By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Rays at Blue Jays

When/where: 7:07 tonight; Rogers Centre, Toronto

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable pitchers

Rays: LH David Price (1-1, 4.82)

Jays: RH Brandon Morrow (0-0, 2.57)

Watch for …

Price check: Price is coming off a rough outing in Boston, lasting only three innings while throwing 83 pitches. He is 9-2, 2.06 vs. Jays, including 3-0, 3.46 in four starts in Toronto.

On the morrow: The fan club hasn't started yet for Morrow, who led the AL with 10.19 strikeouts per 9 IP in 2011. He is 4-3, 2.26 in 12 games vs. the Rays.

On deck

Thursday: at Blue Jays, 7:07, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 3.29); Jays — Henderson Alvarez (0-0, 2.77)

Marc Topkin. Times staff writer

Cable TV commercial of the day

Manager Joe Maddon being featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel was only fitting, since Maddon has been a longtime fan of the cable network. His top five shows: Arli$$, Boardwalk Empire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage (right) and The Sopranos.

Quote of the day

"I got up at 8:30 (Tuesday); it was like sleeping till the middle of the day like back in college."

Manager Joe Maddon, welcoming the first night game after eight straight day games.

Vacation planning tip of the day

The NFL schedule has the Bucs playing at the New York Giants Sept. 16. The Rays are also in New York that weekend, playing the Yankees 14-16.

Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bishop McLaughlin star Spencer Valdespino's inside-the-park, walk-off home run rescued her team after its late collapse and lifted the Hurricanes past Tampa Prep, 10-9 in Tuesday's Class 3A, District 8 semifinal. Bishop (12-14) will host Seffner Christian in Thursday's 5 p.m. final.

"Oh my gosh…" Hurricanes coach John Yaratch said.

Bishop led 9-2 in the fifth inning before, Yaratch said, his team "kind of imploded."

Tampa Prep scored two runs on errors, poor Bishop decisions and some timely hits in the sixth. The Terps tacked on five more runs in the seventh to tie the score.

That was when Valdespino, a Nicholls State soccer signee, stepped up to the plate with two outs. The senior outfielder blasted a pitch deep and sped around the bases for her second inside-the-park homer of the night.

"Just an awesome night for her," Yaratch said of Valdespino, who also had two singles. "Thank goodness for her because she pulled it out for us."

Brooke Baptiste also had a homer for Bishop, and pitcher Kelsey Butler had eight strikeouts on the mound and finished 3-for-4 at the plate.

Hernando Christian rolls

BROOKSVILLE — Hernando Christian was looking to reach the state playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, a run that has included eight district titles.

The Lions had no trouble getting there in Tuesday's 2A-4 semifinals against Seven Rivers Christian, winning 8-0 after outscoring the Warriors 21-6 over their previous two meetings this year.

HCA ace Ashley McKay continued her dominant season by tossing a shutout, her third of the season.

Seven Rivers (2-14) was overwhelmed early by the Lions' bats. McKay, Holly Field and Briana Hogan pounded the ball to lead HCA (15-5) to the large advantage.

Academy at the Lakes (12-4) had a bye in the three-team district and face the Lions in Thursday's final.

Derek J. LaRiviere, Times correspondent

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple double, and the Knicks made 19 3-pointers to keep alive their Atlantic Division title hopes with a 118-110 victory over the Celtics on Tuesday night.

JR Smith and Steve Novak both scored 25 for the Knicks, who overcame a season-high 43 points from Paul Pierce and moved into sole possession of seventh in the Eastern Conference while trimming Boston's division lead to 3 ½ games. The Celtics would have wrapped up a fifth straight Atlantic title with a victory.

Instead, the Knicks staggered them with a record-tying 14 3-pointers in a 72-point first half and equaled their season high by finishing 19 of 32 behind the arc.

"Melo I think now is settling in," coach Mike Woodson said. "He's playing like we all knew he could play."

Celtics guard Ray Allen missed his fifth straight game when he felt pain in his right ankle Tuesday morning. It's unclear if he can play tonight against Orlando.

New York center Amare Stoudemire, out since March 24 because of a bulging disk in his back, is out tonight at New Jersey, but might play Friday at Cleveland if he doesn't have setbacks after practicing Thursday.

game highlights: Danny Granger scored 24 and Roy Hibbert had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Pacers to their sixth straight win, 102-97 over the 76ers. Indiana won its fifth straight road game. Andre Iguodala scored 23 for Philadelphia in its third straight loss. … Brandon Knight had 28 points and seven assists, and the host Pistons routed the Cavaliers 116-77. Cleveland rookie point guard Kyrie Irving (right shoulder), who hasn't played since April 3, might return tonight against Philadelphia.

around the league: Timberwolves center Kevin Love will take the NBA's required concussion tests today, seeking clearance to help a team that has lost 11 straight. He has missed four straight games.

