Wild pitch in ninth helps South beat North in Orange County All-Star Baseball Game

• May 30, 2024

IRVINE – It was a fine night for Crean Lutheran baseball at the Orange County All-Star Baseball Game.

Crean Lutheran coach Jake Haney was the South team’s head coach. His son Jackson, Crean’s catcher, was on the South team. And Crean’s Sho Garcia scored the winning run for the South in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Garcia scored from third base on a wild pitch Wednesday to give the South a 3-2 win over the North in the county all-star game that was played at Great Park for the first time.

The Ryan Lemmon Foundation assumed the organizational and management duties for the game after the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim could no longer continue running the game that it started in 1968.

Corona del Mar’s Carter Danz was the South’s team MVP. Justin Tillar of Cypress was the North MVP. Noah Neufeld of Laguna Beach won the game’s Hustle Award.

The South leads the series 32-23-1. The South won last year’s game 11-8 at Glover Stadium where the game had been played for many years. The North won the 2022 game.

With the score tied 2-2 Garcia walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Garcia stole second base and went to third on an opposite-field, one-out single to right by Tesoro’s Owen Faust. One out later Garcia scored on the wild pitch.

“I was being super aggressive,” Garcia said. “With two outs, I was looking for anything in the dirt and I was just going on it no matter what.

Garcia enjoyed the all-star game experience.

“It was one of the most fun times I’ve had on a baseball field,” Garcia said. “Being with all the kids I used to compete against? That was a lot of fun being on their team this time.”

Jake Haney enjoyed all of the Crean Lutheran angles.

“It was cool to have them out here one more time,” he said. “They’re very deserving, their great kids and they appreciate this. Jackson when he was growing up has been to some of these games to watch our former kids play so this was pretty cool.”

Danz drove in Faust in the bottom of the first inning with a double to give the South a 1-0 lead. Danz hit another double in the third inning, went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

Andrew Olsen of Tustin scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to give the North its first run. The North tied it in the eighth inning when Tillar pulled a triple in to the right-field corner and scored on a ground out by Yorba Linda’s Jacob Talbott.

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​ Orange County Register 

The California Legislature should put the brakes on Senate Bill 915

• May 30, 2024

There’s an old stereotype that politicians are fickle and move capriciously with the political sentiments of the moment. This seems to be alive and well among some state lawmakers who can’t decide whether important technology issues should be addressed in Sacramento or at the city-level.

Senate Bill 915 would permit cities to effectively ban state-approved commercial service for autonomous vehicles in a municipality. The bill author, Sen. Dave Cortese of San José, has stated that cities should make the determination whether or not mobility technologies are used on their roads. But in another of his bills, the senator would reduce local control over the location and operation of power plants within their jurisdictions. It seems the senator trusts cities, but only some of the time.

Despite claims of wanting to empower cities around autonomous vehicles, the senator faces a problem: many localities don’t want to be saddled with this new work.

Cities have many priorities in providing for their citizens, whether it’s housing, education, and public safety. And many city leaders recognize that they don’t have the expertise required to make informed decisions about autonomous vehicles. The technology involves complex machinery that operates within dynamic transportation environments.  Piling more work on local agencies with reduced budgets and fewer resources takes attention away from issues that impact the quality of life for residents.

Further, SB 915 would be bad for Californians. The state was among the first to pass a law creating a pathway for autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads. Just as this technology is starting to deploy commercially and offer real mobility solutions for Californians, SB 915 proposes to limit transportation options. Instead, the state is moving backwards at a time when the vast majority of states are embracing mobility advancements.

Efficient transportation is essential to the success of workers. Most residents work outside their home cities and rely on regional travel to make a living, whether by public transit or vehicle roadways. In Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Palo Alto alone, nearly 83 percent of workers commute beyond their city limits. Fragmented transportation rules in different cities hurt travelers.

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And it’s not just commuters gritting through rush hour who will be harmed by the bill. Local residents with limited mobility often rely on a variety of options to meet their mobility needs for work, healthcare, education and entertainment. The number of those with reduced capacity is substantial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 11 percent of adult Californians have significant issues moving independently, and nearly 5 percent are blind or have significant problems seeing, even with glasses. Under this legislation, their transportation options could be reduced, further marginalizing this underserved population.

Decisions about autonomous transportation are too important to be left to piecemeal decisions in myriad cities. All Californians deserve to know that their state leaders are taking a comprehensive view of the technology and the broadest range of transportation alternatives. California agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles, Public Utilities Commission, California Highway Patrol and others have the expertise and resources to monitor autonomous vehicles, review regular performance reports and issue permits for this technology. SB 915 undermines their authority and creates a confusing patchwork of regulations.

The state legislature should put the brakes on this bad bill.

