Church Scheduled for Saturday Return

Church May Return Saturday
By Anthony DiComo

NEW YORK -- Bustling through the Mets clubhouse late on Thursday afternoon, COO Jeff Wilpon stopped in his tracks when he saw Ryan Church relaxing on a nearby couch. In Wilpon's arms were three Citi Field construction helmets. He offered one to Church, who plopped it on his head.


"Can't get hurt now," Church said.


Such has been the worry for Church, who returned to Shea Stadium on Thursday after following strict orders earlier this week to stay away and get some rest. Still recovering from his second concussion of the year, Church did some light throwing and is expected to resume baseball activities on Friday.


And just as significant, he assumed all the blame for an injury that was perhaps prolonged by his insistence to play through it.


"They didn't do anything wrong," he said of the Mets. "When it came down to it, they asked me. I was the final say, and I told them, basically, that I couldn't go out on the field and play, but I could pinch-hit. I told them all it takes is one swing, and I can help this team."


Though general manager Omar Minaya spent much of Wednesday defending the team's decision to use Church as a pinch-hitter even while his concussion symptoms remained, Church insisted that the blame was all his.


Despite sustaining a concussion last week in Atlanta -- his second in three months -- Church wanted to play, and so he did. That was his first mistake.


"I'm not a doctor," he said. "I know who I am, and that being said, I just think I was able to contribute via the pinch hit in that type of situation. I let them know from Day 1 that I wasn't able to play the field. I was straightforward with them in that case."


Church needed until this week to feel "right" again, and he hasn't experienced any dizziness since Monday. Needing to remain symptom-free for 48 hours before he can play in a game, he has now set that clock ticking. So if he continues to feel normal after participating in baseball activities on Friday, he could play as soon as Saturday.


Doing so would allow him to avoid a trip to the disabled list.


"The toughest thing for me is to sit here and not be able to chip in or help," he said. "And that's where I think, really, I got caught up, and it was one of those things where I said, 'Hey, let me pinch-hit. I could be something, and just feel part of this team.' "

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com.

The Good, the Bad, and the ...

The Good

Jozza Ray (left, in headband) appears to be headed to the 5-time National Champion Trinity Valley Community College Lady Cards hoops squad come this fall. The LHS senior has reportedly been offered a full ride scholarship to the Athens, TX school and is being flown out to the school to "check out the campus" following her upcoming graduation.


TVCC won 4 Championships from 1994 to 1999 with two runner-up finishes, and won another in 2004 under current Head Coach Michael Landers. The Cardinals recruit all over the country, with members of the 10-player 2007-08 unit coming from Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota, and four from California. Dozens of students from the school have transferred to major 4-year institutions, including many in the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Conf USA, WAC, etc. .

LHS students Alberto Vasquez and Josh Taninowitz finished in an outstanding 3rd place in the California Regional in the Ford / AAA Motor Skills Challenge earlier this month, making them two of the top auto mechanic students in the country. Way to go guys !!!

And it was announced at the recently held FFA Division (7 High Schools) Banquet, Lily Van Cleave of Lompoc FFA won the Division I Work Experience Award.

The Bad


Ryan Church was held out of the game again on Wednesday due to continuing problems resulting from the concussion he sustained last week.
Since his arrival, Fernando Tatis has been playing well - mostly at third-base. But his move to right field for Church had been rather bumpy, including being hitless in Wednesdays game when he came to bat in the bottom of the twelfth with runners on the corners. His two-run double sent the crowd home from Flushing in a celebratory mood. Church is still day-to-day.


The Boyer

(You were thinking of something else perhaps ?)


Cabrillo AD Bob Boyer has submitted to the retirement machinery after 38 years, but don't expect to see much less of him at the school. He'll still be lurking around the school, and likely doing some more coaching. Good luck in "retirement", Bob.

Oh, and Conquistadors need not worry. Regardless of whom the AD is, the Athletic Office will still be in the more than capable hands of Patty Darr.
[Just Kidding, Bob. Sort of.]---- el stato

Church To See Neurologist

NEW YORK -- By game time Tuesday, the Mets probably will have a better idea of how long they will be without Ryan Church.

Church, who suffered a concussion May 20, is to be examined by a neurologist.

Church pinch-hit in the Mets' 7-3 loss to the Marlins on Monday, though he still experienced too much dizziness to play the outfield. He grounded out

The severe headache he endure on the long flight from Denver to New York on Sunday night passed. The Mets' next flight is to the West Coast on Sunday.

The concussion, when he was kicked in the head on a double play slide in Atlanta, is his second this season. He missed more than a week during spring training after colliding with first baseman Marlon Anderson. -- thanks to reporting by MLB.com

Church, Duffy, the Masters Meet, and the UIFL

Both Danny Duffy (left,at CHS) and Ryan Church have been roughed up recently - Church physically and Duffy on the mound.

Pro Baseball

Ryan Church was supposed to have the day off on Friday to allow his headaches and dizziness to clear, but fate intervened. He was called upon to pinch-hit in the twelfth inning against the Colorado Rockies. He ground out to second in a 1-2-3 inning for Taylor Buchholtz, the other two Mets striking out. Santa Barbara grad and Rockies rightfielder Ryan Spilsborghs drew a remarkable four walks in the game, which Colorado won 6-5 in thirteen. Saturday the Mets won 9-2 but Church did not play.

Danny Duffy's second start for the Burlington Bees was definitely a case of hit or miss. The Beloit Snappers sent 23 batters to the plate in his four innings - seven of them struckout, one walked, another was hit by a pitch, and six had hits.

Duffy struck out two of the first three batters he faced, unfortunately the other one walked, the fourth was hit by a pitch, and the fifth singled to bring in a run, before a groundout ended the inning. In the second inning, Duffy settled down and struck out all three batters he faced - two swinging.

A lead-off double, a sacrifice bunt, and a fielders choice led to another Beloit run in the third, but Danny was able to get out of the inning without further damage despite a wild pitch.

For the second consecutive game, though, it was the fourth inning that did in Mr. Duffy. It was just one of those occasions where the team couldn't get outs. Starting with groundball single to center, a bunt single, and a sacrifice bunt back to the mound, it was suddenly second and third with one out. Back-to-back groundball singles (to center and leftfield) scored two runs, put runners on the corners, with still only one out. A stolen base, first to second, resulted in second and third, one out, again. But this time, Duffy induced a foul pop-up to third base, which scored a run, and registered a strike out to end the mess. Three runs scored and nobody hit the ball in the air out of the infield.

His final line for the game: 4.0 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 9.39 ERA.

All-in-all it was the start of a long day for the Bees as Beloit won 8-0 in the seven inning first half of a double-header. For your collection of odd facts, Beloit has one of the tallest stables of pitchers around - one 6-4, three 6-5, two 6-7, one 6-8, and one 7-1.