Knicks 118, Celtics 110

BOSTON (110): Bass 6-8 3-6 15, Pierce 11-19 17-18 43, Garnett 7-14 6-8 20, Rondo 5-8 1-2 13, Bradley 6-9 0-0 17, Stiemsma 0-0 0-0 0, Pavlovic 0-1 0-0 0, Daniels 0-1 0-0 0, Dooling 1-5 0-0 2, Hollins 0-0 0-0 0, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-66 27-34 110.

NEW YORK (118): Anthony 13-24 7-8 35, Fields 1-3 0-0 2, Chandler 9-10 2-2 20, Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Shumpert 1-4 3-4 6, Smith 8-16 2-2 25, Bibby 1-3 0-0 3, Jeffries 1-1 0-0 2, Novak 8-10 1-1 25. Totals 42-74 15-17 118.

Boston 26 27 31 26— 110

New York 32 40 24 22— 118

3-Point Goals—Boston 11-21 (Bradley 5-6, Pierce 4-6, Rondo 2-4, Pavlovic 0-1, Moore 0-1, Dooling 0-3), New York 19-32 (Novak 8-10, Smith 7-10, Anthony 2-4, Shumpert 1-3, Bibby 1-3, Davis 0-2). Rebounds—Boston 31 (Bass, Rondo 6), New York 40 (Anthony 12). Assists—Boston 21 (Rondo 13), New York 28 (Anthony 10). Total Fouls—Boston 17, New York 26. Technicals—Bass, Boston defensive three second, Anthony, New York defensive three second 2. A—19,763 (19,763).

Pacers 102, 76ers 97

INDIANA (102): Granger 8-19 2-2 24, West 5-16 3-5 13, Hibbert 6-14 3-3 15, Hill 4-11 2-2 12, George 3-5 0-0 9, Barbosa 4-9 0-0 9, Hansbrough 3-6 3-3 9, Price 1-3 0-0 2, Amundson 0-2 0-0 0, Jones 3-4 2-3 9. Totals 37-89 15-18 102.

PHILADELPHIA (97): Iguodala 8-12 4-7 23, Brand 4-10 3-5 11, Vucevic 1-5 0-2 2, Holiday 3-8 2-2 8, Meeks 1-4 2-2 4, Hawes 5-10 2-2 12, T.Young 7-10 4-4 19, Williams 5-14 7-8 18, Turner 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 34-76 24-32 97.

Indiana 23 24 23 32— 102

Philadelphia 21 21 28 27— 97

3-Point Goals—Indiana 13-24 (Granger 6-8, George 3-4, Hill 2-5, Jones 1-2, Barbosa 1-3, Price 0-2), Philadelphia 5-14 (Iguodala 3-4, T.Young 1-1, Williams 1-5, Holiday 0-2, Meeks 0-2). Rebounds—Indiana 49 (Hibbert 13), Philadelphia 56 (Brand, Hawes 8). Assists—Indiana 21 (Hill 7), Philadelphia 19 (Iguodala 6). A—18,969 (20,318).

Pistons 116, Cavaliers 77

CLEVELAND (77): Casspi 3-9 3-4 11, Jamison 0-10 3-4 3, Thompson 6-16 0-0 12, Sloan 3-8 0-0 6, Parker 4-6 0-0 10, Harris 6-9 3-6 18, Samuels 2-7 4-4 8, Hudson 2-10 3-3 7, Walton 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 27-78 16-21 77.

DETROIT (116): Prince 6-8 2-2 15, Maxiell 5-8 1-1 11, Monroe 4-7 4-4 12, Knight 11-12 2-2 28, Stuckey 3-8 2-2 8, Villanueva 4-9 1-2 10, Gordon 3-7 3-3 9, Wallace 0-1 0-0 0, Jerebko 5-6 3-4 14, Bynum 1-1 0-0 3, Wilkins 1-3 0-0 2, Russell Jr. 1-3 0-0 2, Daye 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 45-75 18-20 116.

Cleveland 16 22 12 27— 77

Detroit 27 34 39 16— 116

3-Point Goals—Cleveland 7-21 (Harris 3-5, Casspi 2-4, Parker 2-4, Thompson 0-1, Hudson 0-3, Jamison 0-4), Detroit 8-18 (Knight 4-5, Bynum 1-1, Jerebko 1-2, Prince 1-3, Villanueva 1-4, Stuckey 0-1, Gordon 0-2). Rebounds—Cleveland 43 (Thompson 13), Detroit 45 (Monroe 13). Assists—Cleveland 13 (Sloan 4), Detroit 28 (Knight 7). A—11,595 (22,076).

Grizzlies 91, Timberwolves 84

MEMPHIS (91): Gay 12-25 2-3 28, Speights 6-9 0-0 12, Gasol 2-8 0-2 4, Conley 6-12 2-2 16, Allen 1-6 0-0 2, Z.Randolph 8-15 0-0 16, Haddadi 3-4 2-4 8, Mayo 2-8 0-0 5, Arenas 0-1 0-0 0, Pondexter 0-1 0-0 0, Cunningham 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 40-91 6-11 91.

