe Fields Wednesday have been moved to Friday at McAuliffe.

• As of noon, no changes to the 26 girls soccer games, the four boys volleyball semifinals or the DIV/V track and field trials at Modesto Junior College.
Barring lightning, DeBoard anticipates most, if not all, of those events will be be played.

For more information and continuing updates go to the Sac-Joaquin Section Aggregator at http://sacjoaquinsection.blogspot.com/

- Bill Paterson

Napa scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to defeat Franklin 5-4 today in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I outbracket baseball game in Elk Grove.

Jordan Johnson, who suffered the loss in relief, had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in two runs for Franklin. Josh Pigg also drove in two runs.

The win moves Napa (14-12), the third place team from the Monticello Empire League, into Thursday's 4 p.m. quarterfinals against Jesuit.

Franklin, the third place finisher behind Elk Grove and Davis in the Delta Valley Conference, finishes 18-9-1.

- Bill Paterson

Mike Phelan went three for three and drove in three runs and Tom Lininger, Ryan Locke and Dustin Vaught had two hits apiece to lead Bella Vista to a 10-2 win over Sacramento today in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II outbracket baseball playoff game in Fair Oaks.

The win moves Bella Vista (20-8) into Thursday's 4 p.m. quarterfinals against defending section champion Rocklin at Sacramento City College.

Against Sacramento, Vaught and Jack Cronin each drove in two runs and David Dellaserra, Nick Dermejian and Cody Haley combined to scatted six hits.

Bella Vista finished as tri-champions of the Capital Valley Conference but received the No. 3 seed behind top-seeded Casa Roble and second-seeded Del Campo.

Sacramento, enjoying a revival season under coach Greg Norris, finishes 16-9-1. The Dragons were in the Metro Conference title chase until the final week of the league season. They finished third behind league champion McClatchy and second place Rosemont.

- Bill Paterson

Whitney sophomore Josh Robinson scattered three hits and also had two hits to lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 win over Vallejo in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III outbracket baseball playoff game today in Rocklin.

The win moves Whitney (16-9) into Wednesday's 4 p.m. quarterfinal game against four-time defending section champion Yuba City (22-4) at McAuliffe Memorial Ballpark near Sacrameto State.

Robinson, a right-hander, helped Whitney land the Capital Athletic League's No. 2 playoff berth.

He was 4-2 with a 1.79 earned run average and hit a team-leading .408 during the regular season.

He's been a contributor since the start for Whitney. As a freshman last season, Robinson batted .424 and was 2-2 on the mound.

Whitney is coached by Robert Dorchak, in his first season with the Wildcats after coaching previously at Inderkum and North Hollywood.

- Bill Paterson

George Hatamiya had a triple, double, single and drove in four runs and Chris Gnos had two hits and four RBI to lead No. 2 Davis past No. 8 Pleasant Grove 9-5 in a season-ending nonleague baseball game today in Elk Grove.

Mason Hastings had a home run for Pleasant Grove (20-7). Davis completes the season 22-4-1.

Both teams have qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs.

- Bill Paterson

Maxwell High School is a Division V baseball school of 142 students, which is small by even Northern Section standards.

But the duo of seniors Steven Perry and Tyler Wells helped the Colusa County school put together a memorable 27-0 regular season.

Among the major team and individual records set or broken, according to Kevin Askeland of Maxpreps.com:

Several league baseball races, which didn't decide league champions and playoff teams until Tuesday's and Wednesday's final rounds, produced a number of surprises.

Here are the highlights:

• Bella Vista, which appeared headed for the Capital Valley Conference championship last week, had to settle for third place after losing three of its last four, including 3-2 to Del Campo in its final regular-season game on Wednesday. Bella Vista, Del Campo and Casa Roble all finished 9-6 and league tri-champions. But Casa Roble gets the No. 1 playoff seed, Del Campo the No. 2 seed and Bella Vista the No. 3 and a Monday outbracket game against visiting Sacramento. Del Campo won its last four games, including twice against neighboring rival Bella Vista, to make the postseason.

No. 6 Rocklin scored six runs in the first two innings and went on to beat No. 14 Nevada Union 7-3 to capture the outright Sierra Foothill League baseball championship today in Rocklin.

Ty Kennedy had four hits and Austin Diemer and Anthony Salazar each drove in two runs to lead Rocklin (17-9, 10-5).

In other games today:

Austin Hagerty had three hits, Jay Staden drove in three runs and Mark Smith had a double, single and two RBI as Woodcreek (14-12, 8-7) defeated Del Oro 13-10 to claim the league's third playoff spot

Vinny Esposito had a triple and three runs batted in and Ryan Rosa a home run, two singles and two RBI to lead No. 11 Granite Bay (14-12-1, 8-7) past No. 9 Roseville 6-5.
Granite Bay had lost five consecutive league games before edging the second-place Tigers (18-9, 9-6).

But it wasn't enough for Granite Bay to land a playoff berth after tying Woodcreek for third place. Woodcreek claimed the third and final playoff spot by beating Granite Bay twice in the three meetings between the two.

- Bill Paterson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

It's a good thing there are extra playoff berths handed out this baseball season. The teams are that closely bunched together.

Today, Davis High School ace Ben Eckels struck out 16 in a 3-1 victory over host Franklin to lock up second place in the Delta Valley Conference behind Elk Grove

Blue Devils coach Dan Ariola said his standout junior "was outstanding." The veteran coach said the strikeouts are likely a 7-inning school record then cracked that he had 17 strikeouts as a Davis senior in 1981 when he fashioned a 6-1 record, all the more to keep Eckels hungry to up his personal best.

Davis will now play Oak Ridge in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff opener on May 20 at American River College. Napa, third place finisher in the Monticello Empire League, plays at Franklin in a play-in game Monday, with that winner playing Jesuit on Thursday at ARC at 4 p.m.

Elk Grove, top-ranked by The Bee, opens defense of the D-I North title against Vacaville on May 20 at ARC.

In another Thursday opener, MEL champion Armijo plays Pleasant Grove at 7 p.m.

Also today, Rocklin locked up the Sierra Foothill League with Roseville taking second and Woodcreek third. All three advance to the D-II playoffs that start Monday at Sacramento City College.

Beau Smith and Dalton Blaser each had three hits and Nick Blaser and Braxton Phillips both homered to lead No. 11 Roseville to a 13-8 win over No. 10 Granite Bay in a Sierra Foothill League baseball game today at Roseville.

The win moved Roseville (18-8, 9-5) into a tie for first place with No. 9 Rocklin (16-9, 9-5), a 5-4 loser to No. 12 Nevada Union (16-10, 7-7). Roseville also secured a playoff berth with the win.

Granite Bay (13-12-1, 7-7), which lost its fifth consecutive league game, dropped into a three-way tie for second with Nevada Union and No. 20 Woodcreek (13-12, 7-7). Woodcreek beat Del Oro 11-1 in six innings today.

Nevada Union plays at Rocklin; Granite Bay at Roseville and Woodcreek at Del Oro in league finales 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Only the top three teams advance to the playoffs.

- Bill Paterson

Sutter McLoughlin had two hits and two RBI and picked up the win with relief help from Daniel Callahan in leading Rio Americano to a 7-3 win over El Camino in a Capital Athletic League baseball game today at El Camino.

Matt Saria had two doubles and Kenny Tripp had two hits as the Raiders (14-10, 10-4), winners of their last six league games, claimed at least a co-championship after Whitney beat Antelope 1-0 today behind Cody Cesna's one-hitter.

With the win, Whitney (14-9, 9-5) moved into a tie for second with Antelope (18-7, 9-5).

Rio Americano, the defending league champions, can claim the outright title by beating El Camino in the season finale on Thursday.

- Bill Paterson

Chris Porter homered and drove in three runs and Josh Cena and Richie Osborne each had two hits as No. 12 Nevada Union defeated No. 9 Rocklin 5-4 today in a Sierra Foothill League baseball game in Grass Valley.

Ryan McCarthy, Dustin Zeisler and Eric Shinn combined to limit the first place Thunder (16-9, 9-5) to six hits. The Miners (16-9, 7-7), battling for a playoff berth, had nine hits.

The two teams will conclude the regular season Wednesday 4 p.m. at Rocklin.
- Bill Paterson

The latest SureWest Sports Show on surewestsports.com is now up, or click below.

This week's show includes baseball highlights from Granite Bay, Rocklin, Davis, Elk Grove, McClatchy and Sacramento; softball highlights from Oak Ridge, St. Francis, Casa Roble and Rosemont and soccer footage of Antelope and Whitney.

I join host Mike Finnerty in the weekly Sports Chat segment to talk about the profound impact of Cordova baseball coaching legend Guy Anderson and some area league races.

Finnerty also has spotlight interviews with Jesuit baseball coach Joe Potulny and Elk Grove baseball star J.D. Davis.

Click here for the show.

Scott Moller went four-for-four, Austin Diemer three-for-three with a triple and Chris Streeter and Trevor McVey each drove in two runs as No. 9 Rocklin beat No. 12 Nevada Union 7-3 today in a Sierra Foothill League baseball game in Rocklin.

The win, in which Rocklin had 12 hits, kept the Thunder (16-8, 9-4) atop the league with two games to play. Nevada Union fell to 15-10, 6-7 in league.

In other league games, Nick Blaser homered and drove in two runs and Dalton Blaser had a double and picked up the win as No. 11 Roseville (17-8, 8-5) moved into sole possession of second place with a 5-2 win over No. 10 Granite Bay (13-11-1, 7-6) in Roseville and Del Oro (6-16, 3-10) upended No. 20 Woodcreek 4-3 in Loomis. Woodcreek drops to 12-11 overall, 6-7 in league.

Rocklin plays at Nevada Union; Roseville at Granite Bay and Del Oro at Roseville 4 p.m. today.

Only the top three teams advance to the postseason.

- Bill Paterson

Logan James and Tanner Hetzel combined for a one-hitter and Nick Viola had a single, double, triple and drove in four runs as No. 3 Jesuit beat Ponderosa 6-2 in a Delta River League baseball game today in Shingle Springs.

The win keeps Jesuit (19-7, 12-2) atop the Delta River, one game ahead of No. 7 Oak Ridge, a 3-0 winner over No. 4 Pleasant Grove today.

Jesuit plays Ponderosa (9-16, 5-9) 4 p.m. today in Carmichael in the regular-season finale for both.

- Bill Paterson

Alec Miramontes and Reinert Toft combined to pitch No. 2 Davis to a 4-3 Delta Valley Conference baseball win over No. 5 Franklin today in Davis.

Miramonte pitched six innings, allowing four hits, striking out six and walking one. Toft had a one-two-three seventh for the save.

Ryan Plumb went three-for-three to lead Davis, which is in second place to Elk Grove (20-5, 13-1) in the DVC.

Sophomore Tyler Blake was three-for-three with a home run for Franklin.

Davis (20-4-1, 11-3) plays at Franklin (18-7-1, 10-4) 4:15 p.m. Wednesday in the DVC finale for both.

- Bill Paterson

Oak Ridge senior left hander Chris Muse-Fisher no-hit No. 4 Pleasant Grove today, leading No. 7 Oak Ridge to a 3-0 win in a key Delta River League game in Elk Grove.

Muse-Fisher struck out seven and walked three in going the compete-game seven innings.

The win secured at least a second-place finish for the Trojans, who are a game behind No. 3 Jesuit (19-7, 12-2) in the Delta River with one game remaining.

Cole Hansen had a double and Austin Ales and Zach Mahon two hits each for the Trojans.

Oak Ridge (18-8, 11-3), which started the season 5-6 but has since gone 13-2, completes the regular season today 4 p.m. at home against Pleasant Grove (19-6, 9-5).

-Bill Paterson

No. 9 Rocklin (15-8, 8-4) rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat No. 10 Granite Bay 5-4 today in Rocklin, taking over sole possession of first place in the Sierra Foothill League.

