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2B – Daily News – Tuesday, October 19, 2010 49ers see season’s first victory as fresh start San Francisco 49ers SANTA CLARA (AP) — After their worst start to a season in 31 years, the San Fran- cisco 49ers finally fol- lowed their blueprint for success. No turnovers. A pounding, clock-control- ling ground game. An unyielding defense that forced two turnovers and allowed a season-low 179 yards. Those are the kinds of things coach Mike Sin- gletary expected to char- acterize his team this year, and that’s the for- mula that led the 49ers to a 17-9 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday that finally put San Francisco in the win column after five con- secutive losses. For the first time this year, Singletary could let loose with a smile of relief on the day after a game and talk about moving forward rather than about failure and jobs being on the line. ‘‘The more we create balance, the more our guys settle in, the more we don’t turn the ball over and play good defense, it gives us a chance to not always have to play on the edge,’’ Singletary said Monday. ‘‘We’re fight- ing for our lives right now, but the vision that we have, it’s still very much alive.’’ The 49ers are playing on the edge because of a 0-5 start that submerged ALCS (Continued from page 1B) Texas broke it open in the ninth against an ineffective David Robertson, getting RBI singles from Nelson Cruz and Bengie Molina, plus a two-run single by Mitch Moreland. Rangers closer Neftali Feliz flung his 100 mph fast- ball in the ninth and finished the two-hitter in front of a nearly empty ballpark, adding two strikeouts to increase Texas’ total to 15 — one shy of a postseason record for Yankees batters. New York’s two hits matched a postseason low also set in Game 4 of the 1958 World Series and Game 3 of the 2001 division series. Michael Young had three hits for the Rangers, who are 4-0 on the road in these play- offs. Texas won all three ODDS Glantz-Culver Line For Oct. 19 MLB Playoffs Today Philadelphia-115 atSanFrancisco +105 at New York -145 Texas +135 NFL Sunday Pittsburgh at Atlanta 3 (40) 4 (42.5) at New Orleans 13.5(43) at Baltimore 13(37.5) San Francisco 3 (34.5) at Tampa Bay 2.5 (38) at Seattle at Miami Cincinnati at Kansas City OFF(OFF) Jacksonville at Tennessee OFF(OFF) Philadelphia at Chicago 4.5 (40.5) atCarolina St.Louis Arizona at San Diego 3 (48) NewEngland at Denver OFF(OFF) Oakland at Green Bay 3(44 1/2) Minnesota Monday at Dallas 3 (44.5) N.Y.Giants Off Key Jacksonville played Oct. 18 Tennessee played Oct. 18 Oakland QB questionable NHL at Washington -190 at Nashville-160 Boston +165 Calgary +140 Vancouver -130 atMinnesota +110 at San Jose-200 Carolina +170 MLS TENNIS ATP Money Leaders 1. Rafael Nadal 2.Roger Federer 3.Novak Djokovic 4. Andy Murray 5. Robin Soderling 6. Tomas Berdych 7.David Ferrer 8.Fernando Verdasco 9. Andy Roddick 10. Jurgen Melzer 1. Serena Williams 2. Kim Clijsters $7,711,998 $4,379,635 $3,191,472 $3,019,207 $2,339,513 $1,944,046 $1,707,427 $1,633,234 $1,631,088 $1,619,117 WTAMoney Leaders $4,266,011 3. Caroline Wozniacki 4.Vera Zvonareva 5.Venus Williams 8. Jelena Jankovic 9. Justine Henin 10. Aravane Rezai $3,585,060 $3,241,488 $2,744,641 $2,614,782 6.Francesca Schiavone $2,256,634 7. Sam Stosur $1,790,340 $1,723,726 $1,401,960 $1,244,588 WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA x-Galaxy 17 7 5 56 42 25 x-Salt Lake 15 4 10 55 43 18 x-Seattle 