Swanson: Angel City has momentum, now it just needs to win

• March 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES – By just about any metric, Angel City Football Club was a rousing success last season, its first in existence.

Sellout crowds – for women’s soccer! Thousands of season ticket holders, 90% of whom reportedly re-upped for Season 2. Revenues reportedly in the mid-seven figures for sales of merch, which was gobbled up by fans in every state and 46 countries. And there are all those high-profile investors and sponsorship dollars galore.

All that, and 10% of every sponsorship dollar goes to community programs.

See, just about any metric – winners.

Just about.

Everywhere but on the scoreboard. In the National Women’s Soccer League standings. The part of the measuring stick that matters most if we’re talking about what this is: Professional sport.

Angel City finished eighth and missed the playoffs in its debut season, going 8-9-5. In 22 matches, it gave up 27 goals and scored just 23, the third fewest in the league. (And it’s hard to make the yeah-but-expansion-team argument when the brand-new San Diego Wave FC finished third and made the playoffs in its first season.)

On Sunday, Angel City started its sophomore season on the wrong foot, letting momentum get away in a 2-1 loss to NJ/NY Gotham FC. Two pivotal calls got overturned after reviews with the newly instituted video assisted referee (VAR), leading to a letdown before another packed crowd at the newly named BMO Stadium.

Those folks won’t go home unhappy.

Eleven minutes into her pro soccer career, the kid — Harvard Westlake’s Alyssa Thompson — puts it in the back of the net. Wow. pic.twitter.com/ibk5mSoZsX

— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) March 27, 2023

For one, they can say they saw Alyssa Thompson’s first pro goal: The Harvard Westlake senior and NWSL No. 1 overall draft pick was electric, regularly sending a current through the crowd with her sprints down the left side. And she needed only 11 minutes to score, slipping into a pocket of space just outside the box and booming a strike off the goalkeeper’s mitt and into the top corner of the net.

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Another key thing: Angel City matches are an event and will remain that way for as far as I can see into the future. There are fan festivities outside the stadium before the match and a social atmosphere that’s welcoming for all, and that’s lovely, something to celebrate in and of itself.

But still, those folks booed the referees on their way off the pitch, aggrieved after having watched VAR giveth and taketh away so cruelly, after seeing Jun Endo’s booming 40-yard score on the heels of Thompson’s overturned after a review that found a previously uncalled foul. And another review that set up Midge Purce’s tying penalty kick in the second half, which preceded Lynn Williams’ winner.

Because for all the headline-making of Angel City’s long A-list of investors – Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and family recently joined an ownership group that also includes owners include Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, Serena Williams and husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, as well as Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, WNBA star Candace Parker and many, many others – the question now: Will the team on the pitch play its A game?

The team with the star-studded ownership group is getting its own docu-series on HBO Max. It’s got star power on the field, too, including the rookie whose life her Harvard Westlake teammate likened to a Disney movie in their school paper.

Will these big ballers’ brand of soccer live up to its sky-high hype? That’s the billion dollar question for Angel City, the team with its sights sets on claiming a billion-dollar valuation in five years.

The pressure is on, and the women can feel it.

“Teams are gonna want to come here and shut the crowd up,” defender Ali Riley said. “They’re gonna want to show, ‘This is this team that everyone talks about.’ So I think there’s that added. We have the support of our crowd, but other teams are extra motivated when they come here so when they see that we start making mistakes, so they want to punish us. That’s why we weren’t able to get a grip on the game again. But we’re going to have to do that.”

“We are happy that the game is taking notice,” coach Freya Coombe said. “That’s the way the game’s gonna grow, that’s the way audiences are gonna grow, that’s the way that these women and these athletes’ brands are gonna grow, and can get the support that they deserve.

“So we’re happy that the world is watching. Now it’s about us playing a brand of soccer that is going to excite people and be successful.”

Angel City, which won its opener last season but then only seven more times all season, will have 21 more chances this regular season. And Los Angeles’ team will have plenty of support — and some pressure — as it strives to add some tallies in another significant win column.

