Ex-Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías pleads no contest to domestic battery charge

• May 2, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from his arrest last September outside BMO Stadium in Exposition Park.

Urías, 27, was placed on 36 months of summary probation and ordered to complete 30 days of community labor, complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling course, pay a domestic violence fund fee, not possess any weapons, not use any force or violence, pay restitution to the victim and abide by a protective order, Ivor Pine of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office told City News Service.

A second count of domestic battery, and one count each of injuring a spouse/cohabitant/fiance/date/child’s parent, assault and false imprisonment, were dismissed as a result of the no contest plea, according to court records.

The charges were filed April 8, just under three months after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file a felony case against Urías and instead referred the matter to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for consideration of whether a misdemeanor case was warranted.

Urías, who became a free agent at the end of the 2023 season and remains unsigned, was arrested Sept. 3 by Exposition Park police following a much-publicized soccer match between the Los Angeles Football Club and Inter Miami — featuring star Lionel Messi — at BMO Stadium. He was released the next morning on $50,000 bond.

According to a District Attorney’s Office charge evaluation worksheet in January, the alleged victim in the case was Urías’s wife, who was not identified.

“They engaged in an argument whereby the defendant pushed the victim against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders,” according to the document.

“Neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing. The case is accordingly referred to the city attorney for misdemeanor filing consideration.”

Urías was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball days after his arrest, and the Dodgers issued a statement saying the team was cooperating fully with the investigation.

“The Dodgers take all allegations of the kind in this case very seriously, and we do not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence,” the team said.

Urías was 11-8 during the 2023 season with a 4.60 earned-run average. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Dodgers in 2016, and has a lifetime record of 60-25 with a 3.11 ERA.

He was suspended for 20 games in 2019 by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for an incident in the parking lot of the Beverly Center on May 13 of that year.

TMZ reported that a witness called police saying that Urías was arguing with a woman and shoved her to the ground. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place, insisting it was nothing more than a heated argument.

Urías was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery in that incident, but no charges were filed.

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​ Orange County Register 

Kings eliminated by Oilers again, this time in 5 games

• May 2, 2024

EDMONTON, Alberta — When you allow the Edmonton Oilers to nearly set a franchise record with nine power-play goals in a playoff series, your chances of winning are pretty slim, and the Kings found out the hard way.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice, while Evander Kane and Zach Hyman also tallied their second and seventh goals of the series as Edmonton knocked the Kings out of the playoffs for a third straight year with a 4-3 win on Wednesday night at Rogers Place to take their Western Conference first-round series 4-1.

Evan Bouchard added three assists, and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two each. McDavid extended his points total to a playoff-leading 12 (one goal, 11 assists).

Alex Laferriere and Blake Lizotte scored their first-ever playoff goals in the loss, while Adrian Kempe scored late in the third period as the Kings pressed for the equalizer.

Edmonton finished 9 for 21 on the power play, while the Kings were 0 for 12 in the series. The Oilers’ power play the last three years against the Kings in the playoffs finished 25 for 56 (44.6%) overall.

While the Kings went toe-to-toe with the Oilers at even-strength, special teams played a huge role in why the Kings are going home early for the third straight season.

David Rittich made his second straight start for the Kings and made 22 saves in the loss, while Stuart Skinner made 18 saves in the win as the Oilers will advance and face the winner of the Vancouver-Nashville series.

“Yes, they have an amazing power play, amazing players and throw a lot of amazing things at us. But a lot of those goals were preventable, in my opinion. And it wasn’t like we weren’t trying to do the right thing,” a dejected Drew Doughty said.

“We tried to block shots, take passing lanes away. They’re good players, but if we had a better PK, I think we would have taken the series deeper, for sure.”

With their playoff lives on the line, the Kings came out strong in the opening half of the first period, but found themselves down 1-0 on Kane’s goal at the 10:17 mark.

After Laferriere’s goal tied the score with 28 seconds left in the first period, it gave the Kings a much-needed jolt, and Lizotte’s wrist shot from just inside the right faceoff circle gave the Kings a 2-1 lead at the 3:08 mark of the second period – but the Kings fell on tough times from there.

It became a parade to the penalty box not long after Lizotte’s go-ahead goal and the Oilers only scored one goal on the man advantage, but you might as well call it three power-play goals, as they connected on two more goals just four and three seconds after penalties to Pierre-Luc Dubois and Doughty expired.

“It’s super frustrating. I don’t really have all the answers for you with what’s missing. We need more guys to step up and play better … all of us – every single guy on our team,” Doughty said.