Granite Bay had taken a 4-3 lead with two runs in the top of the seventh.

Chris Streeter led Rocklin with two doubles and three RBI. Ty Kennedy went three for three and Tanner McVey picked up the win in relief of Austin Dick.

It was Rocklin's third win of the week over its rivals, sweeping the regular-season series.

Nate Esposito had a single, double and two RBI for Granite Bay.

Rocklin closes out the season with a three-game series Monday through Wednesday against No. 12 Nevada Union (15-8, 6-5).

Granite Bay (13-10-1, 7-5) plays three games against No. 11 Roseville (16-8, 7-5).

- Bill Paterson

No. 2 Davis showed its resilience at home this afternoon, bouncing back from Wednesday's 4-0 one-hit loss to top-ranked Elk Grove by beating the Thundering Herd 12-3 in a Delta Valley Conference baseball game.

Galen Hoshovsky had a single, home run and five runs batted; Bobby Young a home run and single; Ben Eckels went three-for-three with two doubles; and Ryan Plumb had two hits and two RBI.

Dom Nunez was four-for-four with a home run and two RBI for Elk Grove.

Jack Shelledy, Reinert Toft and Hatamiya combined to pitch the win for the Blue Devils.

Elk Grove (20-4, 12-1) will play Amador Valley of Pleasanton 1 p.m. Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum as part of the Dave Stewart benefit for Inner City Kids of Oakland.

Davis (19-4-1, 10-3) will play host to No. 5 Franklin (18-6-1, 10-3) on Monday, then play at Franklin on Wednesday.

- Bill Paterson

No. 7 Oak Ridge climbed back to within a game of No. 3 Jesuit with two Delta River League baseball games to play by beating the Marauders 11-1 in five innings today in El Dorado Hills.

Alec Ales scattered five hits to earn the win while catcher Cody Morris had a double, single and four runs batted in and Jason Ross a double, triple and three RBI for the Trojans.

Oak Ridge (17-8, 10-3) will play No. 4 Pleasant Grove (19-5, 9-4) in a home and away series Monday and Tuesday. Jesuit (17-7, 11-2) will play Ponderosa (9-15, 5-8) on Monday and Tuesday.

- Bill Paterson

Former McClatchy High baseball star Vance Worley is making an impact with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Worley, a 23 year-old right-hander, pitched six innings, allowed four hits and one run and picked up the win in a 7-4 victory over the Washington Nationals in Philadelphia Wednesday night.

He also had a fifth-inning single that contributed to a three-run fifth inning to break the game open.

Worley has taken Joe Blanton's spot on the roster after Blanton was put on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow injury.

In his two starts, both wins, Worley has allowed one run in 12 innings while walking four and striking out 12.

He's already drawing a following.

Some Phillies fans have started calling themselves "Worley's Warriors."

It isn't Worley's first stint with the Phillies, viewed as having the best starting pitching staff in baseball.

Worley went 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA in five games last year.

However, Worley isn't expected to stay with the Phillies long. Blanton was scheduled to throw off the mound today and if he's ready, the speculation is that Worley will return to Triple-A for more seasoning.

As a senior at McClatchy in 2005, Worley batted .388 and was 4-3 with a 1.71 earned run average in landing Bee All-Metro first-team honors.
- Bill Paterson

Nick Mar tripled, drove in two runs and picked up the win in McClatchy's 6-2 victory over Sacramento today, giving the Lions the Metro Conference baseball title.

Mar pitched six innings before giving way to hard throwing Max Cordy, who threw a flawless seventh for the Lions (20-4, 13-1) and coach Mike de Necochea.

Hunter Caroloan had two hits and Jake Luigi and Alex Jang each doubled for the Lions. Nick Miller had two hits, including a triple, for Sacramento (17-7, 11-3).

McClatchy last won the Metro in 2008 before Rosemont won in 2009 and 2010.

- Bill Paterson

The SureWest Sports Show has a Bee big-picture flavor to help aid to the superb regional prep coverage online and on the radio.

Host Mike Finnerty has on this week's SureWest program on surewestsports.com game highlights of the following:

* Jesuit @ Pleasant Grove (baseball)
* Ponderosa @ Oak Ridge (baseball)
* Vista Del Lago @ Cosumnes Oaks (softball)
* Lincoln v. Clovis (softball)
* Bear River v. Merced (softball)
* Davis @ Elk Grove (girls soccer)
* Sports Chat with Joe Davidson (Sacramento Bee)
* Spotlight Interviews:* Joe Potulny - Jesuit baseball coach
* Lynda Bettencourt - Cosumnes Oaks softball coach

On the SureWest Sports Radio Show that airs each Saturday from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320, Finnerty and I will talk all things preps with live interviews with legendary Cordova baseball coach Guy Anderson, Pleasant Grove basbeall coach Rob Rinaldi and St. Francis softball coach Al LoGiudice.

Click here for a complete run down of the SureWest Sports menu...

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/357994/c331ca7374/1471000028//

Austin Diemer and Chris Streeter each had three hits and drove in three runs to lead visiting No. 9 Rocklin to a 15-5, five-inning win over No. 10 Granite Bay today.

The victory moves Rocklin (14-8, 7-4) into a tie for first place with the Grizzlies (13-9-1, 7-4) in the Sierra Foothill League.

Rocklin scored five runs in the first and nine in the fourth.

Brian Hosang picked up the win after relieving Taylor Shores in the second inning.

Nate Esposito had two hits and drove in three runs for Granite Bay.

The two teams will play again 4 p.m. on Friday at Rocklin.

-Bill Paterson

By Joe Davidson

jdavidson@sacbee.com

Off the diamond, they're about the nicest collection of leaders you will find in high school sports in this region - all manners, handshakes and lively conversation.

In competition, different story. This is one gritty bunch, and the Elk Grove Thundering Herd will collectively batter you into mush if it rewards them a milestone achievement.

Facing surging No. 2 Davis this afternoon, top-ranked Elk Grove fashioned a 4-0 home victory in a Delta Valley Conference showdown of area aces. Now there's talk of making more room on the outfield fence for yet another banner with bigger prizes yet to chase down in the coming weeks.

With J.D. Davis sparkling with a complete-game one-hitter and striking out 11 - including the side in the last inning to move to 5-1 on the season - the Thundering Herd clinched the DVC crown and a No. 1 seed of for the postseason. It is Elk Grove's eighth league championship in the past 10 seasons under coach Jeff Carlson, whose program now seeks its seventh Sac-Joaquin Section North title in the same span.

A national recruit and hot draft prospect, Davis fired fastballs and was aided by superb defense and a fast opening inning against Davis ace Ben Eckels. Dom Nunez led off with a double and Jorge Vina scored him with a double. Davis drove Vina in with a single for a 2-0 lead. Ryan Tellez, the Herd's imposing No. 4 hitter, had a run-scoring single in the fifth for a 3-0 lead.

Davis, a senior, produced his best pitching outing of the season, and with this guy, every outing is a show, be it at the plate or on the mound.

"We got beat by a man today," Davis coach Dan Ariola said. "He dominated us, and he's got a great defense."

The top of the Herd order frightens foes with Nunez, Vina, Davis and Tellez, and it's the rest of the lineup that understands it needs to keep pace to keep the momentum going. Elk Grove has won 17 of 18 with contributions abound, including outfielders Matt Aday, Andrew Horne and Jerimiah McNeal, second baseman Trevor Hicks, designated hitter Chris Bannister and catcher Cameron Childs, who threw a runner out at second base. J.D. Davis also picked off a runner. And to a man, Herd players look to Davis to lead the charge.

"I felt great today," Davis said. "I was ready to go."

Said Carlson, "He's such a great kid, a nice kid, and he's a competitor, and you could see how much he wanted it today. He just got after it."

As for the defense of Nunez at third and Vina at short, Carlson said, "They're phenomenal, and they work so hard. They love to play the game. They all do."

Eckels struck out eight, facing players such as Tellez, Davis, Nunez and Vina whom he had teamed with in a traveling fall-ball team.

"They're good hitters, good guys," Eckels said. "And J.D. always has a great game."

Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

In our high school baseball notebook item today on Bella Vista, we neglected to mention another former Broncos pitcher performing well in college.

Justin Haley, a sophomore, is a key contributor to the Fresno State Bulldogs pitching staff.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.91 earned run average in seven appearances for Fresno State. He has made four starts.

The long ball wasn't enough for No. 10 Oak Ridge this afternoon in its wild Delta River League baseball meeting with No. 5 Jesuit in Carmichael.

Despite a grand slam by Cole Hansen and a home run, triple and three RBIs by Austin Ales, the Trojans fell 9-8 to the Marauders.

Oak Ridge scored six times in the top of the sixth to take a 8-2 lead as it appeared the Trojans might join Jesuit atop the league standings. Then Jesuit scored seven times in the bottom half of the inning.

Jesuit (17-6, 11-1) now moves two games ahead of the Trojans (16-8, 9-3) heading into their meeting 4 p.m. Thursday in El Dorado Hills.

Jesuit had 11 hits, including two each by Brian Celsi, Zach Green (including a double) and Logan James.

- Bill Paterson

Coach Rusty McDonald of No. 15 El Dorado has removed four key starters, all seniors, for their involvement in a prank while at a baseball tournament in Atascadero during spring break.

"There were no drugs or alcohol involved," McDonald said today. "They're kids. They didn't do anything malicious. But the bottom line is that they violated team rules. They knew the rules. Their parents knew the rules."

El Dorado (17-5, 11-3) had a comfortable Sierra Valley Conference lead before the players' removal but has since lost twice to No. 20 Galt and still faces tough league games against River City, Vista del Lago and Union Mine.

The Cougars' chances of reaching the D-IV section championship for a third straight year also are in jeopardy.

"I hate what I had to do, but I don't hate what I did," McDonald said. "Obviously it's a huge blow to our team."

-Bill Paterson

Elk Grove (19-3), The Bee's top-ranked baseball team, has climbed into the ESPN Rise Powerade Fab 50 national rankings this week at No. 29.

The Thundering Herd also moved up to No. 4 in the state in Cal-Hi Sports' state top 20. Elk Grove was No. 11 last week.

Elk Grove has two big Delta Valley Conference games this week with No. 3 Davis. The Thundering Herd plays host to the Blue Devils at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, then play at Davis 4:15 p.m. on Friday.

- Bill Paterson

David Dellaserra pitched a three-hitter and also drove in three runs and had three hits in leading No. 11 Bella Vista to a 10-0, five-inning Capital Valley Conference baseball win today over No. 13 Casa Roble in Orangevale, breaking a deadlock for first place between the two.

Tom Lininger also homered, doubled and drove in five runs for Bella Vista (18-5, 8-3), which won its 11th consecutive game and sixth straight in league.

Casa Roble, which also loss 4-1 to Bella Vista on Friday, drops to 15-8 overall, 7-4 in league.

-Bill Paterson

Tanner and Trevor McVey helped No. 9 Rocklin to beat No. 7 Granite Bay 10-1 today and move to within one game of the first-place Grizzlies in the always competitive Sierra Foothill League baseball race.

Tanner, a junior, scattered 10 hits. Trevor, a senior, had a double and two runs batted in.
Chris Streeter also had a double and single and drove in three runs while Scott Moller, Austin Diemer and Michael Blattel had two hits each for the Thunder (13-8, 6-4).

Vinny Esposito, Jimmy Jack and Brett Bautista had two hits apiece for visiting Granite Bay (13-8-1, 7-3).

The two teams play again 4 p.m. Wednesday at Granite Bay.

No. 8 Roseville (15-7, 6-4) also moved to within a game of Granite Bay today.

The Tigers defeated Del Oro 11-1 in five innings.

Zach Anderson homered, doubled and drove in five runs. Nick Blaser also homered and doubled and had four RBI. Dalton Blaser picked up the win, scattering four hits.

