John Hull's Elk Grove Sports Corner

EG Beats PG, 5-0, To Advance To D-I North Championship

2013-05-21T22:26:00.002-07:00

Elk Grove has ridden the back of ace pitcher David Smith all the way to the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division I North baseball championship game.

The senior righthander has appeared in all four of the Herd’s playoff games, winning three of them. Two of those wins came in relief.

Tuesday night was Smith’s most impressive outing thus far as he got the starting nod against Delta River League champion Pleasant Grove in the North Division I semi-final game at Sacramento City College.

EGHS pitcher Dave Smith, who picked up third playoff
win with complete game shutout Tuesday.

Smith gave the Eagles a textbook lesson in pitching by throwing a complete-game four-hit shutout and Elk Grove defeated Pleasant Grove, 5-0. Smith had a season-high 13 strikeouts, walked no one, but did hit three batters. None of the Eagles reached third base.

In a bit of revenge for a stinging 11-1 loss to the Eagles and lefthander Josh Adams in the Northern California championship of the Boras Baseball Classic in March, Elk Grove this time took advantage of a pair of key errors in scoring three runs in the first inning and two more in the third.

Just like Elk Grove did in the loss to the Eagles in March, Pleasant Grove committed five errors Tuesday night.

All of the Herd runs came with two out. In the first frame, Dom Nunez reached first on a throwing error by Pleasant Grove shortstop Bronson Grubbs. Rowdy Tellez then chopped a ball into the dirt in front of the plate, but Eagle catcher Nico Toni misplayed it and the Herd had runners on first and second.

After Derek Hill walked, Mikey Wright lined a ball to deep right. Eagle outfielder Nick Doyich seemed to get his legs tangled as he backpedaled, lost his footing and the ball ticked off his glove. The bases cleared and Wright ended up on third with what was ruled as a triple.

In the third inning Tellez’ fly ball to center was dropped. Hill followed with a sharp ground ball that Eagle third baseman Matthew Stafford tried to backhand but whiffed. That put runners at second and third. Wright then delivered again, this time with a single to center to drive in both Elk Grove runners.

Herd's Mikey Wright, 5 RBI's Tuesday, likely
starter in Friday's championship game

Wright ended up driving in all five Herd runs Tuesday.

Elk Grove threatened to score more that inning by loading the bases with one out so Eagle coach Rob Rinaldi went to the bullpen and replaced Adams with Andrew Cisneros. He got Nick Madrigal to hit into an inning-ending double play.

After Smith retired the first ten Pleasant Grove batters in a row, Adams and Toni hit back-to-back singles in the fourth inning, but Smith coaxed Beau Boyle into an infield pop-up and struck out Austin Friello to end the threat.

The Eagles tried again to get on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. Grubbs and Adams were both hit by Smith pitches to open that frame, but Toni flew out to right field and both Boyle and Friello struck out to end the inning.

The loss means that the Eagles now must play Franklin, 12-3 winners over Davis Monday, on Thursday night at Union Stadium. The winner will play Elk Grove Friday at 4 p.m. If that team beats the Herd, a second game in the double-elimination tournament will follow at 7 p.m.

It is likely Wright will start for Elk Grove in Friday's first game.

The last time Elk Grove was in the North Division I championship game was in 2010. That year, coming out of the losers’ bracket, the Herd beat Jesuit, 4-1 and 11-0, to win the North.

With a team that featured J.D. Davis (Fullerton State), Jake Rodriguez (Oregon State), Will Soto (Sacramento State) and Colby Brenner (Long Beach State), Elk Grove went on to the championship series but dropped two in a row to St. Mary’s of Stockton. Nunez and Tellez were both freshmen on that club.

St. Mary’s has won the last three Division I baseball championships. A year ago they defeated Franklin in two games.

The last Section championship won by Elk Grove was in 2007.

Franklin Scores Seven Times in 7th, Beats Davis

2013-05-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

In the Division I North Sac-Joaquin Section championship's losers' bracket, Franklin used a seven-run seventh inning to defeat Delta Valley Conference champion Davis, 12-3.

The loss ends the season for the Blue Devils while the Wildcats, after beating Davis for the first time in four games this year, will advance to Thursday night where they will take on the loser of Pleasant Grove and Elk Grove. That winners' bracket game will be played at City College Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Nick Frei drilled a solo homer to give Franklin the lead for good at 5-3 in the sixth inning.

Congrats to the Wildcat soccer team for winning the SJS D-1 championship with a 4-3 shootout on Saturday over Davis!!

In Div.1 South action Monday, Turlock stayed alive by eliminating Buhach Colony, 5-4, on a suicide squeeze bunt with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

In the South winners' bracket, Pitman scored early then St. Mary's rallied to take a 8-6 win. This means Pitman will face Turlock Tuesday in the losers' bracket. The winner will then take on the Rams Wednesday for the South Section championship.

The Rams are the three-time defending SJS D-1 champions and have played in five of the last six SJS baseball championships.

In Div. 6 baseball, Bradshaw qualified for the championship best-two-out-of-three series by beating Ripon Christian, 7-0.

Div I Softball -

Vintage High School came into the post-season with a very rare undefeated record. That all ended Monday night when Pleasant Grove defeated the Crushers, 3-1. Catcher Amber Murray had a first-inning home run and then drove in another run with a single in the fifth inning.

The Crushers came back later Monday to defeat Tracy, 8-0.

Rocklin rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat Elk Grove, 4-3, in the winners' bracket of the Division I softball tournament at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

That means the Eagles take on the Thunder in the section semi-finals Tuesday night.

Late Monday, Elk Grove remained alive by one-hitting Enochs, 8-0. They will face Vintage Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a losers' bracket game.

Worth Listening To -

Joe Davidson and Mike Finnerty interviewed Section Commissioner Pete Saco Saturday morning on the "Surewest Sports Radio Show" on ESPN 1320. It was a great interview and worth listening to because Saco talked about the realistic possibility that the CIF may in a couple years start limiting the length of practice time for each sport.

He's concerned about the number of student athletes playing club sports on top of the high school team sports and thinks it's beginning to burn out some kids and adds to the number of injuries.

C.Oaks Girls Win 3rd Straight D-IV Track Title

2013-05-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

Cosumnes Oaks High School’s girls’ track and field team needed only eight athletes, two of them seniors, to win the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division IV championship for the third year in a row.

Once again it came down to the 4X400 meter relay for the Wolfpack to claim the team title with 74 points. Vista del Lago was second at 70 points while Oakdale was a distant third with 57 points.

The event was held at Sierra High School last Thursday.

The Cosumnes Oaks H.S. Girls' Track team

The Wolfpack team of Natsumi McGee, Fiyin Olusola, Amor Howard and Lexi Becker finished third in the event, about a second behind Vista del Lago’s team, but the six points earned was enough to outdistance their Sierra Valley Conference rival for the Section banner.

The star for the Wolfpack was McGee who picked up wins in the 100 and 200 meters and was a part of the first-place 4X100 meters relay team. She’ll compete this week in the Section Masters’ Track and Field Championship in four events.

The meet will take place Thursday and Friday at Elk Grove High School.

According to Cosumnes Oaks’ track coach Jeff Adams, McGee’s time of 12.34 seconds in the 100 meters will seed her number one overall.

At the Section Masters, the top qualifiers of all divisions compete for the right to advance to the California State Track and Field Meet, May 31 and June 1, at Buchanan High School.