​ Orange County Register 

Crews knock down three-alarm fire at Santa Ana warehouse

• March 27, 2023

A fire that broke out at a warehouse in Santa Ana on Sunday evening, March 26, was knocked down in little over an hour, authorities said.

Around 8 p.m., fire had already begun to spread through the roof when crews arrived at the warehouse in the 2200 block of Susan Street, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran. The fire was upgraded to a third-alarm fire around 8:30 p.m., and roughly 80 firefighters were at the scene, including from neighboring agencies from Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

Firefighters remained in a defensive position working to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings before the fire was extinguished around 9:15 p.m., Doran said.

None of the surrounding buildings were damaged, but the fire downed electrical wires along Susan Street. SoCal Edison crews were at the scene working to repair the lines.

It was not immediately clear what was stored in the warehouse but hazardous materials teams remained at the warehouse Sunday night.

No injuries were reported.

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​ Orange County Register 

Alyssa Thompson scores first regular-season goal as Angel City FC loses opener

• March 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Alyssa Thompson scored within five minutes in her preseason home debut earlier this month.

Sunday, in the regular-season opener for Angel City, the Harvard-Westlake senior and No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, waited a little longer, scoring in the 11th minute in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium.

ALYSSA THOMPSON ARE YOU KIDDING? pic.twitter.com/wT0Tg0J6Pt

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 27, 2023

“I’m sure she has a lot of pressure on her shoulders, I think she had a great game, I think it was an incredible goal and I just see her as someone who has a bright future,” Angel City FC defender and captain Ali Riley said of Thompson. “I think it’s the first of many and she’s lived up to all of the hype and it is someone we’re going to rely on to score goals.”

Unfortunately, for Thompson and Angel City FC, the joy didn’t last the night as visiting NJ/NY Gotham FC scored twice in the second half to come away with a 2-1 win.

Gotham FC got on the board in the 51st minute on a successful penalty kick by Midge Purce. Gotham’s Svava Guomundsdottir was fouled by Angel City goalkeeper Didi Haracic. Initially, the referee didn’t call a foul, but moments later he stopped play and went to take a look at the video review and eventually signaled for the penalty.

In the 64th minute, with the game stretched, Purce had room down the center and fed Lynn Williams on her right for the finish and the 2-1 lead.

It was a frustrating night for Angel City, both on the field and at the video review.

In the first half, Jun Endo scored from approximately 40 yards out, getting the ball over Gotham FC goalkeeper Abby Smith’s head. However, the goal was disallowed after the referee went to video review due to a foul committed by Angel City in the build-up.

“When we didn’t get the VAR decision our way, we let down some momentum and that’s something we’re going to have to better, to be able to be more consistent through 90 minutes,” Riley said. “I do think there were times when we looked really, really good and dangerous and when we take our foot off the pedal, every team in this league is going to be good enough to punish you.

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“I think we got a little bit sloppy with the ball and then our defending, we gave them too much space and they have really good players, so we can’t let things out of our control affect us.”

This is the first season that the NWSL is using VAR. On the first instance, a foul occurred away from where Endo picked up the ball and didn’t appear to have a bearing on the play.

“That goal (by Endo) was top class,” Angel City coach Freya Coombe said. “When we had our training in terms of VAR, it was understood that for a decision to be overturned, it had to be a clear and obvious error …I’m interested to see if the decision is clear and obvious, why did it take so long to be making a decision and looking at replay after replay.”

Angel City will look to get on track next week as the club visits the Orlando Pride.

“We started off really strong,” Riley said. “Hard work and heart are really important things, but we do want our football to even better. We want to take care of the ball more, we want to defend in packs, hunt in packs, we want this to be a fortress when we play here. We want to pride ourselves on not conceding goals and that’s something for us to work on.”

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Mike Trout reflects on Shohei Ohtani, World Baseball Classic

• March 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Not long after the strikeout heard ’round the world, Mike Trout began solidifying his goals for the 2023 season.

The sights, sounds and emotions of high-stakes baseball were still fresh, when Trout pulled his phone from his back pocket late Tuesday night and reached out to Angels manager Phil Nevin.