MINNESOTA (84): Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, A.Randolph 1-8 2-2 4, Pekovic 6-12 4-6 16, Barea 10-20 3-4 28, Webster 1-6 4-4 6, Lee 1-5 2-2 4, Beasley 2-5 2-2 7, Miller 0-2 2-2 2, Williams 0-3 2-4 2, Ellington 3-5 2-2 8, Tolliver 2-6 2-2 7. Totals 26-73 25-30 84.

Memphis 32 23 22 14— 91

Minnesota 22 34 13 15— 84

3-Point Goals—Memphis 5-13 (Conley 2-3, Gay 2-5, Mayo 1-3, Pondexter 0-1, Arenas 0-1), Minnesota 7-22 (Barea 5-9, Beasley 1-2, Tolliver 1-5, Webster 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Ellington 0-2, Miller 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Memphis 51 (Z.Randolph 11), Minnesota 57 (Pekovic 11). Assists—Memphis 24 (Conley 8), Minnesota 16 (Barea 8). Total Fouls—Memphis 21, Minnesota 12. A—16,709 (19,356).

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Rangers 18, Red Sox 3

BOSTON — Mike Napoli hit two of Texas' six homers, and the Rangers clobbered Jon Lester for their fifth straight victory. Josh Hamilton homered and matched his career high with five RBIs. Adrian Beltre, Michael Young and Nelson Cruz also connected.

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Brewers 5, Dodgers 4

MILWAUKEE — Pinch-hitter George Kottaras' two-run double with one out in the ninth helped Milwaukee snap Los Angeles' six-game winning streak. Corey Hart led off the ninth with a single off Javy Guerra. Pinch-runner Carlos Gomez stole second and Mat Gamel walked. After Jonathan Lucroy struck out, Kottaras hit a 2-and-2 pitch to the wall.

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Orioles 3, White Sox 2

CHICAGO — Nolan Reimold homered for the fourth straight game and made a terrific diving catch in left, lifting first-place Baltimore. The Orioles had one hit before Robert Andino singled with one out in the sixth. Reimold then hit a drive to left-center off John Danks for a 2-0 lead. J.J. Hardy followed with a drive to virtually the same spot. Reimold is batting .394 (13-for-33) in the past eight games.

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Tigers 3, Royals 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miguel Cabrera snapped out of his slump with two hits, driving in the go-ahead run for Detroit. Cabrera was 0-for-22 before his single in the third inning, but it was his RBI single off reliever Greg Holland in the eighth that proved most important. It came on the heels of singles by Andy Dirks and Brennan Boesch and snapped a tie at 1. Prince Fielder added an RBI single.

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The latest egregious act — and the worst of the bunch — came Tuesday when the Coyotes' Raffi Torres left his skates and delivered a late shot with his shoulder to the head of the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa and Hossa was taken off the ice on a stretcher to a Chicago hospital.

Torres was not penalized for the first-period hit in Phoenix's 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 of their Western Conference series.

"Brutal hit," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said during the game on CNBC. "Can't believe four (officials) missed it. Makes me sick. … Can't believe it."

Hossa left the hospital under his own power. He did not respond when a reporter asked how he was doing. The team said it expected him to recover from his upper-body injury.

The 16 teams had totaled 804 penalty minutes through the first 22 games, Stats LLC said. Entering Tuesday there had been 11 game misconducts. With four suspensions handed down Tuesday, eight players had received bans ranging from one to four games, and two players had been fined, including Predators All-Star defenseman Shea Weber for slamming the head of Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg into the glass.

Seven players were suspended in all of last season's playoffs.

The latest suspensions: Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw, three games for a hit on Phoenix goalie Mike Smith in Game 2 Saturday; Penguins All-Star wing James Neal one game and wing Arron Asham four games for hits in Sunday's Game 3 against the Flyers; and Capitals All-Star center Nicklas Backstrom one game for a cross-check to the Bruins' Rich Peverley in the waning seconds of their Game 3 on Monday.

Some believe much of this could have been averted if NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan had taken a hard line with Weber, whose head-slamming Thursday, the playoffs' second day, got him only a $2,500 fine, the most allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

"I think the league had a pretty good opportunity to set the bar, and I guess they did," Zetterberg said. Agreeing before Tuesday's events was Chicago captain Jonathan Toews: "In a situation like that with Weber, … you should make an example of it, regardless of whether he's a star player. (The league has) been trying to make an example of things like that so they don't happen again, and all of a sudden you let one slide like that. Everyone must feel like they're back to Square One. So it is frustrating."

Others have a different view.

"I just think it's a bunch of guys having a good time," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "It looks like fun to me."