Track & Field

The local contingent did not fare as well as they had hoped, but they have all had amazing seasons this year. Weather conditions were cool (high 50's to mid -60's), mostly calm, and scattered rain - perhaps contributing to the small crowd at Cerritos College.

In the Girls Long Jump, Cabrillo junior Diamonne Mitchell finished twelfth with a best of 17-10.75 (wind 1.5) among her six attempts.
[17-09.25 (1.4), 17-10.75 (1.5), 17-05.50 (+0.0), 17-09.50 (2.0), 17-03 (1.7), FOUL (1.2)]

Cabrillo Triple-jumper Kendall Reynolds posted the highest finish of the locals. The junior was sixth with a 38-01.00 (wind 0.3 ).
[FOUL (1.0), 36-08 (+0.0), 38-01 (0.3), 36-01.25 (+0.0), 36-04.25 (+0.0), 37-03 (0.7)]

Lompoc senior Chelsea Cassulo finished her season in twelfth place after a series in which she never was able to get un-tracked, topping out at 36-10.75 . [FOUL, 36-10.75, 36-09, 35-04.25, 33-00, 36-06.75]

Fellow LHS senior Masson Blow also peaked early in the Triple Jump competition posting his best effort on his first leap. A 44-05.75 (wind 1.7)which was good for eleventh place.
[44-05.75 (1.7), FOUL (0.5), 43-06.50 (0.9), FOUL (+0.0), 44-02.75 (0.7), 43-05.75 (1.3)]

UIFL

Jerrod DeGeorgia's Sioux City Bandits suffered the most heartbreaking loss of their current season last week as the Bloomington Extreme kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired in the highest scoring UIFL game in history.

The 76-73 loss was their sixth in a row - the last four by a total of 19 points (4, 5, 6, 3). The first-year coach still believes that the Bandits (3-7, tied for 2nd in the Eastern Division 2 1/2 behind the Express) are on the cusp of a breakthrough and is hopeful since 3 of their last 4 regular season games are at home where they are 2-2.

The coach has had other problems as well this month - collapsing after a 51-46 loss to rival Sioux Falls as Steven Allspach explained in the Sioux City Journal:

Warrior that he was a college quarterback at Wayne State and then in indoor professional football with the Des Moines Barnstormers and Sioux City Bandits, Jarrod DeGeorgia understands stress and strain.

The two caught up to the 32-year-old Sioux City Bandits coach, though, when he collapsed late in a Saturday game in Sioux Falls. Sunday evening, the Bandits coach was resting comfortably at Sioux City home after being released from a Sioux Falls hospital earlier in the day.

DeGeorgia collapsed late in his team's 51-46 United Indoor Football league loss Saturday to the Sioux Falls Storm at Sioux Falls Arena.

"Jarrod had several tests taken, including heart tests and everything came back negative about those,'' said DeGeorgia's wife, Melissa.

"We're so thankful for that. It wasn't his heart that caused the collapse. "Doctors say stress and anxiety caused the problem. Jarrod's not under any medication and just needs to rest as much as possible. He plans to go back to work on Monday, though.''

DeGeorgia is also a sales representative for KMEG.

"Between working two jobs, one very stressful as a football coach, and being a great father, the doctors said Jarrod's body just sort of gave up physically,'' said his wife.

The couple are parents of two children, 20-month old daughter Siena and 8-month old Jayce.

DeGeorgia's road to recovery will also start today when he plans to make a brief appearance at the club's annual golf outing today at Whispering Creek to assure his players and fans he's return to duty as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, his assistant coaches will be given increased responsibilities for a few weeks.

The Bandits hosted the Colorado Ice (4-6) on Saturday, winning 79-60. The game has engendered some controversy, at least from the Ice point of view, since one player was ejected from the contest and two coaches were restricted to the sidelines.--- el stato

Knowles in at Cabrillo; Cross, Duffy, Church

CRAIG KNOWLES will become the new football coach at Cabrillo High, sources tell Lompoc Locker Room.

Knowles will step up from line coach to take over the top job replacing the departing DON CROSS.

It will be Knowles’ first head coaching assignment after graduating from Cabrillo and playing college ball. The Conquistadores went 2-8 each of the past two seasons after reaching the CIF semifinals in 2005.

Neither Knowles nor an official spokesperson for CHS could be immediately reached.

Cross, meanwhile confirmed that he will teach at Lompoc High instead of Cabrillo next fall, but denied reports that he has reached agreement to serve as an assistant coach with the Braves.

“Robin (Luken) has talked to me every year since I left,” Cross laughed Friday night. “I won’t deny it’s a possibility, but I’ve got to decide what’s best for my family.”

Cross said he had also been offered a job as defensive backs coach by Allan Hancock College coach Kris Dutra. “I’ve always wanted to coach at the college level,” Cross said. “I’m 40 years old so if not now then when?”

Luken, on his way to the CIF Masters track meet Friday, sounded like he had Cross already penciled in to a Braves coaching job. “I’m ecstatic,” said the veteran, entering his 18th year at LHS. “Donny will take the defense.”

Cross insisted nothing had been decided. “We’re going to talk when he gets back,” he said. “So far everything has been a telephone call here or there.”

Cross played for Luken in high school, then followed him from San Bernardino County. He served on the LHS staff before taking over at Cabrillo five years ago.

Luken will be out of town next week for the wedding of his son Bryce in Colorado Springs.

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DUFFY TO START TOMORROW

DANNY DUFFY will make his second starting assignment for the Burlington Bees on Saturday at Beloit, Wisconsin, his father, Dan, announced earlier today--

“As I write this Danny is on a bus on his way to Beloit Wisconsin for the upcoming series starting tonight vs. the Beloit Snappers. It appears that he is scheduled to start the first game of the doubleheader tomorrow (Sat 05/24). Game time appears to be 5:00 pm CST (add an hour for East Coast and subtract two hours for West Coast).

“I know many listened on the internet feed of his first start. He did great for 3 innings and ran into a couple of bumps in the 4th. For the stat freaks out there he threw first pitch strikes to 8 of the first 11 hitters he faced, not too shabby.

“If the weekend keeps you busy and are away from your computers there is an archive link available to listen to the game after the fact.

“Danny wanted to pass along his thanks for the emails and texts of support that many sent. Also his Bowman Baseball card is out and available. It is all over e-bay. Just type in “Danny Duffy” in the search bar and you can see pics of the card. Thanks again for all the support and prayers as he continues to chase his dream.”