With their backs against the wall in the third period, the Kings weren’t able to muster many quality scoring chances in the final frame. After recording just five shots in the second period, they fired just six shots on Skinner, four of which were in the final three minutes of the game.

Kempe re-directed a point shot from Matt Roy with 2:28 remaining with Rittich pulled to cut Edmonton’s lead to 4-3. They had another couple decent looks on Skinner in the final minute of play, but they couldn’t find the equalizer.

“Definitely a disappointing feeling. Obviously (losing) for a third year in a row, it sucks right now,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said.

“We just got to play better really. Special teams hurt us a lot in this series. There were parts of the games where we were good, we were dictating the game, but we obviously need to do it more often in every game in order to win the series.”

After getting shut out 1-0, despite outshooting Edmonton 33-13 in Game 4, the Kings were looking for a bounce to go their way, and they got that on Laferriere’s first-career playoff goal.

After Vladislav Gavrikov dump in took a weird bounce off the glass, the puck swung onto the stick of the Kings rookie, who had a wide open net with Skinner out of position.

That goal made it 1-1, and after killing off an Oilers power play early in the second period and Lizotte gave them the lead, it looked like the momentum may be swinging back in the favor of the Kings, but then the penalty trouble started, and it gave Edmonton life and the Kings were forced to scratch and claw their way back with their playoff lives on the line.

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“Whether they were penalties or not, the bottom line is we have to get the job done on special teams and we didn’t do it throughout the five games,” Kopitar said.

Losing in the playoffs sting, and the Kings have lost three straight years to the Kings. In 2022, the series went seven games. Last year, they lost in six, and this year, the series went five games.

“Obviously it makes you want to beat them more, but the point is we lost three years in a row in the first round,” Doughty said. “Yeah, it’s against Edmonton, but it doesn’t matter who you lost to, it’s the same amount of disappointment in wanting to win the series.

“Obviously we got to win a playoff round. That was our goal this year. I think we gave them a harder challenge last year, which is unfortunate, but we have to work hard in the offseason again and come back stronger and use this experience and these last experiences as motivation and try to win a series.”

Coach Hiller gives final thoughts @LAKings I #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/pOfrAi16TP

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 2, 2024

Kopi talks with the media@LAKings I #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/NPQW35IUb5

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 2, 2024

Drew talks about the series loss@LAKings I #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/hDPtwC4BNm

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 2, 2024

@EdmontonOilers pic.twitter.com/gwogWSBN4O

— x – LA Kings (@LAKings) May 2, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

Peninsula boys volleyball falls short in Division 3 quarterfinal against El Dorado

• May 2, 2024

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES The Peninsula boys volleyball team made sure to do its homework leading up to Wednesday’s CIF-Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinal match with visiting El Dorado.

“We watched a lot of film and knew their guy was (Max Smith),” Peninsula’s Drake Harris said. “We tried to have two blockers on him. He was our main focus.”

Smith finished with 16 kills, but Peninsula was unable to contain El Dorado’s other options before falling 17-25, 25-23, 21-25, 23-25..

“(El Dorado) blocked very consistently and didn’t make a lot of errors. They’re very disciplined and made it hard for us to get kills,” Peninsula coach Kevin Williams said. “They’re a solid team and whoever gets them next, they’ll have a hard time dealing with them.”

El Dorado (28-4) will face San Clemente in Saturday’s semifinals.

Harris came out with energy from the outset, racking up kills on each of the Panthers first points of the evening.

But El Dorado responded, going on a 15-point service run that turned a three-point Peninsula (16-10) lead into an 18-6 Golden Hawk advantage.

Harris finished the opening game with six kills, but El Dorado countered with Kaiden Gerard (six blocks), Dillon Overbeck (four kills) and Trent Chaffin (three kills) while the Panthers committed eight errors. Gerard finished with eight kills and eight blocks while Overbeck and Chaffin had seven kills.

Peninsula battled in the second game, taking a short-lived 19-17 advantage after one of Harris’ 10 kills in the second. But it was the play of Smith and Gerard that proved too much to overcome down the stretch.

“We kept with our game plan and tried to pass better going into the second,” Harris, who finished with a game-high 27 kills, said. “We hit a little higher, which helped us too.”

With its back against the wall and its season on the line, Peninsula came out in the third game with a renewed sense of urgency. El Dorado took a 10-6 lead following a pair of Panther errors before Peninsula responded.

Peninsula went on a 6-1 service run, including a pair of Harris kills and Kenneth Won’s service ace.  El Dorado continued to battle, cutting it to a 23-21 Panther advantage before Harris and Andersons recorded kills on consecutive points to close out the third game.

