Sports

Padres Rally Back To Beat Giants In Extra Innings

Published

9 years ago

June 24, 2015

San Francisco, CA – The Padres tied the game in the eighth and took advantage of the Giants bullpen in extra innings. Alexi Amarista’s RBI single in the eleventh gave San Diego their first lead of the night. That was all they needed to erase a spectacular performance from Madison Bumgarner.

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The Padres 3-2 win over San Francisco was not the start they wanted to kick off the homestand. Bumgarner retired the first 14 batters he faced and recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts. But yielded a two-run double to Will Venable to tie the game 2-2. He out pitched his opponent Odrisamer Despaigne who tossed only five innings.

“That’s the way the game is,” Bumgarner said. “It’s funny sometimes. It’s not ideal for us. Obviously we’d like to be winning games, but we’ve just got to keep going out there and grinding.”

Bumgarner looked sharp on the mound, and after tossing five innings, striking out ten and retiring the first fourteen batters he’s faced. Brandon Crawford made a diving catch in the fifth to save Bumgarner’s no hit bid but Justin Maxwell watched two bloop singles drop in front of him to put two on. While Clint Barnes was batting, Yonder Alonso was caught stealing home to end the threat.

Matt Duffy led off the fifth with a double, advanced to third on Bumgarner’s ground out and scored on Blanco’s bunt single that left Despaigne confused after sliding for the ball unable to throw. Joe Panik followed with a RBI double making it a 2-0 game. Bumgarner surpassed his career-high with 14 strikeouts.

“We got a break there with that little dribbler that the pitcher couldn’t handle,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “We got two runs out of that, but we’ve got to find a way to get this offense clicking.”

By the eighth, San Diego tied the game with a two-run double from Venable and that was the end for Bumgarner. In the same inning the Padres interim manager Pat Murphy was ejected along with Kemp. Alonso led off the frame with a walk, Will Middlebrows hit a double on a fly ball to right field.

Barnes was called out on a check swing and Murphy tried to argue the call and received his first ejection after being on the job just one week. He was ejected by home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth while Kemp kept jawing off at the mouth and got tossed to by first base umpire Manny Gonzalez.

“This is a really big win for us,” Middlebrooks said. “Bumgarner was nasty tonight, he was on. Just grind it out at-bats and find a way to get some baserunners and give ourselves a chance.”

San Francisco got a huge break when Cory Spangenberg reached first on a fielder’s choice and Veneable was out at second. The Padres challenged the call that Venable was safe and the call was overturned. Sergio Romo replaced Javier Lopez and struck out Derek Norris to end the inning.

But Norris double off Giants reliever Hunter Strickland in the eleventh, followed by Justin Upton’s single before Amarista drove in Norris when he singled off the glove of Strickland making it a 3-2 game. San Diego’s reliever Craig Kimbrel struck out Brandon Belt before walking Crawford. He then struck out the next two batters despite Crawford stealing second trying to give the Giants a chance to get back in this game.

“Hard fought game, it’s a tough one to lose,” said Bochy. “Bum threw so well, but we just couldn’t add on.”

Notes – Although he seemed pretty confident he would play tonight, outfielder and leadoff man Nori Aoki was placed on the DL with a broken leg. Aoki suffered the injury over the weekend in Los Angeles when the team played the Dodgers. Starting pitcher Carlos Frias hit him with a pitch in the ankle in the first inning.

“It’s a blow for us, Bochy said. “You hate to see it happen to him.”

Aoki was confident he’d play but was a late scratch after he felt more pain during batting practice. He then had an X-ray that revealed a fracture not seen on the original test. It’s going to be tough replacing Aoki but the Giants have battled through injuries before and always come out on top in the end.

“I was definitely surprised,” Aoki said through an interpreter. “ I came here ready to play. It was really weird that it got really worse at that point.”

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Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”

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Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February. Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy of Alexis Gray Lawson.

By Post staff

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February.

Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott Civic Center Hotel.

“I am truly honored to receive this incredible nomination,” said Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, who, along with college teammate Devanei Hampton, lead Oakland Tech to its second consecutive state title in 2005. “It took a village to raise me and get me here, and I truly am excited to continue the legacy.”

Gray-Lawson, a “second team” Parade All-American and an All-State honoree, as a senior in ’05, was chosen for the California Interscholastic Federation sportsmanship award. She only lost one game throughout her four-year career in high school. Her jersey was retired at Oakland Tech and placed in the National High School Hall of Fame as a four-time All-City recipient, averaging 17.2 points per game during her career.

Gray-Lawson received scholarships in volleyball, softball, and basketball before deciding to travel up College Avenue to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she played in more basketball games (143) than any other player in Golden Bears’ history. She finished her career as the Bears all-time 3-point leader (211), and she is ranked third in scoring with 1,982 points.

An All-Pac 10 and honorable mention All-American in 2010, Gray-Lawson also was the top player at 5’8” or under for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. Later that year, she was a third-round pick of the Washington Mystics in 2010 and played with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2011 and 2012. She also played professionally overseas in Turkey and Israel.

Other inductees are Clifford Ray (Basketball); Lee Lacy (Baseball); Spencer Haywood (Basketball); and Mohinder Singh Gil (Track & Field).

Organizers say the event promises to be a “historic and celebratory evening,” and iconic personalities from across the professional sports industry and its various disciplines will attend.

The no-host cocktail hour begins at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. All times are prompt. General tickets are $250.00; Seniors (65 and older) $150.00, and students $50. This includes dinner and the ceremony. Tables of 10 are available as well, and early purchase is recommended.

MESHOF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring athletes from all corners of the globe who have made significant contributions to the world of sports and broadening the public’s understanding of the contributions people of color have made to professional sports; and to provide educational life skills and mentorship opportunities for deserving youth. Proceeds will help maintain the City of Oakland’s Curt Flood Field, Oakland Parks & Recreation, and MESHOF’s after school and mental health initiatives.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsportshof.com. For additional information, please contact: Arif Khatlib @ afrosportshall@aol.com or India Alston @ india@beamcreativehouse.com