14 9 6 48 38 33 x-FC Dallas 12 3 14 50 41 26 x-Colorado 12 8 9 45 42 30 x-QUAKES 12 9 7 43 30 29 Houston 8 15 6 30 38 48 Chivas USA 8 16 4 28 30 38 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA x-New York 14 9 6 48 36 29 x-Columbus 13 8 8 47 37 33 Kansas City 10 13 6 36 32 34 Chicago 8 12 9 33 33 37 New England 9 15 5 32 32 48 Toronto FC 8 13 8 32 30 39 Philadelphia 8 14 7 31 34 46 D.C. ————————————————— Wednesday’s game Chivas USA at San Jose, 7 p.m. 3 (40) Washington Cleveland Buffalo Game 3 Today Philadelphia (Hamels 12-11) at San Francisco (Cain 13-11), 1:19 p.m. Game 4 Wednesday Philadelphia at San Francisco, 4:57 p.m. Game 5 Thursday Philadelphia at San Francisco, 4:57 p.m. ALCS Best-of-7 Texas leads 2-1 Game 1:New York 6, Texas 5 Game 2:Texas 7, New York 2 Game 3 Monday’s result Texas 8, New York 0 Game 4 Today Texas (Hunter 13-4) at New York (Burnett 10-15), 5:07 p.m. Game 5 Wednesday Texas at New York, 1:07 p.m. Best-of-7 Series tied 1-1 Game 1:San Francisco 4, Philadelphia 3 Game 2:Philadelphia 6, San Francisco 1 NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Dallas Kings Ducks WL OT Pts GF GA 4 1 0 8 20 15 3 1 0 6 10 6 2 3 1 5 13 23 SHARKS 11 1 3 7 9 Phoenix 1 2 1 3 8 10 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 4 2 1 9 23 20 Nashville 3 0 1 7 13 9 Detroit 3 1 1 7 14 12 St. Louis 2 1 2 6 14 12 Columbus 2 2 0 4 10 12 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Colorado 4 2 0 8 19 19 Vancouver 2 2 1 5 12 12 Calgary 2 2 0 4 8 11 Edmonton 2 2 0 4 12 11 Minnesota 1 2 1 3 10 11 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y. Islanders3 1 2 8 20 17 Pittsburgh 4 3 0 8 23 16 Philadelphia 2 2 1 5 11 14 N.Y. Rangers 1 2 1 3 14 16 New Jersey 1 4 1 3 10 21 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Toronto 4 0 1 9 17 11 Montreal 3 1 1 7 14 13 Boston Buffalo Ottawa 2 1 0 4 9 6 1 4 1 3 12 18 1 4 1 3 12 21 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 4 1 0 8 17 18 Washington 4 1 0 8 17 11 Atlanta Carolina 2 2 0 4 9 12 Florida ————————————————— Monday’s results Chicago 3, St. Louis 2, OT Colorado 3, N.Y. Rangers 1 N.Y. Islanders 2, Toronto 1, OT Pittsburgh 5, Ottawa 2 Tampa Bay 5, Dallas 4 6 19 4 22 19 44 NOTE:Three points for victory, one point for tie. x- clinched playoff berth Today’s games Carolina at San Jose, 4:30 p.m. Boston at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Calgary at Nashville, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Minnesota, 6 p.m. 3 2 0 6 17 16 2 2 0 4 12 5 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. the team in turmoil after it began the season as the favorite to win the NFC West and end a seven-year playoff drought. The 49ers looked nothing like a playoff team during the season’s first month as they underachieved on defense and made a series of critical turnovers that thwarted their offensive progress. But after a slow start against Oakland, it all finally began coming together for the 49ers, who outscored the Raiders 17-3 after trail- ing 6-0 late in the sec- ond quarter. San Francisco’s posi- tive surge began with quarterback Alex Smith, who was booed heavily by home fans for the second consecutive week after completing just two of his first 11 passes. The 49ers punted to end each of their first five offensive posses- sions. But Smith finished strong with two touch- down passes in the game’s final 16 minutes, and the rest of the offense came alive around him. Frank Gore rushed for a season-high 149 yards as San Fran- cisco controlled the football for more than 33 minutes. ‘‘I think this team understands now what we have to do to win and how we’re gonna win,’’ said Smith, who didn’t commit a turnover for the first time this season. games at Tampa Bay in the first round, including a pair of masterful performances by Lee. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees fared no better. Cutters, curves, sliders — they could- n’t touch Lee, who pumps in one strike after another like a robot programmed to do so. Lee was so dominant, New York hitters were left shaking their heads in the dugout or questioning calls by plate umpire Jim Reynolds. Robinson Cano showed bunt, Brett Gardner tried another headfirst dive into first base. None of it worked. Gardner singled leading off the sixth and stole sec- ond, but Lee never rattled. He struck out Jeter for the second time, then induced routine grounders from Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, who is 0 for 11 in the series. Lee has been spectacular MLB NLCS NCAA Thursday’s Top 25 game No. 1 Oregon vs.UCLA, 6 p.m. Saturday’s Top 25 games No.3 Oklahoma at No.18 Missouri, 5 p.m. No. 4 TCU vs. Air Force, 5 p.m. No. 5 Auburn vs.No.6 LSU, 12:30 p.m. No. 7 Alabama at Tennessee, 4 p.m. No. 8 Michigan St at Northwestern, 9 a.m. No. 9 Utah vs. Colorado State, 3 p.m. No.10 Wisconsin at No.13 Iowa, 12:30 p.m. No. 11 Ohio State vs. Purdue, 9 a.m. No. 12 Stanford vs.Washington St., 2 p.m. No.14 Nebraska at No.17 Okla.St., 12:30 p.m. No.15 Arizona vs.Washington, 7:15 p.m. No.19 South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 4 p.m. No. 20 West Virginia vs. Syracuse, 9 a.m.. No.21 Arkansas vs. Mississippi, 9:21 a.m. No. 22 Texas vs. Iowa State, 9 a.m.. No. 23 Virginia Tech vs.Duke, 9 a.m. No. 24 Mississippi State vs.UAB, 4 p.m. No.25 Miami vs.North Carolina, 4:30 p.m. ‘‘We didn’t have the mistakes that we had in other games this year. There were still some self-inflicted errors, but they weren’t critical mistakes. We got num- ber one, and now we can build on that.’’ Sunday’s win went so according to plan that the 49ers inserted start- ing defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga into their offensive backfield to help run out the clock in the game’s final min- utes. The 330-pound Sopoaga blew out a hole for Gore to slip through and pick up a first down that iced the win with two minutes remaining. The 49ers had been looking for a situation where they could use Sopoaga similar to the way the Chicago Bears once used William ‘‘The Refrigerator’’ Perry decades ago when Sin- gletary was in the midst of his Hall of Fame career as a Chicago line- backer But Sopoaga’s best work came on the other side of the ball, where he was part of a defensive effort that kept Oakland out of the end zone and allowed the Raiders just 60 yards and two first downs after halftime. ‘‘This is a start for our team on all three sides of the ball, including spe- cial teams,’’ Sopoaga said. ‘‘This is a start for our family to march for- ward and knock down teams one game at a time from here.’’ The 49ers can’t afford in the postseason, striking out 67 and walking only seven in 64 1-3 innings. Even after throwing a season-high 122 pitches, he was going to pitch the ninth until Texas broke it open. Lee retired his first 11 bat- ters, striking out seven, before missing high with a full-count fastball to Teix- eira. It was the left-hander’s first walk in 19 2-3 innings this postseason, drawing a loud roar and a standing ova- tion from some in the sellout MCT photo Takeo Spikes dances following his interception Sunday against Oakland. too many more missteps the rest of the way. Their three rivals in the NFC West each have three victories six weeks into the season. San Francisco now hits a vital stretch that will lead to its bye week. crowd of 49,840. Rodriguez drove the next pitch to deep left-center, but Cruz reached down for a running catch that ended the fourth. Jorge Posa- da fisted an opposite-field single into shallow right with two outs in the fifth for New York’s first hit. Young sin- gled on the ninth pitch of his at-bat in the first inning and then Pettitte hung a 2-1 breaking ball to Hamilton in NASCAR 1. Jimmie Johnson 5,843 2.Denny Hamlin 3.Kevin Harvick 4. Jeff Gordon 5.Kyle Busch 6.Tony Stewart 7. Carl Edwards 8. Greg Biffle 9.Kurt Busch 10. Jeff Burton 11. Matt Kenseth 12. Clint Bowyer Sprint Cup Points Leaders 5,802 5,766 5,687 5,666 5,666 5,643 5,618 5,606 5,604 5,587 5,543 The 49ers go on the road to play winless Carolina this week then will trav- el directly to England to play the Denver Broncos in London on Oct. 31. ‘‘It’s important for all of us to understand where we are,’’ Single- the middle of the plate. The slugger was a bit off balance on his front foot, but strong enough to pull the pitch about 330 feet to right field, clearing the inviting porch at Yankee Stadium. FOOTBALL Eastern Athletic — South League Overall WL W L Lassen Paradise Oroville 2 0 6 1 2 0 6 1 0 1 0 7 Las Plumas 0 1 0 7 SPARTANS 02 0 7 ————————————————— Friday’s games Foothill at Red Bluff, 7:30 p.m. Oroville vs. Las Plumas, 7:30 p.m. Paradise at Lassen, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 results Paradise 49, Red Bluff 14 Lassen 49, Oroville 0 Pleasant Valley 49, Las Plumas 6 tary said. ‘‘We’ve got to work our tails off, do everything that we can to stay focused and keep going in the right direc- tion, because we still have a chance to do something very special here.’’ VOLLEYBALL Eastern Athletic -------------------SOUTH------------------- Paradise League Overall WL W L 5 3 17 16 SPARTANS 43 14 20 Lassen Las Plumas 1 6 1 10 Oroville 1 6 6 18 1 7 5 13 -------------------NORTH------------------- League Overall WL W L Pleasant Valley 7 0 32 5 Shasta Chico Foothill Enterprise 7 1 22 11 5 2 12 11 3 4 16 17 3 5 15 18 ————————————————— Today’s matches Oroville at Red Bluff 7 p.m. Chico at Lassen, 7 p.m. Enterprise at Foothill, 7 p.m. Paradise at Las Plumas, 7 p.m. Shasta at Pleasant Valley 7 p.m. Thursday’s matches Las Plumas at Red Bluff, 7 p.m. Lassen at Oroville, 5 p.m. Pleasant Valley at Enterprise, 7 p.m. Shasta at Chico, 7 p.m. FOOTBALL NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Kansas City 3 2 0 .600 108 92 RAIDERS 24 0 .333 120 151 Denver 2 4 0 .333 124 140 Chargers 2 4 0 .333 157 126 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Jets 5 1 0 .833 159 101 New England 4 1 0 .800 154 116 Miami Buffalo South WL T Pct PF PA Houston 4 2 0 .667 153 167 Indianapolis 4 2 0 .667 163 125 Tennessee 4 2 0 .667 162 98 Jacksonville 3 3 0 .500 110 167 North WL T Pct PF PA Pittsburgh 4 1 0 .800 114 60 Baltimore 4 2 0 .667 112 95 Cincinnati 2 3 0 .400 100 102 Cleveland 1 5 0 .167 88 125 NFC West Arizona 3 2 0 .600 88 138 Seattle WL T Pct PF PA 3 2 0 .600 98 97 St. Louis 3 3 0 .500 103 113 49ERS 15 0 .167 93 139 East WL T Pct PF PA N.Y. Giants 4 2 0 .667 134 118 Philadelphia 4 2 