Another member of the Wolfpack relay teams, Olusola, won the 100 meter hurdles with a season best of 15.09 seconds and was second in the 300 meter hurdles, again with a season-best of 46.77 seconds.

In the field events, Cosumnes Oaks was led by Mishaye Venerable who was first in the long jump (17 ft., 1.25 in.).

Tais Marinho-Gomez added a second place finish in the triple jump (36 ft. 2 in.) to round out the team scoring.

There will be quite a number of other local athletes competing this week at the Section Masters, thanks to several good performances last Friday at the Division I meet held at Elk Grove High School.

Franklin's Chinyere Dike was first in the girls' 100 meters with a time of 12.47 seconds. Dike led the 4x100 meters relay team to a first place finish in that event. She was joined by Ifunanya Ezimora, Cecily Montanez and Desiree Winters.

Kamaya Tucker of Laguna Creek won the 200 meters in a time of 25.16 seconds. Dike was third in that event.

The host Herd team qualified its 4x100 meters boys’ relay team as Division I the team of Aiden Tank, Nicholas Bohamera, Armando Martinez and Brandon Bloodworth broke the school record with a mark of 42.47 seconds.

“We just worked out butts off,” Martinez said. “We didn’t have things go our way all the time this year. The way our team battled back this year was amazing.”

That performance was the third-fasted time in the 4x100 meters at Friday’s finals.

“Everything is starting to go our way now and to do this is quite an accomplishment,” Bohamera added.

Martinez came back later to place third in the 400 meters. Sheldon's Cameron Stone was second in that event while Jahmar Sexton of Monterey Trail finished seventh.

Ciara Levy of Monterey Trail was second in the girls' 100-meter hurdles and third in the 300 meter hurdles.

Monterey Trail's 4x100 meters relay team placed third and Sheldon was seventh.

In the 4x400 meters relay, Sheldon’s team of Steven Edwards, Taron Johnson, Drew Lang and Cameron Stone was first with a time of 3:20.75.

In the girls’ 4x400, Elk Grove’s team qualified for the Masters by finishing seventh.

Elk Grove’s Jack Ploeg was fifth in the 1600 meters and 10^th in the 800 meters to qualify for the Masters in both races.

In the 3200 meters, Sheldon’s Xavier Gaulman was eighth.

In the field events, Elk Grove's Jaime Cruz was ninth in the shot put. Richard Cooper of Pleasant Grove was second in the long jump and Monterey Trail's Roman Geiger was third.

Davis Hallberg of Elk Grove was second in the pole vault with a leap of 14 ft., 7 in.

Tiara Webb of Monterey Trail placed third in the girls' long jump.

The St. Francis girls and Jesuit boys was the Division I team championships. The Troubadours scored 77 points, one point better than Vacaville. Jesuit finished five points ahead of Granite Bay and Davis which tied for second in the boys’ competition.

Franklin’s girls were sixth overall while Sheldon’s boys finished seventh in team points.

Mico, Tellez, Smith Lead EG To Win Over Franklin

2013-05-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

DJ Mico has been a very typical role player for the Elk Grove Thundering Herd. He usually bats eighth or ninth in the lineup, is generally the first guy out of the dugout at the beginning of each inning to take his place in left field, the position he plays the most.

With a very talented group of baseball players new to the varsity squad this year, Mico, a senior, has seen the bench more than he probably likes, but he hasn’t complained.

“I’m not worrying about that this year,” he said. “I’m doing what I can to help the team win a championship right now.”

But, thus far in the playoffs, Herd head coach Jeff Carlson has started Mico in left and he’s delivered. Mico’s two-RBI triple in the fourth inning Saturday gave Elk Grove a 5-4 lead as the Herd came from behind to defeat crosstown rival Franklin, 9-6, in a game played at Sacramento City College.

“I got the opportunity to go out here and swing the bat,” Mico said. “It was a great experience.”

The win put Elk Grove into Tuesday’s semi-finals of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division I North playoffs. All games are played at Union Stadium on the SCC campus.

Mico also drove in another run with a sacrifice flyball in the fifth inning giving Elk Grove some much needed hit support from the bottom part of the lineup.

Meanwhile the top of the Herd lineup continued its fierce hitting as Rowdy Tellez pounded his second home run in as many post-season games to lead off the fifth inning. Plus, he drove in an insurance run in the sixth inning on a single.

Dom Nunez had an RBI triple in the first inning. Mikey Wright also drove in a pair of runs.

For the third straight playoff game, Dave Smith came out of the bullpen. He picked up the win Saturday by retiring the first ten batters he faced after relieving starter Ty Madrigal with one out in the third inning.

At the time Elk Grove trailed, 4-3, and Franklin was threatening to add more.

Franklin had scored three runs in the first inning and added a fourth run in the second inning, but pitchers Trent Spallas and Cameron Keup couldn’t stop the Elk Grove bats.

The loss meant Franklin has to face the loser of Pleasant Grove and Davis, the late Saturday game at City College, on Monday night in the losers’ bracket.

Inspirational Runner Leads EGHS To Strong D-I Track Showing

2013-05-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

Jack Ploeg may only be a sophomore, but the Elk Grove High School runner is one of the Sac-Joaquin Section's top performers in the 800 meters and the 1600 meters. On Friday night at the Section's Division I Track and Field Championships, Ploeg finished fifth in the 1600 and 10th in the 800, both good enough to place him into next week's Section Masters event.

Ploeg is an inspiration to his teammates, even his opponents. He's autistic. Yet through the leadership of his mother Jessie, Jack has overcome his disability to become a quality student in the classroom and on the track oval.

In between the finals in both of his events, I talked with Jack.

Other highlights from the Division I meet, held Friday at EGHS:

The Herd 4x100 relay team of Aiden Tank, Nicholas Bohamera, Armando Martinez and Brandon Bloodworth broke the school record with a mark of 42.47 seconds. That was good for third at the D-I meet.

EGHS' 4x100 meters relay team (L to R): Nicholas
Bohamera, Brandon Bloodworth, Armando Martinez
and Aiden Tank

Martinez came back later to place third in the 400 meters. Sheldon's Cameron Stone was second.

Ciara Levy of Monterey Trail was second in the girls' 100 meter hurdles.

Franklin's Chinyere Dike was first in the girls' 100 meters with a time of 12.47 seconds. Dike led the 4x100 meter relay team to a first place finish in that event. She was joined by Ifunanya Ezimora, Cecily Montanez and Desiree Winters.

Monterey Trail's 4x100 meter relay team placed third and Sheldon was seventh.

Kamaya Tucker of Laguna Creek won the 200 meters in a time of 25.16 seconds. Dike was third in that event.

In the field events, Elk Grove's Jaime Cruz was ninth in the shot put. Richard Cooper of Pleasant Grove was second in the long jump and Monterey Trail's Roman Geiger was third. Tiara Webb of Monterey Trail placed third in the girls' long jump.

Blog Notebook

2013-05-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

I got quite a smattering of things, so here we go ....

Remember Emily Caruthers? She was a part of the 2009 Pleasant Grove softball team that won the Sac-Joaquin Section championship in an upset win over Jolene Henderson/Danielle Henderson/Lindsey Ziegenhirt's Sheldon Huskies.

I got this video above sent to me by her father, Stephen, of Emily with a bunt single. She was just named First Team All-Ivy League this week. She's playing her college softball for Columbia.

"I am most proud of her hard work at school and (she is) now fluent in Chinese," he wrote in an email.