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CHURCH MISSES ANOTHER GAME

DENVER -- The Mets came into Colorado still reeling from a four-game sweep in Atlanta and eager to get RYAN CHURCH, their best hitter, back in the lineup. But Church was even more disoriented than the rest of the club upon arriving in the Mile High City, complaining of lingering dizzy spells after suffering a mild concussion on the final out of Tuesday's game against the Braves.

"I woke up this morning with a killer headache," Church said before Friday's series opener against the Rockies. "That's gone. My biggest concern is just getting rid of this dizziness. Once I do that, I'll be all right."

Church, not in the starting lineup for the third straight game, said the dizziness is worse than it had been on Thursday, when he was able to pinch-hit in the eighth inning, collecting a single off Tim Hudson. He said he first noticed his condition feeling worse when he woke up on the flight to Denver on Thursday night, and after having trouble sleeping at the hotel, the dizzy spells bothered him throughout the day Friday.

"It just comes and goes in little spurts," Church said. "I'm hanging. It just stinks, especially when we're struggling. I want to get in there."

After having Church absent from the starting lineup on Wednesday and Thursday, Mets manager Willie Randolph was as eager as anyone to have Church back in right field and in the heart of his order, but particularly given an earlier concussion Church suffered in Spring Training, Randolph wants to be cautious.

"We'll take him day-to-day," Randolph said. "When he feels like he can work out and bounce back the next day -- which is the key -- then we'll get him back in the lineup.

"We miss him, and we need him. But again, you don't want to mess around with anything to do with the head. We'll just give him a light workout again today, and hopefully he'll be ready for a pinch-hitting role tonight, and we'll see if he can play tomorrow."

Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Bits And Pieces...

Awards

Congratulations to Chelsea Casssulo and Masson Blow on being named respectively the North Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table Female and Male Athletes of the Year, and to LHS Grad Sheldon Canley on his induction to Hall of Fame of the same organization.

Track & Field

Good luck to the valley competitors in tomorrows CIF-SS Masters Meet, including Chelsea Cassulo, Masson Blow, Diamonne Mitchell, & Kendall Reynolds. DyeStat now has some video up of the DIII Prelims. No local athletes are featured, but some are visible in some of the races - girls 4x100, 100 Hurdles, 300 Hurdles, etc.

Div III Prelim Videos

MLB

Ryan Church did not start the game for the second straight night after his "noggin-knocker" concusion on the last play of Tuesday's double-header. Church took a knee to the forehead attempting to break up a double play, was knocked unconscience, and slid about two feet on his face. He is day-to-day, but slated to play Friday. [Video]

LUSD Coaches

Due to a number of situations, retirements, shifts to on-campus coaches, resignations, etc., there will be a number of coaching changes at LHS/CHS this upcoming school year. We at LLR will be bringing you updates and interviews with both the 'incoming' and 'exiting' coaches both here on the TV show.

And finally...

Lompoc hoops leader Joe Alerta is likely headed to Ventura College to start his collegiate career. He is scheduled to work out with their basketball squad on Friday. Stay tuned. -- el stato

Church's Stance Has Changed Everything

Joe Lemire of SI.com writes this week about Ryan Church's new stance (top).

From his seat in the Mets dugout last year, Howard Johnson had a upclose view of what Ryan Church could do. In 41 at bats against New York Church, then with the NL East-rival Washington Nationals, batted .317 with four home runs and 12 RBIs -- totals he was unable to match against any other team. "I noticed a guy with tremendous physical tools and a quick bat who seemed like he ­wasn't quite putting it together," says Johnson, the Mets' hitting instructor. At one point last year he even approached Church, saying he'd love to work with him in Queens. "Little did I know that we would end up getting him," says Johnson.

The Mets had grown tired of the antics of Lastings Milledge -- once the top prospect in the organization -- so in the offseason general manager Omar Minaya dealt the young outfielder to the Nationals for Church and catcher Brian Schneider in a deal most critics thought was short-changing Milledge's potential. But in Schneider, Minaya saw a replacement for the aging Paul Lo Duca and in Church, he saw an everyday right fielder, even though the left-handed hitter had been a platoon player for most of his career. Only once had he started more than 63 games in a season, but Minaya liked Church's numbers from last year -- a .272 average with 43 doubles, 15 homers and 70 RBIs in the pitchers' paradise of RFK Stadium -- and thought they'd improve in the Mets' lineup. "He has played a great right field, a Golde Glove right field," says Minaya. "And he's hit well, which has helped."

He's hit very well, in fact, one of only three Mets (along with Schneider and David Wright) to be meeting or exceeding expectations. Church leads team in average (.309) and home runs (nine) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.530), OPS (.909) and RBIs (32). Given the chance to play every day, Church has thrived and, at 29, is enjoying a breakout season in his ninth year of pro ball. He's even quieting concerns he ­couldn't hit left-handed pitching, bettering a .254 career average (and .229 in '07) against southpaws with a .327 clip and three homers in 55 plate appearances this season. "Here he has the chance to play every day and not take days off against lefties," says Schneider. "The coaches have a lot of confidence in him."

Johnson had wanted to see Church in a spring training game before suggesting any changes, only to be saddled by delays beyond his control. While going for a popup in a March 1 game Church collided with first baseman Marlon Anderson and suffered a Grade II concussion, which sidelined him for a week and left him with lingering headaches. Then on March 14 his wife, Tina, gave birth to the couple's first child, a healthy 7-pound, 12-ounce baby boy, Mason Alexander.

Soon after Church returned from a three-day paternity leave, Johnson approached his new protégé and told him, "Now that your family life is stabilized, let's get ready for the season." For the final two weeks of spring training the pair worked in the batting cages twice daily, before and after each game, and made two key tweaks to Church's stance, in an efffort to minimize his natural uppercut. Johnson shortened the gap between Church's feet by eight inches, bringing him out of a wide crouch, and lowered his hands from the top of his head to about eye level. "It helps eliminate that big uppercut that I thought was created by his feet," says Johnson. "We lowered his hands and tried to get him to keep that front elbow and shoulder in more, so they wouldn't fly open. When he flies open, it's because his upper-body is taking over, and he gets under a lot of balls." Adds Church, "I used to speed up, drop the barrel and dip a lot. It's like night and day."

Church is a late-bloomer. He was recruited to Nevada primarily as a left-handed pitcher with a devastating change-up -- "He probably could have been a pro pitcher as well," says Nevada coach Gary Powers -- but he tore his rotator cuff as a freshman and would throw only 47 more innings in his college career. "I thought I was done," recalls Church. "I always thought I'd make it [to the majors] as a left-handed pitcher." He didn't become a fulltime hitter until his senior season when Powers, impressed by Church's athleticism and in need of an outfielder, started him in left. In 220 at bats Church hit .382 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs and was named first-team All-Big West. The Indians selected him in the 14th round of the 2000 draft, exclusively as an outfielder, and he was MVP of the New York--Penn League that first year. "I was sitting there trying to pinch myself: Is this really happening?" says Church. "I realized, Hey, I'm a hitter now."