- Bill Paterson

Kyle Porter, Oak Ridge

Porter made a name for himself last spring as a senior pitcher for the Trojans. He's doing the same thing as a freshman at Cal.

In 16 appearances for the Bears, the left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA. He's pitched 27 2/3 innings, allowed six earned runs, struck out 33 and walked nine.

"We had high expectations for Kyle," Cal pitching coach Dan Hubbs said. "We felt he could make an impact coming in.

"He had a fastball, curve and slider mainly. The changeup was not his pitch, but now his changeup is a weapon. It's pretty much a wipeout pitch."

According to Hubbs, Porter "took the team by storm" during the Bears' fall season, and continues to impress.

"Kyle attacks the strike zone and is fearless on the mound," Hubbs said.

Cal is 23-9, and 9-3 in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Last season, Porter was a first-team All-Metro selection and helped Oak Ridge (27-4) win the Sierra Valley Conference. Porter was 10-1 with an 0.74 ERA and an area-best 127 strikeouts. Porter batted .347 with a team-best 33 RBIs. He was All-Metro honorable mention as a junior when he batted .361 and was 7-2 with a 2.10 ERA.

Max Stassi, Yuba City

Through 15 games with the Stockton Ports of the California League, an advanced Class-A league, Stassi is batting .217 with one home run and eight RBIs. He's batting .324 on the road, but just .077 at home.

Last season for Kane County of the Class-A Midwest League, the catcher batted .229 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. Stassi was drafted by the A's in the fourth round (123rd overall) in 2009.

During his four varsity seasons at Yuba City, Stassi batted .514, hit 40 home runs and had 162 RBIs.

Stassi is the only area player to make The Bee's All-Metro baseball first team four years, including Player of the Year honors in 2008 and 2009.

Tim Wheeler, El Camino

Picked in the first round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2009 draft (32nd overall), he seems to have found his groove in his first season in Double A. Through 16 games, the outfielder is hitting .302 with five home runs and 17 RBIs for the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League. He hit .249 with 12 homers and 63 RBIs last season for Modesto (California League).

As a senior at El Camino in 2006, Wheeler hit a team-best .535 and was a first-team All-Metro selection.

- Jeff Caraska, Bee Sports staff

Grant's Shaq Thompson will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7 in San Antonio's Alamodome, it was announced today.

The game is billed as the premier high school football all-star event in the country.
It has been a launching pad for college and NFL stars such as Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. The game has produced almost 1,000 NCAA athlete alumni, and more than 180 alumni currently play in the NFL.

The multidimensional Thompson, who will play defensive back in the game, is one of six five-star rated players by Rivals.com that have confirmed their participation, according to the event's media spokesman.

The others are wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Olney, Md.; defensive end Darius Hamilton, Don Bosco Prep Ramsey, N.J.; offensive lineman D.J. Humphries, Mollard Creek HS, Charlotte, N.C.; defensive end Noah Spence, Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pa.; and offensive lineman John Theus, The Bolles School, Jacksonville, Fla.

-Bill Paterson

Maxwell High School's Steven Perry failed in his bid to pitch a state record-setting fifth consecutive no-hitter last week - but not by much.

Perry surrendered a two-out, second-inning base hit to Sutter's Mat Sanders, the only hit he allowed in Maxwell's five-inning, 10-0 win in the Shasta Lake Bass Tournament in Redding.

The Maxwell senior tied Winters' Byron Randolph (1963) and East Nicolaus' John Kukuruda (2010) for most consecutive no hitters with four, according to Cal-Hi Sports.

On Friday, however, Perry was at it again. He and teammate Tyler Wells combined to no-hit Truckee 6-0 in the championship game. Perry pitched four innings and struck out eight; Wells three innings and struck out five.

Perry hasn't allowed a run and just three hits in 40 innings for the Colusa County school of 136 students. He is 8-0 with 88 strike outs and just five walks on the season.

Wells, meanwhile, is 33-1 during his four-year varsity career.

The Northern Section school entered the week with a 37-game winning streak.

The Panthers (21-0), 104-10 over the last four years under coach Eric Lay, will play host to Lindhurst 7 p.m. Tuesday night in a nonleague game.

-Bill Paterson

No. 20 Nevada Union (12-6) scored in the bottom of the eighth to defeat Escondido 6-5 in the 4A Division championship of the 61st Annual Lions Baseball Tournament today in San Diego.

Chris Porter homered and singled in the title game and also doubled twice in the Miners' 11-6 win over San Diego in today's morning semifinals.

• Cathedral Catholic of San Diego rallied for single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to defeat top-ranked Elk Grove 7-5 in the Classic Division semifinals today at the Lions Tournament.

Elk Grove (14-3) had opened the tournament with wins over Rancho Buena Vista of Vista, El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and Granite Hills of El Cajon.

- Bill Paterson

Tournament Most Valuable Player Myles Brewer hit a two-run homer and three runs scored on a pinch-hit single by Michael Abramson - all in the sixth inning - as Menlo-Atherton defeated Cordova 6-2 today in the championship game of the 41st annual Cordova Easter Baseball Tournament, the area's oldest.

Lucas David and Ryan Braithwaite had RBI singles for the Lancers and tournament Most Valuable Pitcher Nathan Jacobson, a sophomore, threw two scoreless innings before giving way to Jonathon MacMonagle, who pitched the final five innings and took the loss for the Lancers (10-9).

Kyle Zirbes and Brewer combined for a five-hitter for Menlo-Atherton (14-7), which won its second Cordova title in four seasons.

David, shortstop Eli Williams and second baseman Jamari Campbell made the all-tournament team for Cordova.

- Bill Paterson

Cordova will play Menlo-Atherton at 4 p.m. today at Hagan Park in Rancho Cordova for the championship of the 41st annual Cordova baseball tournament, the area's oldest.

Cordova (8-8) advanced to the final by scoring six times in the bottom of the sixth on Wednesday to beat Folsom 7-5.

The Lancers will try to win their 14th Cordova tourney championship and first since 2007.

Menlo-Atherton (13-7) is trying to win the tournament championship for the second time in four years.

- Bill Paterson

Still numbed by the death on Sunday of popular pitching coach and former star Scott Heinig, the Davis High School baseball team responded impressively at the three-day Fresno Baseball Classic
.
Heinig died after falling and hitting his head at a post-Picnic Day house party in Davis.

With Heinig's initials stitched in their caps and his No. 20 jersey hanging in the dugout, the No. 5 Blue Devils went 3-0-1; played 24 innings in less than 24 hours; and capped things off by upending Fresno 9-1 on Wednesday behind junior pitcher Ben Eckels' two-hit, one-walk, 14-strikeout performance.

Fresno (18-4) is ranked No. 9 by The Fresno Bee.

Chris Gnos led the way offensively with a double, single and three runs batted in. For the tournament, he had eight hits and drove in nine runs.

Davis' monumental win came shortly after the Blue Devils played Garces of Bakersfield to a 6-6, nine-inning tie late Tuesday afternoon. George Hatamiya sent the game into extra innings with a bottom-of-the seventh RBI triple after Garces had scored five in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead.

The Garces game started immediately after Davis had beaten Independence of Bakersfield 6-3 in eight innings. Hatamiya sacrificed home a run and Gnos and Eckles had RBI hits in the decisive eighth. Chase Hunt-Murray and Reinert Tofft combined to strike out 10 and allow five hits.

Davis opened the tournament on Monday with a 5-0 win over Bakersfield's North as Alex Miramontes tossed a two-hitter and Gnos tripled, doubled and drove in three runs.

Before leaving for Fresno, the players and coaches held a memorial for Heinig on the mound Sunday.

-Bill Paterson

So is forfeiting the rest of the season too severe a punishment for the players on the Burroughs High of Southern California baseball team?

Check out this story from Gerry Gittleson of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Amid allegations an assistant coach supplied beer to the majority of the baseball team during a spring break tournament in Arizona, Burroughs High School announced Tuesday the cancellation of the rest of the season and firing of head coach J.R. Schwer and his three assistants.

Burroughs will forfeit the rest of its games, principal Emilio Urioste said.

Urioste said he learned of the allegations Friday, and by Monday he had interviewed three coaches and 18 players - 11 of whom admitted to drinking the beer - plus the remaining seven, who all said they knew about it.

"It's very disappointing because I'm in love with this school, and I've put almost 20 years of my life into this place," Urioste said.

"I'm disappointed in the decisions made, primarily at the adult level, and that's what's most disappointing. I feel badly for them - the coaches and the kids."

The incident allegedly happened in mid-March when the team stayed in hotel rooms for a tournament in Tucson.

Schwer was in his second season as head coach after serving eight years as an assistant. The team went 12-15 last year and made the playoffs.

An official school statement said the coaches have been fired, the 11 students who admitted to drinking were suspended for five days and the other seven were suspended for two days. Also, a report was filed with the Burbank Police Department in cooperation with Arizona law enforcement for contributing to the delinquency of minors.

Burroughs, which has a 6-8 overall record and 3-2 mark in Pacific League play, was scheduled to play Glendale on Monday.

Neither Schwer nor any of the players were available for comment.

Bob Hart, head coach at neighborhood rival Burbank, said it was "a sad situation."

"Personally, I'm not very happy about it," Hart said. "I hate to see something like this happen to any team. The Burroughs game is a game we look forward to and the kids look forward to, so this is not something we wanted to see happen. It's a bad situation all the way around."

The Burroughs JV and freshmen teams will continue to play, Urioste said. When the varsity players return from their suspensions, they will continue sixth-period baseball practice, with athletic director and former head coach Jose Valle taking over as interim coach, Urioste said.

"We're in the process of moving forward and doing the right thing for the future of the program," Urioste said.

No. 13 Bella Vista will play Rosemont 2 p.m. Wednesday at Rosemont High School's upper field for the championship of the 16-team Gina Montes Surewest-Woodcreek Invitational baseball tournament.

Bella Vista defeated No. 18 Ponderosa 4-3 and Rosemont topped No. 16 Casa Roble 10-0 in five innings in today's semifinals. Anthony Enriquez pitched a one-hitter for Rosemont.

Casa Roble and Ponderosa will meet in Wednesday's 11 a.m. runner-up game at Rosemont.

Other final round games:

• Roseville vs. Union Mine at 11 a.m. and Vista del Lago against Yuba City at 2 p.m. at Rosemont's lower field.

• Woodcreek vs. El Camino at 11 a.m. and Oakmont vs. Woodland at 2 p.m. at Oakmont High School.

• Oak Ridge vs. Pioneer, 11 a.m. at Oak Ridge High School.

- Bill Paterson

Christian Brothers will face No. 19 Galt 1 p.m. Wednesday for the championship of the 34th annual Land Park baseball tournament at Doc Oliver Field.

McClatchy will face Laguna Creek in the 10 a.m. third place game.

CBS advanced to the finals with an 11-8 win over McClatchy this morning, followed by a 12-0, five-inning afternoon win over West Campus in which the Falcons' Jim McNamara allowed only one hit.

Galt advanced to the finals with a 16-9 win over Laguna Creek this morning, then a 15-7 triumph over San Juan late this afternoon.

-Bill Paterson

Bella Vista, Ponderosa, Casa Roble and Rosemont have advanced to the championship rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday of the 16-team Gina Montes Surewest Woodcreek Invitational baseball tournament.

Bella Vista, Ponderosa and Rosemont won bracket No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, with 3-0 records. Casa Roble won bracket No. 3 with a 2-1 record and a plus-12 run differential, according to tournament director Kelly Mayo.

Tuesday's schedule:
At Bella Vista High School: 11 a.m. - Valley Christian vs. Yuba City; 2 p.m. - Bella Vista vs. Ponderosa.
At Woodcreek High School: 11 a.m. - Vista del Lago vs. Roseville; 2 p.m. - Woodcreek vs.Pioneer.
At Oak Ridge High School: 11 a.m. - Oak Ridge vs. Oakmont; 2 p.m. - Inderkum vs. Union Mine.
At Rosemont High School: 11 a.m. - Woodland vs. El Camino; 2 p.m. - Rosemont vs. Casa Roble.