Earlier that evening in Miami, Trout faced off against teammate Shohei Ohtani in an at-bat that captivated all of baseball. With Team USA down a run, Trout had a chance to be a hero but Ohtani won the duel with a strikeout, giving Japan the World Baseball Classic title.

“As soon as it was over, on the bus heading back, I texted (Nevin) and said, ‘I needed this. I needed to play in this atmosphere. I needed to experience it and be in the moment,’” Trout said Sunday from the first-base dugout at Dodger Stadium. “It made me feel and think how bad we want to get back to the playoffs.

“Obviously we did it in (2014), but that atmosphere as a baseball player, as a competitor, that’s where you want to play. You want to be in that moment. It was just a special few days.”

Trout and Ohtani were together Sunday for the first time since that moment.

“Yeah, I gave him a hug,” Trout said. “He’s a special talent. He’s got great stuff. He had an unbelievable tournament. They just beat us.”

Now the dynamic duo is unified in the hope of having similar experiences together in an Angels uniform.

When the Angels made it to the 2014 postseason, Trout’s Angels lost all three games they played against the Kansas City Royals. He had just one hit in 12 at-bats. Considered one of the best to ever play the game, Trout had not appeared in the playoffs until that moment and he hasn’t been back since.

The playoffs have always been Trout’s goal and this spring’s WBC only made him want it more.

“It was obvious that’s what everybody wanted to see,” Trout said of his showdown with Ohtani. “It was fun at-bat. He threw me a nasty 3-2 pitch. I missed some heaters before that. He’s a good pitcher, obviously.”

But Trout has known that all along. He didn’t need a breathtaking moment in a title-deciding at-bat to realize it.

“There was only one thing on my mind, trying to barrel a ball,” Trout said. “Obviously, with all of Shohei’s pitches, everything is moving every which way. He didn’t throw me a split that whole at-bat. That was in the back of my mind. And then he threw me a nasty slider 3-2.

“It wasn’t the way I wanted it to turn out but it was a fun battle. We’re both competing up there and that was my first time, obviously, seeing him.

Told of Trout’s heightened desire to return to the playoffs, Nevin said the micro view will take care of the macro desires.

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“We come out and take care of our business every day, things will fall into the right places,” Nevin said. “I’ve been asked the questions all the time. Is this the year? Do we have to? Is there a sense of urgency? I think any time when you have a roster like ours and you have expectations within our room like we do, every day is a sense of urgency.

“If we don’t, then I think we’re doing your teammates a sense of injustice, the fans, the organization. So every day, to me, is a sense of urgency because we understand what’s ahead of us.”

To get there, the Angels will have to buck a long run of substandard play. They have a losing record in seven consecutive seasons and eight seasons without seeing postseason play.

Trout and Ohtani might have four MVPs between them but sharing the field in October has priority. With Ohtani moving into free agency following the season, there might not be a better time to get to the playoffs than now.

“Every time you start a season, anything less than the playoffs is a disappointment,” Trout said. “There ain’t any way else to look at it. If you don’t make the playoffs it’s a disappointment for sure.

STASSI SETBACK

Away from the club for personal reasons, catcher Max Stassi returned to Arizona and played in a minor league game Sunday before he departed with hip soreness.

Although the injury was not deemed serious, all signs point to Stassi opening the season on the injured list. If the Angels make the IL move, it would allow top prospect Logan O’Hoppe to make the club.

“(Stassi) felt like it was important to get back and try to ramp up a little bit and unfortunately, he had a little hip thing today,” Nevin said.

ONE MORE DAY

Infielder David Fletcher underwent treatment for a groin injury early Sunday in Anaheim and was not on hand for Sunday’s game. Nevin said Fletcher will undergo treatment again and could play in Monday’s game against the Dodgers.

Third baseman Anthony Rendon also was not on hand Sunday. Nevin said Rendon’s daughter broke her arm in an accident at home and he told his veteran to remain with his family.