Now, under Johnson's watchful eye, he figures he'll only continue to climb: "I'm still learning. I'm going to get better as I get older."

Blackhawks bounce Battlin' Braves

Lompoc [14-12] fell 3-1 in eight innings to #1 seed La Quinta at Lompoc Field. After a defensive webgem of a catch on a foulball by senior shortstop Leanna Corral up against the fence in the top of the inning, the Braves took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Junior starting pitcher Jeana Carrillo's lead-off double was converted into a run when junior catcher Lauren Lopes bunt advanced pinch runner Melissa Morrison to third, and sophomore right-fielder Stephanie Baca drove her in with a single over the second base bag.

The Blackhawks tied it up with a line shot homer in the top of the fourth by their pitcher - senior Pricilla "Queen of the Desert" Velasquez. Sophomore Hillary Davis could only watch it go from her post in left field. The score remained knotted at one all until the extra inning, despite rally chances by both sides. Lompoc's half of the sixth was emblematic - leadoff walk followed by a bunt attempt that was popped up short, snared mid-air by the charging third-baseman, and fired to first to pick off the pinch runner for the double play. La Quinta also ran themselves out of an inning, and in the sixth had back-to-back "warning track" screamers that were snared by junior center fielder Elicity Fabing. That inning ended with a slow-rolling grounder to Senior Courtney Dosa at third base who made a real hustle play to nip the runner at first.

In the eight both teams had opportunities to score. The Blackhawks catcher Michelle Ortiz, after twice having check swings ruled no swing by the first base umpire, lined the ball into shallow rightfield, where Baca's throw to Junior Dana Campitelli at first base was ruled late by the same umpire.
The next batter up singled past diving junior Paty Martinez at second, setting up runners at first & second - no outs. Another single, to center, brought in a run, and still left runners at first & second. Brianna Luna's double sent one more run in and left two in scoring position. Carrillo induced a strikeout for the first out and a gounder back to the circle that she threw to the plate to tag out the runner for the second one. Lopes then picked off the runner at third and she was also tagged out at the plate - but the damage was done. Lompoc got a leadoff walk from pinch-hitter sophomore Shandee Berryman, and a two out double from Campitelli, setting up runners on second and third but could not score.

It was a great season ! Thanks Ladies !!

Church Feature; Duffy Debut

CHURCH FEATURED

NEW YORK -- Behind closed doors, far away from the ballpark, Ryan Church and his Nationals buddies would gather and wonder. They knew that Church had talent, that he had ability and promise -- all those ingredients that a would-be slugger might need.


What he didn't have was a forum to prove it. So day after day, Church would check out the lineup card to see if he might be on it. Sometimes -- oftentimes -- his name was not there, and, as teammate Brian Schneider said, "we were all wondering why."


"He always got frustrated," Schneider said. "So I'd come and I'd sit there and let him vent. I just let the guy talk and I listened, and told him to stay positive."


Finally, his opportunity came -- not on the field, but in a phone call. The voice on the other end said that Church was to head from Washington to New York in a trade for Lastings Milledge, and even from that first hour, the implications were clear. If Church could hit, he would play in right field every day. If he couldn't, he would not.


Turns out, he could hit.


One quarter of the way into this season, Church continues to lead the Mets in nearly every offensive category worth leading. His .307 average leads all regulars by no small margin, and his nine home runs are tops on the team. He's shown a knack for slugging, a proclivity for reaching base and a propensity for scoring once he gets there.


He's erased skepticism from a public that wasn't entirely ready to give up on Milledge, a then-22-year-old prospect who commanded higher expectations than Church ever did. And he's dissolved talk that he might not be fit to be a full-time player. Scrutinized all spring for an apparent inability to hit left-handed pitching, Church spent the season's first seven weeks constructing a .327 average and .551 slugging percentage against left-handers.


"We all knew he had the ability," Schneider said. "He just had to do it day in and day out, and on a consistent basis. I think he just needed the opportunity."


Now in May, the temperature has warmed, and Church hasn't cooled. In Sunday night's Subway Series finale against the Yankees, he made a sliding catch in right field to save a run, drilled a homer not too far from the deepest part of Yankee Stadium, then nearly bowled over center fielder Melky Cabrera with another line drive in the ninth.


In Arizona earlier this month, he preserved one win with a rocket throw from right field. Days later, he crashed into Dodger Stadium's outfield wall trying to do it again.


To the New Yorkers who wanted Milledge in right field instead of him, Church has pleaded his case. Milledge, something of an enigma during his time in Queens, wrapped up Sunday's play with a .234 average in tow. He has hit one home run.


Also in that deal, the Mets received Schneider, a guide for the pitching staff and a bit of an offensive surprise. The two are good friends, inseparable in the clubhouse and close off the field -- where things are going just as swimmingly. During Spring Training, Church and his wife, Tina, welcomed their first child, Mason Alexander. When Church rejoined the club, he altered his batting stance, a move that vaulted him into this hot streak in the first place. He's been there ever since, enjoying this surreal ride.


Which begs the question, in this most cynical of towns, of when it all might end. There's reason to believe that Church, a .271 hitter with middling power numbers coming into this season, can't keep up this pace. It would be quite something to maintain.


Even Church knows that the day will come when his honeymoon with the city will be complete. To date, he's managed to avoid the boos that usher so many transplants into New York, simply because of how well he's played. That might yet change.


"There's going to be a slump," Church said. "I know there's going to be a slump. That's just part of it, and you're going to have to deal with it. You can't really get frustrated and down on yourself, because all it takes is one good game, one good series, one good week and you're back at it. I've been there."


Of aid is his disposition -- a mix of confidence, cockiness, and just the right amount of indifference. Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner, one of his teammates at the University of Nevada, calls him "pretty strong in the head." Full of "mental toughness."


It's what's allowed Church to thrive wherever the Mets have put him. Placed in a Spring Training battle for playing time with those who -- supposedly -- could better hit left-handed pitching, Church won the job. Bounced from seventh to second to fifth in the batting order to accommodate his slumping teammates, Church has hit without discrimination.


So he doesn't do much griping these days. Church enjoys his team, enjoys his success, enjoys his life. Those whispered conversations about playing time were left in Washington, because here in New York, things are different. Things are better.


"The opportunities for myself and others are going to be endless," Church said. "When this team is going full-bore and we get everybody going, it's going to be exciting.
"Why wouldn't you love the situation?"
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com.





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DUFFY MUSSED UP



DANNY DUFFY's A-ball debut Monday in Burlington, Iowa was encouraging but it ended a bit sooner than his fans might have liked.