Emily, who batted .344 and stole 17 bases, a school record, this season, is planning on spending her summer in China on a special internship. Caruthers has just completed her junior year at Columbia where she is majoring in economics.

Whitham Named H.S. All-American in Lacrosse

Harley Whitham, a junior at Franklin High School, was named a high school All-American as a lacrosse goalie. Below is a video of Whitham in action, playing for his local lacrosse team, the Elk Grove Gladiators.

This season the Gladiators were 16-3 and made it to the NorCal semifinals. Named to the all-NCJLA team, besides Whitham, were Billy Huss, Nicholas Spencer and Lane Kiracofe.

Gill Commits To Oregon

Pleasant Grove sophomore Sumeet Gill has verbally committed to play her college volleyball at Oregon.

"She received multiple offers from other universities and finally she decided to play for Oregon after visiting their campus and meeting with coaches and existing team players," Sumeet's father, Gulinder, wrote in an email.

On the Eagles' team last fall, the younger Gill was a middle blocker and hitter.

Pleasant Grove was 19-16 last season and finished fourth in the Delta River League with a 4-6 record.

It's not too often I report on volleyball, so when I hear something from a coach or parent, I like to stick the info in here. Like just about all the other team sports, college coaches are recruiting kids at younger and younger ages.

Ploeg To Lead EGHS Track Into D-I Finals Friday

The finals of the Sac-Joaquin Section's Division I Track and Field meet will be Friday at Elk Grove High School. One of the top local runners is Elk Grove's Jack Ploeg. In Wednesday's preliminaries he had the fourth best time in the 1600 meters and was in the top ten in the 800 meters. He's also a member of the Herd's 4X400 meter relay team.

What is amazing about Ploeg is that he is autistic and yet is competing at a very high level.

I talked with his mother Jessie Thursday and will be interviewing Jack for the Citizen. Be looking for that story.

The Monterey Trail girls are the defending Div-I champions in track and have quite a few girls in Friday's finals including Ciara Levy.

Jesuit, Davis and St. Francis are the early team favorites for this year's D-I championships.

The field events start at 3 p.m. with the track events beginning at 6 p.m. at Elk Grove-Laguna Creek Stadium. The top 12 in each event will advance to the Section Masters Track and Field Championships. That will be next Thursday and Friday also at EGHS.

Jesuit Wins Section Masters' Golf Title

Jesuit's golf squad easily ran away with the Section Masters' Golf Championship Monday with a team score of 367, 18 strokes better than second place Oak Ridge.

Shooting a 79 for the Marauders at The Reserve at Spanos Park was John Burke. He was one of the pitchers on Laguna Youth Baseball's 10-year-old Cal Ripken World Series championship team in 2007.

His teammates that summer included Hank LoForte of Franklin High School, Nick and Ty Madrigal and Carlos Moseley of Elk Grove High School.

Jesuit, Oak Ridge and Del Oro will next play in the NorCal Championships next Monday in Patterson.

Other Events .....

- Franklin's soccer team will take on Davis for the Section's Division I championship Saturday at 4 p.m. at Cosumnes Oaks High School. The Wildcats were runner-ups last season.

Interesting note: there has never been an EGUSD soccer team win a Section title. The Wildcats' second place finish last year was a first for our local schools.

- The Section softball championships get into full swing this weekend with Divisions I and II playing at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

The games we'll be watching Saturday are Pleasant Grove vs. St. Mary's, 9 a.m., West vs. Sheldon, 11 a.m. and Elk Grove vs. Vacaville, noon. The first round games at single elimination. The winners will play a second game later that afternoon to begin the double-elimination portion of the tournament.

- The Cal Bears open the trek to the Women's College World Series Friday with a game in Ann Arbor, Mich., against Central Michigan. If they win they'll next take on the winner of Michigan and Valparaiso on Saturday.

It's the last hurrah for Cal seniors Jolene Henderson and Lindsey Ziegenhirt. They want to make the WCWS for the third time.

Lindsey in planning on returning to Sacramento this summer to start her Masters' studies and will help Mary Jo Truesdale next spring with the Huskies' softball program.

- I will be at the Elk Grove vs. Franklin baseball playoff game at noon Saturday at City College. The Wildcats will go with senior Trent Spallas on the mound. Coach Jeff Carlson has not officially announced his starter and I have no idea who that might be.

As a P.S. to Wednesday's 8-5, 8-inning win over Woodcreek, many of us in the press box were saying the game was a real championship caliber contest. You could not find a more exciting baseball anywhere.

Saturday begins the double-elimination portion of the D-I championships.

EG Wins 8-Inning Thriller, Franklin Upsets O.R.

2013-05-16T06:03:00.001-07:00

A pair of EGUSD baseball teams won key first round games Wednesday night to advance to Saturday where the Delta Valley Conference rivals will face off against each other in the Sac-Joaquin Section's Division I North playoffs.

In the opener at Sacramento City College's Union Stadium, Elk Grove eliminated defending Division II champion Woodcreek, 8-5, in an eight-inning thriller.

Franklin upset Delta River League co-champion Oak Ridge, 4-1, in the nightcap behind Connor Adams' complete game seven-hitter.

In winning its second consecutive single-elimination playoff game, the Herd beat Oregon-bound right hander Stephen Nogosek on Rowdy Tellez' RBI single in the top of the eighth inning which scored Carlos Moseley. Two batters later Dave Smith drove in Dom Nunez on a sacrifice fly. The relay throw from left field went past the third baseman and into the Elk Grove dugout which allowed Tellez to also score on the play for Elk Grove's third run of the inning.

Smith, who came on in relief for the second straight game, picked up the win by pitching the final two-and-two-thirds innings.

(Listen to my post-game interviews with Wright and Smith)

Tellez was three-for-three at the plate including a first-inning moon shot to give Elk Grove an early 2-0 lead.

Woodcreek was down 5-3 going into the sixth inning, but tied up the game when Herd starter Mikey Wright walked one and hit the next batter. Nogosek and Cy Hines each followed with an RBI single to tie the game. Smith came out of the bullpen to get Timberwolves' starting pitcher Tyler Milani to hit into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.

The game got real intense in the bottom of the seventh inning when Woodcreek's Alex Montes opened with a line drive to deep left-centerfield. Herd outfielders Peyton Wheatley and Derek Hill collided trying to field the ball and Montes was safe at second.

Dylan Spieza then popped up a ball in foul territory. First baseman Tellez caught the ball in front of the Woodcreek dugout and his momentum took him out of play. That allowed Spieza to advance to third.

With the winning run 90 feet away and one out, Smith then struck Dylan Bell with a big curveball for called strike three. After walking George Corp, Smith battled for 12 pitches against Hank Pankratz. Pankratz at one stage fouled off five consecutive two-strike offerings from Smith. He finally grounded out to Herd shortstop Nick Madrigal to end the threat.

With the win, it put Elk Grove into the second round of the playoffs against Franklin, the third seed from the DVC and the defending North Division I champions. The game will be at Union Stadium at noon Saturday.

Franklin battered around Oak Ridge ace Austin Root for 11 hits, three each by Hank LoForte and Tyler Blake. Blake had a solo homer in the fifth inning, his fourth in as many games.

Notes --

The Trojans entered the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak. Tonight the other DRL co-champion Pleasant Grove will open the post-season in a game with Vacaville, the Monticello Empire League winners.

Blake went with a smaller bat the last three game and has pounded the ball. He said it's a bit shorter and he grips it with his little finger off the bat.

