Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/8510
Wednesday Baseball — Chico at Red Bluff, 1 p.m. Track — Corning, Yreka at Anderson, 3:30 p.m. Track —Mid-Valley League at Los Molinos, 2:30 p.m. Track — Red Bluff at Foothill, 3 p.m. Golf — Los Molinos at Oak Creek NBA — Kings at Timberwolves, 5 p.m., CSNCA Sports 1B Spartans still soaring By RICH GREENE DN Sports Editor Cody Gappa had a mon- strous day at the plate, Tuesday, and the Red Bluff Spartans took care of busi- ness in a 12-2 win against the overmatched Enterprise Hornets. The Spartans third base- man drove in four runs on a pair of triples and a high- light third-inning home run that carried over the fence in straight-away center. “It helps with confi- dence. It gets me seeing the ball better so I can carry it into the rest of the games,” Gappa said of what a big day at the plate can do for a slugger. The last place Hornets (1-11, 0-5) didn’t offer much of a challenge for Red Bluff other than avoid- ing a letdown following Friday’s showdown with Pleasant Valley — a win that left the Spartans buzzing about their chances moving forward. “We have a little bit of that left, but we had a good practice on Monday and we want to make sure that doesn’t get our heads too big,” Gappa said. Red Bluff went with a pitcher by committee on the mound, Tuesday. Stephen Jensen opened the game throwing the first two innings. He set the side down in order in the first and then allowed a homer to Kaleb Hogue to start the second. Zane Medeiros struck out two batters for a 1-2-3 third inning, behind a nice moving breaking pitch. Cliff Dais battled on the mound in the fourth to keep Enterprise off the board despite allowing some Hornets to reach base. Kyle Rodriguez got touched up for a pair of doubles in the fifth and Spartans softball The Lady Spartans pumped out 13 hits, Tues- day, and beat Enterprise 11- 1 on the road to improve to 2-0 in the Eastern Athletic League. Haley Harris went 3-for- 4 with a couple of doubles and a triple on her way to driving in two runs and scor- ing twice. Jerilynn Purcell had a 3- for-3 day at the plate and drove in two. Megan McColpin pitched all five innings and allowed just three hits. She also had a couple of hits her- self and scored twice. Bryce Etzler went 2-for-4 with a double, a RBI and a run scored. Krista Rodriguez drove in two runs and scored three times. Bailey Dagen drove in a run and Brittany Fletcher drove in a pair and scored a run. Warriors golf Daily News photo by Rich Greene Red Bluff catcher Austin Brownfield sacrifices his body to reel in a high throw to home. allowed the second Enter- prise run. It didn’t matter, as there was enough offense to spare Red Bluff opened things up with a four-spot in the first inning. Derek Jones walked, then EJ Stanton reached on an infield error and Gappa drove them both in with his first triple of the game. Gerald Baker drove in Gappa on an RBI ground- out. Jordan Fox beat out a throw to reach on an infield single and worked his way around the bases on a bad pickoff attempt, a ground ball out and finally scored on a passed ball. Gappa opened up the third inning with his thun- derous blast to center field and the Spartans added two more runs when Scott Avery hit an RBI ground- out to drive in Baker and Cliff Dais tripled in Fox. The Spartans tacked on three more in the fourth inning, behind RBI triples from Gappa and Fox and a ball off of Scott Avery’s bat that found a spot in between three defenders in center field. Dante Garaventa and Trevor Miller reached to open the fifth inning and Enterprise finally switched pitchers. But it only took one pitch from the new hurler, before Jones blasted a two- run RBI triple to put the Spartans up 10 runs and halt the game with the mercy rule. It was the first of a three-game in three-day stretch for the Spartans, who then head off on a Spring Break road trip to the 41st Annual Alhambra Eastern Classic. The packed schedule seemingly couldn’t have come at a better time. “We’re pumped. We love playing games and we’re performing real well now,” Fox said. American League preview Status quo in East, Central, but West full of change JANIE McCAULEY AP Baseball Writer Everybody knows it's status quo in the AL East: Yankees and Red Sox, with the Rays hoping they can reprise their run from two years ago. The Central also features the regu- lar figures — Detroit, Minnesota and the Chicago White Sox — fighting for the divi- sion. It's the AL West that has a whole new look. The West is hands down the most changed division in baseball with all kinds of switcheroos for 2010. Seattle reloaded and is trying to contend for its first playoff berth since Ichiro Suzuki's sensational rookie season of 2001, when the Mariners won an AL-record 116 games. Texas plans to be right in the mix, too. "I think that the AL West is going to beat up on itself," Rangers team president Nolan Ryan