Ben Brooks and David Dellaserra combined for a no-hitter to lead No. 17 Bella Vista to a 3-0 Capital Valley Conference win over Christian Brothers on Thursday in Fair Oaks.

Brooks pitched the first five innings. He struck out eight and walked three. Dellaserra pitched the final two innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Tom Lininger had a home run and double and Matt Piombo went two for two with a run batted in for the Broncos (9-5, 4-3), who are a half game behind first place Casa Roble and Del Campo in the league standings entering today's action.

-Bill Paterson

Four of The Bee's top six high school baseball teams will play spring-break tournaments out of the area starting on Monday.

No. 1 Elk Grove returns to the San Diego Lions Tournament and No. 2 Pleasant Grove, No. 3 Franklin and No. 6 Davis are in the Fresno Easter Classic.

Pleasant Grove is ranked No. 10 and Elk Grove No. 19 in this week's Cal-Hi Sports state top 20.

-Bill Paterson

Former Yuba City High School standout Max Stassi is off to a strong start for the Stockton Ports, the Oakland A's Class A team.

The Ports' catcher went 3 for 3 with two runs in leading Stockton to a 9-3 win over visiting Visalia Tuesday night.

Stassi also walked twice and was involved in four of Stockton's five scoring rallies, including an RBI double in the second inning that helped give Stockton (3-3) a 5-2 lead.

Stassi is hitting .368.

- Bill Paterson

No. 15 Oak Ridge, a team that has struggled in recent weeks, got a huge boost today as Austin Ales tossed a two-hitter in the Trojans' 6-0 Delta River League baseball win over top-ranked Pleasant Grove in El Dorado Hills.

It was Pleasant Grove's first loss of the season in 12 games. The defeat dropped the Eagles into a league tie for first with No. 7 Jesuit, a 7-5 winner today over Ponderosa. Both are 4-1.

Ales had a no-hitter until the last inning. He struck out six, hit one batter and allowed no walks.

Baseball fans may find this item of interest from the Associated Press:

Richardson Lake Highlands of Texas only needed 13 runs to rout Dallas Samuell this time.

In a rematch of the most lopsided prep baseball game in Texas history, Lake Highlands defeated Samuell 13-0 on Friday night, according to The Dallas Morning News.

A month ago, the final score was either 53-0, according to the scoreboard, or 57-0, by the winning coach's tally. Either way, the outcome renewed discussions of sportsmanship in high school athletics.

On Friday, Lake Highlands coach Jay Higgins played substitutes early in the game and used all his players. He also brought up two players from the junior varsity.

Elk Grove High School baseball coach Jeff Carlson isn't sure if he can take much more.

Fresh off a dramatic come-from-behind 8-7 walk-off win against Delta Valley Conference rival and No. 4 Franklin on Monday, the No. 3 Thundering Herd did one better today at Davis in another heavyweight league bout.

Elk Grove (7-2, 4-0) scored 10 times in the top of the seventh off four different pitchers to rally for an 11-8 win over the No. 5 Blue Devils (9-2, 3-1).

"I was proud of my guys because it all happened with two outs," Carlson said. "But I also told them I might not be around much longer if they keep doing this."

He called it the biggest comeback he's witnessed in his 11 years as head coach and four others as an assistant at Elk Grove.

"We've never done something like that in that situation, against a team that's so strong and being apparently down and out so early," Carlson said.

Davis scored five runs in the first, one in the second and two in the fourth to lead 8-0.

-Bill Paterson

Junior pitcher Jashawn Collier struck out 14 and pitched a no-hitter Thursday in leading Brubank to a 4-1 win over Valley in a Metro Conference baseball game at Burbank.

The win enabled Burbank (4-2) to keep pace with Rosemont (6-1), McClatchy (6-1) and Sacramento (5-1) in a competitive Metro race.

Rosemont handed Sacramento its first Metro loss 10-7 on Thursday.

Bill Paterson

There were plenty of fireworks today as a number of area ranked softball and baseball teams clashed in league and nonleague play.

Among the baseball highlights:

• With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the seventh and all runners sprinting on the pitch, J.D. Davis hit a towering pop fly to short left field that dropped between two fielders and the top-ranked Elk Grove Thundering Herd rallied to stun the No. 4 Franklin Wildcats 8-7 in a Delta Valley Conference game Monday. Jon Zunich and Tyler Blake each had three hits for Franklin. Davis had three doubles for Elk Grove.

• The unranked Del Oro Golden Eagles rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to stun the No. 6 Rocklin Thunder in a Sierra Foothill League game. Tommy Mullen went two for two with a double and two RBI for Del Oro. Chris Streeter went two for two with a home run and two RBI for Rocklin.

The third annual Albie Swingin' For Life, a benefit for the Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation, will feature six of Northern California's top high school baseball teams on April 9 at Sacramento City College.

Five of the six teams are currently ranked by The Bee. The sixth team, Dublin High School from the East Bay, is currently ranked No. 5 in the Division II North Coast Section by MaxPreps Sports.

Dublin will play No. 4 Franklin of Elk Grove at noon; No. 1 Elk Grove will face off with No. 5 Oak Ridge at 3 p.m.; No. 2 Jesuit will take on No. 18 Christian Brothers at 6 p.m.

"This event was created to showcase some of the best high school baseball in the greater Sacramento area, while raising money for a great cause that affects so many women each year," said Chris Fahey, Jesuit's director of athletics, in a press release. "All players, coaches and umpires will wear pink items during the game, the bases will be painted pink, and breast cancer survivors will throw-out ceremonial first pitches before each game."

Tickets will be sold at the gate and are $8 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. Children under 5 and breast cancer survivors wearing pink are free.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation which was created in memory of Albie Carson who succumbed to breast cancer on July 4, 2002.

Albie was a 50-year resident of Sacramento where she attended school, raised a family, and made a career in the real estate community.

Last year's event raised over $10,000.

- Bill Paterson

Trevor McVey went two for three with a double and three runs batted in as No. 6 Rocklin defeated top-ranked Elk Grove 7-3 today in Rocklin in a nonleague baseball game.

Steve Moreno Jr. went two for three with a double and an RBI; Taylor Shores drove in two runs and Austin Diemer stole three bases to lead the Thunder (5-2), the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions.

Tanner McVey, Trevor's younger brother, picked up the win in relief and was one of four Rocklin pitchers to scatter five hits. J.D. Davis led Elk Grove (3-2) with two hits in four at-bats.

- Bill Paterson

Elk Grove, which has climbed to No. 11 in Maxpreps.com's national top 25 baseball rankings, opened its two-game tour of San Jose today with a 6-3 win against Bellarmine.

Ryan King, Jesse Anguiano and Ryan Tellez combined for a two-hitter. Tellez went three-for-three with a double and three runs batted in.

The Thundering Herd (2-0) is scheduled to play 1:30 p.m. Saturday against Mitty (4-1-1), which beat Jesuit 12-5 today in San Jose.

The Monarchs started the season as the top team in the Maxpreps.com Xcellent 25, but a 0-0 tie with Salinas and a 3-0 loss to Wilcox of Santa Clara dropped the Monarchs this week to No. 24.

- Bill Paterson

Pitchers are dominating in early season high school baseball.

On Wednesday, McClatchy's Max Cordy no-hit Rio Americano 7-0 and Oak Ridge's Austin Ales and Chris Muse-Fisher combined for a 10-inning no-hitter in a 1-0 win against Del Campo.

Cordy struck out 10, walked three and hit a batter in helping the Lions up their nonleague record to 4-0.

On Tuesday, Franklin's Jordan Johnson pitched seven no-hit innings against Granite Bay in a game that ended 0-0 in 11 innings.

- Bill Paterson

Jesuit and Elk Grove will travel to the Bay Area this weekend to play the nation's top-ranked baseball team, Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

The Monarchs are the ESPN Powerade Fab 50's preseason No. 1 after coming off a 31-3 2010. Elk Grove, 29-6 last season, is ranked No. 34 in the same poll.

Jesuit will play at Mitty on Friday.

Elk Grove, which will play at Mitty on Saturday, opened the season at home last Saturday by beating Valley Christian of San Jose 4-1.

Senior pitcher J.D. Davis, Cal-Hi Sports State Junior Player of the Year, struck out eight and allowed two hits in five innings. Sophomore Ray Tellez earned the save with two innings of relief.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Davis, headed to Fullerton State on a baseball scholarship, also homered. The 6-4, 215-pound Tellez doubled and singled.

Jesuit will play at Mitty on Friday.

- Bill Paterson

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Franklin High School's Jordan Johnson pitched a no-hitter Tuesday against Granite Bay.

But the 6-foot-3 senior and the Wildcats wound up with no decision because the game was called after 11 innings tied 0-0.

Johnson pitched seven innings, striking out 12 and walking three. Josh Pigg pitched the next four, allowing one hit.

Three Granite Bay pitchers combined to scatter five hits.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

The Sacramento River Cats are again sponsoring their high school baseball series at Raley Field.

The series opened on Saturday with McClatchy defeating Nevada Union 3-0 as the Lions' Dennis Fennessey and Max Cordy combined for a two-hitter.

Upcoming games: March 14 - Rodriguez vs. Foothill; March 16 - Casa Roble vs. Benicia; March 18 - Davis vs. Jesuit; March 19 - Center vs. Rio Linda; March 23 - Bella Vista vs. Rio Americano; March 25 - East Nicolaus vs. Portola; March 26 - Red Bluff vs. Cosumnes Oaks; March 28 - Lincoln vs. Oakmont; April 15 - Antelope vs. Granite Bay; April 16 - Sacramento vs. Rosemont; April 30 - Bear River vs. Sutter.

Games start with junior varsity at 3 p.m., followed by the varsity teams at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is free; parking $8.

By Bill Paterson

bpaterson@sacbee.com

Ten students at Jesuit High School will sign NCAA letters of intent during a ceremony at 8 a.m. Wednesday involving families and students at the school.

Athletic director Chris Fahey said today that athletes who will sign are:

• Steve Boals: Duke (track and field)

• Matt Davidson: Holy Cross (baseball)

• Alex Dow: Seattle University (golf)

• Suresh Eswaran: Vanderbilt (tennis)

• Rhys Hoskins: Sacramento State (baseball)

• Cameron Iwasa: UC Irvine (soccer)

• Cameron Law: UC Davis (baseball)

• Pat MacArt: St. Louis University (swimming)

• Andrew Mills: Princeton (soccer)

• Matt Wiesenfarth: UC Davis (soccer)

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Bret Lachemann has stepped down as Del Oro baseball coach to become the pitching coaching at Cal Poly Pomona, his alma mater.

At Del Oro, Lacehmann led the Golden Eagles to a 57-55-1 record over four seasons. His 2008 team lost 3-2 to Ponderosa in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game. Last year's team finished 12-12-1.

Lachemann, taught physical education and health at Del Oro, was star pitcher at Pomona before going on to play professionally in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim system.

He's the son of former Angels manager Marcel Lachemann and the nephew of ex-major league player and manager Rene Lachemann.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Nine area players are listed among NorCalPreps.com's Class of 2011 Top 40 Northern California baseball player rankings.

Pitcher-third baseman J.D. Davis, a Fullerton State commit is the top local at No. 6.

Others to be listed are:

No. 21, Nate Esposito, Granite Bay, catcher (Oregon State).
No. 22, Max Cordy, McClatchy, outfielder-pitcher.
No. 25, Kyle Castro, Pleasant Grove, pitcher-infielder.
No. 27, Austin Diemer, Rocklin, outfielder (Fullerton State).
No. 29, Brady Dragmire, Bradshaw Christian, pitcher (Nevada).
No. 31, Blake Grant-Parks, Yuba City, catcher.
No. 36, Rhys Hoskins, Jesuit, first baseman (Sacramento State).
No. 37, Hunter Gallant, Ponderosa, infielder.