Franklin head coach Bryan Kilby called Adams "a real bulldog" after his complete game win. He's very pleased with the way the Wildcats are now hitting the ball. They lost all three games this season to Elk Grove.

[Listen to my post-game interview with Bryan Kilby]

Nogosek, who came on in relief for Woodcreek in the sixth inning, was impressive by striking out five Elk Grove batters, yet he also walked four. Scouts sitting in front of the press box regularly clocked his fastball on their jugs guns between 91 and 93 mph.

Smith remarked afterwards he hasn't faced anyone who could throw the ball that hard. He admitted he was a bit lucky to drive the ball to left field as well as he did to drive in the two insurance runs in Elk Grove's eighth inning.

The other game tonight at SCC will pit Jesuit against Davis, the DVC champion.

Elk Grove Holds Off Vintage

2013-05-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

Ty Madrigal wasn’t feeling very good Monday. But the Elk Grove sophomore pitcher knew he needed to answer Coach Jeff Carlson’s call to start in the Herd’s biggest game thus far this season.

“He did a good job of keeping us in the game, despite feeling a little under the weather today,” Carlson said.

What Madrigal did was hold a scrappy Vintage High School team at bay for four innings to allow Elk Grove, the second seed from the Delta Valley Conference, to jump out to a 7-1 lead and then hold on for a 9-6 win over the Crushers to open the Division I North Sac-Joaquin Section baseball tournament at Wackman Field.

“After watching him last week I felt as though he gave us a good match-up,” Carlson said. “(Madrigal) did a good job holding their guys on because they run well on the base paths.”

Elk Grove pitcher Ty Madrigal

After pitching a rocky fourth inning that included a pair of Elk Grove errors, four Vintage runs and three hits, Madrigal went to the bench and started throwing up, still feeling the affects of the flu. Carlson went the final three innings with staff ace David Smith to put a lid on the Crushers.

Smith gave up a run on three hits, struck out one and walked three in his relief appearance.

The big bats of the Herd kept knocking the Crushers’ pitchers around, getting 13 hits. Senior Dom Nunez, in his final game at Wackman Field, was three-for-four with a pair of RBI’s.

“I just played the game hard and tried to get as dirty as possible,” he grinned, wearing a layer of infield dirt soiled on his jersey.

Designated hitter Landon Gastelum and shortstop Nick Madrigal each had a pair of singles while Derek Hill had an two-RBI triple in in the third inning, plus an RBI single in the first frame.

The Crushers, who scored one in the first inning, drew within two at 7-5 in the fourth and could have gotten closer, but Dahlen Bernere was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base on Jared Lemke’s single. A nifty Rowdy Tellez-to-Dylan Carlson-to-Nunez relay beat Bernere to home.

The Herd now faces Sierra Foothill League champion Woodcreek Monday at 4 p.m. at Sacramento City College. That game will also be a single-elimination contest. From that point on, the Section playoffs will be a double-elimination affair.

The game was one of four single-elimination, “play-in” games that were staged Monday in the newly-expanded 12-team Division I bracket.

In the other contests, DVC No.3 seed Franklin rolled over Rodriguez, 13-0, as Tyler Blake and Hank LoForte each had home runs. Pleasant Grove defeated Rocklin, 2-1, and Jesuit beat Granite Bay, 11-5.

The Second Season Starts Today

2013-05-13T08:02:00.001-07:00

The baseball post-season gets underway this afternoon with several single-elimination "play-in" games around the area. I'll be tweeting updates from Vintage vs. Elk Grove this afternoon.

There's a couple good stories worth reading. Joe Davidson wrote a good story this morning about Elk Grove's senior duo of Rowdy Tellez and Dom Nunez. The pair have been close to a Section championship a couple times in their previous three years at EGHS. They'd like to go out on top.

Matt Barrows has a note on former Herd offensive tackle and current 49er Kenny Wiggins. He's been on the practice roster the last couple seasons. He's hoping for a full roster spot this fall in San Francisco.

Softball playoffs get started tomorrow around the area. More on those games tomorrow.

On the collegiate side, congrats to the Cal Bears for being selected to participate in the Michigan regional this week in Ann Arbor. Besides the host Wolverines, the Bears will also see Valapraiso and Central Michigan in this regional.

Henderson Back But Cal Loses

2013-05-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

Seattle, Wash. - Cal senior Jolene Henderson entered the pitching circle Thursday for the first time since April 21, taking the loss in a 7-4 defeat against Washington. She gave up one run in her one inning of work.

Henderson (29-8) injured her knee on a routine play in the infield in a 2-1 loss to Oregon State and had been held out of action. In that stretch with a pair of freshman pitchers, Cal went 0-8.

Henderson entered Friday’s game with the Huskies for five innings, making her presence felt by allowing only two hits, a run and a walk while fanning five before the game was sent into extra innings. Cal ended up losing 9-8 in nine innings, its ninth loss in a row.

Cal's Jolene Henderson

Going into Saturday’s regular season finale, the Bears are 35-17, 9-14 in the Pac-12, yet with a chance to qualify for the NCAA Women’s Softball Championships. The latest USA Today/ESPN poll has the Golden Bears ranked 20^th in the nation.

Earlier in the week it was announced that Henderson, a Sheldon High School graduate, is one of the ten finalists for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She broke the record for all-time wins earlier this season and now stands at 127 career victories. Henderson has a 1.21 ERA this year. Tack on to that a .248 batting average with seven home runs and 19 RBI.

Gray Earns All-Atlantic 10 Honor

Former Elk Grove High School pitcher Carlee Gray was picked to the Atlantic 10’s All-Rookie team earlier this week.

Carlee Gray, on the left

The George Washington University freshman has started every game at first base and has been a force in the heart of the Colonials' lineup in her rookie campaign. She is batting .328 with 45 hits, nine doubles and 28 RBIs, and has reached base at a .410 clip. She ranks second on the team in doubles and third in batting average, hits and RBIs.

Gray has committed only four errors in 311 chances this season.

Sullivan Named To Jr. Olympic Team

Pleasant Grove High School freshman Erika Sullivan was selected to the USA Jr. Olympic volleyball team last week. She’ll play for the USA squad in Dallas, Tex., in July.

Sullivan with her parents, now a part of USA Jr.
Olympic volleyball team

Sullivan not only played for the Eagles this past fall, but is also a member of the Delta Valley Volleyball club.

Local Soccer Team Wins Cal State North Cup

Last weekend the U14 Endurance girls soccer team, a part of FC Elk Grove, won the Cal North State Cup and are now going on to Hawaii to represent Elk Grove and Northern California in the Far West Regionals.

The team, coached by Phil Burnett, won the Nor-Cal Premier Soccer League championship this year and have won first place in five tournaments over the past few months.

According to one team mom, Lisa Ortiz, a few members of the team also played soccer for their high school this spring.

“Some of the girls played basketball, ran track, etc.,” Ortiz wrote in an email. “They are a group of hard working girls that dedicate their days and evenings to their sports. They missed family functions, and school social events to play in tournaments local and out of town. When they have tournaments they even practice on the weekends on sometimes on a last minutes notice.”

The team is raising money to help pay for their expenses to travel to Hawaii. Donations can be sent to team manager Shirley Chan. Her email address is: Shirls.Chan@yahoo.com.

College Fishing Tournament Coming To The Delta

There are many collegiate sports but recently competitive fishing has begun to draw some interest. Sponsored by FLW Outdoors, which already runs many professional bass and walleye fishing tournaments around the country, FLW College Fishing will hold the third of its four Western Conference events this Saturday in the California Delta.