Said Coyotes captain Shane Doan before Tuesday's game, "It's playoff hockey. It just is."

panthers 4, devils 3: Florida rallied from a 3-0 deficit racked up in the first 6:16 to take a 2-1 series lead.

predators 3, wings 1: Kevin Klein scored the go-ahead goal 6:25 into the third as Nashville took a 3-1 series lead.

playoff news: Ottawa likely will be without concussed captain Daniel Alfredsson tonight in Game 4 against the Rangers. He was elbowed in the head in Game 2 by New York's Carl Hagelin, who was suspended for three games. Alfredsson missed Game 3.

First Period—1, Chi, Brunette 1 (Kane, Leddy), 19:31. Penalties—Bollig, Chi (roughing), 3:23; Bollig, Chi, served by Brunette, minor-misconduct (roughing), 11:51.

Second —None. Penalties—Klesla, Pho (high-sticking), 1:28; Torres, Pho (trip), 5:43; Morris, Pho (cross-check), 18:52; J.Toews, Chi (roughing), 20:00.

Third—2, Pho, Klesla 1 (Boedker, Gordon), 8:16. 3, Chi, Frolik 1 (Seabrook, Bolland), 8:49. 4, Pho, Whitney 1 (Klesla, Langkow), 9:21. Penalties—Doan, Pho (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:46; Hjalmarsson, Chi (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:46. First Overtime—5, Pho, Boedker 1 (Pyatt, Klesla), 13:15. Penalties—None. Shots—Pho 16-6-10-2—34. Chi 10-10-11-6—37. PP opps—Pho 0 of 3; Chi 0 of 3. Goalies—Pho, M.Smith 2-1-0 (37 shots-35 saves). Chi, Crawford 1-2-0 (34-31).

First Period—1, NJ, Parise 1 (Zajac, Kovalchuk), :33. 2, NJ, Gionta 1 (Zidlicky, Bernier), 3:27. 3, NJ, Elias 2 (Parise, Clarkson), 6:16 (pp). 4, Fla, Bergenheim 2 (Upshall, Clemmensen), 16:11 (pp). 5, Fla, Garrison 1 (Bergenheim, Campbell), 19:52 (pp). Penalties—Versteeg, Fla (interference), 5:16; Elias, NJ (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:16; Upshall, Fla (roughing), 18:13; Salvador, NJ (roughing), 18:13; Bernier, NJ (roughing), 18:13.

Second—6, Fla, Weaver 1 (Smithson, Upshall), 2:18. 7, Fla, Campbell 1 (Samuelsson, Fleischmann), 6:34 (pp). Penalties—Sykora, NJ (high-sticking), 5:22; Bergenheim, Fla (hook), 10:40.

Third—None. Penalties—Bergenheim, Fla (roughing), 5:24. Shots—Fla 10-10-6—26. NJ 7-9-9—25. PP opps—Fla 3 of 3; NJ 1 of 3. Goalies—Fla, Theodore (6 shots-3 saves), Clemmensen 1-0-0 (6:16 first, 19-19). NJ, Brodeur (12-9), Hedberg 0-1-0 (2:18 second, 14-13).

First Period—None. Penalties—Josi, Nas (interference), 7:38; Bertuzzi, Det (elbowing), 11:37; Radulov, Nas (tripping), 12:18; Josi, Nas (cross-checking), 14:27; Datsyuk, Det (tripping), 15:08.

Secnd—None. Pnalty—Bouillon, Nas (hook), 14:01.

Third—1, Nash, Bourque 3 (Radulov), 1:55. 2, Det, Hudler 1 (Kronwall, Quincey), 3:14 (pp). 3, Nash, Klein 2 (Erat), 6:25. 4, Nash, Legwand 1, 19:21 (pp). Penalties—Nash bench, served by A.Kostitsyn (too many men), 2:44; A.Kostitsyn, Nas (interfere), 7:15; Halischuk, Nas (interfere), 13:41; Zetterberg, Det (high-stick), 19:04. Shots —Nash 7-3-7—17. Det 11-17-13—41. PP opps—Nash 1 of 3; Det 1 of 7. Goalies—Nash, Rinne 3-1-0 (41 shots-40 saves). Det, Howard 1-3-0 (17-14).

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TORONTO — Certainly, there were a number of things that contributed to the Rays' 7-3 loss to the Jays on Tuesday night.

A less-than-stellar start from Jeff Niemann, including home runs by Jose Bautista and Adam Lind. Subpar relief work, allowing two late runs. More futility at the plate, hitting into four double plays and going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

But the most costly — and surely the most unexpected — were a team record-tying three errors by two-time Gold Glove winning third baseman Evan Longoria.

Or, on this night, E-E-E-van Longoria.

"A lot of it lies on my shoulders," Longoria said. "It was a rough day. I'm just trying to make the aggressive play, and trying to make the play. And (Tuesday) it happened to not work out three times."