Drew Boyles is the mayor of El Segundo

​ Orange County Register 

Sizzling LAFC extends shutout streak, tops Minnesota for 6th straight win

• May 30, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Behind Denis Bouanga’s 50th goal and another banger by Mateusz Bogusz, the sizzling Los Angeles Football Club leap-frogged Minnesota United FC into third place in the Western Conference.

Bouanga’s team-leading ninth goal of the season came on a first-half penalty kick off a foul he suffered. Bogusz added a late insurance goal, his sixth this year, with a laser to the top corner from 30 yards away.

The 2-0 final returned the favor to Minnesota, which defeated LAFC by the same score at Allianz Field in mid-March. The visitors had gone unbeaten over their previous six games coming into the match at BMO Stadium, scoring multiple goals in each match.

Against this version of LAFC (8-4-3, 27 points), Minnesota (7-3-4, 25 points) couldn’t get going.

The clean sheet was Hugo Lloris’ sixth shutout with LAFC and his fourth in a row, surpassing Tyler Miller to establish a new regular-season franchise record for the longest stretch without conceding at 390 minutes.

Between MLS and U.S. Open Cup competition this month, LAFC hasn’t acquiesced in 484 minutes throughout a winning streak that was extended to six games on Wednesday.

Yet again, scoring first was key to LAFC’s efforts.

Bouanga’s penalty in the 38th minute was facilitated by defender Ryan Hollingshead, who returned to LAFC’s starting lineup for the first time since May 4, when the veteran defender suffered a neck injury during the club’s last loss at San Jose.

For Hollingshead, 33, the injury was particularly concerning considering that his neck was broken in January 2017 after stepping out of his car on the side of the highway on an icy night in north Texas to help a motorist who had collided with the median.

Hollingshead, the Good Samaritan, was launched into the air when another driver plowed into him, leaving the former UCLA standout with three broken vertebrae.

The whiplash at the end of the first half against the Earthquakes flared up the 8-year-old contusion in his spine, and for the past three weeks he watched while his teammates marched forward to make the most of a congested calendar.

“That kills me, but at the same time I have to think about me as a human being and me as a dad, a husband and those things,” Hollingshead said.

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After consulting with back and neck doctors “it was just no question that I needed to do what was right for that to heal,” he continued. “We pushed those timelines as hard as we could, but at the end of the day, especially as a veteran in this league, you really start to weigh, ‘OK, when I’m 50, am I going to worry about one more game that I missed in 2024 or am I going to be so happy that I can move and play with my kids and not have neck surgery?’”

With rest and recovery, Hollingshead saw the field as a substitute during LAFC’s previous match in Atlanta, helping to see out the chaotic closing moments.

Against Minnesota he lined up next to three center backs – Aaron Long, Eddie Segura and Jesus Murillo – and fullback Sergi Palencia as LAFC opened with five at the back for the second straight match, which gave the wide defenders freedom to operate higher up the field as wingbacks.

LAFC returns to the field on Saturday, hosting FC Dallas (3-7-4, 13 points) prior to the start of a two-week international break.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Anaheim Discovery Christian’s Zuxu Wu places 11th at CIF State boys golf championship

• May 30, 2024

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Anaheim Discovery Christian’s Zuxu Wu carried the weight of Orange County boys golf into the CIF State championship on Wednesday.

As the county’s lone qualifier for the competition at San Gabriel Country Club, the senior proved ready for the task.

Wu carded an even-par 71 to tie for 11th overall and give Orange County’s season one final highlight.

Wu, the Academy League champion, recorded five birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey to finish fourth among golfers from Southern California.

Oaks Christian sophomore Max Emberson shot a 5-under-par 66 to claim the individual title by one stroke over senior Kai Hirayama of Temple City.

Torrey Pines carded a 6-over-par 361 to claim its fourth team championship.

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​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Wednesday, May 29

• May 30, 2024

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Wednesday, May 29

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR GAME

South 3, North 2

​ Orange County Register 

Dejan Joveljic scores 2 more goals to lead Galaxy past FC Dallas

• May 30, 2024

CARSON — If at first you don’t succeed, just wait for another opportunity.

It’s a simple moment and thought process, but it was one that helped the Galaxy escape with a 3-1 victory over FC Dallas on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten at home.

In the first half, the Galaxy had a penalty attempt saved. In the 65th minute, the Galaxy received another penalty attempt as Dallas defender Sebastien Ibeagha fouled Diego Fagundez.

Dejan Joveljic stepped up to the penalty spot and without hesitating he went to the lower right corner of the goal, converting for the lead and sending the Galaxy (7-2-7, 28 points) on its way to another victory in front of 19,505 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

“I took the ball, I thought I should have shot the first penalty as well,” Joveljic said.