Fifty collegiate teams will launch from Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island at 7 a.m. Weigh-in begins at 1 p.m.

Two fishermen competing are from Elk Grove. Thomas Kanemoto is on one of three teams representing Sacramento State University. Russyl Soto is competing for San Jose State.

FLW College Fishing teams compete in four qualifying events in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top fifteen teams from each regular-season tournament will qualify for one of five conference invitational tournaments. The top ten teams from each conference invitational tournament will advance to the 2014 FLW College Fishing National Championship.

College Fishing is free to enter and FLW Outdoors provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.

D-I Softball - An EGUSD Thing

2013-05-09T20:22:00.001-07:00

Typically the team to beat every year for the Sac-Joaquin Section's Division I softball championship hails from Elk Grove. Over the past seven years the champion has been Sheldon (four times), Elk Grove (once), Pleasant Grove (once) or Franklin (once).

[The Division I SJS Softball Playoff Brackets]

This season Sheldon and Franklin will have to play on Tuesday in a single elimination "out bracket" game before they can advance to the Sacramento Softball Complex on May 18 and open the rest of the crowd. The Huskies, the two-time defending champions, will face Napa at Mary Jo Truesdale Field at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The winner will advance and take on West Saturday.

Franklin will take on Lodi on the road Tuesday. The winner of that contest plays Vintage.

Elk Grove won the Delta Valley Conference championship this year by trouncing Davis 11-1 in five innings on Wednesday.

Pleasant Grove with its 14-0 shutout of Folsom Tuesday took the Delta River League championship.

Those wins earned both squads a bye to the tournament's Saturday opening round.

If you want to believe polls, the top teams this season in D-I may be in the Sierra Football League. As in baseball, those clubs have been moved up this spring from Division II.

Woodcreek, Rocklin and Roseville have been atop most of the local softball polls all year with Elk Grove ranked behind them.

If one of those clubs grab the Division I crown this spring, it will be the first time a non-EGUSD team has won the softball banner since Vacaville did so in 2005.

Div I Baseball Brackets Set - Oak Ridge, Davis Favored

2013-05-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Sac-Joaquin Section posted the brackets for the Division I baseball playoffs late Wednesday. With the Sierra Foothill League added to the Division I post-season for the first time this spring, it adds to the excitement and intensity of the post-season.

The top three teams from that league will join the top trio of the Delta Valley Conference, the Monticello Empire League and the Delta River League in a 12-team bracket. All the first place teams will open action either Wednesday or Thursday, drawing an opening round bye. The winners from those four games will move onto a double-elimination part of the playoffs.

At this point of time there is no clear cut favorite. If it was a month or two ago I would have said, with some confidence, it would be Elk Grove heads above everyone else. Now, it isn't that certain.

They have the three best area high school players in Rowdy Tellez, Dom Nunez and Derek Hill, warranted by the fact that following four home games this year they took batting practice before an audience of professional baseball scouts for about 45 minutes each time. (Quick apologies to other great ball players like Pleasant Grove's Josh Adams, Franklin's Tyler Blake and Woodcreek's Steve Nogosek).

But, coach Jeff Carlson has decided to surround these three with sophomores and a freshman. What has happened is that seniors like D.J. Mico, Robert Ortega and Dave Smith have seen play time limited. Smith is the team's mound ace, but he's also a quality third baseman and has a solid bat. So do Mico and Ortega.

What's happened is that the frosh/soph contingent have looked nervous and out-of-place in at-bats against quality opposing pitchers like Pleasant Grove's Adams, Bradshaw's Austin Ragsdale and Davis' Adam Inouye and Matt Trask.

The run production from the younger guys hasn't been there. The older, more mature seniors would likely be able to handle the pressure better.

In a year where Elk Grove has such high-profile nationally-recognized guys like Nunez, Tellez and Hill, it would be a shame if the Herd doesn't sweep right through Section playoffs. They may, but the number six through nine guys in the lineup need to put up runs and key hits.

So Who Will Win The D-I North?

The hottest team is Oak Ridge, who tied P.G. for the DRL title. They concluded the regular season with a 12-game winning streak. Head coach Todd Melton told me a couple weeks back he's impressed with how well his team is playing.

Davis looked really good in the two wins against Elk Grove, but was blown up last week in a 12-2 loss to the Herd. The Blue Devils have ended the season on a high note by beating the Herd Tuesday in a 3-2 walkoff win.

Pleasant Grove gutted out a two-out-of-three series over Jesuit earlier this week. Matt Stafford has been great on the mound and at the plate this year along with shortstop Bronson Grubbs.

Bill Poindexter of the Roseville Press-Tribune keeps reminding me that the road to the D-I North title runs through Woodcreek. I haven't seen them (I did see Rocklin twice) but Poindexter says the SFL was loaded with good teams and quality players this season. Granite Bay is a team to watch.

Vacaville won the MEL this season and they were the team to eliminate Elk Grove last year.

What this means is that there is no clean favorite in Division I. This may be the best set of high school games we've seen in several years.

Davis Grabs DVC Baseball Crown

2013-05-07T21:31:00.002-07:00

Davis – Davis High School ended Elk Grove’s four-year stranglehold of the baseball championship of the Delta Valley Conference with Matt Trask’ bases-loaded line-drive single in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 3-2 win over the Herd Tuesday.

The single came off Elk Grove ace pitcher Dave Smith (7-2) who came on that inning in relief of starter Mikey Wright who had thrown six solid innings for the Herd.

The Blue Devils, with the win, finished the DVC slate with a 14-1 mark, 21-6 overall. Elk Grove concluded the conference season at 13-2, both losses at the hands of Davis.

But, the game ended under protest by Elk Grove head coach Jeff Carlson who said that Blue Devil second baseman Joe Murray, ejected in last Friday’s 12-2 Herd win, was in uniform and in the dugout. He claims any time a coach or player is ejected they not only cannot participate in their team’s next game, but they also cannot be on the premises.

“I know (the rule) because I’ve been thrown out of enough games,” Carlson admitted. “(Murray) was playing catch and everything.”

Because it was the final regular season home game for the Blue Devils, head coach Dan Ariola had asked Murray join all seniors for a pre-game ceremony.

A Sac-Jaoquin Section official told the Citizen late Tuesday that Carlson is incorrect. If a player is ejected from a game, he can be on the bench the next game, but cannot play. The rule that the ejected participant cannot attend the team's next game applies only to coaches.

Carlson was steamed once again with the umpiring at Tuesday’s game, much like the April 12 game at Davis, a 2-1 Blue Devil win.

He was referring to the first of the Blue Devils’ two runs in the third inning when Trey Golston tried to score on an infield pick off play. Much like Murray’s collision with Elk Grove catcher Dom Nunez in last Friday’s game that earned Murray an ejection, Carlson complained Golston should have been called out for not sliding into home on the play.

(see photos of the collision on Rick Cabral's Baseball Sacramento website)

“That’s a huge call,” Carlson said. “It wasn’t even close. The guy didn’t even slide and came in high on Dom. It’s just ridiculous.”

Protest and umpiring aside, the Herd once again struggled against quality pitching. Davis’ Bobby Young, who threw the first five-and-two-thirds innings, and limited Elk Grove to three hits. Adam Inouye, who came on in the sixth inning with two runners aboard, struck out Ty Madrigal to end an Elk Grove rally.