Longoria is widely considered one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. He has not made more than 14 errors in his four seasons in the majors, with a total of 54 in his first 561 games at third. He had had four two-error games but never, not in the minors or majors, a night like Tuesday.

"That's very unlikely," first baseman Carlos Peña said. "He, in my opinion, is the best third baseman in the game."

Each error, in a mostly empty Rogers Centre (announced crowd: 15,331), led to a run.

At the start of the third inning, Longoria misplayed J.P. Arencibia's hard shot, the ball bouncing off his right palm. "All hand,'' Longoria said. "It hurts.''

Three pitches later, he scooped Yunel Escobar's bouncer with a chance to turn a double play, but lost the ball trying to transfer it from his glove, and the Jays went on to score three runs, on a sac fly and Lind's homer.

In the sixth, after the Rays had closed to within 4-2, the Jays had two on and one out when Longoria fielded a tricky slow roller and threw just too wide of first for Peña to hang on, with a run scoring on the play.

"We get out of those innings, it's a different story,'' Longoria said.

Longoria said he felt, strongly, that Arencibia's ball should have been scored a hit, but the other two were definitely his fault.

Others in the Rays clubhouse didn't agree. "Those balls were not easy," Peña said. "Those were very tough, tough plays."

"Those were not routine errors," manager Joe Maddon said. "He'll tell you he's supposed to make every play. They were not easy plays. And I promise you he'll make them in the future."

The Rays (5-6) got behind quickly as Niemann left a pitch up and Bautista, the two-time American League home run champ, knocked it deep into the second deck.

"He's always a threat," Niemann said. "And that's probably the worst pitch you can throw to him right there. It's like putting it on a tee for him."

Longoria's first two errors and the home run from Lind — making him 12-for-27 against Niemann, not quite the "31-for-30" Maddon guessed — put the Rays in the 4-0 hole, and they didn't muster enough offense (two of their 10 hits were Peña shift-"beating" bunts), nor get any breaks, to get out of it.

Pitching continues to be an unexpected problem, as the Rays have allowed a major-league high 64 runs and have a 5.90 ERA.

Especially against a Jays team Maddon has been touting as a legit playoff contender.

"You have to pitch a little bit better,'' Maddon said. "Pitching and defense first, and we'll figure out the rest after that."

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@tampabay.com.

Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

LECANTO — For the third straight season, Springstead will head to the playoffs, thanks to a semifinal win Tuesday night in the Class 6A, District 6 semifinals at Lecanto.

The Eagles easily handled Citrus 10-0 in six innings behind the dominant pitching of ace Alexis Adams.

Adams tossed a complete game with five strikeouts, and among the senior's punchouts was her 200th of the season.

"With the way Alexis has been pitching, we knew that if we could give her a few runs, we'd be in good shape," coach Craig Swartout said. "We had good energy (in this game), and the girls were ready to play."

After a lull at the plate over the past few games, Springstead (19-4) also saw its bats wake up against the Hurricanes (12-13). Freshmen Louise Disi, Shelbi Ard and Brooke Fischbach led a balanced with each accruing at a hit and an RBI.

"It's pretty exciting as a coach to have such a good mix of seniors and freshmen," Swartout said. "The way our freshmen complement our upperclassmen has been great for our team."

The Eagles are two wins from the program record set last season.

Springstead meets Lecanto on Thursday after the Panthers dispatched Central 12-2 in their semi.

"It was a perfect opportunity for us," Central coach Tyson Ellis said. "We were playing solid defense, and then everything just seemed to snowball."

The Bears (10-16) were down 1-0 but took the lead on a two-run home run by sophomore Alex Eisenhower in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom half, Lecanto (15-8) answered thanks to some miscues in the field. The Panthers busted open the game with 10 runs to end it.

River Ridge, Mitchell win

River Ridge's Amber Jones blasted two home runs and drove in five RBIs, earning the Knights a seventh consecutive trip to regionals by defeating Sunlake 13-0 in the 6A-10 semifinals at River Ridge

"I was in a little bit of a slump and I had some good hits now and again, but this game really pumped me up," Jones said. "Coach was telling me to wait on the ball and it finally clicked, and you can see what happened."

What happened was a 3-for-5 night. River Ridge (17-4) had 18 hits, knocking Sunlake ace Courtney Durbin out after 32/3 innings.

"We've always struggled against Durbin," River Ridge coach Ernie Beck said. "The first time we played them it was 7-6. When we hit the ball it's tough to beat us."

The Knights scored four times in the fourth and put the game out of reach with five in the seventh. Brittany Forisse went 2-for-3 with a walk and Jada Clemons had a solo homer.

Freshman Makenzie Goluba made a bid for a no-hitter, going five innings before allowing a hit.

Sunlake (17-6) struggled to find an opening in River Ridge's sturdy defense. Goluba took a hot shot to the glove in the fifth, but Clemons was there to scoop the ball up from her shortstop position to throw out a hustling Amy Szymanowski.