“We were really hyped up going into the third and we didn’t want the season to be over,” Harris said. “We have a lot of seniors on the team and were trying to play loose. In the first game we were tight, but got better as the match went on.”

The Panthers kept pace in the fourth game. Kyle Boger’s service ace followed by Harris’ kill tied the game at 22, and Harris’ seventh kill of the game made it 23-23. But Overback’s block followed by Harris’ game-ending error helped El Dorado advance to the semifinals.

“I think the key for us was not to get disappointed or discouraged and to get behind each other,” Williams said. “Something we preached all season was being a family, working hard for each other and being selfless in big moments. It’s all about being a better team and we took pride in that this season.”

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Dodgers end successful road trip with shutout win in Arizona

• May 2, 2024

PHOENIX — Yoshinobu Yamamoto would probably like to forget his one-inning MLB debut. If he could get MLB to agree, his ERA would be 1.64 and his WHIP 0.97 over six Seoul-less starts.

The Dodgers scored five times in the second inning and coasted to an 8-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks with Yamamoto turning in his second consecutive scoreless start.

As The Bee Guy’s 15 minutes of fame wound down, the Dodgers won their third series on the three-city, two-country, 5,425-mile cavalcade. They won seven of the nine games, outscoring their three opponents (the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays and Diamondbacks) 45-19 and trailing at the end of a total of just 15 of the 82 innings played. They return home with a stellar 11-5 record on the road this year (including one of the two Seoul Series games) to go with a surprisingly mundane 9-8 mark at home (also including one of the Seoul Series games).

Yamamoto neutralized the Diamondbacks as effectively as The Bee Guy’s “non-pesticidal solution” knocked out Tuesday’s bee swarm. The Japanese right-hander allowed five hits and walked two in six scoreless innings and now has a 15-inning scoreless streak.

The Diamondbacks only got two baserunners to second base against Yamamoto – one in the first inning then later in the sixth. Both were stranded there.

Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery was scheduled to start Tuesday’s bee game and went through his pregame routine only to be scratched when the start was delayed almost two hours.

He might have been wishing for locusts if he’d known how it was going to go Wednesday.

The Dodgers scored five times on four hits and two walks in the second inning against Montgomery.

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Andy Pages’ two-run home run started the scoring. Austin Barnes doubled in another run when his fly ball glanced off center fielder Corbin Carroll’s glove and dropped to the warning track. Mookie Betts drove in two more runs with the first of his three singles in the game.

The MLB leader in hits (49), Betts has had 12 multi-hit games in the first 33 games of the season, five of three hits or more.

Will Smith led off the third with a solo home run and Montgomery’s night was just about over. The Dodgers added two more runs in a four-walk seventh inning against Diamondbacks relievers Blake Walston (making his MLB debut) and Brandon Hughes. Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor had back-to-back bases-loaded walks.

The bottom half of the Dodgers’ lineup started to contribute offensively on this trip, sparked by Pages. In Wednesday’s win, the final four hitters – Pages, Rojas, Taylor and Barnes – combined for five hits and three walks, scored four of the Dodgers’ runs and drove in five.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Long Beach Poly boys volleyball advances to D3 semifinals with win over Fountain Valley

• May 2, 2024

LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Poly boys volleyball team is peaking at the right time and senior outside hitter Lucky Iosua is central to the team’s success.

Iosua had a game-high 23 kills in Poly’s four-set win at home against Fountain Valley, 25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinals Wednesday.

Junior middle blocker KJ Hill added 12 kills, including a highlight kill he sent through a defender to go up 22-20 late in the second set. Junior setter Ryder Tualo had 58 assists.

The Jackrabbits (23-11) finished second in the Moore League but have since won three straight playoff games to clinch a spot in the D3 semifinals Saturday at St. Margaret’s.

“It means a lot to me to be honest,” Iosua said. “A lot of guys coming in, new players, all looking at me to lead the way and I just came to lead the way.”

“Our team captain Lucky, he’s a four-year starter, four year outside hitter,” Poly coach Sid Davidson said. “He did his thing and he’s team captain for a reason.”

Iosua credited the Poly’s home-court advantage for being an extra edge that inspired his team to pull out the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-21, against the Barons.

“The environment really,” Iosua continued. “Our parents, our bench, just being in our own school was really important.”

The Long Beach Poly crowd goes crazy as they lead Fountain Valley in the CIF-SS boys volleyball D3 quarterfinals in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Fountain Valley (23-6), the Wave League co-champions, were led by senior outside hitter Thomas Ho and sophomore middle hitter Billy Watkins.

The Barons trailed 2-0 but jumped out to a 9-5 lead early in the third and eventually won it 25-21 behind Ho’s inspired play.