“Once again we don’t do enough offensively to overcome (Davis),” Carlson said.

Elk Grove scored once in the first inning on Rowdy Tellez’ RBI double.

The Herd tied the game at two in the sixth on Wright’s sacrifice fly ball.

Elk Grove, now 21-5 overall, has scheduled at the last minute a non-conference game with Pioneer High School, scheduled for Thursday, to conclude the regular season. They will open the playoffs next Monday at home against the Monticello Empire League's third seed.

“It’s just an extra game,” Carlson said of the playoff format whereby each of the Division I second and third-place teams must play a single elimination “play-in” game. “With Dave Smith and Mikey Wright (on the mound) it’s not a big deal.”

“Of course, if you don’t show up Monday it’s one game and you’re out,” Carlson added.

In the DRL, Jesuit defeated Pleasant Grove Monday, 4-1. This sets the stage for the Wednesday regular season finale at Jesuit between the two clubs. If Jesuit wins and Oak Ridge defeats Ponderosa Wednesday it means the Marauders and Trojans will share the DRL title, but Jesuit will get the number one seed for the league because they beat Oak Ridge two-out-of-three games earlier this year.

Pleasant Grove would then take on the Sierra Foothill League's number two seeded team.

If the Eagles win Wednesday then Oak Ridge would earn the DRL's top seed because they defeated Pleasant Grove two-out-of-three games this season. Jesuit would then get the third seed.

Division I Playoff Bracket

Rios Faces Deadly Infection

2013-05-02T06:57:00.003-07:00

Former Cosumnes Oaks defensive back Marcus Rios was right at the top of the depth chart at cornerback for the UCLA Bruins. But, now he’s concerned for his health far more than continuing his football career.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Rios has a rare fungus infection in his sinus area. He was diagnosed with it last year. He will undergo another surgery in the next couple weeks, and that will keep him out for the season, the Times said.

Rios told the Times, “it’s very rare. Only 12 people have ever had it and eight of them have died. Two others recovered and then died later.”

He added that the infection was found behind his eye and beneath his brain. He’s had six surgeries since last October to remove the infection and will have a seventh surgery in a couple weeks.

Cal's Henderson Injured; Return Unknown

2013-04-29T21:43:00.002-07:00

The Cal Golden Bears softball team finds itself 9-9 in Pac 12 play after being swept in three games last weekend at Arizona State.

Cal’s All-American pitcher Jolene Henderson did not play at all in those games. She was injured in a 1-0 loss Apr. 21 at Oregon.

The Cal website doesn’t mention the extent of the injury to the former Sheldon High School star, but the school newspaper, the Daily Californian, wrote that moments after throwing the ball to first base on a come-backer, Henderson grimaced and collapsed to the ground holding her left leg.

Cal's Jolene
Henderson

As Henderson sat down, clutching her leg, the Cal infielders surrounded their star pitcher, along with the Cal training staff. After a few minutes, Henderson was carried off the field by two trainers.

It’s been diagnosed as a knee injury and Henderson is being listed as day-to-day.

“I don’t think this injury is season ending,” said Henderson told the Daily Californian. “I expect to be out on the field before the post-season.”

Her father, Joe, told the Citizen Jolene’s rehab is progressing well, but he isn’t sure when his daughter will play again.

“If she does pitch again, it may be Sunday,” he said.

The Bears take on Stanford this weekend. With six games remaining, Cal is in fourth place in the Pac-12, five games behind first-place Oregon.

Without Henderson on the mound, the Bears are going with a pair of freshman hurlers.

Last season, Cal made it to the Women's College World Series behind Henderson's pitching. She was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and earned first-team All-American honors.

Last month Henderson was the first round selection of the Chicago franchise in the women's professional softball league.

Bradshaw Christian Shocks Elk Grove, 5-1

2013-04-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Bradshaw Christian may have won a couple Sac-Joaquin Section baseball championship in Division VII, but their 5-1 win Saturday night over Division I power Elk Grove may have been its biggest win ever.

Afterwards I talked with the Pride's winning pitcher Austin Ragsdale who had his fastball around 90 mph most all night in throwing a complete-game four-hitter. The San Jose State signee says this may have been the best game he's ever pitched in high school.

Thirteen Athletes To Be Honored

2013-04-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Elk Grove Unified will recognize 13 talented student-athlete college scholarship recipients at the 2^nd Annual Spring Letter of Intent Signing Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1. The ceremony will take place at the Board Room at the Robert L. Trigg Education Center (9510 Elk Grove-Florin Road, Elk Grove 95624).

The following student-athletes will be recognized:

High School	Student Name	Sport	College/University
Cosumnes Oaks	Arriana Rieland	Soccer	Jackson State University
	Dylan Wakefield	Soccer	Chico State University
Elk Grove	Scott Votino	Wrestling	Army
	Brianna Avila	Soccer	University of California, Riverside
	Mike Wright	Baseball	San Jose State University
Franklin	Alex Gulseth	Soccer	California State University, Sacramento
	Kaylah Valdry	Soccer	Texas Southern University
	Tatyana Garrett	Soccer	University of California, Irvine
	Mark Langston	Swimming	Seattle University
Pleasant Grove	Cole Nordquist	Basketball	Hawaii Pacific University
	Avonna Lee	Basketball	Northern Arizona University
Sheldon	Madison McCann	Soccer	Louisiana Tech University
	Ryan Manning	Basketball	Air Force Academy

Batson Emerges As Top SEC Sprinter

2013-04-25T20:58:00.002-07:00

The world’s fastest human, at least in sanctioned races in 2013, hails from Elk Grove, Cal.

Now wearing the crimson colors of the University of Alabama, former Laguna Creek High School sprinter Diondre Batson has blazed down the lanes of the Southeastern Conference tracks this spring in times that not only have coaches and fans blinking in amazement, but those stopwatches are recording times that are the best the world has seen thus far in 2013.

His 10.06 seconds sprint in the 100 meters at a collegiate meet in Georgia on April 12 not only was the fastest he’s ever covered that distance, but the third best ever in the storied history of track and field at Alabama.

Alabama's Diondre
Batson

“He has tremendous potential and showed that today,” Tide’s sprints and hurdles coach Matt Kane said after Batson’s race that day.

Because of that performance, Batson was named the SEC’s Athlete of the Week.

It was the spring of 2010 when as a senior at Laguna Creek that Batson started to show he can really run. That year his 10.44 seconds time in the 100 meters was the best in the state of California. Plus, Batson’s 200-meter time of 21.28 seconds at an April 10, 2010 event was the best that year nationwide amongst all high school sprinters.

But, then Batson’s hopes for a gold medal (or two) in the CIF State Track and Field Meet were dashed.

It came during the Delta Valley Conference meet where Batson and the Cardinal team of sprinters were counting on easily advancing to the Division I meet.

He didn’t.

“In the first round of the 200 and coming out of the turn my hamstring just gave out,” Batson recalled.

He just couldn’t continue. The hamstring pull was too bad and with that out the window flew any chance of being a state champion sprinter.

Batson admitted last week in an interview with the Citizen while he and his Crimson Tide teammates were preparing for the heralded Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, that the weeks and even months that followed the injury at the DVC meet were some of the darkest he’s ever experienced.

“I didn’t even run for months after that,” he admitted. “I was completely heartbroken.”

Batson credited his ARC coach, Mike Reid, with encouraging him to continue his track and field career, so he enrolled at American River College.