Mitchell (15-7) squeaked out a 3-2 victory over Tarpon Springs (11-12) in the early semifinal. Paige Davis delivered the knockout shot with a solo homer to leftfield in the top of the sixth, making the score 3-1.

Tarpon's Lindsey White hit a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but Mitchell's Madison Staniloiu got Andrea Faison to pop out, preserving the win.

Mitchell faces River Ridge for the district title Thursday at 7.

Basil Spyridakos, Times correspondent

Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TAMPA — For one surreal stroll around the bases Tuesday night, the throbbing in Durant sophomore Kelli Tidwell's left knee vanished, soothed by one potent, pain-killing shot.

Over the fence in right-centerfield.

Tidwell, who has missed roughly 75 percent of the season with meniscus damage, hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting the top-seeded Cougars (18-4) to a 2-1 triumph against Wharton in the Class 8A, District 7 semifinals.

Durant faces No. 2 Alonso, a 3-2 winner against Bloomingdale, in Thursday's 7 p.m. final at Plant High.

"I just went up there looking for a base hit, trying to make contact, and it just went," said Tidwell, who hit her only other homer of the season off the same pitcher — Wildcats freshman Makaleigh Dooley — 12 days earlier. "It feels good to be able to come back."

Durant was forced into extra innings when Dooley, who allowed seven hits, led off the fifth with a solo homer to right. Durant led 1-0 in the third after Brooke Freeman doubled and scored on Nikki Giovenco's sacrifice bunt.

Shannon Bell had three singles for the Cougars. Tidwell, limited to designated-player duty for now, is hitting .400 since her return.

"There's still a lot of looseness, if you will, in that leg, so we're not playing her defensively at all," Cougars coach Matt Carter said. "Don't need to when you have a bat like that."

In Tuesday's early semifinal, Alonso senior ace Erika Shick survived a shaky fifth inning, with an assist from her sophomore-saturated defense.

With one out, a one-run lead and runners at the corners in the top of the fifth, Shick forced two hard infield grounders — one back to the circle — to quash Bloomingdale's final threat.

"I don't really get worried," said Shick, a University of Tampa signee, "because I know I have a good defense behind my back all the time."

Bloomingdale led off with three consecutive hits, including Savanna Aversa's RBI single. Alonso re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Jessica Warren hit a two-run home run, her eighth of the year, to left center.

Jayda Burkhardt's RBI single in the fourth gave the Ravens (18-6) a 3-1 lead. Bloomingdale No. 9 hitter Lexi Erickson led off the fifth with a slap double to shallow left, moved to third on Lizzie Jackson's ground out and scored on Jordan Alexander's bunt single.

5A-11: At Robinson, Knights senior ace Sarah Miller struck out 10 and delivered an RBI single in a three-run third as the top-seeded hosts defeated No. 4 Spoto, 5-3.

Freshman Kari Trautvetter also had a run-scoring hit in the third for the Knights, who meet No. 2 Lennard in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. title game. Senior Katelin Stephens had a two-out, two-run base hit in the first for Robinson.

4A-9: At Berkeley Prep, the No. 2-seeded Buccaneers avenged two regular season blowout losses to Tampa Catholic, prevailing in the meeting that mattered most.

Senior Elly Straske, sophomore Kristin Hoover and sophomore Cassi Mihokovich all had multi-hit games, while senior ace Jenny Weissman tossed a five-hitter in a 3-1 semifinal triumph. The Buccaneers face Academy of the Holy Names in Thursday's final.

Weissman, who signed with Washington University in St. Louis earlier Tuesday, allowed no extra-base hits or walks. Junior Francesca Lerner added an RBI hit for the Buccaneers.

3A-8: At Spring Hill, Seffner Christian seventh-grader Cheyenne Wright tossed a complete game and hit a two-run double to lift the second-seeded Crusaders to a 3-1 win against No. 3 Carrollwood Day. SCA faces host Bishop McLaughlin in Thursday's 5 p.m. final. Bishop McLaughlin ousted Tampa Prep 10-9 on an inside-the-park, walk-off homer after the Terrapins had erased a 9-2 deficit to tie it at 9.

2A-9: At St. Petersburg, Cambridge eighth-grade right-hander Alea White struck out 14, hit a solo homer and drove in two runs in a 3-0 win against No. 3 seed Bayshore Christian.

White escaped two critical jams to help guide the Lancers (17-7) to Thursday's 6 p.m. final against host Canterbury. In the sixth, with her team up 1-0, she forced a groundout and struck out two in a row after putting runners on first and second to start the inning.

Times wires
Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Cardinals 2, Reds 1

10 innings

ST. LOUIS — Matt Carpenter hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th to lift St. Louis. David Freese walked against Sam LeCure, and pinch-runner Tyler Greene advanced on a sacrifice. After an intentional walk, reliever Bill Bray walked Daniel Descalso. Carpenter pinch-hit and flied to right.