For the complete list, go to http://norcalpreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1156436

Editor's Note: Parents or coaches that have an athlete who will sign an NCAA letter of intent this week, please e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com with the details by 1 p.m. Wednesday.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

High school athletes from basketball to equestrian will sign NCAA letters of intent starting Wednesday.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Bradshaw Christian High School all-around athlete Brady Dragmire is taking an official NCAA baseball trip to the University of Miami this weekend.

Dragmire, the Pride's three-sport star, already has taken baseball recruiting trips to Nevada and Long Beach State.

The senior right-hander helped lead the Pride to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-VII baseball championship last spring, winning the championship game 4-2 over Valley Christian of Roseville.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Dragmire, who throws in the low 90s, went 8-2 with a 0.71 earned run average and 116 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also batted .588.

Dragmire, a running back-defensive back, also helped the Pride win the D-VII section football championship last year. He scored 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,796 yards.

Dragmire was a key contributor to the boys basketball team that reached the D-V section semifinals. He averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 steals per game.

This football season he has rushed for 1,058 yards and 18 touchdowns for a Bradshaw Christian team that is 5-1.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Jesuit High School junior Zach Green has made the USA National 16 and Under baseball team that leaves Texas Thursday to play in the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan-Am championships in Lagos De Moreno, Mexico.

The tournament starts Friday, with the gold medal game set for Oct. 17. The USA will play teams from Central and South America.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Green, a Rocklin resident, made the 20-man team as an infielder-outfielder. He batted .367 and drove in 29 runs as a sophomore starter for Jesuit last season.

He is one of four California players and the only Northern Californian selected after a week of trials and training at College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas.

The USA squad hopes to bring home a fifth championship in as many years in the 16U division.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Elk Grove High School sophomore second baseman Dom Nunez has verbally committed to UCLA, the College World Series runners-up.

Nunez started for the Thundering Herd varsity as a freshman last spring. He batted .392 with seven doubles, a home run and 19 RBI.

"Dom will continue to play second base, along with his future position of shortstop, and also will see time behind the plate at catcher as well," said Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson in an e-mail.

It's rare for a sophomore to be offered so early. The only other player who comes to mind is former Yuba City star Max Stassi, who verbally committed to UCLA before his sophomore year. Stassi wound up signing with the Oakland A's.

Nunez is the second Elk Grove player to verbally commit.

Cal-Hi Sports' State Junior Player of the Year J.D. Davis committed to Cal State Fullerton this summer after receiving multiple D-I offers, according to Carlson.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Max Stassi was no doubt happy to see Mom and Dad during their recent visit to Geneva, Ill., to watch the former Yuba City High star play for the Kane County Cougars, an Oakland A's Class A team.

Jim and Racquelle Stassi happen to catch Max in the middle of a hot streak.

At one point, he had hit safely in nine of 10 games and driven in nine runs.

Max Stassi, just a year out of high school after being taken in the fourth round by the A's last June, struggled for a few weeks at Kane County.

"His confidence three or four weeks ago was in the tank," said Jim Stassi, who stepped down as Yuba City's coach last month after leading the Honkers to a fourth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship. "One of the big keys for him is that he has never failed at this game. So it took coming to grips with that part, that pro baseball is about ups and downs.

"It's how you handle it that is the key. He's bouncing back. He's getting back on track."

Stassi, who is hitting .251 with eight home runs, recently was selected to the Midwest League All-Star Western Division team. The All-Star game will be played Tuesday in Fort Wayne, Ind.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Team Sacramento defeated the East Bay All-Stars 8-4 in 10 innings in the championship of the Rawlings NorCal World Series on Monday in Stockton.

Kyle Castro of Pleasant Grove was selected the pitcher of the tournament and Tyler Evanoff of Ponderosa was the offensive player of the tournament. Nick Blaser (Roseville)
Beau Smith (Roseville) and Nate Esposito (Granite Bay) made all-tournament.

It was the second year in a row that Sacramento won the prestigious showcase event. It featured six Northern California all-star teams. Competition was held over four days.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Eight area players including three high school players were among players taken in today's final rounds of the three-day Major League Baseball draft.

High school players taken:

• Granite Bay catcher Andrew Knapp, 41st round by the Oakland A's.
• Jesuit pitcher Dan Child, 48th round by the San Diego Padres.
• Franklin pitcher Hunter Greenwood, 48th round by the Colorado Rockies.

Among the area college players taken:
• Pacific pitcher Hunter Carnevale (Granite Bay), 33rd round by the New York Mets.
• Cosumnes River College pitcher Justin Parker (Jesuit), 33rd round by the Minnesota Twins.
• UC Davis second baseman Justin Schafer, 34th round by the Mets.
• Nevada pitcher Brock Stassi (Yuba City), 44th round by the Cleveland Indians.
• Sierra College pitcher Justin Haley (Bella Vista), 46th round by the Indians.
Stassi is the son of Yuba City coach Jim Stassi and the older brother of Max Stassi, now with the Oakland A's organization.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

I had the feeling that I might miss an area selectee in the second day of the Major League Baseball draft Tuesday when some 875 players were picked by big league teams.

As it turns out, I missed two players from the same high school and in the same round of the draft.

Former Woodcreek High School pitcher Daniel Wolford, now a senior at Cal, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round, the No. 427 pick overall.

Ten picks later ex-Woodcreek infielder Daniel Black, now a junior at Oklahoma, was taken by the Florida Marlins.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Wolford, a two-time All-Sierra Foothill League selectee, pitched as a true freshman at Long Beach State, then transferred to Cal. The right-hander was 1-1 with a save in 23 innings and 18 appearances for the 29-25 Golden Bears this season.

The 6-2, 170-pound Black is the No. 2 hitter for Oklahoma with a .339 average. The second baseman, a transfer from Feather River College, has made just four errors in 59 games in helping the Sooners to a 47-15 overall record.

No. 11 Oklahoma is playing No. 1 Virginia in this weekend's NCAA Super Regional in Charlottesville, Va.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Oakmont's Tyler Kuresa was the first area high school player taken in today's Major League Baseball Draft, but just nine spots in front of Elk Grove's Jake Rodriguez.

Kuresa, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound first baseman, was taken in the 11th round (345th pick overall) by the Minnesota Twins. Rodriguez, a 5-10, 185-pounder who can play both infield and catcher, also was selected in the 11th round (354 overall) by the Los Angeles Angels.

Kuresa was considered a top 200 selection and Rodriguez at top 300 selection before the draft by Baseball America.

Both may have so-called "signability" issues because they have already signed to play in college on scholarship. Kuresa has signed with Oregon; Rodriguez with Oregon State.

Sheldon pitcher Tyler Linehan, a 6-foot, 240-pound lefthander, was selected in the 14th round (432 overall) by the Seattle Mariners. He has signed with Fresno State.

Earlier in the day, former Jesuit outfielder Cory Vaughn, now a junior at San Diego State, was taken in the fourth round (122 overall) by the New York Mets. Vaughn is the son of former major leaguer Greg Vaughn.

Pitcher Tyler Waldron, The Bee Player of the Year in 2007 for Golden Sierra, was taken in the fifth round (No. 147 overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Waldron is a junior at Oregon State.

Ex-Elk Grove standout David Freitas, now a catcher for Hawaii, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 15th round (No. 446).

Freitas, a Cosumnes River College transfer, batted .292 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 49 RBI in landing Western Athletic Conference honors.

Freitas helped Hawaii win its first conference tournament title in 18 years as the Rainbows defeated the Fresno State 9-6 in this season's final.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Former Jesuit High School standout Cory Vaughn, the son of ex-major leaguer Greg Vaughn, was selected in the fourth round (122nd overall) by the New York Mets in today's Major League Baseball draft.

Vaughn is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior outfielder for San Diego State, coached by former Major Leaguer Tony Gwynn.

Vaughn, an Elk Grove resident, was a two-time All-Mountain West selection as a sophomore and a junior.

This year, he came on strong over the second half of the conference season, finishing with a .418 average along with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in his last 22 games.
For the season, he batted .378 with 55 RBI and nine home runs in 47 games.

As a senior at Jesuit, Vaughn batted .330 with six home runs, 37 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Greg Vaughn played 15 seasons in the major leagues.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Tyler Waldron, The Bee's 2007 Player of the Year from Golden Sierra High School, has been selected today in the fifth round (147th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2010 Major League Baseball player draft.

Waldron, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher, is a junior at Oregon State. He went 4-6 with a 5.90 earned run average. He struck out 56 in 61 innings. He pitched in 23 games, had seven starts and three saves.

Last season, Waldron went 6-4 and had an 4.15 ERA in 14 starts for the Beavers.
Waldron played one season at Pacific and went 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA before transferring to Oregon State.

He was taken in the 23rd round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins.
The exercise and sports science major was born in Carmichael but grew up in Pilot Hill.

He was a four-year all-league player at Golden Sierra. He had an 0.65 earned run average and 151 strikeouts his senior year in leading the Grizzlies to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship.

Here is a report of last night's Oakdale-El Dorado game from esteemed colleague Richard T. Estrada of the Modesto Bee.

Preparation was as important as anything that took place on the field Monday, and it's the reason Oakdale High is celebrating a third Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 championship title in four years.

"We scouted El Dorado during the playoffs and had some good ideas about what to expect," coach Honda Aproika said. "We positioned our outfielders based on that."

The reconnaissance was invaluable.

Oakdale rolled to an early lead and averted a potential disaster late in the game for a 9-4 upset of El Dorado -- ranked No. 2 in the medium-school division by CalHiSports.

Brennon Williams (9-2), a junior lefty who scattered five singles and survived a rocky 5ª innings, credited center fielder Mark Ortiz for saving him some runs.

"That guy's a stud out in center because he's so quick and he catches anything coming his way," said Williams, who earned three of Oakdale's four playoff wins. "A couple of those looked like hits."

Ortiz, who was positioned differently for every batter based on assistant coach Joe Peterson's scouting report, was able to turn three potential hits by El Dorado (27-3) into outs.

It was play that went against the scouting report that was Ortiz's most spectacular.

With two on and one out in the fifth, Kyle Buchanan -- No. 2 in the section with 10 homers -- hit one deep in the right-center gap. Ortiz, in the left-center gap expecting the righty to pull the ball, dashed 30 yards while El Dorado's fans began to cheer what they expected to be a bases-clearing triple.

Ortiz, extending his glove to cover for the final few feet, stabbed the line drive with his glove. Williams struck out the cleanup hitter to end the inning and keep it 9-2.

That was crucial, because El Dorado rallied in the sixth. The score was 9-4, and the bases were loaded with Buchanan batting.

Lefty Matt Butler had relieved Williams after a hit batter and two walks loaded the bases. El Dorado's Buchanan fell behind 0-2 and eventually grounded out slowly to third.

"It was supposed to be a fastball outside, but it ran in on him," Butler said. "He didn't get a good swing. I've been in this situation before, closing a tight game, but never while playing for a championship."

The pressure was evident.

Butler walked two of the first three batters he faced, then threw to second base -- rather than home for a force-out and a potential double play -- on a two-hop comebacker.

"When I went in the dugout between innings, I was able to settle down," said Butler, who struck out the final two batters in the seventh to seal the victory. "It's been a lot of fun being the closer, because you know it's going to be intense any time you come in."

The scouting report clearly provided some tips on how to hit El Dorado ace Chris Rickon, as well. The righty was 10-1 with a 1.99 ERA, and had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 13 starts.

The Mustangs got nine runs and nine hits in their four-plus innings vs. Rickon.