​ Orange County Register 

David Toms claims Galleri for 2nd Champions win of the season

• March 27, 2023

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — David Toms fired a 7-under 65 Sunday for a four-stroke, wire-to-wire win at The Galleri Classic to become the first two-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this season.

Toms closed out his second win in three starts and fourth Champions victory with an eight-birdie, one-bogey performance at Mission Hills Country Club to claim the $330,000 winner’s share.

Steven Alker of New Zealand used a round of five birdies — four on the back nine — to finish alone in second after a closing 67.

Retief Goosen had a final-round 65 and tied Paul Stankowski (66) for third at 11 under. Vijay Singh (68), Padraig Harrington (68), Miguel Angel Jiménez (68), Steve Stricker (69) and Mario Tiziani (67) were at 10 under.

Toms added the Galleri title to his win at the Cologuard Classic earlier this month for his first multiple-win season on the over-50 tour since joining in 2017. The win vaulted him into first place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

“I’ve just enjoyed playing good golf right now, off to a good start,” the 56-year-old Toms said. “I haven’t really been part of the Charles Schwab Cup at the end, haven’t even been close, so that’s kind of my goal this year is to try to get close, give myself a chance late in the season.”

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The inaugural event was contested on the same Mission Hills layout where the LPGA formerly contested its first major of the season for 50 years. Chevron has taken over as the title sponsor of that event and moved the major to Houston.

Toms found the par-72, 7,112-yard course to be a tough layout that put a premium on accuracy off the tee.

“It was a really good test, you had to keep the ball in the fairway, which was very difficult,” said Toms, who ranked first in driving accuracy by hitting 33 of 42 fairways and led the field with 20 birdies. “Just enough rough to make you think.

“Greens got firm, so you really need to be in the fairway. Fortunate for me, I kept it in the fairway for the most part. If not, I always had a shot where I had an open green or something, and the putter felt really good the last few days.”

Bernhard Langer, who was trying to win his record 46th title on the PGA Tour Champions, finished in a tie for 20th at 6 under after a final-round 69.

​ Orange County Register 

Laguna Woods water tower: Come for the view, stay for the serenity

• March 27, 2023

When I moved three years ago to a condo on Via Serena South in Laguna Woods, I had no idea our community had a “lighthouse-looking” structure atop a nearby knoll.

Thinking it was a defunct water tower, I checked out the Village History Center and learned that it’s actually a surge tower above a potable water pipeline owned jointly by several water districts and operated by the South Coast Water District. While the pipeline is on Village property, it doesn’t supply water to us because our water comes from the El Toro Water District.

On road trips, I’ve always been fascinated with water tower shapes, sizes and colors. Apparently, the size and shape are determined by its intended use.

If a tower is holding water for a small area nearby, most likely it will be squatty and sitting on the ground. Towering tanks visible from miles away can hold as much as 1.5 million gallons and provide water for large metropolitan areas.

In Gaffney, South Carolina, a popular tourist attraction known as the Giant Peach is actually a water tower that sits upon a 150-foot structure and holds 1 million gallons.

Water towers are very active inside. When demand is low during the night, they will fill up with water pumped at a treatment plant that is then used during daytime hours. Stored water is especially important during a power outage since electricity isn’t required for the available water to flow out of the tank.

In big cities like New York, many apartment and office buildings have water towers on top of their roofs. Some are iconic, such as the Brooks Catsup Bottle water tower in Collinsville, Illinois, and Rochester, Minnesota’s corn-shaped water tower.

Even though I referred to our surge tower as lighthouse-looking, lighthouse fans say otherwise because water towers are functional, and lighthouses are mystifying.

A lighthouse is considered to be a beacon of hope for distant travelers and a source of solitude for the caretaker. Both purposes conjure up feelings of mystery and romance. Lighthouses have become such popular tourist attractions that many have been converted into bed and breakfasts.

Even though our surge tower isn’t a lighthouse or tourist attraction, it’s definitely worth a visit at the end of cul-de-sac 306. Along with a picturesque white tower, you’ll find stunning views amongst the serenity of pine trees plus benches and chairs.

You can bring a picnic meal, do some tai chi or meditate. You could even be serenaded by the gentle sounds of an occasional clarinetist. It’s our little slice of heaven.