“It was very beneficial and fun,” he said of his two springs of running there.

Under his leadership, that school’s team found great success on the track, competing at several events alongside of NCAA Division I teams. He set the school record for the 100 meters (10.10 seconds) and the 200 meters (20.50 seconds) last spring.

In 2011, Batson teamed up with Bracin Walker, Greg Turner and Keven Brown to set the American River school record of 39.78 seconds in the 4x100 meter relay.

And, Batson was given the opportunity to continue his other career, that of a speedy wide receiver in football. Playing for the Beavers in 2010 he caught 15 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.

He said when Alabama came calling a year ago, it was easy for him to say yes to run track for second-year coach Dan Waters.

“Their facilities are the best I’ve ever seen,” Batson said. The college just finished a refurbishing of a stadium dedicated solely to track and field.

Like he did at Laguna Creek and American River, he’s also on the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams at Alabama.

“The 4x100 is third in the nation at 39.13 (seconds),” Batson said.

He did try to talk to Alabama football coach Nick Sabin about giving him a chance to play for the Tide after he arrived in Tuscaloosa.

No luck.

“He won’t let anyone play another sport,” Batson described his plea to play for the perennial gridiron power. “If you play football, he wants you to only play football,”

The Tide’s track team is currently ranked 19^th in the nation, but there are six other SEC teams ranked ahead of them, Florida (No.1), Texas A&M (No.2), Arkansas (No. 3), Georgia (No. 7), LSU (No. 10) and Mississippi (No. 16).

Last Saturday, Batson won the 100 meter race at the LSU Alumni gold meet at Baton Rouge, LA.

Just being a student at Alabama is a special experience, too.

“They have counselors and monitors all over the place to make certain you get good grades and do all your assignments,” Batson said. “We have study halls, plus you have to sign in when you come into room. They have cameras to make sure you don’t sneak out. If you do you won’t be allowed to compete in the next game.”

Batson knows beyond the tracks of the Southeast Conference he’s got a future in the sport, starting as soon as this summer when he’ll try out for the U.S. National team to compete in the World Track and Field Championships later in the year.

The only negative about running track 2,500 miles away is that he’s not close at all to family.

“I miss my mom,” he admitted. “But, she was just here for one of my meets.”

She knows something about the sport, too. Sonja Batson was a track athlete at the University of Oklahoma.

Elk Grove Bombs Monterey Trail, 19-3

2013-04-22T20:44:00.001-07:00

In DVC action Monday, Elk Grove scored eight times in the second inning and ten times in the fourth to roll over Monterey Trail this afternoon, 19-3. Max Hull, a reserve outfielder, had a single and a 3-RBI triple in the 10-run fourth inning. He now has six RBI's in the past two games for the Herd.

Ty Madrigal stroked a solo homer, twin brother Nick had a bases-clearing triple in the second inning and Carlos Moseley tacked on an RBI triple.

The Herd (7-1 DVC) will take on Franklin Thursday and Friday.

In Delta River League action, Ponderosa upset Jesuit, 9-7, while Oak Ridge defeated Sheldon, 7-4 today.

Cheathon's Training Up Young Golfers

2013-04-21T21:43:00.001-07:00

Cliff Cheathon loves the game of golf, but what makes him more exuberant is seeing young people play the game.

One can see Cheathon often manning the pro shop at Wildhawk Golf Club, but he seems to light up with a teen walks in asking for a tee time or to buy a bucket of balls for the driving range.

He knows the game needs more young Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus types, so when he spots a young person hitting a drive or practicing their putting he’s quick to ask what school they attend. Once he has that information he usually follows with this query: “Are you playing golf for your high school?”

Cheathon has spend hours with young people, the last few springs at Monterey Trail High School, coaching some of golf’s future players.

Cliff Cheathon, EGHS Golf Coach

He’s proud of the work he’s done at Wildhawk with recent local high school golfers such as James Reede from Monterey Trail and Chris McKnight from Cosumnes Oaks. They are now playing golf collegiately.

“As a teaching pro here at Wildhawk I can help them get access, give them some lessons through the year and that will help them get ahead because they get to play more and more,” Cheathon said.

His advice for the average high schooler is pretty simple: “After you’re done with your homework, get out here hit about a hundred balls on the range, get in a couple holes, but at least get in your putting and your ball striking.”

Cheathon says he likes to not only help the young men on the driving range, but also take them out on the course and teach them how to hit in special situations.

“I also work on their on-course attitudes which help to mature those young men,” he added.

When Elk Grove High School’s golf coach Bob Levine took over the reigns as the athletic director earlier this school year, Levine needed someone to step in and help him with the program, so he tabbed Cheathon as his replacement. He knew Cheathon would carry on the golf program in a very credible way, so the decision was easy.

Cheathon has his Herd golfers with him at Wildhawk just about every day after school honing their skills.

“If they give me at least three or four days a week after school they’ll see their scores improve over the weeks,” he said. “it does take some time, but it does come.”

Now halfway through the Delta Valley Conference championships, Cheathon’s golfers find themselves in third place in the team standings, behind perennial golf power Davis and second-place Franklin. The Wildcat golfers this season are Eric Tam, Nathan Rimmer, Michael Tokunaga, Alex Dunning, Matt Beem, and Jacob Helmich

Monday, the third round of the 72-hole DVC championship was played at Haggin Oaks. Going into that round Davis had a 33-shot margin over Franklin with Elk Grove 31 strokes behind the Wildcats.

Cheathon says his top three golfers - Keaton Swan, Lane Walters and Shawn O’Sullivan - haven’t really played very well in the first two rounds.

“I don’t think they are playing up to their full potential, but they are playing pretty good,” Cheathon said.

The fourth and final 18-hole round will be next Tuesday at the Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton.

Following the DVC tournament, the Herd golfers will be preparing for the Division I North Tournament. That will be at Wildhorse Golf Club in Davis on May 6. All the golfers from the DVC, the Monticello Empire League, the Delta River League and the Sierra Foothill League will be competing in an 18-hole stroke play setup. Each school will play six golfers, but count the top five scores.

The top four teams, plus the top six individual golfers, not a part of those teams, will advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters’ Tournament May 13 at the Reserve. The Masters will also be an 18-hole stroke play tournament.

The top three teams at the Masters, plus the top four individuals who are not a part of those teams, advance to the NorCal Regional Tournament. That will be played May 20 at the Diablo Grande Golf and Country Club in Patterson.

The CIF State Golf Championships is June 5 at Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel.

Wright Inks Letter With San Jose State

2013-04-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Saying he's looking forward to rebuilding a struggling college baseball program, Elk Grove pitcher Michael "Mikey" Wright signed a national letter of intent to play for San Jose State next season.

Elk Grove pitcher Mikey Wright signs a letter
of intent to play next season for San Jose State.

At a dinner at Pizza Bell in Elk Grove Thursday, literally a couple hours after he pitched the Herd to a 12-4 win over Grant, Wright signed his letter in front of family, teammates and coaches.

Wright is now 4-0 on the season with a 0.84 ERA in 29 1/3 innings pitched and looked impressive allowing Grant only a pair of hits over five innings Thursday.

Wright is the third senior on the Herd squad to ink a commitment with a Division I college. First baseman Rowdy Tellez is signed with USC. Infielder/catcher Dom Nunez has already committed and inked to play his college ball at UCLA.

Other baseball notes:

Former Elk Grove catcher Dwight Childs was released by the Cleveland Indians this week. However, he quickly signed with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.