The win increases the Galaxy’s current unbeaten streak to six games (2-0-4) and keeps the club unbeaten at home so far this season (4-0-3). The game was the second of the first set of back-to-back home games for the Galaxy this season. The club defeated Houston Dynamo, 2-1, on Saturday night.

“We started to get out in the transition a little bit more,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said of the second half. “We had set piece opportunities, we had some chances …and I think in the second half, just adapting just a couple of things and us eventually getting on top of the game, led to them opening up a little bit more, us having some counter-attacking opportunities which is one of our greatest strengths is in the transition.”

The Galaxy played the final eight minutes of regulation and seven of stoppage time with a man advantage on Wednesday after Dallas defender Nkosi Tafari picked up his second yellow card. Halfway through stoppage time, Riqui Puig put the game on ice with a goal that sneaked over the line to make it 3-1.

“Dallas is a team that plays really good and I think the second half we went more direct and that was the key and we played really well,” Puig said.

Joveljic opened the scoring in the fourth minute, but the lead didn’t last long as Dallas scored the equalizer in the 22nd minute on a one-time blast from Patrickson Delgado. The play developed against the run of play and Delgado found himself with some room for quick finish.

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The momentum appeared to swing back in the Galaxy’s direction in the 31st minute. Joveljic was fouled by Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes for a penalty kick. Gabriel Pec stepped up and his first attempt was saved, as was the rebound, but Joveljic was able to get the rebound and stuff it in for an apparent goal. However, the linesman raised the flag for offside.

As the Galaxy is proving, converting penalty kicks isn’t as easy as it sometimes appears. The club is now 2 for 5 from the spot this season.

Later in the first half, Maya Yoshida had a header off of a free kick that hit the post, and the teams headed into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.

As part of the crunch that is the MLS schedule the last couple of weeks, both teams played last weekend and will be back in action this Saturday. Dallas will remain in Los Angeles and visit LAFC, while the Galaxy travels to face the Chicago Fire. After Saturday, the Galaxy will get two weeks off, returning June 15, which should give Joseph Paintsil (hamstring) time to recover and return to the field.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels drop another tight home game against Luis Gil, Yankees

• May 30, 2024

ANAHEIM — The Angels spent another night pestering one of the best teams in baseball as they appear ready to enter June with a little less gloom.

The New York Yankees lost their manager to an ejection in the first inning on Wednesday yet still managed to maintain their resolve.

Angels starter Tyler Anderson walked an early tightrope before the Yankees ultimately pulled off a 2-1 victory before a mostly pro-New York crowd.

Unlike the series opener, when the Angels produced an eighth-inning rally for a victory, the offense mustered little against Yankees rookie phenom Luis Gil. The right-hander allowed just one hit until Logan O’Hoppe tagged him for a seventh-inning home run.

The difference ended up being an overthrow to third base on a seventh-inning triple by Anthony Volpe, who was able to dust himself off and walk to the plate when the relay from second baseman Luis Rengifo rolled into the Angels’ dugout.

Yet not everybody was willing to consider two tight games against a top team as a reason to celebrate.

“We have to win (Thursday) and I think we can have that (positive) mindset moving forward,” O’Hoppe said. “We’ve got to win a series against a good club and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Until the seventh inning, the rule book had been kind to the Angels, who ended up losing for the fourth time in five games. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed in the opening inning when he argued an interference call.

The Yankees loaded the bases against Anderson after three batters, but on a pop-up in the middle of the infield by Giancarlo Stanton, Angels shortstop Zech Neto backed into Juan Soto while trying to make the catch. Umpires already called for an infield fly, to retire Stanton and Soto was ruled out when Neto crashed into him.

“I was just trying to catch the ball,” Neto said. “I wasn’t trying to do it on purpose. It was just bad timing on his part, I guess. But there was no intention for me to get in his way or for him to get into my way.”

Said crew chief Vic Carapazza to a pool reporter: “The only time (runners) are protected is if he was on the base just standing there. So I had him interfering with the infielder and called the infield fly first, which now the batter is out. The interference after that was the second out.”

Carapazza said he did not think Soto tried to intentionally interfere with Neto.

Again in the third inning, more hijinks on the bases ensued when the Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo was hit in the foot by a ground ball while running between second and third base. While Rizzo was called out, the move prevented the Angels from pulling off a double play.

“Kind of some strange stuff,” Anderson said.

New York finally broke through in the fourth when Alex Verdugo hit a home run down the line in right field, much to the delight of the Yankee fans seated up and down the first-base line.

Anderson (5-5) gave up one run despite allowing four hits and six walks in five innings. Five Angels pitchers combined to walk nine batters.

After Volpe’s triple and run scored when Rengifo’s throw got past both third baseman Luis Guillorme and reliever Hunter Strickland, who was backing up the play, the Angels finally found the scoreboard.