Williams tripled in a run in the first and Tanner Combs made it 2-0 with a double to left. After failing to exploit a bases-loaded situation in the second, No. 9 hitter Braydon Stephens doubled in a run in the fourth and trotted home on Williams' single -- and a second run scored on an error.

Oakdale blew it open in the fifth, as Rickon walked three batters in a row with two out. Leadoff hitter Matt Butler's infield single plated one -- a throwing error on the play scored another -- then Kody Simmons doubled off the center-field wall for two more.

Williams' performance at the plate took away some of the sting from his surprisingly wild start. He allowed only five singles to El Dorado -- a team that bats .359 and averages eight runs a game -- but struggled with his control.

"I never found my rhythm, which was frustrating," said Williams, who stormed off the mound and went to right field in the sixth. "I wasn't upset at coach or anyone else. I was pissed at myself. I've got to pitch better than I did in a game this important."

The setting, atmosphere, competition and stakes were typical Sierra Foothill League, as good of a championship league as you will find in the state.

Fittingly, it carried right into the final section sporting event of the academic year.

And there was Rocklin, capping the year in grand style by downing rival Granite Bay 4-2 tonight at Sacramento City College to decide the Division II championship behind ace Matt Fielding, who won his 11th game with a complete-game effort and also had two hits.

The achievement comes after the Thunder won a section title in football and nearly stunned national No. 2 Servite of Anaheim in a state bowl game, and it came just over a year after Rocklin won a NorCal Division II basketball championship.

The baseball triumph is the second in a row for Rocklin and the third in four years under coach Roc Murray, all against Granite Bay, which won the SFL this season despite falling to the Thunder in two out of three games.

The crowd was terrific, spirited and overflowing, with a rooting section for Granite Bay that felt like a basketball setting. The Granite Bay students were fun and rowdy - and the best student section for a spring event I have seen this year. They were asked to remain seated in the front row as to not block the view of others by tournament director Hal Steinback, a former SFL title coach when he led Del Oro baseball. He was booed, but in good spirit.

Steinback grinned, saying, "I haven't been booed like that in years. Felt great."

The one downer was the very end. The parent of a Rocklin player - decked in Rocklin blue head to toe - brazenly paraded across the infield after the final out while Thunder players celebrated in the tradition dog-pile. The parent had a cam-corder and chose to film the Granite Bay rooting section and fan base instead of an up-close view of the dog pile. The parent then egged the crowd on by holding his Rocklin hat high. He made sure everyone saw him, stealing the moment from the players who earned it the right way.

When Granite Bay coach Pat Esposito rightly tried to wave the parent off the infield - the field is for players, coaches, umpires, tournament directors, not parents with ulterior motives - the parent never broke stride. He continued to film a furious Esposito as he walked backward toward the Rocklin dugout.

Had Granite Bay fans had the same sort of field access, there very well might have been a brawl. That's how absurd this act was.

What compels a guy to do this in front of so many? Maybe he pulled this stunt because Granite Bay fans booed Rocklin during pre-game, which is part of the atmosphere when teams are introduced.

Regardless, it came across as the most boorish act of sportsmanship I have seen all academic year, a shame considering it should not reflect on the administration of Rocklin, led by principal Mike Garrison and athletic director David Bills, or the students, athletes or a fervent community that supports its programs as well as any in the valley.

Bills cornered the parent and lectured him. Let's applaud that. The parent should also issue a video-taped apology to Granite Bay and study a book on sportsmanship.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Sam Kuykendall and Cody Kent combined for a five-hitter and Blake Parks and Zak Morgan had RBI singles to lead Yuba City to an emotional 4-1 win over Benicia in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division III baseball championship game at Sacramento City College.

It was the fourth consecutive D-III section title for the Honkers (29-2), the third straight over the Panthers (20-9).

After the win, longtime Yuba City coach Jim Stassi announced he was retiring to spend time watching his sons play.

Brock Stassi pitches at Nevada, Max Stassi is in the Oakland A's organization and youngest son, Jake, a senior on this year's Honkers team, is headed to Long Beach State.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Brady Dragmire struck out 11 and pitched his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth to lead Bradshaw Christian to a 4-2 upset of two-time defending champion Valley Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII baseball championship game today at Sacramento City College.

Valley Christian star Ryan Cordell, who shared Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic Conference co-MVP honors with Dragmire, allowed only four hits but was betrayed by poor defense.

The Pride (19-11), which lost twice to Valley Christian in league, scored three runs in the top of the first inning on a pair of Lions' errors and an RBI triple by freshman second baseman Austin Ragsdale.

Dragmire, who helped lead Bradshaw Christian to a section football title in the fall, was in trouble several times as the Lions had leadoff runners on base in first, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

The junior righthander allowed six hits, walked four and hit a batter.

He escaped a huge jam in the fifth by striking out the last two batters after Valley Christian had closed to 3-1 on an RBI single by Jimmy Shaw, then an infield hit by Cordell off the glove of third baseman Tyler Takahashi that loaded the bases.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

All baseball and softball games scheduled for today have been postponed due to inclement weather, reports Will DeBoard, the Sac-Joaquin Section's director of communications.

Here's the scheduling changes:
Baseball:
•: The Division I North Elk Grove vs. Franklin loser's bracket game is now 7 p.m. Friday at American River College. The Winner plays Pleasant Grove Saturday at noon. The D-I North finals - Jesuit has already qualified - will be on Tuesday at 4 p.m., with an if-necessary game at 7 p.m.
•: The Oak Ridge vs. Rocklin D-II semifinal will be played 2 p.m. Saturday at Sacramento City College.
•: The D-III semifinals pitting Yuba City against Rio Americano and Bella Vista against Benicia will be played 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (if necessary) on Friday at McAuliffe Memorial Park near Sacramento State.
•: The D-VI Marysville-Mariposa games will be Friday at Zupo Field in Lodi at 4 and then 7. Friday's Golden Sierra-Vacaville Christian games remain at Galt Community Park.

Softball:
•: The D-I (Elk Grove vs. Johansen) and D-III (Casa Roble vs. Rodriguez) championship games will be at 5 p.m. Friday at the Sacramento Softball Complex, with if necessary games at 7.
•: Because of a graduation conflict, the D-II game between Cordova and Oak Ridge will be played at noon Friday at the complex. An if necessary game would be at 2 p.m.

DeBoard also notes that the section's Masters track and field trials, while still scheduled to go on tonight at Hughes Stadium, could see some field events postponed.
Finals are scheduled in boys high jump, shot put and triple jump and girls pole vault, triple jump and discus.
"At the moment, the field events are a 'game-time' decision," DeBoard wrote in an e-mail. "The pits may be too wet to go. Running is scheduled to go on, although if there's lightning or if King Kong climbs the side of Hughes Stadium, we may have to reevaluate."

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Jake Schu scored the winning run in the top of the 12th inning on a bang-bang play tonight to lead Oak Ridge to a 2-1 win over Rocklin in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball playoffs at Sacramento City College and thus force a third and deciding game in the best of three series 7 p.m. Thursday, weather permitting.

Schu beat out a chopper to short, then took second on the errant throw that tried to get the speedy leadoff man at first base. Schu took third on Stephen Barisone's sacrifice fly to center field, then scored when Jordan Mills bunted back to Rocklin pitcher Ben Brown.

Brown's throw reached the plate in plenty of time, but Schu slid around the tag of catcher Wes Marker. He then reached back and touched the plate with his foot and was called safe, much to the consternation of the Thunder players, who were sure he was out.

That proved the difference in the entertaining and edgy three-hour, five-minute game, the second to be decided in extra innings between the two teams. Rocklin beat Oak Ridge 7-6 in nine innings on Monday.

Tonight, Oak Ridge's Kyle Porter and Rocklin's Matt Fielding engaged in a classic pitcher's duel. Fielding went seven innings, struck out 12, scattered five hits and walked two.

Porter struck out 13 and allowed five hits and walked one in eight innings.

Porter looked like he had a shutout win after taking a 1-0 lead and getting the first two batters out in the bottom of the seventh. But Rocklin collected three straight hits, including an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Chris Streeter.

But credit Oak Ridge third baseman Robby Brown for the game saver. He dived to stop Streeter's shot from going down the left field line and preventing Rocklin from scoring the potential winning run.

Oak Ridge had scored the only run up to that point in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Barisone.

Relievers Brown of Rocklin and Chris Muse-Fisher of Oak Ridge also pitched well.

Brown, who got the win in relief on Monday to stop Oak Ridge's 25-game winning streak, was the tough-luck loser this time, despite allowing just two hits in five innings. Muse-Fisher, a left-hander like Porter, pitched four shutout innings and allowed two hits to pick up the victory.

There were no extra base hits by either team.

Oak Ridge (27-3) 000 010 000 001 - 2 7 1
Rocklin (22-8) 000 000 100 000 - 1 7 2
OR - Porter (13 strikeouts), Muse-Fisher (9) and Barisone. R - Fielding (12 strikeouts), Brown (8) and Marker. R - Streeter 2x5; OR - Schu 2x5; Wehr 2x4.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Three area teams have advanced to Sac-Joaquin Section baseball championship games on Monday. Here is a short recap:

Division II
Granite Bay 9, Roseville 3 at Sacramento City College - Josh Hall overcame a shaky start to scatter five hits, Jake Riffice went four for five and Andrew Knapp and Matt Gifford each drove in two runs as the Grizzlies (22-8) swept the Tigers (15-15) in the best of three series in two games. Granite Bay will return to the D-II championship game 6 p.m. Monday at Sac City against the winner of tonight's Oak Ridge vs. Rocklin game which is about to get underway.

Division IV
El Dorado 5, Manteca 1 at McAuliffe Park - Chris Rickon struck out nine and scattered four hits and to lead the Cougars (27-2) past the Buffaloes (18-10-1) and win the best of three series in two games. El Dorado will play Oakdale in Monday's championship game at a site to be determined.
Oakdale 4, Rio Linda 2 at McAuliffe Park - The Mustangs (22-8) scored the winning runs on a Knights' infield error that broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth. Oakdale swept the best of three series in two games. Rio Linda finishes 22-8.

Division VII
Valley Christian 10, Stone Ridge Christian 0, 5 innings at Galt Community Park - Ryan Cordell threw a two-hitter, Joey Parker had a three-run double and Junior Casas had two hits and drove in three runs as the Lions (19-7) beat the Knights (11-9) and advanced to Monday's championship game against Bradshaw Christian at a site to be determined.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Expect Roseville High School to be a lot more alert on the bases Wednesday night when the Tigers play league rival Granite Bay in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball playoffs at Sacramento City College.

On Monday, in a game that started nearly 90 minutes late, Granite Bay beat the Tigers 3-2, ending the game with the hidden ball trick just as Roseville appeared to be rallying.

Nick Blaser's RBI base hit pushed home a run in the bottom of the seventh and put Roseville runners at first and second with two outs.

But Granite Bay ssecond baseman Riley Drongesen, instead of tossing the ball back to the pitcher after Blaser's hit, tucked it into his glove. He tagged out the Roseville runner when he stepped off second base.

Kyle Schlehofer picked up the win for the Grizzlies, allowing five hits. Tyler Ash limited Granite Bay to four hits, but two were by Nate Esposito, an RBI double in the third and an RBI triple in the fifth. Andrew Knapp added an RBI infield hit in the seventh.

According to the Roseville Press Tribune's Kurt Johnson, the game started at 9:20 because the game in front (Rocklin defeated Oak Ridge 7-6) went nine innings.

A Granite Bay win Wednesday would advance the Sierra Foothill League champions to the D-II section title game Monday at Sac City for the third time in four years.

Roseville, which has lost four times to the Grizzlies this year, will try to even the best of three series in the 5 p.m. game.

If Roseville wins, the two teams will play again 30 minutes after.

Franklin High School has two anchor seniors of note, scholarship talents whom coach Mike Cody has placed all manner of great expectations.