Writer, editor and speaker Cheryl Russell is a Laguna Woods Village resident. Contact her at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Daunting recovery underway in tornado-devastated Mississippi

• March 27, 2023

ROLLING FORK, Miss. — Help began pouring into one of the poorest regions of the U.S. after a deadly tornado tore a path of destruction for more than an hour across a long swath of Mississippi, even as furious new storms Sunday struck across the Deep South.

At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through more than a half-dozen towns late Friday. A man was also killed in Alabama after his trailer home flipped over several times.

“Everything I can see is in some state of destruction,” said Jarrod Kunze, who drove to the hard-hit Mississippi town of Rolling Fork from his home in Alabama, ready to help “in whatever capacity I’m needed.”

Related: See a video of the destruction in Mississippi

Kunze was among volunteers working Sunday at a staging area, where bottled water and other supplies were being readied for distribution.

Search and recovery crews resumed the daunting task of digging through flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.

The storm hit so quickly that the sheriff’s department in Rolling Forks barely had time to set off sirens to warn the community of 2,000 residents, said Mayor Eldridge Walker.

“And by the time they initiated the siren, the storm had hit and it tore down the siren that’s located right over here,” Walker said, referring to an area just blocks from downtown.

Related: ‘There’s nothing left’: Deep South tornadoes kill 26

The mayor said his town was devastated.

“Sharkey County, Mississippi, is one of the poorest counties in the state of Mississippi, but we’re still resilient,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go, and we certainly thank everybody for their prayers and for anything they will do or can do for this community.”

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi early Sunday, making federal funding available to hardest-hit areas.

“Help is on the way,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves told a news conference with local, state and federal leaders.

Recovery efforts in Mississippi were underway even as the National Weather Service warned of a new risk of more severe weather Sunday — including high winds, large hail and possible tornadoes in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

A tornado touched down early Sunday in Troup County, Georgia, near the Alabama border, according to the Georgia Mutual Aid Group. Affected areas included the county seat of LaGrange, about 67 miles (108 kilometers) southwest of Atlanta

About 100 buildings were damaged, with at least 30 uninhabitable, and five people suffered minor injuries, officials said. Many roads, including Interstate Highway 85, were blocked by debris.

Two tigers briefly escaped from their enclosures at Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia, after the park sustained extensive tornado damage. “Both have now been found, tranquilized, and safely returned to a secure enclosure,” the park said on Facebook. None of its employees or animals were hurt, it said.

Outside of Rolling Fork, a tornado ripped apart the home where Kimberly Berry lived in the Delta Flatlands. The twister left only a foundation and a few belongings — a toppled refrigerator, a dresser and nightstand, a bag of Christmas decorations, some clothing.

Berry said she and her 12-year-old daughter huddled and prayed inside a nearby church as the storm roared outside.

“I didn’t hear nothing but my own self praying and God answering my prayer. I mean, I can get another house, another furniture. But literally saving my life — I’m thankful,” she said.

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Like many people in this economically struggling area, she faces an uncertain future. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the country, and the Delta has long been one of the poorest parts of Mississippi — a place where many people work paycheck to paycheck in jobs tied to agriculture.

Following Biden’s declaration, federal funding will be available for recovery efforts in Mississippi’s Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, including temporary housing, home repairs, loans covering uninsured property losses and other individual and business programs, the White House said in a statement.

The twister flattened entire blocks, obliterated houses, ripped a steeple off a church and toppled a municipal water tower.

Based on early data, the tornado received a preliminary EF-4 rating, the National Weather Service office in Jackson said in a tweet. An EF-4 tornado has top wind gusts between 166 mph and 200 mph.

In Rolling Fork, the tornado reduced homes to piles of rubble and flipped cars on their sides. Other parts of the Deep South were digging out from damage caused by other suspected twisters. One man died in Morgan County, Alabama, the sheriff’s department said in a tweet.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said that 25 people were confirmed killed in Mississippi, 55 people were injured and 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. High winds, hail and strong storms were expected for parts of Alabama and Georgia on Sunday, the National Weather Service said

The tornado that slammed into Rolling Fork tore across Mississippi for about 59 miles over a period that lasted more than one hour, the National Weather Service said in a preliminary report Sunday. The tornado was an estimated three-quarters of a mile wide at some points, according to the preliminary estimate.