Times wires
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rockies 5, Padres 3

DENVER — Jamie Moyer's record performance (see 1C) was backed by a two-run homer from Dexter Fowler for Colorado. Rex Brothers pitched the eighth and Rafael Betancourt survived a rocky ninth, giving up a solo homer to Nick Hundley and putting two more runners on before striking out Yonder Alonso.

Bob Putnam, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Northside Christian spent its season series against Shorecrest on the edge, winning close, high-scoring games.

So when the Mustangs jumped to a 5-0 lead after four innings against their rival in Tuesday's Class 2A, District 9 semifinals, coach John Anderson knew it was not time to exhale.

Sure enough, the Chargers roared back. By the seventh inning, Northside was clinging to a two-run lead. With two outs and a runner on second, Jessica Anderson struck out the final batter to secure the Mustangs' 6-4 victory.

Northside (15-6), the top seed, will host St. Petersburg Catholic in Thursday's championship game at 4. The Barons, the No. 2 seed, beat Indian Rocks Christian 9-0.

"A couple of the baseball coaches and players were yelling that we had the game after we grabbed the lead," John Anderson said. "But I knew it wasn't going to be easy. We played Shorecrest twice in the regular season and won each game by a run."

The Mustangs scored twice in the first and added three more in the fifth. The big hit came on Kathryn Brown's two-run double in the fifth. Brown was supposed to be intentionally walked to load the bases, but took a swing on a pitch that was within striking range.

"Kathryn was been hitting the ball well," Anderson said. "We were not telling her to swing, but it was a pitch that was just left across the plate. It turned out to be a huge play for us."

Shorecrest rallied with three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. Hannah Smith played a big part, going 3-for-4 and driving in two runs.

In the other semifinal, St. Petersburg Catholic (15-3) jumped to a 5-0 through the first three innings. That was all the support Barons pitcher Kelsey Humphrey needed. Humphrey threw a one-hit shutout, striking out 17.

Kristen Zinge had two doubles and an RBI and Amy Anderson had two hits and three RBIs for the Barons.

"We got the win, but we should have been hitting the ball better," Barons coach Tom Fabian said. "We weren't getting our timing down and swinging at a lot of first pitches. We can't do that in our next game."

2A-9: Emily Winesett and Lindsay Eaton combined for a perfect game in a 15-0 victory over Lakeside Christian in a semifinal called after three innings because of the mercy rule.

The Crusaders (15-11) will host Cambridge in Thursday's final.

Lindsay Graves and Danielle Romanello each hit triples for the Crusaders.

Bob Putnam, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

After losing twice to Sarasota Riverview in the regular season, East Lake coach Mike Estes wanted his hitters to make contact against Rams pitcher Corrine Jenkins in Tuesday's Class 8A, District 8 semifinals.

The visiting Eagles did that, getting 10 hits and striking out just five times against Jenkins in an 8-1 victory.

East Lake (18-7) will face host Palm Harbor University (24-2) in Thursday's final at 4. The Hurricanes advanced with a 13-3 win over North Port in the other semifinal.

"We worked on our offense in practice the last few days," Estes said. "The biggest thing is we made contact and put pressure on their defense. The last time we played we had 17 strikeouts and we cut down on that a lot this time."

Brittnay Estes, Makayla Powers and Sarah Schutz each had two hits and Emma Hvozdovich had two RBIs on sacrifice fly outs to lead the Eagles.

In the other semifinal, the Hurricanes cruised in a game in which nearly everyone played. Torey Scott had a double and triple and Jessica Adams had two doubles for PHU.

Tarpon Springs defeated

In the 6A-10 semifinals at River Ridge, Tarpon Springs (11-12) was eliminated with a 3-2 loss to Mitchell (15-7).

Paige Davis delivered the knockout shot with a solo homer to leftfield in the top of the sixth, making the score 3-1.

Tarpon's Lindsey White hit a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but Mitchell's Madison Staniloiu got Andrea Faison to pop out, preserving the win.

Mitchell faces River Ridge for the district title Thursday at 7.

River Ridge's Amber Jones blasted two home runs and drove in five RBIs, earning the Knights a seventh consecutive trip to regionals by defeating Sunlake 13-0.

"I was in a little bit of a slump and I had some good hits now and again, but this game really pumped me up," Jones said. "Coach was telling me to wait on the ball and it finally clicked, and you can see what happened."

What happened was a 3-for-5 night. River Ridge (17-4) had 18 hits, knocking Sunlake ace Courtney Durbin out after 32/3 innings.

The Knights scored four times in the fourth and put the game out of reach with five in the seventh. Brittany Forisse went 2-for-3 with a walk and Jada Clemons had a solo homer.

Basil Spyridakos, Times correspondent

Times wires
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Pirates 5, Diamondbacks 4

PHOENIX — Andrew McCutchen lined a run-scoring single in the ninth inning, Garrett Jones homered and drove in three runs, and the Pirates won for the second time in eight road games. Juan Cruz worked a perfect ninth for his first save since 2009.