Duffy took the loss as the Burlington Bees fell to the Kane County Cougars, an Oakland affiliate, by a score of 7-3 in a Midwest League contest.


Duffy started off with three scoreless innings but departed in the fourth. Over the first three he gave up three singles, struck out four and walked nobody.




But in the fourth with one out he gave up a walk, a stolen base and an RBI single which tied the score at 1-1. He got a pop up for the second out, but an infield single put runners on first and second. Then Carlos Arrieche, a .200 hitter who struck out three times in the game, grounded a double to left field to score the Cougar go-ahead run. With that Duffy was lifted. His relief gave up a hit batsman to load the bags and a base on balls to score another run. It was credited to Duffy.




Danny's stat line ended up 3 2/3 innings, 3 earned runs and an unsightly 7.36 ERA.

Church, Duffy

Church Goes Yard

RYAN CHURCH, congratulated here by Moises Alou, belted his ninth home run of the season on nationwide TV Sunday as the Mets punched the Yankees 11-2 at Yankee Stadium. Ryan has amassed 32 RBI now after 41 games. He is on course over a 162-game season for 36 homers and 128 RBI. Wow.

And on defense--

In Saturday’s game he triggered a relay play at the plate that erased Johnny Damon. Manager Willie Randolph commented afterward “Church is as fundamentally sound as any outfielder I've seen in a while.”

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Duffy to Start First A-ball Game

This from DANNY DUFFY’s dad, Dan:

“Danny called and confirmed that he has been told that he is starting on Monday vs. Kane County Cougars. I will be flying out Sunday morning to attend Monday night’s game in person and will hopefully return with some pictures.”

And this from the Burlington Bees' website:

The Bees will welcome the Kane County Cougars to Burlington for five games in four days. Monday night, Danny Duffy will make his debut for the Bees as he is the scheduled starter. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30. The game can be heard on 1490 KBUR and online at www.GoBees.com.

A Tragedy of Errors...

and A Triumph of the Braves.


First the good news.


Softball


Lompoc [14-11] 4, Dos Pueblos [16-11] 3 (12 Innings) [Story]

The Braves outlasted the Dos Pueblos Chargers 4-3 in a match-up of two of the best pitchers in the county. Lompoc's Leanna Corral scored the eventual winning run in the top of the 12th inning, breaking a three-all tie that had lasted since the the top of the fifth.


It was neck and neck in the early going - DP took a 1-run lead in the bottom of the second, and Lompoc tied in the top of the third. The Chargers jumped to the lead again with two in the fourth, but the Braves responded with two in their next at bat. To be specific, a Courtney Dosa two run shot over the center field wall. Ashley Herald had clutch hits for the first two Charger RBI's, with the other run scored on one of Brittany King's two doubles.

In the twelfth, Leanna Corral, who entered the game without an extra-base hit this season, alertly stretched a solid single to center into a double when the ball was bobbled. Paty Martinez bunted her over to third, and Dana Campitelli picked up the RBI with a seeing-eye grounder through the circle.

In the blazing heat, DP's ace, and SB County stat leader [14-7, 125 s/o, .350 ERA] Justine Bosio and Lompoc's Jeana Carrillo [9-4, 71 s/o, .939 ERA] met head-on. Both starters went the distance, throwing hundreds of pitches (Bosio - 185, Carrillo - 136). Fortunately for Lompoc, Carrillo's pre-season workouts frequently lasted several hours and she did not wilt in the heat.
In the twelve innings she faced 49 batters, giving up 9 hits (3 doubles), walked 2, and struck out 8.

In contrast to the pitching, Lompoc has not been an offensive powerhouse this season. In spite of Dosa's occasional homers (now 4) and Campitelli's .369 batting average (99 points higher than #2 ), the Braves were only outscoring the opposition 84-82 entering the contest, had scored 3 or fewer runs in 16 games, and posted a rather anemic .219 team batting average. What has saved them has been tremendous clutch pitching, timely defense and an almost miraculous ability to get out of trouble late in games. All three were on display on Friday.


Lompoc was in escape mode for most of the game. One of their bigger challenges being to slow down the Chargers offensive battery of Bosio and catcher Janielle Wong. Wong leads the county with a .484 average, while Bosio is seventh (.396), and both have 3 homers. In the bottom half of the fifth, Campitelli prevented a run by snaring a shot at first base. In the sixth, after Wong doubled, Brittany King was then robbed of a hit on a shot to center by Elicity Fabing. In the seventh, Paty Martinez duplicated the thievery, snuffing out a DP rally by ploughing up dirt to get to a Bosio burner with a runner on base. And in the 8th, DP had an apparent walk-off homer that turned into an long out instead .

And so to the ninth. A one out single is followed by a bunt back to Carrillo who throws to second for the force - two down. And then simple pop-up for out number three - oops, no. It's dropped and the Chargers have runners on the corners with Bosio at the plate. She hit a sharp grounder to Dosa at third who, despite a bobble, still threw out Bosio for the third out. In the 10th & 11th DP had two more 'warning-track' shots, one a Bosio launch to left in the 10th, and another in the 11th swallowed up by Fabing in center.


Both Bosio & Wong are college bound, Bosio to St Mary's (softball) and Wong to SBCC for basketball & softball. Neither of the Braves seniors (Corral & Dosa) are known to have announced college plans.

Lompoc now hosts Division IV #1 Seed La Quinta, 15-0 winners over Magnolia, at 3:15 on Tuesday. Marcie Borchard's Blackhawks [21-5, 15-0] dominated the Desert Valley League and have lost only once after losing four of their first six. That lone 4-1 loss to Camarillo at the Thousand Oaks tourney in late April, was followed in the competition by an 8-3 victory over Righetti. They also have a young team - 2 seniors, 4 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 1 freshman. They have 9 of the 12 hitting over .300, led (among the regulars) by Priscilla Velasquez at .407 (.480 OBP, .512 SLG) and Brianna Luna .395 (.520 OBP, .711 SLG). Defensively they have committed 35 errors in 949 chances for a .963 fielding percentage. They have used three primary pitchers this year, allowing only 34 earned runs (54 total) on the season. Senior Jasmine Braxton has led the team in ERA (6-0, .857 in 49 innings), Senior Priscilla Velasquez was second (1.159, 6-3 in 48.1 innings), but the primary weapon has been sophomore Bryana Walker (1. 335 ERA, 9-1 plus a save in 78.2 innings). Walker, however, has only pitched in three of six LQ games in May. She did pitch against Magnolia.