O’Hoppe’s sixth home run of the season, just cleared the wall in right center on an 0-and-1 changeup from Gil. It was just the second home run allowed this month by Gil, who owned May with a 6-0 record in six starts and a 0.70 ERA.

Gil (7-1) gave up the lone run over eight innings with nine strikeouts. Yankees starters extended their MLB-record run to 16 consecutive starts of at least five innings and two runs or less.

Volpe also extended his hitting streak to 21 games by delivering two hits.

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And yet the Angels managed to hang into the bitter end, making things interesting in the ninth inning against Clay Holmes, who blew the save opportunity Tuesday.

Trailing by a run, Rengifo singled to lead off the ninth and immediately went to second base on a wild pitch. Tuesday’s hero Taylor Ward walked, but Willie Calhoun grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Rengifo was left on third base as the tying run when O’Hoppe grounded out to third base to end the game.

“We hung in the game,” Manager Ron Washington said. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance early in the game but we had the winning run on the bag, we had the tying run on the bag. We just didn’t come through.”

The Angels (21-34) are now 7-20 at home, while playing .500 baseball on the road. They haven’t won a series at home all season, are 8-20 in games decided by one or two runs overall and 3-14 in those tight games at Angel Stadium.

Bench coach Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019, took over after Boone was ejected.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ bullpen eager to make more consistent contributions

• May 30, 2024

ANAHEIM — Twice on Tuesday the top two batters of the dreaded New York Yankees’ lineup came to the plate in the late innings of a tight game.

The Angels’ bullpen not only dispatched the duo, four relievers combined for four perfect innings against an offense that entered Wednesday night’s game leading MLB in home runs (82) and in OPS (.770).

The next challenge is repeating the feat, or something like it, so that it becomes normalized.

“Everyone’s going to have their opinions and pull up the numbers or whatever it may be, but we know that’s what is expected on a consistent basis,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said of the bullpen on Wednesday. “So it is good to see but I don’t think it needs to be celebrated anymore because I think we all just did our jobs there.”

Having already extended his hitting streak to 20 games, the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe grounded out in the sixth inning Tuesday and again in the ninth. Having already hit a home run earlier in the game, Juan Soto struck out in the sixth and flew out to end the game.

In the seventh inning, New York slugger Aaron Judge struck out against Luis Garcia and Giancarlo Stanton hit a soft ground ball to second base.

The Angels rallied to win the game, 4-3, on a two-run double from Taylor Ward in the eighth inning, in an opportunity that only was available because of the assist from a much-maligned bullpen. Yet, the group still ended its 12-up-12-down magic trick with a 4.71 ERA through 56 games.

Don’t be so surprised by the success, ever-optimistic Manager Ron Washington said.

“You know, early in the season they were doing that,” Washington said. “They were coming in getting things done and the ERA blew up because they had a bad inning. It takes many outings to get that balloon down. So they showed (Tuesday) what they are capable of doing.”

O’Hoppe was behind the plate for all of it. He guided Hunter Strickland, Garcia, Matt Moore and closer Carlos Estevez to the 12 consecutive outs to end the game.

While the Angels’ overall bullpen ERA is high, individual numbers paint a contrasting picture. Despite a 4.43 ERA, Adam Cimber has not been scored upon in 18 of 22 outings and stranded his first 15 inherited runners before allowing one to score Sunday. Strickland has held opponents scoreless in 16 of his past 17 outings.

“I definitely think there needs to be a time and a place to celebrate the success and acknowledge the good, but at the same time, we’re not here to not play well,” O’Hoppe said. “We’re here to do our jobs the best we can. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to downgrade that my any means. I think that’s just kind of what we do.”

MAKING MOVES

Infielder Michael Stefanic (quadriceps) was activated off the 60-day injured list and then optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Right-hander Jose Cisnero (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day IL after also experiencing lower back discomfort.

The Angels entered the day with 12 players on the injured list.

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“It’s always tough, but sometimes when you’re being challenged – and I think we are being challenged by the baseball gods, and I do believe there’s baseball gods out there – we’re going to weather the storm,” Washington said.

IN THE MIX

The left-handed-hitting Mickey Moniak was back in the lineup on Wednesday against Yankees right-hander Luis Gil, while Kevin Pillar was in a reserve role one night after hitting his fifth home run in 17 games for the Angels.

Moniak batted .280 overall last season with 14 home runs and hit .294 against right-handed pitching. The hope is that opportunities against right-handers will help him to recover from a .179 batting average and .265 slugging percentage through 41 games this season.

“We have to get Moniak going and we certainly won’t get him going facing left-handers,” Washington said. “So he’s going to get the right-handers and Pillar will get the left-handers. And I will also get Pillar some games against right-handers.”

UP NEXT

Yankees (LHP Carlos Rodon, 6-2, 2.95 ERA) at Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 2-7, 5.60 ERA), Thursday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register