Times wires
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A's 5, Angels 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Coco Crisp drove in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning single, triggering a four-run rally that carried the Athletics. Kevin Jepsen gave up a pair of one-out walks, and Crisp's clutch single and a run-scoring ground-rule double by Josh Reddick put Oakland ahead 3-2. Cuban rookie Cespedes greeted David Carpenter with a two-run single to cap the rally.

Times wires
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Giants 4, Phillies 2

SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner, pitching a day after receiving a new $35.56 million, six-year contract, got his second straight win, and Melky Cabrera hit an RBI triple for the Giants. Nate Schierholtz had three hits and drove in a run, and Pablo Sandoval doubled leading off the fifth to extend his hitting streak to start the season to 11 games.

By Ric Liles, Special to the Times
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

There's that movie line that says if you build it they will come.

I'd like to change that up a little and explain that if you chum, they will come. I had a couple of instances this past week that really supported the use of chumming. The kind of tactic I'm referring to is not a chum bag or powdered fish food. I'm talking about using the bait that you have caught and chumming with it.

My advice: Take eight or 10 baits and spread them across your fishing area. I see it all the time, but this week it was like someone turned on a light switch. I happened to be fishing near other anglers who were not using any chum, and the difference was incredible. That bite was a snook bite, but chum will work on all fish that eat white bait.

The best way to get the baits that you are chumming with to the desired spot is with a child's plastic baseball bat. You can get one at any large store and modify it or buy one at a bait shop that's ready to go.

This week's bite slowed down a little for me, something that I attribute to the stiff winds and the barometer being a little high over the weekend. When the conditions are unfavorable, it can be difficult to get fish to eat, but I look at that as a challenge: Anyone can catch fish when the conditions are good.

Ric Liles fishes out of Tampa, Ruskin, Bradenton and the surrounding areas and can be reached at (813) 601-2900, via email at CaptainRic@msn.com or at ReelSimpleFishing.com.

Associated Press
Wednesday, April 18, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee's women's basketball coach and taking the title of "head coach emeritus" with long-time assistant Holly Warlick being promoted to replace the sport's winningest coach.

Tennessee released a statement Wednesday announcing the move.

The 59-year-old Summitt will report to the athletic director and help the women's program she guided to eight national titles. She says she supports Warlick, her assistant for 27 years and a three-time All-American playing for Summitt, as her replacement and wants to ensure the stability of the program.

The move comes less than a year after her diagnosis with early onset dementia-Alzheimer's type.

"I've loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role," said Summitt.

"I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer's through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.

Summitt revealed her diagnosis on Aug. 23 after a few months of trying coming to terms with dementia, which had caused her problems with memory loss both on and off the court during the previous season. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that destroys cognitive abilities over time.

With the blessing of University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, the Hall of Fame coach said she planned to continue coaching as long as possible and that she wanted to show the world that it was still possible to function, even in the face of dementia and Alzheimer's. She had been going about business as usual

But with a need to devote more attention to managing her health, Summitt handed over more duties to her longtime assistants. This season, Warlick as associate head coach took the lead during games and handles postgame interviews, while the entire staff has done the bulk of the recruiting and management of practices.

Even with Warlick and assistant coaches Mickie DeMoss and Dean Lockwood carrying a larger load, Summitt continued to leave her mark through guidance and motivation with her trademark icy stare, even if she did wear the look more infrequently.

Summitt's diagnosis came during one of the Lady Vols' most disappointing stretches — by Summitt's lofty standards, anyway. Tennessee hasn't won a national championship since 2008 and hasn't even reached the Final Four, which ties for their longest such drought in program history.

Tennessee's five seniors were a part of the team that lost in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament, the only time in school history the Lady Vols had bowed out on the first weekend.

Those seniors promised they would win a ninth national championship this season not just to change their legacy and to honor Summitt, but as center Vicki Baugh put it, "We're playing for everyone who has Alzheimer's."

They just couldn't get back to the Final Four, and the group of seniors wound up the first Lady Vols to miss the Final Four. They lost to eventual champion Baylor and Brittney Griner, a player Summitt couldn't convince to come to Knoxville, in the region final.

It's unlikely anyone will ever come close to matching Summitt's accomplishments in women's basketball, which has seen more parity in the past decade.

Summitt's career ends with a 1,098-207 record, 16 regular season Southeastern Conference championships and 16 SEC tournament titles. She also led the 1984 Olympic team to a gold medal.

During her time, Tennessee never failed to reach the NCAA tournament, never received a seed lower than No. 5 and reached 18 Final Fours.

Her impact reaches beyond wins and losses. Every Lady Vol player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has graduated, and 74 former players, assistants, graduate assistants, team managers and directors of basketball operations are currently among the coaching ranks at every level of basketball.