said. Speedster Chone Figgins left the three- time champion Los Angeles Angels for Seattle. Slugger Vladimir Guerrero departed the Angels for Texas. The Oak- land Athletics took a big risk and signed $10 million ace Ben Sheets after he didn't pitch last year, plus they added Coco Crisp in center field. The A's also have two-time All-Star Justin Duchscherer, who didn't pitch in '09. World Series MVP Hideki Matsui has brought a Japanese fol- lowing, and the large media contingent that comes with it, to the Angels. Teammate Torii Hunter calls Mat- sui "one of the quietest clutch hitters in the game." "The West always has been the division nobody pays attention to because they are in the West," said White Sox infielder Omar Vizquel, who played last season for Texas and began his career in Seattle 21 years ago. "But I think this year they are going to have a little bit more hype because of all the changes that have been happening. It's going to be fun to see different teams like Texas and the Angels with new players. But I think it's still going to be the same: The Angels are still the team beat." Everybody agrees. "We all know about the Angels. They have the crown and we have to take it," Rangers manager Ron Wash- ington said. In the Central, the Twins have lots to cel- ebrate before opening day even arrives. They just locked up star catcher Joe Mauer on a $184 million, eight- year contract, perfect timing as the team christens its new open- air ballpark. Tampa Bay manag- er Joe Maddon was thrilled to see Mauer stay put in the Central with the Twins and not join the mighty Yan- kees or Red Sox. "We cannot afford that. For us and Toron- to and Baltimore, we really appreciate that," he said. New York won 103 games last season on the way to its first World Series title since 2000 — and the wild- card Red Sox had the AL's third-most victo- ries at 95, behind the Angels' 97. The big-spending Yankees would like nothing more than to repeat. "We know that it's probably the best divi- sion in baseball," said ace CC Sabathia, beginning his second season in the Bronx. "We've got our work cut out for us but we've got the guys in here that can get the job done." The Angels feel the same way and hope they can get back to the World Series after win- ning it all as a wild- card team in 2002. They did lose ace John Led by sophomore Este- ban Rodriguez the Mercy golf team is off to a strong start in 2010 despite battling some severe weather At their first Tri-Cities match of the season, Rodriguez shot an 84 to claim medalist honors at the Golf Club of Tierra Oaks on March 23. It was a day after, Rodriguez shot a 76 despite 40 mph gusts of winds at Oak Creek to take medalists honors against Los Molinos. Ryan Ward shot an 89 to tie Los Molinos golfer Will Matheus for second place honors. The Warriors opened their season March 8 at Bid- well Park and played through rain and even hail. Rodriguez and Ward shot a 75 in the scramble-alter- nate shot format to place fourth. With better weather for their match at Arbuckle on March 11, Rodriguez and Ward finished 1-2 and Mercy defeated Williams. Wyatt Froome shot a 50 for nine-holes, Mark Eachus and Morgan Wendlandt shot 55 each and Jarrett Gash a 58. On March 17, Rodriguez shot a 76 at Adams Springs to medal and Ward and Froome were right behind with an 89 and 90. Pacers beat Kings 102-95 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Granger scored 25 of his 33 points in the sec- ond half, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 102-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night for their eighth straight home win. Troy Murphy added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Roy Hibbert and Earl Wat- son each scored 10 for the Pacers, who have won six of seven to improve to 28-47. They had their five-game winning streak snapped at Atlanta on Sunday. MNG photo Rajai Davis and the A’s hope to join the AL West race. Lackey, who's now with the Red Sox. By now, Angels manager Mike Scios- cia is accustomed to being the target every- body's chasing. So he's not surprised by the moves of the other AL West organizations. "You assume every- body's going to play hard and try to beat you, whoever you're playing," he said. "I don't look at it as any- See AL, page 2B Jason Thompson and Beno Udrih each had 18 points, and Carl Landry fin- ished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento (24-51), which has lost five straight. Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans, who missed the previous five games due to a concus- sion, had 17 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. The Pacers pushed a three-point lead to 77-70 on Granger’s two baskets to begin the fourth quarter. Sacramento cut the deficit back to three, but consecu- tive 3-pointers by Granger and Murphy extended the advantage to 85-76. Follow- See KINGS, page 2B Wednesday March 31, 2010 Tehama Tracker