Childs was drafted by the Indians following his junior season at Arizona University, but could never get his bat untracked. His arm and defense behind the plate, however, has never been questioned. He played mainly in Single-A ball for the Indians the past three years.

Another former Herd baseball star, Brandon Pinckney will also play in the American Association this summer. He'll play infield for the Grand Prairie Air Hogs. Pinckney played in Massachusetts last summer in an east coast independent baseball league.

Batson's 100M Time Fastest In 2013

2013-04-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

ATHENS, Ga. - University of Alabama sprinter Diondre Batson ran the fastest 100-meter dash time in the world thus far this season with a time of 10.06 seconds to lead the Alabama track and field team on Saturday afternoon at the Spec Towns National Team Invitational on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Batson's 10.06 was with a legal wind of 1.9 meters per second and eclipsed his previous personal best of 10.10. The performance ranks third in UA history in the outdoor 100, just behind the school record of 9.93 set by Calvin Smith in 1983 and a 10.04 clocked by Emmit King in 1983.

"I'm really proud of Diondre's development," said UA assistant coach Matt Kane, the Tide's sprints and hurdles coach. "He did a nice job today of staying patient in the race and just focusing on executing his race. He has tremendous potential and he showed it today."

Batson ran track for Laguna Creek High School and American River College.

Larson Wins Truck Series Race

2013-04-15T20:51:00.001-07:00

Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson captured Sunday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. In a news release NASCAR pumped up the fact that Larson, a Japanese-American, was the, “first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity initiative to win at the sanctioning body’s national level.”

Kyle Larson waves the checkered flag Sunday
after winning the Camping World Truck Series race
at Rockingham

“Kyle Larson’s victory is a truly historic moment in this sport,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “We applaud his tremendous talent, and this landmark milestone for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Kyle is among a strong crop of young, rising stars who signal a promising and competitive future for NASCAR.”   

Created in 2004, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity initiative is an attempt to attract drivers of other ethnicities to the sport.

Larson competes fulltime in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Turner Scott Motorsports and is currently 11th in the series championship standings.

In March Larson, 20, finished just inches short of beating Kyle Busch in a Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway. His next Nationwide race will be April 26 at Richmond International Speedway.

McCann Signs Soccer Letter With LA. Tech

2013-04-15T20:49:00.002-07:00

"Maddy" McCann of Sheldon

Madison "Maddy" McCann has signed her National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship with Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.

McCann has been playing defensive midfielder with the San Juan Spirits ECNL U18 women's team and is in her fourth year as a member of the Sheldon High Huskies varsity soccer team.

She plays attacking midfielder and has scored six goals and six assists so far this season.

PG Loses Boras Championship/Weekend Baseball, Softball Notes

2013-04-14T20:58:00.001-07:00

The Pleasant Grove Eagles were no match for the state's top-ranked baseball team, Mater Dei, Saturday as they lost 8-0 in the championship game for the inaugural Boras Baseball Classic. The game, pitting the winner of the northern part of the 32-team tournament versus the southern California champion, was played at UOP's Klein Family Field.

Mater Dei, now 17-1 with its only loss to St. Mary's of Stockton in the season opener, easily outdistanced the Eagles using the pitching of Jacob Erickson. Austin Friello had two of Pleasant Grove's four hits. Sophomore Dalton Gomez took the loss, going three innings for the Eagles.

After sweeping Sheldon last week, the Eagles (3-0 in league) hope to remain unbeaten in Delta River League play this week when they take on Oak Ridge, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Elk Grove Loses First DVC Game

In its first four Delta Valley Conference games Elk Grove outscored its opponents, 48-5. On Friday, though, the Herd ran into Davis' fabulous junior hurler Matt Trask. The UCLA-commit shut down the powerful Elk Grove bats, 2-1, the Herd's first conference loss of the season.

Davis' two runs, though, were unearned thanks to a pair of costly errors. Mikey Wright pitched six strong innings for Elk Grove, but relief pitchers Mason Crump and Dave Smith were the victims of shoddy fielding, plus a couple questionable calls by the umpires. Trask' infield single scored Joe

Elk Grove's Mikey Wright

Murray for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson is trying to balance his star-studded lineup of Rowdy Tellez, Dom Nunez and Derek Hill with a sprinkling of varsity newcomers including his own son, freshman first baseman Dylan, and sophomore infielders Carlos Moseley and Landon Gastelum. Second-year infielder Nick Madrigal has been joined by his twin brother, Ty, on the varsity squad, too. Ty is playing the outfield when he isn't pitching.

Other Teams To Watch ...

Speaking of St. Mary's, the three-time defending champions of the Sac-Joaquin Section, are now 7-11 on the season. The Division I teams in the southern half of the Section having good seasons up to this point have been Lincoln of Stockton (14-1-2) and Turlock (17-1).

Lincoln defeated Jesuit Saturday, 5-4. The Marauders took two of their first three DRL games last week over Oak Ridge. Joe Potulny's guys are now 9-4 overall, 2-1 in the DRL, a game in back of Pleasant Grove.

Minor Leaguers ....

After starting at catcher opening day for the Sacramento River Cats, David Freitas was shipped back to Double-A Midland in the Texas League April 6. He batted .250 in his brief stay with the River Cats. He's had a pair of starts for the Rockhounds since returning to Texas.

Knowing the frequent changes the Oakland A's like to do with the minor leaguers, don't be surprised if Freitas is back in Sacramento later this summer.

Elk Grove resident and former Jesuit Marauder Cory Vaughn is with the New York Mets' Double-A squad in Binghamton, N.Y. His high school teammate, catcher Andrew Susac, is also in Double-A, playing for the Giants' affiliate in Richmond, VA.

Former CRC and Elk Grove pitcher Raymond Hernandez is on the disabled list with what his father Rick says may be the same shoulder problem that bothered Raymond his senior year at Elk Grove. Last season he pitched for the Class-A Visalia in the California League. Older brother David has yet to surrender a run in five innings of work thus far for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

College Baseball Notes ...

Oregon State University is off to its best start ever at 28-6 and they are now ranked sixth in most national college baseball polls. They have won all four of their three-game series in the Pac-12 thus far and are 10-3 in the conference.

Elk Grove graduate Jake Rodriguez has started 29 of the Beavers' games, mostly at catcher. He's batting .293 for the Beavers. He set a career high on March 17 by driving in five runs in a win over Arizona.

The fourth-ranked team in the country now is Cal State-Fullerton which has a 31-5 record after this past weekend's play. In a non-conference game last Tuesday, Elk Grove's J.D. Davis clubbed a grand slam to help the Titans defeat USC, 6-4.

The sophomore is now hitting .320 for Fullerton with three homers and 33 RBI's.

College Softball ....

Cal's Jolene Henderson

After beginning the Pac-12 season with a sweep of Utah and taking two of three over Arizona, Cal has hit a bit of a rough road the past couple weeks. The Bears dropped two of three decisions to both UCLA and to Oregon.

Cal is now 7-5 in the Pac-12, but 32-8 overall.

Sunday, Cal pulled out a 5-1, 10-inning decision over UCLA. Sheldon's Lindsey Ziegenhirt drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly, then winning pitcher Jolene Henderson followed with a three-run homer.

Former Pleasant Grove pitcher Ally Carda took the loss for the Bruins. Her record dropped to 19-7. Carda is having quite an outstanding season at the plate for UCLA, batting .342 with 11 home runs.

The UCLAns are now 28-14 overall.