Spreckels Park juniors fall in finale

TRACY - Tracy American made big plays on defense, and Spreckels Park struggled to execute the simple ones.

Young and the restless

STOCKTON - Going over all that Sierra High's football program lost through graduation after last season's gut-wrenching Sac-Joaquin Section playoff loss to Patterson would take ions.

Seeking payback

TRACY - Ryan Bergman more than made up for his own mistakes and others made by his teammates.

Bowling News

JUNIOR SUMMER: Lane Cheathman 562, Tristan Alfred 551, Dylan Taylor 507, Krystal Nieto 264, Kylie Pugliese 231.

Weston Ranch outlasts Northgate to stay alive

TRACY - After opening the seventh by retiring three straight Northgate batters, Manuel Rubio led off the Weston Ranch half of the inning with a double. And Josh Dilg took one pitch to finish off the Northgate major all-stars' season with a 5-4 extra-inning win Friday.

ALMOST PERFECT

TRACY - Pitching depth is imperative in double-elimination tournaments. After dispatching Weston Ranch 8-0 in the Little League District 67 All-Star Tournament Friday at Jefferson School, Manteca's minor-division squad is set up nicely for the winner's-bracket semifinal. Manteca had three pitchers combine for a two-hitter, and they flirted with a perfect game until it was broken up by an infield throwing error with two outs in the fifth inning. Dakota Lewis and Anthony Fulk belted ...

Northgate majors fall in quarterfinals

TRACY - Jordan Eakes got Northgate Little League's major all-stars going by crushing a home run to straightaway center off the first pitch delivered by Tracy American ace Conner Johnson in the third inning.

Never say die

Six innings of baseball was not enough time to decide which of Spreckels Park or Northgate Little League's 11-year-old all-star teams would meet its seasons end. After eight innings it was Northgate that was eliminated in a 5-4 loss Thursday.

Buffaloes take flight

Coaches put little stock on 7-on-7 passing scrimmages, and for good reason. Quarterbacks aren't worried about blood-thirsty linebackers breathing down their necks, and there aren't big bodies in front of them blocking their view downfield. But you obviously don't want your quarterback to look bad under such low-pressure situations. Manteca High's varsity squad hasn't had that problem this summer. Senior Alex Martinez has taken the reins after serving as the understudy for standout Matt Burrows, ...

Mantecans highlight Basically-4-Cylinders race

STOCKTON - On Sunday, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series ignited the smoldering racing surface in the annual Firecracker 150, brought to you by California Welding Supply Co.

Northgate stays alive

Dylan Hodges was three outs away from a complete-game, mercy-shortened victory for Northgate Little League's 11-year-old all-stars Monday at Neil Hafley School's Bassi Field.

Gross powers Manteca all-stars to two victories in minor division

Manteca Little League's minor-division all-stars surged into the District 67 Little League Tournament quarterfinals with two wins this past weekend in Tracy.

Bowling News

Manteca Bowl & Family Fun Center SUNDAY BACON LEAGUE: Mike Marshall 204-233/632, Jesse Woodruff 211-213, Al Baron214. TUESDAY SENIORS: John Reaves 237-223, George Whitis 214-212, Pat Fisher 211-210, Dave Heagney 254, Dale Edenstrom 234, Bob Perrin 224, Terrell Estes 210. TUESDAY BACON LEAGUE: Jason Brown 202-217-229/648, Dan Roland 225/225, Phil Berg 225 MONEY MIXERS Alex Leslie,214-222-225/661 Daniel Tylij 230-248 Jerry Fisher 234-228. Jake Jacobson 246, John Heathman 245, Quinton Terra 237, Jerome Siebler 236. ...

No league of their own

Joining the ranks of Babe Ruth baseball was never too complicated for the Manteca area players graduating from Little League.

Northgate erupts late for first-round win

TRACY - Lathrop 13-year-old All-Star starting pitcher Gabriel Rodriguez had little trouble keeping the Northgate bats in check through four innings.

RIPON WAVES

He’s running Down Under

By JAMES BURNS

Thunder claim Western title; Kelly Cup Finals start Saturday

STOCKTON – Olivier Roy put on the best performance of his postseason career as the Stockton Thunder won Game 5 over the Idaho Steelheads 2-1 to become the 2013 Western Conference champions in front of 4,530 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday.

Giants back up Lincecum with three home runs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Fredi Gonzalez left the Atlanta Braves for two games following a series-opening victory at San Francisco to attend his daughter's college graduation in Georgia.

A’s fall behind early, keep sliding with loss

SEATTLE (AP) - It's been a stretch of struggles for Oakland, and no one on the Athletics struggled more Sunday than Brandon Moss.

Warriors beat Spurs in OT, even series 2-2

OAKLAND (AP) - His spirits down, his left ankle limp and his team's season hanging in the balance, Stephen Curry wondered whether he could recover for the biggest game of his career until a text message popped up on his phone around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Tiger Woods wins Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods had the last word against Sergio Garcia by winning The Players Championship on Sunday.

Westra leads Tour of California

ESCONDIDO (AP) - Lieuwe Westra of the Netherlands easily outsprinted Spanaird Francisco Mancebo to claim the sweltering and hilly stage 1 and assumed the overall race Sunday lead at the Amgen Tour of California.

Hinchcliffe’s profile raised by hot IndyCar start

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - James Hinchcliffe might have the busiest appointment calendar in IndyCar.

LeBron James shrugs off Bulls’ flopping accusations

CHICAGO (AP) - The suggestion that he's a flopper drew a grin as wide as his wingspan from LeBron James.

Detroit Red Wings finish off Ducks 3-2 in Game 7

ANAHEIM (AP) - Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Anaheim Ducks with a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Sunday night.

East Union earns No. 1 seed

Jim Todd gave his East Union girls soccer team the day off on Friday. Come Monday, though, it's back to work. The Lancers will open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs on Thursday as the No. 1 seed, a just reward following a one-loss regular season and two hard-fought games against Valley Oak League champion and Division II contender Kimball. On Monday's practice agenda: "Basics," said Todd, the Lancers' seventh-year head coach. "We're getting back ...

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

The roller-coaster ride that is Ripon High's baseball season has hit another valley. The Indians were swept by Orestimba this week following Friday's staggering 13-2 five-inning loss at home. The Warriors (7-3 Trans-Valley League, 14-6 overall), on the other hand, appear to be peaking at the right time. By sweeping Ripon, they hold a tiebreaking advantage and clinched a berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs, something that coach Matt Candelario says, "hasn't happened ...

Manteca tandem stumbles in section semifinals

Yok Jing Ma and Angel Tejada's Cinderella run in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Doubles Tournament came to an Friday morning at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville. The Manteca High tandem did go down with a fight, however dropping a two-plus-hour long match to No. 2-seeded Alick Liang and Gurman Bains of Ceres, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6. "It was extremely competitive throughout," Manteca coach Frank Fontana said. "The Ceres team won the big points when ...

HIGH-WATER VOL MARKS

Erika Brown and the rest of the Ripon High girls swimmers put the cherry on top of a banner season in the Valley Oak League on Saturday. The Lady Indians more or less confirmed their status as regular-season co-champion with their performance in the VOL Championships, placing first with 129 points. Meet host Oakdale, which shares the girls crown with Ripon, posted 105 points. Oakdale dominated to win the boys competition, and the Mustangs topped ...