Today at American River College, the leaders lifted the Wildcats of Elk Grove to a milestone triumph in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North baseball playoffs, and forgive the guys if they are still celebrating. It's been a long time coming.

Jason Taasaas applied a game-saving tag on a bang-bang play in the bottom of the seventh inning and battery mate Hunter Greenwood gutted out a winning effort on the mound and scored the winning run by just beating the tag on a head-first slide in the eighth inning for a 3-2 victory over Wood of Vacaville.

It marks the program's first playoff victory after some agonizingly close setbacks on what is called "Suicide Saturday" - otherwise known as the single-elimination first round. Franklin has posted five consecutive 20-win seasons under coach Mike Cody, but playoff success has eluded him.

Until now.

"Feels good," said a relieved Cody, who as athletic director saw all 20 of the school's varsity teams make the postseason this academic year. "The last three years, I've been hard on Hunter. I hold him to a higher standard and I don't give him enough credit.

Today, it paid off.

"We've been here before and sometimes the breaks go your way and sometimes they don't. They did for us today."

Greenwood is the staff ace who moved to 6-2, with close losses to Pleasant Grove and Clovis West. He scattered five hits and got out of several jams, determined to clinch that elusive postseason win.

"This gets the monkey off our back," said the Sacramento State-bound recruit. "I've been waiting for that win since my sophomore year. (When I made that slide), I knew I had to score and thought, 'We've got to win this game.'"

Amid the joy of victory there is concern, however. Taasaas, the Pacific-bound catcher, had his right hand sliced by cleats when applying the saving tag. He will need stitches. Should Taasaas not be able to go Monday at ARC, Franklin's backup catcher is junior Jordan Johnson, who is also scheduled to start on the mound.

But don't tell Cody that Taasaas is down and out.

"I never worry about Jason," Cody said with an assuring smile.

Franklin also has impressive freshmen Tyler Blake (6-0) and Zach Saca (6-1) who can pitch. Taasaas is also a big hitter, with a .461 average, 26 RBI and three home runs.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

It's clear there is no decline in the quality of Sierra Foothill League baseball.

With Roseville and Granite Bay winning tonight at Sacramento City College, three of the four Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinalists are from the SFL.

Rocklin, the defending champion, qualified on Thursday by beating Christian Brothers 2-0.

Roseville beat Rosemont 10-4 in tonight's opener, then Granite Bay defeated Ponderosa 7-3 in the nightcap.

That leaves Oak Ridge as the last team standing from another league.

The Sierra Valley Conference champions will play Rocklin at 5 p.m. on Monday, then Roseville faces Granite Bay at 8 p.m. in the first game of a best of three series.

Rocklin has won two of the last three D-II championships, beating Granite Bay both times in the final. Ponderosa beat Del Oro 3-2 on walk-off two-run homer with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the seventh in 2008, otherwise it would three-for-three.

It will be Rocklin's playoff experience and 28-man deep roster against Oak Ridge's remarkable pitching staff. In the nightcap it will be Roseville's nothing-to-lose young bunch against Granite Bay's veterans.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

We were unable to be at these baseball games tonight but wanted to give you an update, thanks to Will DeBoard, the director of communications for the Sac-Joaquin Section.

In Division III games at Dan McAuliffe Memorial Park near Sacramento State, three-time section defending champ Yuba City beat Vallejo 3-2; Rio Americano blanked Rodriguez 6-0, Bella Vista downed Woodland 7-2 and Benicia defeated River Valley 14-4 in six innings.

In Rio Americano's win, Thomas Hemington pitched a six-hitter and Matt Fanfelle had three hits. Kenny Moulton, Alex Muganini and Kyle Sheely had two each.

In the best of three series starting 3 p.m. Saturday at McAuliffe, Benicia will play Bella Vista on Field 1 and Yuba City takes on Rio Americano on Field 2.

In Division VI games tonight, Marysville beat Victory Christian 8-3 and Mariposa downed Lindhurst 6-5.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

It was the night of the pitcher and an any-thing-you-can-do-I-can-do-better battle between Oak Ridge's Kyle Porter and Rocklin's Matt Fielding in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II single-elimination baseball playoff openers tonight at Sacramento City College.

In the first game, Porter struck out 14, allowed six hits and did not walk a batter in a 6-0 win over McClatchy.

In the nightcap, Fielding struck out 13, allowed one hit and walked two as Rocklin beat Christian Brothers 2-0.

That sets up a best of three series between Rocklin (21-7) and Oak Ridge (26-2) starting 5 p.m. on Monday at Sac City.

Both Porter and Fielding are left handers and competitors. Both have dominated throughout the season. Both have excellent control (10 walks each entering the playoffs). Both have 10 wins after tonight's games.

The real difference is in the packaging. Porter stands 6-foot-2; Fielding is 5-8.

In beating McClatchy, Porter struck out the side in the fifth and seventh innings, the latter after the Lions' Braxton Burt led off with a double. He also struck out the last two batters in the fourth, stranding Lions at second and third.

Christian Brothers' biggest threat against Fielding came in the fifth when Connor Lee walked, stole second and reached third on a passed ball.

Fielding struck out rival pitcher Chris Kunz looking to end the threat. Kunz had the only hit off Fielding, a single to right in the third.

Kunz and McClatchy starting pitcher Vincent Ruiz deserve kudos.

Ruiz held Oak Ridge to one run and three hits through the first four innings. The senior right hander was taken out when he hit Curtis Cantaloube to lead off the fifth.

Then the roof caved in for relievers Max Cordy and Dennis Fennessey as Oak Ridge scored three times in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Kunz, a lefty, limited Rocklin to only four hits.

But he tired late and walked three (seven total) and hit a batter in the sixth, when the Thunder added an insurance run. Ben Brown's RBI single in the fourth scored Rocklin's first run.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

They are ranked No. 2 by The Bee, No. 9 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and have won 25 baseball games in a row.

But Oak Ridge (26-2) still feels it has something to prove, even after beating McClatchy 6-0 tonight in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff opener at Sacramento City College.

"We've got a chip on our shoulders," Oak Ridge coach Todd Melton said. "We've heard the comments that we're still not that good, that we have two left-handed pitchers and that's it. We beg to differ."

Said senior left-hander Kyle Porter, who struck out 14, scattered six hits and drove in two runs: "We haven't been getting the respect we deserve. I still think other teams are coming in thinking they are better than us."

Although considered the favorites, the El Dorado Hills school has never won a section baseball title. The Trojans went 18-0 in winning the Sierra Valley Conference, but skeptics believe Sierra Foothill League entries Rocklin and Granite Bay may be stronger.

Rocklin (the Thunder is playing Christian Brothers in tonight's late game with the winner to play Oak Ridge on Monday at SCC) has won two of the last three D-II titles, beating Granite Bay in the championship games both times.

"We want that section championship," Melton said. "But everyone is talking about Granite Bay and Rocklin. We feel our league is pretty good."

Porter is more than pretty good. The poised 6-foot-2 Cal signee has dominated on the mound and at the plate for the Trojans this season.

He came into the postseason with a 9-1 record, 100 strikeouts and 10 walks in 60 1/3 innings and an 0.81 earned run average. Included was an 18 strikeout, eight-inning 1-0 perfect game win over Union Mine April 16. Porter also hit .385 with a team-high 28 RBIs.

Against a gutsy McClatchy (15-13-1) team with only three seniors, Porter was smooth as silk.

He struck out the side in the fifth and seventh innings. He also struck out the last two batters in the fourth, stranding Lions at second and third. He did not walk a batter.

"He's a bulldog," Melton said. "His biggest attribute is he loves to compete."

Added Porter: "I knew McClatchy's hitters were going to be aggressive. I felt like my stuff was good all day. I had the adrenaline for the playoff atmosphere."

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Rocklin's three-year reign as Sierra Foothill League champions came to an end on Wednesday when Oakmont beat the No. 7 Thunder 7-3 behind the pitching of Jared Virtue and Nick Hoffman's 4-for-4 performance.

Rocklin needed to sweep Oakmont in this week's three-game series to tie No. 8 Granite Bay for first place and finish as league co-champions.

Granite Bay (19-8, 14-4), which lost two of three games to Rocklin earlier in the season, finished the regular season last week.

Rocklin (20-7, 13-5) beat Oakmont 13-0 on Tuesday and 8-0 on Thursday.

Rocklin will play No. 18 Christian Brothers (14-11-1, 10-7) 8 p.m. Thursday in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II opener at Sacramento City College. Granite Bay will play No. 12 Ponderosa (15-11-1, 11-7) 8 p.m. Friday at Sac City.

First-round games are single elimination.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

If there is a key reason why Rio Americano won its first Capital Athletic League baseball title in 10 years, coach James Wheeler probably would point to junior second baseman Kenny Moulton, who he calls "the sparkplug."

Moulton led the No. 13 Raiders (17-9, 12-3) in hitting with a .439 average. He twice had game-winning hits against No. 16 Bella Vista (16-11, 11-4), the team that finished one game behind the Raiders.

He drove in 25 runs and made just two errors, none in league.

But the Raiders were by no means a one-man team.

Players such as sophomore Sutter McLoughlin (.377, 26 RBI), senior Andy Bissell (.373, 20 RBI), junior Kyle Sheely (.348, 17 RBI) and sophomore Alex Mugnaini (.321, 12 RBI) helped Rio Americano bat a collective .318.

Freshman phenom Guillermo Salazar (6-1, 1.81 ERA) was a standout on the mound while senior Thomas Hemington (4-4, 2.88 ERA) and Sheely (3-0, 2.22 ERA) also pitched well.

Rio Americano will open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs 7 p.m. next Thursday at Dan McAuliffe Memorial Park near Sacramento State. The Raiders will play the second-place finisher from the Solano County Athletic Conference.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Tom Crisp called the four consecutive no-hit game performance of East Nicolaus' senior pitcher John Kukuruda "an amazing feat" in his e-mail to this reporter.

But the longtime Winters High School athletic director also wanted another amazing feat recognized, especially after Kukuruda was credited with a new state record by Cal-Hi Sports Record Book & Almanac, the recognized source for state high school records.

That started the wheels turning to acknowledge the truly remarkable performance of then Winters junior left-hander Byron Randolph 47 seasons ago.

As it turns out, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed Kukuruda has only tied the state record. The 5-11, 170-pound Randolph also threw four consecutive no-hitters in 1963.

Even more impressive: Randolph's 34 consecutive no-hit innings that season.

But the only person who appeared to know about it, at least until Monday, was Crisp, who has been researching Winters sports history the last two years.

Before Kukuruda's 10-0, five-inning no-hit win over Hamilton on Friday, Lloyd Allen of Selma had been recognized by Cal-Hi as the consecutive no-hit leader with three set in 1967. Jared Moon of Redondo Union also was listed as the record holder for consecutive no-hit innings with 23 set in 1996. Kukuruda has thrown 22 1/3 straight no-hit innings.

Although Crisp had sent documentation of Randolph's exploits earlier to Cal-Hi, it somehow ended up in limbo in the company's Southern California office. A search of Bee archives confirmed much of what Crisp was reporting.

After a few e-mail exchanges and some further digging, Cal-Hi founder and Senior Editor Mark Tennis agreed that Randolph's exploits were legit and posted an article on its web-site Tuesday confirming the new records.

Randolph's run is pretty impressive based on Crisp's information and reports in The Bee. Here's the short of it:

• April 23 vs. Benicia, 14 strikeouts.
• April 30 vs. Davis, 18 strikeouts.
• May 3 vs. Clarksburg, 19 strikeouts in an eight-innings 1-0 win.
• May 17 vs. Rio Vista, 16 strikeouts in a 1-0 win.
• In his two starts that followed, Randolph threw one-hitters.

According to a Bee article published June 23, 1964 after Randolph signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he had a career record of 42-3, including 15 no-hitters (Crisp has only been able to confirm 10).