“The first set we struggled to be consistent,” Foutain Valley coach Rebecca Cheltenham said. “That’s something we’ve been putting a lot of time into and that was our biggest focus.

“(Poly) had some big hitters but we just weren’t consistent at hitting, at serving and then going into that third set, they started to play for each other and wanting it together. The nerves kind of went out and they just worked for it.”

However, Poly regrouped and took an 8-3 lead early in the fourth set.

“I told them to move on to the next play and if you want to go on, we have to finish it out right,” Iosua recalled.

Fountain Valley settled in and cut Poly’s lead to 10-8 nearing the midway point in the fourth set. The Jackrabbits responded and rattled off several points and took a 14-10 lead midway through the fourth. Poly led 21-17 late in the fourth before closing out the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.

“I felt this was the best playoff game by far… it was something of a goal that we had at the beginning of the year,” Davidson continued. “Unfortunately, we didn’t win league so I said the next best thing is going to be CIF so we had to make sure we got a good seed, make sure that we grind it out and we had to work hard in practice.”

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Top underrated softball players to watch in the CIF-SS playoffs Thursday

• May 2, 2024

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Dan Albano’s list of 10 underrated softball players to watch in the CIF-SS playoffs Thursday:

Hayley Brock, Fullerton: The sophomore transfer from Orange Lutheran has been a hitting machine. In 17 games, she is hitting .475 with four home runs and 22 RBIs entering the Indians’ Division 3 opener against visiting Hart.

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove: The senior hit .556 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs, and she went 14-4 in the circle, to lead the Argonauts to the Golden West League title. Garden Grove plays host to Barstow in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs.

Gabby DiBenedetto, Marina: The promising sophomore catcher is hitting .410 and with a team-leading 26 RBIs. The Vikings play at South Coast League champion Capistrano Valley in an intriguing Division 1 wild-card round game. The Cougars won Division 3 last season and DiBenedetto catches an ace in Mia Valbuena.

Taylor Falt, Anaheim: The Orange League co-champion has a few talented younger players but this junior plays shortstop and pitches. She leads the team with a .571 average, four home runs and 33 RBIs. The Colonists play host to Mark Keppel in Division 5.

Kendra Gominsky, Yorba Linda: The senior hit eight home runs and drove in 23 RBIs — both team highs — to help the Mustangs take second place in the solid North Hills League. They play at Santa Fe in Division 3.

Payton Kennedy, Santa Margarita: The junior first baseman and pitcher enters the Division 1 playoffs hitting .414 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. She is batting .464 with runners in scoring position. The Eagles play at Oaks Christian in a wild-card game.

Kylie Loertscher, El Toro: The Chico State-bound senior carries a 12-4 record with a 1.83 ERA into the Division 2 playoffs for the Sea View League runner-up. She is hitting .342 with 15 RBIs. El Toro plays host to Gahr in Division 2.

Taylor Monteleone, Cypress: The senior first baseman enters the playoffs leading the Empire League runner-up in home runs (eight) and RBIs (39). The Centurions open the Division 2 playoff at Bonita.

Darian Rycroft, Foothill: The third baseman hit .403 in the regular season with three home runs and 22 RBIs for the North Hills League champion. The Knights play host to Aliso Niguel in an exciting Division 2 matchup. Foothill won Division 4 last season.

Jaidyn Soldin, Costa Mesa: The senior helped the young Mustangs win the Orange Coast League title with a county-leading 46 RBIs and going 12-4 in the circle. Costa Mesa plays host to Mayfield in a Division 6 first round game.

Please send feedback on underrated players to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

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​ Orange County Register 

Clippers’ Amir Coffey gaining confidence with expanded role

• May 2, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Amir Coffey has started twice in place of injured Clippers star Kawhi Leonard in their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks and with each pass and basket made, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has seen a change in his confidence level.

“He’s always been able to attack in transition. He can make a shot,” Lue said. “He used to run more pick-and-roll when Kawhi (Leonard) and PG (Paul George) were out but he can defend. He can defend multiple positions.

“So, just his confidence, I think his growth, understanding the NBA game, understanding what we need from him on a nightly basis, and he’s grown, and he’s gotten better and better. So, it’s just good to see that he could finally be in the rotation and get consistent minutes too.”

Coffey started his third playoff game Wednesday as Leonard was ruled out the day before because of chronic inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. Although he hasn’t posted big numbers (averaging 3 points, 1.8 rebounds, .5 assists), Coffey’s presence has bolstered the Clippers’ defense.