Other LPL action:
Templeton 4, Orange 0 [The Eagles travel to Indio on Tuesday]
Riverside Rowland 3, St. Joseph 2 (10 Innings)
Mission Hills Alemany 9, Morro Bay 0

Baseball

Culver City 2, Lompoc 1 [Story]
Cody Berryman pitched a great game. It was not enough. The Brave defense allowed two runs in the sixth inning without Berryman giving up a hit. Lompoc had a total of five defensive errors on the day, and a wide variety of other mistakes that spoiled Berryman's effort. Apart from Brandon Alonzo's leadoff homer in the first, the Braves offense was ineffective as many of the runners that did get on were erased via double plays or stolen base attempts that went awry. Berryman had a double in his own support, and Dalton Rouleau was 2-2 with a walk.

Other LPL action:
Patriot 2, Santa Ynez 0
St. Joseph 8, La Habra 7


Tennis

CIF SS Individual Tournament

Lompoc junior Alex Jensen, Singles Champion of the Los Padres League , drew a first-round bye, then lost 6-3, 7-5 to Dos Pueblos' Sasha Guryasnov (#2 seed Channel League) in the second round.

LHS Girls Softball; Nooney, Ur, Shipman, TV

Friday Wrap

1) In CIF opening round play the Lompoc High Girls Varsity softball team won 4-3 over Dos Pueblos in 12 innings this afternoon … go Lompoc! [thanks to John Carrillo for this report]

2) Al Hunt reports that ROBERT NOONEY (pictured) has captured the California Collegiate Association’s decathlon title for Chico State. Nooney posted 6,754 points and won the 100, the 110 hurdles, and the discus and outpointed his competitors in everything else. Nooney’s total is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Division II championships in Pomona next weekend.

3) Hunt also reports that SARAH UR scored the game winning goal in overtime to lead Cal Poly to the National Collegiate Club Championship in women’s water polo. Ur’s score gave the Mustangs a 7-6 victory over the Oregon Ducks. She scored three goals in the title game and was named MVP of the tournament.

4) After 23 innings in 17 games for the Texas League (AA) Midland RockHounds of the Oakland organization ANDY SHIPMAN has posted a 1-2 record with a 5.09 ERA. All of his appearances have come in relief. He has racked up 16 strikeouts against eight bases on balls. Shipman, 26, is in his second season for Midland.

5) Cabrillo long-jumper DIAMONE MITCHELL, masters swimmers JURGEN SCHMIDT and FRANK PIEMME, and father-of-the-pitcher DAN DUFFY will appear on Lompoc Locker Room, The TV Show Monday at 5:30.

Breaking News: Cross Out at CHS, Duffy Promoted

Don Cross Resigns

After five seasons Cabrillo football coach DON CROSS (pictured here with Nevada running back Vai Taua) has resigned.

The likeable head coach who shocked Lompoc in 2003 by transferring from rival Lompoc High to take the CHS job after assisting coach Robin Luken, at LHS for seven years, submitted his resignation last week.

Sources have long told LLR of disagreements between a number of coaches at Cabrillo and the administration of Principal Betty McCallum. Athletic Director Bob Boyer, among the longest tenured teachers in the district, has submitted his retirement papers, though he may stay on as AD.

Cross however denied any dissension. "It's not a negative," he told Hunt. "I've had a great time here and made some life-long connections. I feel Cabrillo's football program, right on down to the youth teams, is in good shape. We have a lot of good coaches at all levels."

Cross could not be reached for immediate comment, but he told reporter Al Hunt that he plans to remain in Lompoc and hopes to remain with the Lompoc Unified School District where he is an English and PE instructor.

"I hope to have some kind of coaching spot," Cross told Hunt. "Next year will be my 20th as a coach."

Two football possibilities for Cross are the undermanned Lompoc High staff still headed by Luken, who is nearing retirement, and Allan Hancock College. One source, who asked anonymity pointed to the AHC program. "They've been talking," he said.

A new coach at Cabrillo is expected to be named by the end of the school year.

Cross' record at CHS was 24-30. The Conquistadores went 2-8 the last two seasons after winning the Los Padres League title in 2005 and reaching the CIF semifinals.

-0-

DUFFY TO MIDWEST LEAGUE

DANNY DUFFY is travelling today to Burlington, Iowa to the Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. The Kansas City Royals made the decision yesterday to promote their star lefthander from extended spring training. This report from Danny's Dad:

"After throwing yesterday in extended spring training, Danny received news that he was being promoted to Burlington, Iowa immediately. He is flying out today from Phoenix and will join the team when they return from a road trip. He should be in uniform for the start of this weekend's homestand vs. Quad Cities. He is tentatively slated to start on Monday vs. the Kane County Cougars an Oakland A's affiliate."

Mark Your Calendars....

Fall Schedules - Cabrillo HS

The fall 2008 schedules for CHS. Remember these things are subject to change.
[Click on images to enlarge]

The Conquistador football squad will have to take on the LPL without big Jake Farley this fall.

Football

Cabrillo starts with a scrimmage @ San Marcos on September 5th, plays Righetti, Dos Pueblos, & seven LPL games, then concludes the regular season in THE Big Game versus Lompoc on November 14th.

Varsity
JV
Frosh









Boys Water Polo

In addition to their LPL games, the varsity boys play in three tough tournaments, and 5 games (plus a scrimmage) against Pac-7/Channel League Teams.

Varsity
JV











Girls Volleyball

The Varsity V-girls compete in the CCT (4 PAC-7 Opps.) and two more tourneys, with non-conference matches versus Coastal Christian & Mission Prep interspersed with 12 LPL contests.

Varsity
JV
Frosh/Soph

Girls Tennis

Besides the usual 12 LPL battles, the varsisty girls take on Nipomo, Righetti, and Mission Prep. They start off by scrimmaging with Pioneer Valley.

Varsity
JV









Boys & Girls Cross Country

The harriers plan to race at meets in Morro Bay, Ojai, UCSB, Arroyo Grande, Clovis, Mt.SAC, and, of course, the SB County Meet at Lompoc's River Park. This is in addition to the LPL Duals @ Templeton and hosting the LPL Finals - also at River Park.

Los Padres All-League Selections

The All- Los Padres League Teams for the Spring 2008 season.
Well, at least most of them - Swimming, Boys Golf, and Track & Field are still to come.
[Click on images for full teams]


Lompoc's Chris Mallory



Baseball
The League Champion Braves, under Coach Jim Allen, took both the MVP awards:

Field MVP- Dalton Rouleau
Pitching MVP - Cody Berryman

Other Locals named were:
1st Team
Chris Mallory (L)
Zach Pecyna (C)
Aaron Naputi (C)
Daniel Mallory (L)
2nd Team
Scott Aguailar (L)
Brandon Alonso (L)
Kevin Erickson (L)
Brian Engler (C)
David Fraats (C)
Honorable Mention
Richie Hirzel (L)
Ryan McGinty (C)


Softball
Templeton's Kat Hicks was the MVP.
Locals named were:
1st Team
Jeana Carrillo (L)
Alyssa Abayari (C)
Leanna Corral (L)
2nd Team
Dana Campitelli (L)
Lauren Lopes (L)
Courtney Dosa (L)
Kelly Brown (C)
Lindsie Holloway (C)
Honorable Mention
Shelby Kuhlman (C)
Paty Martinez (L)

Boys Tennis


Alex Jensen (L) - 1st Team Singles
Andrew Shewell / Ryan Anderson (C) - 2nd Team Doubles
Eric Wang (C) - Honorable Mention
Anthony Yang (L) - Honorable Mention

[errr, that should be Jake Eszez on the list]

Boys Volleyball

Neither local school fields a team.