0 .667 153 120 Washington 3 3 0 .500 113 119 Dallas South 1 4 0 .200 102 111 WL T Pct PF PA Atlanta 4 2 0 .667 130 101 New Orleans 4 2 0 .667 130 108 Tampa Bay 3 2 0 .600 80 111 Carolina 0 5 0 .000 52 110 North WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 4 2 0 .667 112 97 Green Bay 3 3 0 .500 139 112 Minnesota 2 3 0 .400 87 88 Detroit ————————————————— Monday’s result Tennessee 30, Jacksonville 3 Sunday’s games San Francisco at Carolina, 10 a.m. Oakland at Denver, 1:15 p.m. Arizona at Seattle, 1:05 p.m. Buffalo at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Atlanta, 10 a.m. Cleveland at New Orleans, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Pittsburgh at Miami, 10 a.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. Washington at Chicago, 10 a.m. New England at San Diego, 1:15 p.m. Minnesota at Green Bay, 5:20 p.m. Monday, Oct.25 game N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. 1 5 0 .167 146 140 FOOTBALL California — North (8-man) League Overall WL W L Hayfork Dunsmuir 4 0 6 0 3 1 6 1 Butte Valley 2 1 5 1 Big Valley 1 2 4 3 WARRIORS 12 3 2 Happy Camp 1 2 2 4 Liberty Christian 0 4 1 5 ————————————————— Friday’s games Mercy at Hayfork, 7 p.m. Big Valley at Happy Camp, 6 p.m. Dunsmuir at Westwood, 7 p.m. Saturday’s game Butte Valley at Liberty Christian, 7 p.m. Oct. 14 result Dunsmuir 50, Liberty Christian 36 Oct. 15 results Mercy 58, Big Valley 44 Butte Valley 49, Princeton 18 Hayfork 56, Happy Camp 0 VOLLEYBALL Tri-Cities League Overall WL W L T Redding Christian 7 0 15 4 1 Chester University Prep 4 2 7 9 2 Maxwell WARRIORS 25 6 22 1 Hayfork 5 2 14 9 4 4 3 10 15 3 1 6 4 14 5 Liberty Christian 1 6 5 14 0 ————————————————— Today’s matches University Prep at Mercy Hayfork at Maxwell, 5 p.m. Liberty Christian at Chester Wednesday’s match Chester at Westwood Thursday’s matches Chester at Maxwell, 6:30 p.m. Hayfork at University Prep, 6:30 p.m. Redding Christian at Lib.Christian, 6:30 p.m. 3 2 0 .600 89 112 0 5 0 .000 87 161 Northern Athletic League Overall WL W L West Valley 2 0 5 2 Central Valley 2 0 5 2 CARDINALS 11 5 2 Anderson Yreka 0 1 2 5 0 2 3 4 ————————————————— Friday’s games Corning at Yreka, 7:30 p.m. Anderson at Central Valley, 7:30 p.m. Wheatland at West Valley, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 results Corning 58, Anderson 32 Gridley 28, Central Valley 19 West Valley 42, Yreka 21 VOLLEYBALL Northern Athletic League Overall WL W L T West Valley 3 0 19 9 0 Central Valley 2 2 15 5 0 Yreka CARDINALS 12 11 10 0 Anderson Yreka at Corning, 6:30 p.m. Anderson at West Valley, 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s matches West Valley at Corning, 4:30 p.m. Central Valley at Anderson, 6:30 p.m. 1 2 10 7 2 1 2 9 15 0 ————————————————— Today’s matches FOOTBALL Mountain Valley League Overall WL W L Maxwell Biggs Chester 3 0 6 1 2 1 2 5 1 2 4 3 BULLDOGS 03 2 5 ————————————————— Friday’s games Los Molinos at Maxwell, 7:30 p.m. Chester at Biggs, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 results Chester 37, Los Molinos 0 Maxwell 50, Biggs 6 VOLLEYBALL Mid-Valley — North League Overall WL W L T Hamilton Quincy 3 0 31 5 0 3 1 14 11 0 BULLDOGS 12 28 6 1 Biggs 0 4 3 18 1 ————————————————— Today’s matches Portola at Los Molinos, 6:30 p.m. Hamilton at Esparto, 6:30 p.m. Quincy at East Nicolaus Williams at Biggs, 5:30 p.m. Thursday’s matches Esparto at Los Molinos, 5:30 p.m. East Nicolaus at Biggs Hamilton at Portola, 5:30 p.m. Quincy at Williams