Randolph pitched four seasons in the minors - he went to the Baltimore Orioles spring training camp in 1965 with another rookie pitcher, Jim Palmer - including three with the Stockton Ports. But he never got above Class A after blowing out his shoulder. He finished 12-25 with a 3.53 ERA.

In what may be the biggest irony of all, however, is that the 64-year-old Randolph lives in Live Oak and was the East Nicolaus baseball coach in 1974. Randolph said he coached baseball at Marysville until 1990 and retired from the school three years ago.

Until contacted by The Bee, Randolph knew nothing about Kukuruda's exploits or that he is a state record holder.

"I wish him luck," said Randolph, who may try to drop by Tuesday when Kukuruda is scheduled to pitch next. "I hope he breaks the record. That makes the game better."

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Paul Martinez hopes it's just a one-year thing.

But because of athletic budget woes at his school, the Rosemont athletic director and head baseball coach dropped the freshman baseball team this season.

"We needed to conserve money, and it was my way of helping out our entire sports program," Martinez said.

He said costs for busing an additional team "ate a lot of our transportation budget" for the Sacramento City Unified School District school.

"That meant less for varsity sports like swimming and track," he said. "We're just hoping it's a one-year thing."

Having a freshman team has been huge in enabling the Wolverines to hang with deeper, more experienced suburban programs. No. 12 Rosemont is 18-6 and 12-0 in the Metro Conference entering Friday's game against rival McClatchy.

"It's been a tremendous help in keeping the kids together, getting them more playing time and more coaching time," Martinez said.

There is less playing time this season. There are 24 players on the Rosemont JV team.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

John Kukuruda didn't get a whole lot of attention for his pitching talents last season on a senior-laden team at East Nicolaus High School.

He played first base and batted .348. He pitched only 16 2/3 innings in going 3-0.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior right-hander is now on the radar of plenty of college and pro scouts, even though the Sutter County school has just 320 students.

That's what happens when one can throw in the upper 80s to low 90s with a 17-1/3 inning no-hit streak.

"He was the third or fourth option last year because we had so many senior pitchers," said Darren Brown, the East Nicolaus athletic director. "A lot of colleges have taken notice of him, including Long Beach State and Sac State. But now there are rumblings about him being drafted."

After pitching 10-run-rule shortened no-hitters against Esparto (five innings), Biggs (six innings) and Los Molinos (five innings), Kukuruda retired all four batters he faced in a 19-0 win over Esparto Tuesday during a relief appearance at Raley Field.

The two teams played after the Sacramento River Cats.

Brown said that because the game was a special event, it was decided that all the Spartans pitchers would get a chance to throw off the Triple-A team's mound.

The initial plan was to have Kukuruda pitch the first two innings. Instead coach Dave Deniz had him enter with two outs in the fourth.

Kukuruda got a strikeout for the final out of the inning, then got three outs in the fifth to end the game, although there was an infield error. Kukuruda also went 3 for 3 and scored four runs in helping the Spartans climb to 21-3.

Entering Tuesday's game Kukuruda was 5-2 with a 1.87 earned run average and 85 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings innings.

He will look to continue his no-hit streak on Friday in the Spartans' regular-season finale game against visiting Hamilton.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

When construction equipment that partially covered the baseball field at San Juan High School was finally removed in mid-January, coaches and players couldn't believe their eyes.

Their once quaint field was a nightmare.

Weeds were three feet high, fencing was down, the infield grass was dead from a lack of watering and vandals had partially burned down the third base dugout and storage shed and stolen equipment, including a ride mower.

"We were living through hell," said San Juan High School coach Dave Watson.

Watson and his coaches had done their best to maintain the old facility. But when school-wide construction forced the closure of the baseball diamond, the usual maintenance of the field stopped.

"We weren't sure what we were going to do," Watson said.

Then he heard that Sutter Health's Fit-for-Life Field Makeover Program, sponsored in conjunction with the Sacramento River Cats, was looking at San Juan as one of a half dozen candidates for its annual field makeover.

In past years, the River Cats and Sutter Health have helped refurbish diamonds at Hiram Johnson, Encina and Grant high schools.

"When I heard the River Cats were considering us for this, I told them, 'If you get us out of this mess, I can tell you five years from now it's still going to look good because we're a baseball program,'" Watson said. "When they came out and looked at it initially, they saw arguably one of the worst baseball fields in the section."

It didn't hurt that San Juan vice principal Steve Hunt had worked with River Cats and Sutter Health as an Encina administrator, when that school became the second to undergo a makeover in 2008.

Hunt says the cost of labor and materials for the project probably is worth about $25,000.

Now the San Juan players pitch in to help maintain the field and they were among the nearly 300 volunteers who showed up on March 13 to nail, saw, paint, pour concrete, weed and put the final touches on the new digs, including a laser-cut infield.

"I was surprised by how many people were out here," said senior pitcher-third baseman Scott Gray, who helped paint the snack bar and pick up trash. "It was nice seeing everyone working together.

"We loved getting the new field. When you get bad hops for three years, you kind of get tired of it. Now this infield is fun."

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Sheldon High School was the place to be Monday to watch top pitchers perform in Delta River League first-place battles.

On the baseball diamond, two college-scholarship senior flamethrowers went head to head, with Jesuit's Dan Child outdueling Sheldon's Tyler Linehan in the Marauders' 5-0 win.

Child, who is headed to Oregon State, allowed just two hits, walked three and hit a batter. Rhys Hoskins drove in two runs and Zach Green and Louis Mejia one each.

Linehan, a Fresno State signee, went five innings struck out nine, walked four and allowed four hits in giving up two runs. Sheldon reliever Glenn Beebe struck out five but allowed four hits and walked two in surrendering three more runs.

The win moved Jesuit into a first-place tie with Sheldon. Both are 6-1 in league.

On the softball diamond, Ally Carda outdueled Sheldon's Alexis Cooper in Pleasant Grove's nine-inning, 2-1 win.

Carda struck out 15 and allowed three hits. Cooper struck out 13 and allowed four hits.

Pleasant Grove is 4-0 in league; Sheldon 3-1.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Oak Ridge needed Kyle Porter to be flawless Monday, and the 6-foot-2 senior left-hander didn't disappoint.

Porter pitched a perfect game and struck out 18 batters as the Trojans beat visiting Union Mine 1-0 in eight innings to extend their season winning streak to 15 games.

"It was an amazing performance," said Oak Ridge coach Todd Melton. "There were no spectacular saves. The balls put in play were routine. Kyle was brilliant. He had guys chasing all day."

Porter threw 98 pitches and Union Mine could only put six balls in play: three infield ground outs, a pop out to first and two fly outs to center.

"His cutter, today it was really on," Melton said.

The Cal scholarship signee struck out 16 of the first 18 batters. He went to three balls only twice, once in the first inning and once in the sixth inning when he fell behind the Diamondbacks' No. 9 hitter three balls, one strike before striking him out.

Senior third baseman Robert Brown drove in the winning run with a walk-off single in the eighth inning. Jake Wehr led off the inning by reaching second base on an infield error, the only miscue of the well-played game.

Oak Ridge pinch runner Will Jolly was bunted to third by Colby Wilmer, who reached first, thus setting the table for Brown's hit to right center.

That ruined a nice effort by Union Mine senior pitcher Ryan Verner. He scattered seven hits, walked four and struck out four.

Oak Ridge is now 16-2 on the season and 9-0 in the Sierra Valley Conference. Union Mine is 4-12 overall, 3-6 in league.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

The Pleasant Grove-Jesuit series has determined the Delta River League champion the last two seasons.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Elk Grove's J.D. Davis, one of Northern California's top junior prospects, impressed his legion of college and pro evaluators with his performance in the top-ranked Thundering Herd's 15-1 win over No. 7 Franklin in a Delta Valley Conference game on Wednesday.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Top-ranked Yuba City and No. 7 Oak Ridge won their respective divisions in the Surewest-Woodcreek Varsity Invitational last Tuesday, but out-of-towners won championships in two of Sacramento's longest running spring-break baseball tournaments.

Byrce Thornton and Cody Kent combined to pitch Yuba City past Ponderosa 5-4 in the Bracket 1-2 Woodcreek title game. Blake Parks had a double and two runs batted in and Quentin Rocha two hits and an RBI for the Honkers.

Curtis Cantaloube scattered four hits and struck out six and Austin Ales went 2-for-3 with a double and drove in two runs in Oak Ridge's 3-1 win over Bella Vista in the Bracket 3-4 title game at Rosemont High School.

For the second season in a row, Vintage of Napa won the Lank Park Easter Tournament, beating Galt 8-6 in Wednesday's championship game. Vintage went 4-0 in the tournament.

Behind tourney MVP Alex Crosby's 3-for-3 performance, Will C. Wood of Vacaville beat Cordova 10-2 in Thursday's Cordova Easter Tournament championship game. Crosby doubled, tripled and had an RBI and pitched the seventh inning in relief.

By Bill Paterson
bpaterson@sacbee.com

Andy Boogaard, our estemmed colleague at the Fresno Bee, was impressed with the performance of junior pitcher Kyle Castro and Pleasant Grove in Monday's Fresno Easter Baseball Classic.

Here's his report:

Their young history suggests strongly they will be major baseball players in the Sac-Joaquin and Central sections.

But Monday night, it was all about the one with more experience and talent - Pleasant Grove High of Elk Grove, which handed the ball to Kyle Castro and received a pitching clinic while coasting past Clovis North 13-0 on the Broncos' field to complete first-day play in the Fresno Easter Baseball Classic.

"That's about as well as we can play," said coach Rob Rinaldi, whose Eagles joined Buchanan, Fresno and Clovis West as the only 2-0 teams in the 41st event that calls for the 36 teams to play four games in three days.

Pleasant Grove, in its fourth season and third with seniors, arrived 8-0 and top-ranked in the Sac-Joaquin Section (by Maxpreps.com) after averaging 18 wins its first three years.
Clovis North, in its second season and still a year away from seniors, marched in 13-1 and fifth-ranked in the Central Section after going 22-10 in 2009.

Further, the Broncos turned to their ace, Chris Mariscal, a junior right-hander coming off a no-hitter and 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA.

But it was 7-0 after four innings, Mariscal was out after throwing 84 pitches, and it was all Castro.

"I haven't thrown a better game than this," said the 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander, who, in fact had thrown three very good ones.

Coming in 3-0 with an 0.50 ERA, he pitched a two-hitter while throwing 73 percent of his pitches for strikes - 49 of 67.

He has played a lot of ball with his cousin, Mason Hastings, on their neighboring ranch in the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove. And the 16-year-old juniors made it looked like just another play day Monday night as Hastings did the catching.

"It's like your best friend's sitting over there, throwing to him," said Castro, who struck out eight and walked one.

Broncos coach Chris Patrick could only applaud: "They played better than us in every facet. There wasn't a whole lot to tell my guys. It can be a humbling game, but I'm excited to see how we answer back (today)."

Elk Grove is No. 4 and Rocklin No. 18 in Cal-Hi Sports' state top 20 preseason baseball rankings.

The Thundering Herd is led by senior Jake Rodriguez, Cal-Hi's State Junior Player of the Year and a member of the United States Under-16 national team, while the defending D-II Sac-Joaquin Section Thunder is anchored by pitcher Matt Fielding, a 10-game winner last season.

Edison of Huntington Beach, the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I runners-up, are ranked No. 1.

Poway is No. 2, Mater Dei of Santa Ana No. 3 and Rancho Buena Vista of Vista No. 5.
Northern California teams ranked in addition to Elk Grove and Rocklin are No. 6 Valley Christian of San Jose; No. 13 Clayton Valley of Concord; and No. 20 St. Mary's of Stockton.

Two-time defending D-I champion Jesuit and three-time defending D-III champion Yuba City are listed as bubble teams.