Cabrillo Playoff Results **[updated]**

The Conq's traveled to Beverly, Hills that is, for a CIF Wild Card contest today. Unfortunately it did not go well for the locals. The Normans used a pitcher with a sub 1.0 ERA, and he maintained his numbers - holding Cabrillo to two hits in a 6-1 loss. The Conquistadors finish the season at 13-14. --- el stato

****************UPDATE****************

Cabrillo did themselves no favors in this one, but they started off well. Ryan McGinty drove in Aaron Naputi in the top of the first. Unfortunately, that was about it as far as offense was concerned. While three Conqs drew walks (Naputi, Zach Pecyna, Sean Greathead), Tony Elliot had the only other hit, and Pecyna stole a base. The team batting average on the day was .095 & OBP was .208 .

Starter Brian Engler kept it close through five innings, allowing 1 run in the third and two in the fourth. It was the bottom of the sixth that did him in. The Normans scored three runs off of Engler and reliever Justin Boggs for the 6-1 final. Engler finished with 5 runs allowed (4 earned) on 7 hits, and two hit batters. The seven hits included a double and a triple. Boggs allowed 1 earned run on two hits. Neither pitcher surrendered a walk and Boggs had the lone strikeout. -- el stato

Ur & Fenske Finish Strong; Duffy Starring

Ur & Fenske

BECCA UR and HEATHER FENSKE and the San Diego State Aztecs reached the end this weekend.

They finished fifth best in the nation after being upset by UC Davis 9-8 on Friday, before splashing back to eliminate Pomona-Pitzer 11-4 and defeat Michigan 12-9 in the NCAA fifth place game.

Ur, a co-captain (pictured above right) went out in style with a goal, three assists and six ejections drawn in the victory over the Wolverines. Fenske (pictured left) was just as solid. She made four of her eight saves down the stretch as Michigan fought to get back into the game.

Fenske amassed a whopping 332 saves during the season, a most improbable one after having played little her first three years.

Ur led the team in assists with 59 and also in steals with 54. She was a tower of strength in the middle as she drew 53 ejections and meshed 26 goals.

The two Lompocans combined to help lead the Aztecs to their best finish in program history. SDSU concluded the 2008 campaign with a program-best 31-7 record. With a 2-1 mark at the NCAA tournament, the Scarlet and Black topped last year's school-record 29 wins. UCLA went undefeated to repeat as NCAA champion.

-0-

Duffy Update

Here’s the latest on DANNY DUFFY, thanks to his Dad.

“Danny had two outstanding outings in the last week and ahalf. Last Saturday 05/03/08 he pitched against the San Diego Padresextended team. He pitched 5 complete yielding only 1 hit (0 runs),striking out 8 and his fastball was clocked at 96 on 4 differentpitches. His first 4 innings were perfect 12 up-- 12 down.

“That same evening at 8:00 PM he was invited by a couple of the team'strainers, Will Simon, Nick Leto, and Tony Medina to run with them in an8K run in Scottsdale Night Run for the Arts. He finished sixth in the 12-19 year old agegroup with an 88th place finish overall out of approximately 668 runners. Histime in the distance, just short of five miles, was 38 minutes 18.8seconds, a decent clip. He was proud of beating the three trainers to thefinish line.

“On Friday 05/09/08 he pitched against the Texas Rangers extended teamand again the first 4 innings were perfect. He hit his pitch count atthe 4 2/3 innings mark giving up no runs 1 hit 1 walk and 10 strikeoutstopping out at 94.

"He feels good and is simply awaiting the team’s decision on an assignment. He will know sometime in June what the plans are. In the meantime he is just going out and trying to get better everyday.”

Playoffs

CIF Southern Section -
Division IV Playoffs

Baseball

The CIF baseball committee seems to like the idea of the Ocean League and the LPL playing each other. They have Cabrillo (LPL #4) on the road at Beverly Hills (Ocean #3) [12-11, 6-4] in a Wild Card round match on Tuesday, and Lompoc (LPL #1) hosting a first rounder versus Culver City (Ocean #2) [13-12, 7-3] on Friday. LPL #2 St. Joseph travels to La Habra (Freeway #2) and Santa Ynez (LPL #3) hosts Oaks Christian (Tri-Valley #4) in a Wild Card game. [Click on images to enlarge]

Cabrillo
The Conquistadors (LPL #4) [13-13, 7-5] face an uphill battle - if the defeat the Normans tomorrow they will travel on Friday to take on #1 seed Northview.
Game Info
Cabrillo Roster Results Stats
B. Hills Roster Results Stats

Lompoc
The Braves host the Centaurs with #3 seed Savanna lurking in the second round.

Game Info
Lompoc Roster Results Stats
C. City Roster Results Stats

Softball
No love for the LPL from CIF although league champ Templeton recieved the #2 seed, the others were all handed tough assignments. LPL #2 St Joe's faces Rowland (San Antonio #2) on the road with #4 seed Ocean View looming in the second round, and LPL # 4 Morro Bay travels to #3 seed Alemany in the opener.
[Click on image to enlarge]
Lompoc
The CIF seeding committee did the Braves (LPL #3) [13-10, 7-5] no favors either. In the first round they face Channel League Champs Dos Pueblos [16-10, 11-1] with the winner of that contest slated to play #1 seed La Quinta in round two.

Game Info
Lompoc Roster Results Stats
Dos Pueblos Roster Results
DP Stats not availible at this time.

Cabrillo
The Conqs finish their season 5th in the LPL at 13-11, 6-6 in league.
--- el stato

State Champion !!! and D III Track

One round down and four to go, as Chelsea Cassulo tries for a State Championship (Check her out on LLR, TAP TV on Monday @ 5:30 PM). Meanwhile one Lompocan already has a state title....