“First couple of years I wasn’t playing as much, so it’s kind of just accumulated off the court in these past one or two games, being able to show my game to my coaching staff and my teammates,” Coffey said of his self-assurance after Game 1. “So, I guess it’s just kind of been growing a little bit.”

His teammates have noticed. Terance Mann said Coffey never let doubt creep in, staying positive despite limited minutes.

“A lot of guys in his position, they get uncomfortable with having to wait and they either just stop going to the gym or just start worrying about other things, letting the outside noise get into their ear,” Mann said. “He never did that. He stayed locked in, stayed patient throughout the whole way.

“I think it was his third year, he had a great year, and then the next year he wasn’t able to play that much, and a lot of guys would let that get to them, but he stuck through it. He trusted the coaching staff, he trusted the front office and now look at us. So, it’s pretty cool.”

NOTHING URGENT

Lue said Wednesday there wasn’t a sense of urgency heading into Game 5. The Clippers regained home-court advantage with their victory in Game 4 in Dallas that evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

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“We understand what’s at stake. We understand we got home court back; we understand we gotta come out with a defensive mindset tonight to start the game. So just like we did in Game 4. Nothing changes.”

LONG-RANGE SUCCESS

The Clippers made an eye-catching 18 of 36 3-point shots in Game 1 and 18 of 29 in Game 4 that led to victories.

“We have to do a better job in keeping the Clippers away from the 3-point line and making it tougher to get shots,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “They have shot 3’s really well in their two wins; we’ve gotta do a better job of taking them off the 3-point line.

“When you’re talking about Paul George, he can make tough shots, (James) Harden can make tough shots. So even with running them off, they can make tough shots, or guarding them without fouling they can still make them. So, you just gotta make sure that there’s no freebies where they get easy ones. It’s the easy ones that can hurt you.”

​ Orange County Register 

Servite boys volleyball knocks off No. 2 seed San Marcos to reach Division 2 semifinals

• May 2, 2024

ANAHEIM — Two of the four sets in the CIF-SS Division 2 boys volleyball quarterfinal between San Marcos of Santa Barbara and Servite on Wednesday had to be decided in overtime.

Another set came right down to the wire.

The Friars came out on top in all three, defeating the No. 2 seed Royals 33-31,18-25, 31-29, 25-23 at Servite High.

Servite advances to face Trinity League rival Santa Margarita in the semifinals Saturday at Servite.

No. 3 seed Santa Margarita, which defeated the Friars (18-14-4) in both league matches this season, defeated Long Beach Wilson in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

“I think we’ve been talking a lot all year about what it takes to win and you’ve got to practice the skill of winning and stuff like that,” Servite coach Matthew Marrujo said after the victory. “And when you get a little opportunity to take advantage of it, good things happen.”

USC signee Eamon Rigdon led the Friars with 18 kills and teammate Cooper Truong had 13 kills.

Setter Joaquin Rigdon, Eamon’s brother, had 46 assists and two blocks and libero Ethan Bautista had 18 digs.

The Friars also had 10 blocks as a team.

“It was a great team win and I’m so happy for my teammates,” Eamon Rigdon said. “It took everybody to win that game.”

The score was tied numerous times in the first, third and fourth sets, with neither team able to build a lead of more than four points.

The score was tied 26 times in the first set, with six of those ties coming in overtime.

Servite led by one point with a chance to win the set five times in overtime but San Marcos (33-3) tied the score each time to extend the set.

San Marcos also led by a point, 28-27, with a chance to win the set, but the Royals served out of bounds to tie the score yet again.

Another serve out of bounds by the Royals gave the Friars a 32-31 lead and then Quinn Rosenkranz and Cooper Truong partnered on a block to give Servite the victory by the required two points.

The second set was close until the Royals went on 10-3 run to pull away down the stretch.

Servite maintained a slim lead through most of the third set before the Royals pulled ahead and led 24-23.

But then the Friars’ Diego Garcia served an ace to tie the score and send the set to overtime.

The score was tied four more times in overtime until a back-row kill from Eamon Rigdon followed by a hit out of bounds by the Royals clinched the set and gave the Friars a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set played out much like the first and third, but this time the Friars didn’t need overtime.

Another back row kill from Eamon Rigdon gave the Friars a 24-22 lead.

A hitting error by Servite made the score 24-23 but then a kill from Cooper Tuong clinched the set and the match for the Friars.

With the victory, Servite avenged its loss to San Marcos in the 2023 Division 2 quarterfinals.

We had a lot of respect for them,” Marrujo said. “We knew it was going to be a really hard match. I know what it feels like for them. We were there last year.”

The Friars last reached the semifinals in 2022. They defeated Thousand Oaks in three sets that season but then lost in the finals to Tesoro in five sets.

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