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Monday MLB— Home Run Derby, 5 p.m., ESPN Sports 1B Monday July 11, 2011 City of Champions Bulls win 1st district title in four years Red Bluff defends 12-year-old All-Star title Courtesy photo Courtesy photo Cody Fox takes a swing, Friday night. AMERICAN LEGION By RICHGREENE DN Sports Editor Red Bluff American Legion baseball coach Mike Weib- ling began the season by saying he believed his Bulls could mirror the 2010 San Francisco Giants. His premonition was a ragtag team full of vibrant charac- ters many of whom had to personally overcome something would by the end of the season gel together into a champi- onship unit. Weibling’s premonition was right. The Bulls looked nothing like their 8-19 record would have suggested, Friday, as they swept the Redding Rattlers in a best of 3-game series to claim the team’s first District 2 since 2007. Coincidently that team featured Weibling’s two assistant coaches — Scott Hogan and Andrew Lish. The Bulls powered past the Rattlers with a pair of strong pitching performances and a relentless offensive attack. The Bulls won the opener 8-4 behind Trevor Gipson’s powerful right arm. Gipson pitched eight innings, allowing just a single run and five hits. He struck out six and got stronger as the game progressed. His teammates gave him plenty to work with from the get-go as the Bulls batted around in the first inning, hanging four runs on the board. With one down, Marc Mason, Gipson, Austin Brownfield and Cody Fox hit consecutive singles. Shawn Greene then reached on an infield error and Trey Samons followed with an RBI single. With the bases loaded Caleb Johnson drew a walk to force home a fourth run. In the third inning, Samons singled to start another rally. He was driven home by a Johnson RBI double. Taylor Figgs moved Johnson to third with a sacrifice bunt and E.J. Stanton drove him in to make it 6-0. Gipson and Brownfield opened the fourth inning with back-to-back singles. Two batters later Greene knocked in Gipson. Samons would be hit by a pitch to load the bases and Brownfield eventually scored on a passed ball. The eight runs would be enough for Gipson, who was finally touched up by the Rattlers with a pair of doubles in the eighth inning to score Redding’s first run of the game. Austin Arbogast pitched the ninth inning. Red Bluff finished the Rattlers off in the night cap with a 12-1, seven-inning mercy-rule shortened win. Gerald Baker tossed six strong innings to pick up the win for the Bulls, who belted out 16 hits in the romp. Playing as the visiting team, Red Bluff grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Samons hit an RBI dou- ble to drive home Greene. Stanton followed with a single to left field that got through the Redding outfielder’s legs and and allowed Samons to score. Redding would pull a run back in the bottom of the sec- ond inning, but Baker was solid on the mound from there. The Bulls struck again in the fourth inning when Johnson led off with a single. He would score when a Mason fly out to right field was dropped. Gipson would then draw a walk and Eric Vidal was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Mason and a walk to Brownfield brought in another Bulls’ run. Fox was hit by a pitch to make it 5-1. The Bulls hammered out five more runs in the fifth inning. Again Johnson got things going, this time with a walk. He stole second base and scored when Samons ripped a double. Stanton beat out an infield single to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch would score Samons and then Gip- son drove in Stanton with a double. Gipson took third on a wild pitch and Vidal hit a sacrifice fly to drive him home. Brownfield singled, then the Rattlers botched a Figgs ground ball allowing Brownfield to score from first and Figgs to reach third. Stephen Jensen closed out the win, by pitching the sev- enth inning for the Bulls, who now travel to Arcata. Courtesy photo Red Bluff’s 11-year-old All-Star team beat East Redding 11-4, Friday night, to claim the District 1 title. The District 1 champions are (from top left): Coach Dave Nicholls, Ian Skejgstad, Mason Meadows. Jr., Colton Youngblood, Conner McKenzie, Coach Eric Hoskins, Ian Hoskins, Koleby Potter, Andre Avila, Coach J. B. Stacy, Shane Rhodes, Branden Mason, Drew Stacy, Nolan Stacy, Casey Moore and Justin Nicholls. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pablo Sandoval celebrated his first All-Star game selection by hitting an RBI dou- ble to extend his hitting Giants beat Mets in final game before break Beltre leads up to the cleanup spot for the Giants, who have won four of five to take a three- game lead ove r Ari- zona in the NL streak to 21 games and fellow All-Star Matt Cain pitched six score- less innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets on Sun- day night. Nate Schierholtz added four hits and an RBI after being moved West heading into the All-Star break. Cain (8-5) allowed five hits and three walks. Brian Wilson gave up an RBI double to Justin Turner in the ninth before recording his 26th save. Mike Pelfrey (5-8) took the loss. Texas past A’s ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Matt Harrison pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning, Adrian Beltre homered in his third consecutive game and the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with a 2-0 victory over the Oak- land Athletics on Sun- day. Harrison (7-7) struck The Red Bluff 11-and 12-year-old Little League All-Star team won their second consecutive District 1 title, Saturday, by defeating Corning 7-2. Red Bluff now heads to the Section 2 tour- nament in Eureka, beginning July 16. The District 1 champions are (from top left): Coach Gary Clawson, Manager Donnie Button, Blake Blocker, Kolby Button, Lane Pritchard, Wesley Claw- son, Nicholas Rodriguez, Coach Steve Ross, Coach Aaron Ross, Dimitre Kent, Deonte Antolin, Evan Tanner, Tanner Tweedt, Austin Youngblood, Michael Chapman, Taylor Chapman and Bode Parks. Red Bluff 11-year-olds also grab district title out seven and walked one in 7 2-3 innings, and Neftali Feliz com- pleted the shutout by working a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 22 chances. After Josh Hamilton drew a two-out walk in the sixth, Bel- tre lifted a 1-0 pitch from Trevor Cahill (8-7) into the seats in left- center for Beltre’s 19th of the season. Beltre and Hamilton are two of five Rangers on the AL All-Star team. Stricker wins Deere Classic for 3rd year SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Steve Strick- er sank a 25-foot putt from off the 18th green Sunday to win the John Deere Classic for the third straight year and put himself in one of golf’s most select groups. The putt capped a roller coaster afternoon for Stricker, who led by five strokes when he made the turn, fell behind rookie Kyle Stanley by two shots on the back nine, then birdied the final two holes to close with a 2-under 69. ‘‘It was an unbelievable week and an unbelievable finish,’’ Stricker said. ‘‘I still can’t believe I’m sitting here.’’ Stricker became just the 10th golfer since World War II to win a tournament three straight times. He finished at 22-under 262 to beat Stanley by one stroke. Matt McQuillan, who had missed the cut in his previous 10 tourna- ments, shot a 64 to tie Zach Johnson (65) for third at 17 under. Charles Howell III (64) and Chez Reavie (72) were another stroke back. Stanley kept the lead by salvaging par on 17 after sending his tee shot into a grove of trees, but he missed a 9-foot par putt on 18 to open the door for Stricker, who took advantage. Stricker had fallen two back with bogeys on 15 and 16 that seemingly ended his hopes of a threepeat. ‘‘I really did feel like the momen- tum was gone for a while,’’ he said. ‘‘Those holes kind of derailed me there.’’ But he regrouped quickly. Strick- er knocked in a 15-foot putt for birdie on 17 to cut Stanley’s lead to one stroke, then made what turned out to be a tournament-saving shot from a bunker on the left side of the fairway. Standing with his left foot in the bunker and his right foot on the lip, Stricker hit the ball solidly and left it on the fringe of the green behind the pin, drawing a huge roar from the crowd. The next roar was even louder. Using his putter, Stricker sent the ball toward the cup and watched it curl in from the left side. The 44- year-old from Madison, Wis., a crowd favorite at this tournament, backed away as the ball neared the hole, then raised his arms and pumped his fist to celebrate the moment. District 2 Tournament