Greco - Roman Wrestling

Syrus Anderson of Lompoc and the Lompoc Academy of Wrestling (LAW) won the Midget Division 87 - pound Championship of the California State Greco - Roman Wrestling Tournament at Temecula on May 2-4 2008.
In his third year of wrestling & in just his third tourney, he rebounded from a first round loss to defeat the defending national champion in the finals. He outpointed his second and pinned his third opponent to reach the finals where he won 4-2 after being tied 1-1 at the start of the third period.

He plans to compete in the California Freestyle Championships (San Jose) in June, and has qualified for the Greco - Roman Western Regional Invitational in Idaho.

CIF Division III Prelims

Four local athletes (Chelsea Cassulo, Jozza Ray, Masson Blow, & Diamonne Mitchell) qualified for the Divisional Finals.

Click Image to see Individual Results for local athletes.







Complete Results

NCAA Womens Water Polo

Unfortunately the Heather Fenske / Becca Ur led San Diego St. Aztecs lost their first-round match against 5th seeded UC Davis, but they recovered and ended the season by beating 6th seed Michigan 12-9 for 5th place in the Championship Tournament. --- el stato

Three and counting

Congratulations
to the
Lompoc Braves Baseball Team
on their
Third
Consecutive
League
Championship !!!!!

Baseball
The Braves topped the Santa Ynez Pirates 15-3 at Bodary Field to take the LPL Title. [Story][Game Stats]

Other LPL Scores
St. Joseph 11-1 Santa Maria
Morro Bay 3-1 Templeton

Final LPL Standings
Lompoc .......9-3-0 (.750) .....13-13-0 (.500)
St. Joseph.....8-4-0 (.667)......13-11-0 (.542)
Santa Ynez ....8-4-0 (.667)......15-10-0 (.600)
Cabrillo .......7-5-0 (.583)......13-13-0 (.500)
Templeton ....6-6-0 (.500)......10-12-0 (.455)
Morro Bay.....4-8-0 (.333) .....10-16-0 (.385)
Santa Maria ...0-12-0 (.000) ... 2-22-0 (.083)

Softball
On the other side of the Lompoc Campus the Braves got another fine effort from Jeana Carrillo (her 10th win of the season), backed it up with good defense and timely hitting to defeat the Santa Ynez strain of Pirates 4-2. Dana Campitelli (2-3, 3 RBI) and Leanna Corral (3-3, 2 runs scored) keyed the offense. The coaches and team honored the seniors from both squads in a postgame ceremony. Corral and Courtney Dosa are Lompoc's only two seniors.

Other LPL Scores
St. Joseph 6, Santa Maria 1
Morro Bay 4, Templeton 3

Final LPL Standings
Templeton ....10-2-0, 17- 4-0
St. Joseph......9-3-0, 16-12-0
Morro Bay.......7-5-0, 16-10-0
Lompoc.........7-5-0, 13-11-0
Cabrillo.........6-6-0, 13-11-0
Santa Maria.....2-10-0, 7-21-0
Santa Ynez.....1-11-0, 8-16-1

---el stato

Different Directions

Anna Jelmini is the major obstacle between Lompoc's Chelsea Cassulo and a State Championship. The Shafter HS junior has thrown the third best shot put distance in the country this year (49-2.5) & the 4th best discus distance (183-11) ever thrown by a high school girl. Cassulo begins her march to the hoped for match-up on Saturday.


Recap
The Lompoc tennis team bowed out of the CIF Playoffs, Cabrillo baseball evened its record and continue to await the decision on their playoff fate, the CHS swimmers have a decent showing at the finals, and track athletes from both local high schools prepare for the CIF Prelims on Saturday.

CIF Div IV Tennis

Lompoc
After a narrow wild card victory at home on Tuesday, it was a different story for the Braves on the road on Thursday. Lompoc was unceremoniously dumped from the playoffs 15-3 by the Whitney (Cerritos) Wildcats. The #1 seed of the Academy League swept all the Braves except LPL Singles Champ Alex Jensen, who swept his sets for the only Lompoc points. Broken in the first game of his initial set, Jensen immediately broke back against Whitney's #1 singles player Joel Kennedy and went on to win 6-4. Whitney, a college-prep magnet school, simply had more depth and experience than the locals, but the Braves have almost everybody back next year and we look forward to even more success in the future.
Lompoc Scores
Singles:
#1 Alex Jensen (6-4, 6-1, 6-2), #2 Robert Rodriguez (2-6, 1-6, 1-6), #3 Anthony Yang (1-6, 0-6, 1-6)
Doubles :
#1 Kyle Thumm / Marco Pasallo (0-6, 0-6, 4-6), #2 Joel Martin / Cooper Barrick (2-6, 0-6, 4-6), #3 Oscar Rodriguez / Carlos Diaz (0-6, 5-7, 0-6).
Other LPL Teams:
LPL #2 Seed St. Joseph (18-1) The homestanding Knights bounced the Downey Vikings (San Gabriel Valley #2, 8-4) from the tournament 14-4 (8-1 in singles) and will play Walnut HS on Saturday at a site to be determined by coin flip.
At Santa Ynez the LPL #1 Seeded Pirates thumped Mayfair to advance to the second round against the 12-5 Estancia Eagles in Costa Mesa.

CIF Div IV Swimming

The Cabrillo girls (72 points, 12th) & boys (26 points, T28) represented the valley at the CIF Finals on Thursday [Click on image to see individual results]. No LHS swimmers made the finals. There were 44 girls, and 46 boys teams at th Belmont Plaza competition. The top two finishers from each of the four CIF divisions and the next sixteen fastest times in an event qualify for the Masters Meet. Although the "upper" division results are not yet known it is unlikely that any of the local swimmers qualified.

Complete Results

Other LPL schools [Place (points)]:
Santa Maria - boys 40th (7), girls 11th (82)
Morro Bay - boys tied 34 (15), girls 7th (106)
St. Joseph - boys 30th (25), girls 15th (64)
Santa Ynez - boys 14th (54), girls 18th (46)

CIF Div III Track and Field

Even though the official results of the entire LPL Finals Meet have not yet been released - the following local student-athletes have qualified for the CIF Prelims on Saturday. Several of them have legitimate shots at advancing to the CIF-SS Finals and Masters Meets.
Complete Listings


Baseball

Cabrillo
At Carpenteria, Cabrillo defeated the Warriors 5-3. The Conquistadors couldn't do anything about their LPL record (finished at 7-5) or their playoff chances (they need Morro Bay to beat Templeton on Friday), but they could do something about evening their overall record (13-13) and staying sharp if they make the post-season. They did both, using the long ball to beat a quality Carpenteria team (14-7) that had won 10 of its last 11 games.

Cabrillo got a solo homer in the first and a double from starting pitcher Ryan McGinty, and a two-run homer in a three run sixth from Zach Pecyna.
Lompoc
The Braves host Santa Ynez at 4pm on Friday for the LPL Championship.
-- el stato