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NHATV.MEYER—BAYAREANEWSGROUPFILE San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Chris Heston (53) throws against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Tuesday, Sept. 15. ByDonKetchum TheAssociatedPress SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. Pitching a no-hitter as a rookie can be a blessing and a curse. The feat can give you lots of confidence, yet some fans think you should do something similar in every start thereafter. TheSanFrancisco Giants'Chris Heston got a taste of stardom on June 9, 2015, when he became the 22nd rookie since 1900 to throw a no-hitter. That he did it in New York's Citi Field against the even- tual National League champion Mets made it more noteworthy. As in, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. It was part of a run that pro- duced an 11-5 record through July. But then Heston struggled, going 1-6 the rest of the way, which in- cluded a trip to the minor leagues. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound right- hander finished 12-11 with a 3.95 earned-run average in 31 starts. Now Heston is at spring camp at Scottsdale Stadium, trying to figure out where he fits in for Gi- ants manager Bruce Bochy. Since the team signed free agents Johnny Cueto and Jeff Sa- mardzija, Heston has the chance to take over the spot-starter/long reliever role held by Yusmeiro Pe- tit, now with Washington. "It's not going to be easy to re- place Petit," Bochy said Friday. "That spot could be the most com- petitive (in camp). If Chris is go- ing to have that job, it's going to be up to me to keep him sharp." Heston, who turns 28 on April 10, threw a bullpen session for the first time Friday. He said he lived in the Phoenix area over the win- ter "and got a handful of bullpens under my belt. I wanted to make sure I came in here prepared." "My role will work itself out," he added. "I'm just trying to work on my overall command and see where that takes me. Either way, I just want to pitch. If it is a start- ing role, so be it." Catcher Buster Posey has been a huge influence on him, Heston said. "He knows the game, is always studying the game. In so many ways, he is a guy that you trust. SPRING TRAINING Hestonlearnedfromno-hitter Threw hitless game against Mets as Giants rookie last season CHICO60,REDBLUFF57 Up next: Northern Section play- offs, to be announced Saturday. THESCORE Staff Reports CHICO The Red Bluff Lady Spar- tans basketball team was close to finishing a tough season with a win on the road Thursday night against the Chico Panthers, but came up just short, losing 60-57. The Spartans jumped out to a big lead, 26-10, in the first quar- ter and added to it in the second, going to halftime up 42-25. But the Panthers roared back in the second half, while shutting down the Spartans scoring. The Panthers put up 19 points in the third and 16 in the fourth quar- ter, while the Spartans only man- aged 15 for the entire half. Jesse Miller was hot from out- side the arc, sinking five 3-point- ers, had a double-double and led the Spartans with 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and four blocks. Kylee Kitchell had 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals; Maggie Winning had 11 points, two rebounds, an assist and five steals and Allyson Drury had nine points, three re- bounds, five assists and a block. GIRLS BASKETBALL Spartans close out season in setback By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Jason Kokrak sensed something special was about to happen, and he could point to his name atop the lead- erboard Friday in the Northern Trust Open. For so many others, Friday was something out of the ordinary. Jordan Spieth, the world's No. 1 player, made eight birdies and missed the cut by five shots. Charl Schwartzel made a double bogey and a triple bogey — the latter when a shot hit him in the hand — and still shot 68 to remain in contention. Padraig Harrington realized during the round he was wearing someone else's right shoe. Brendon de Jonge was pe- nalized four shots because he left a wedge in his bag that had been damaged the day before. Kokrak made birdie on all the par 5s at Riviera on his way to a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead over Chez Reavie (67) go- ing into the weekend. Kokrak has never won on the PGA Tour, though power can go a long way on this course under these condi- tions and he has plenty of it. "It's been a struggle to learn how to play this golf course," said PGA TOUR Kokrak takes lead at Riviera with 64 round By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. Her name is Amelia, and boy, can she fly. She'll be forever treasured by Dale Earnhardt Jr., even though he wants nothing more than to give her away Sunday. Amelia Earhart is the nick- name of the sleek and superfast Chevrolet that Earnhardt drove to three wins last season. The car never finished lower than third in five races, and Earn- hardt couldn't find a reason to keep her out of the upcoming Daytona 500. The decision was easy. In- stead of building a new car specifically for the "The Great American Race" — what most teams do every offseason — Earnhardt opted to give Amelia another shot at getting to vic- tory lane. She delivered Thurs- day night when Earnhardt won a 150-mile qualifying race to up her record to four wins in six starts over the last 13 months. "The car really does every- thing I ask it to do," Earnhardt said after his win. "When you have a car that you know can do the things that this car can do, you're willing to take those gambles and risks to pull out and pass. It's just a fun car to drive. Really special car." When Rick Hendrick leaned into the window after Earn- hardt's latest victory, the driver urged his team owner to keep track of Amelia and consider putting her on display in his museum. For now, he's just fine if he says goodbye to her Sunday. Daytona International Speed- way displays the winning car for a year, and teams gladly exchange them for the trophy. Earnhardt, a two-time 500 win- ner, decided chassis No. 88-872 needed a name when crew chief Greg Ives declined to retire the car. "The fact that we're going to keep running it, I said, 'We gotta name it,' and we were thinking of a woman who has accom- plished something that was an awesome person that was some- thing we could be proud of," Earnhardt said. "Amelia Earhart was the first thing that came to my mind. She must have been the most daring. She sort of fits that mold of the courage and de- termination that you need as a race car driver. She must have had that and more to be able to do the things she did in her life- time." So it's the car that gives Earn- hardt the confidence to make the moves he did Thursday night while winning for the 17th time at Daytona. The victory came on the 15th anniversary of his fa- ther's death. Although he day- dreamed about winning to honor his father, he really just didn't want to embarrass him- self with a poor showing. There was no chance of that happening as he dominated by leading 43 of the 60 laps Satur- day and passing Denny Ham- lin, winner of last week's exhi- bition race, with ease to claim the victory. Earnhardt dismissed that any special power got him past Hamlin with six laps remaining. Hamlin, who seemingly has one of the few cars that can contend with Amelia, said the pass didn't surprise him at all. "I've seen those moves a lot because I watch him a lot. You always are watching guys that are really successful at this kind of racing," Hamlin said. "I kind of knew what was going on, but when he's coming at such a fast pace from behind, you have to anticipate. It's almost like a free kick in soccer. It's like, 'OK, I committed to the right side and (he) kicked to the left."' So Earnhardt's intent and de- sire for Sunday are absolutely clear, and through one week of DAYTONA 500 JUNIOR HOPING TO ADD TO HIS LEGACY Earnhardt drove his Chevrolet nicknamed 'Amelia' to three wins during last season DAVID GRAHAM — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Crew members perform a pit stop on the car of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the first of two qualifying races Thursday for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. WILFREDO LEE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Dale Earnhardt Jr. prepares to climb into his car during practice Friday for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. DAYTONA 500 Sunday: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, 10a.m., TV on FOX. TUNEIN SPARTANS PAGE 2 HESTON PAGE 2 DAYTONA PAGE 2 GOLF PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, February 20, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1