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ByAndreByik sports@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF A new approach at the plate and a step closer to the prize. That's where the top-seeded Red Bluff High School varsity baseball team stands in the Northern Section CIF Divi- sion II playoffs after it rolled through Paradise on Tuesday, ousting the No. 8 Bobcats 9-1 in a first-round game. "We've really been working on our approach at the plate," Spartans coach Ryland Sand- ers said. "In the past couple of weeks we weren't getting that hit we needed with run- ners in scoring position with two outs." Indeed, Red Bluff (24-7, 8-4 Eastern Athletic-Sac River League), which dropped its last three regular season games, displayed discipline at the plate against Paradise (10-17, 2-10 EA-SRL), totaling 13 hits and enjoying a two-out rally in the fourth inning that ex- tended a three-run lead to five. "After being flat the past couple of games, we really changed our approach," said Eric Schreter, Red Bluff's starting pitcher Tuesday. He added that that meant "with HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PLAYOFFS SpartansripBobcats enroutetosemifinals No.1seedRedBluffpreparesforsecond round vs. No. 4 Pleasant Valley on Friday DAILYNEWSPHOTOSBYANDREBYIK Red Bluff High School's Eric Schreter struck out 10batters Tuesday against visiting Paradise in the first round of the Northern Section CIF Division II baseball playoffs. The No. 1Spartans beat the Bobcats 9-1and face No. 4Pleasant Valley in a best-of-three semifinal matchup starting Friday at Red Bluff High School. By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA Al Horford snatched away an offensive rebound and dropped in the winning basket with 1.9 seconds left after Den- nis Schroder's drive to the basket was blocked by John Wall, giving the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks an 82-81 victory over the Wash- ington Wizards on Wednesday night and a 3-2 lead in the East- ern Conference semifinals. Paul Pierce, who made a buzzer-beating winner in Game 3, appeared to have doomed the Hawks again when his 3-pointer from the corner gave the Wiz- ards an 81-80 lead with 8.3 sec- onds left. Pierce taunted the Hawks bench and home crowd on his way back down the court before bowling over Wall, who was playing for the first time since Game 1 after fracturing several bones in his left hand. Wall didn't mind, throwing up his hands in celebration. But Atlanta had one more chance. NBA PLAYOFFS Horford's late follow gives Hawks a win Top-seeded Atlanta edges Washington to take 3-2 lead in Eastern Conference semifinals CURTIS COMPTON — ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford reacts a er hitting the game- winning shot to beat the Wizards 82-81during Game 5on Tuesday in Atlanta. HAWKS 82, WIZARDS 81 Up next: Atlanta leads series 3-2, Atlanta Hawks at Washing- ton Wizards, 4p.m. Friday, TV on ESPN. THESCORE RED BLUFF 9, PARADISE 1 Up next: Pleasant Valley at Red Bluff (2), 1p.m. Friday. THESCORE By John Hickey Bay Area News Group OAKLAND Starter Sonny Gray took the second-best ERA in the American League into his Wednesday start with the Red Sox, lowered it, and lost 2-0. Extrapolate that kind of frus- tration by 36 games and you have the Oakland A's season in com- posite — 10 games under .500 at 13-23, in last place in the A.L. West and desperate for answers. There were few answers avail- able for the A's after this one. An Oakland team with a .301 aver- age with runners in scoring posi- tion, second-best in the A.L., went hitless in 14 at-bats in that situa- tion when a hit anywhere along the line might have meant a win and a winning streak. "It was horrible offense," right fielder Josh Reddick said. He left two men on in the first and popped out after Marcus Semien's leadoff triple in the third. "When we get guys in scoring position, we've got to get them in." BASEBALL Gray gets no help as A's fall to Red Sox Oakland starter lowers his ERA, still gets beaten SUSAN TRIPP POLLARD—BAY AREA NEWS GROUP The Oakland Athletics' Billy Butler singles in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox. By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group HOUSTON Buster Posey's home run was a high, handsome drive that clanked off the toy train tracks at Minute Maid Park. By the time a fan in the left field seats had his mitts on the deflection, Posey was around first base and trotting the rest of the way home. How fitting. Posey soared his shot over the Crawford Boxes here, and tied Brandon Crawford for the team high with five home runs. That was an encouraging development for the San Fran- cisco Giants. You want your lead- ers to lead. Yet they operated at a 3-to-1 power deficit Wednesday night. Tim Hudson gave up leadoff hom- ers to Jason Castro in the fifth and Luis Valbuena in the sixth, then George Springer took Jeremy Af- feldt deep with a tiebreaking shot in the eighth as the Giants lost 4-3 to the Houston Astros. Crawford hit a leadoff double in BASEBALL Astros power past Giants as Springer hits big home run RED SOX 2, ATHLETICS 0 Up next: Chicago White Sox at Oakland Athletics, 7:05p.m. Fri- day, TV on CSN-CA. THESCORE ASTROS 4, GIANTS 3 Up next: San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds, 4:10p.m. Thurs- day, TV on CSN-BA, MLBN. THESCORE The Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing at least seven people, was hurtling at 106mph before it ran off the rails along a sharp curve where the speed limit is just 50mph, federal investigators said. AMTRAK Trainindeadlywreck was going over 100 mph FULL STORY ON PAGE B6 At first glance, nothing seems amiss at this lush, members- only golf club in Orange Coun- ty. But behind the scenes, California's epic drought is reshaping the course at El Niguel Country Club. DROUGHT Golf courses tee up water-saving measures FULL STORY ON PAGE B4 Red Bluff High's varsity base- ball team will host Pleasant Valley Friday in the semifinal round of the Northern Section CIF Division II playoffs. The Cards fell to Sutter 7-1in a first-round, D3game Tuesday. BASEBALL PLAYOFFS Red Bluff advances; Corning falls to Sutter Corning High's so ball team (21-10-3, 10-4Northern Athletic League) won a pair of road games Tuesday against Yreka, 4-2and 6-4. The Cards host Yreka at 4p.m. Friday to end their regular season. SOFTBALL Cards win 2 in Yreka, host finale on Friday SPARTANS PAGE 2 A'S PAGE 2 HAWKS PAGE 2 GIANTS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, May 14, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1