The supercell that produced the deadly twister also appeared to produce tornadoes causing damage in northwest and north-central Alabama, said Brian Squitieri, a severe storms forecaster with the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

In Georgia, Rachel McMahon awoke Sunday to news from her dad that the Troup County motel he’d been staying in was destroyed. She said her dad, who is disabled, took shelter in the bathtub when the tornado hit.

He was badly shaken up, but not injured. She had to walk the last half-mile to his motel because of downed trees.

“SO thankful my dad is ok,” she posted on Facebook, along with photos and videos of the damage: houses with gaping holes in roofs, massive tree trunks snapped in half and powerlines dangling every which way.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers blank Angels in Freeway Series opener

• March 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES ― While Sunday’s Freeway Series opener might have catalyzed the Angels’ decision about who will claim the final spot in their starting rotation, the Dodgers might have found something special themselves.

Clayton Kershaw turned back the clock in his final regular season tuneup, tossing six shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the Angels at Dodger Stadium.

The left-hander threw 74 pitches while limiting the Angels to three hits and no walks. He struck out seven batters, including Mike Trout in all three of his plate appearances.

One week after celebrating his 35th birthday, Kershaw finished the exhibition season with seven runs allowed across four starts, good for a 3.44 earned-run average.

“Overall it was definitely better than it has been,” Kershaw said. “Slider was definitely better. I threw some bad ones too, but overall the consistency was better with it. Got some swings and misses finally with it. Fastball command was better. Overall definitely a good step forward for me.”

The only clock Kershaw didn’t turn back Sunday? The new pitch timers, which caused the left-hander to be charged with two automatic balls, and led to one lengthy discussion between Kershaw and home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez between innings.

Kershaw said one of the two violations was his fault for not delivering a pitch before the timer counted down. The other was based on a misunderstanding after the 15-second clock stopped counting down by mistake.

“I stepped off, looked up, and there was seven seconds (left on the clock) but the clock turned off,” Kershaw said. “The clock should’ve just kept going. And (Marquez) tried to make his best judgment, and thought I wasn’t going to make the pitch in time. … He said it was his judgment on that one.”

Back-to-back home runs by Max Muncy and Chris Taylor in the second inning provided Kershaw the only runs he needed. Those were the only runs allowed by Angels starter Tucker Davidson, who was making his final bid for a rotation spot.

Davidson allowed one hit besides the two home runs, a single by Miguel Vargas on his 75th and final pitch. The left-hander walked one batter and struck out one in 4 ⅓ innings.

“It was good to be back out there, kind of in the big league setting, away from Arizona and kind of get some adrenaline back into it so it was good,” Davidson said. “I threw the ball well. The slider was really good and then I thought I commanded the fastball well to righties, lefties. We’re gonna have to make some adjustments in the bullpen this week, but I think we’re on the right track.”

Davidson is out of minor league options. Of his six spring starts, only one went poorly. He allowed six runs in three innings against the San Francisco Giants on March 19, and four earned runs in 14 ⅓ innings in the other five games.

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“We kind of wanted to see him in this atmosphere, other than a spring game, and it was just as well as he’s pitched all spring,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “A lot of good sliders. A 3-0 fastball that Muncy hit and then a slider he just left on the plate, but we’ll take that.”

Right-hander Jaime Barría, who’s also battling for the sixth starter’s job, allowed one run in 2 ⅔ innings, striking out four. The one run came on an eighth-inning home run by Dodgers outfielder James Outman, who will make his first Opening Day roster on Thursday.

Outman and Muncy each have hit three home runs this spring.

Yency Almonte, Brusdar Graterol, Phil Bickford and Shelby Miller did not allow a run over the final three innings.

Doug Padilla contributed to this article

​ Orange County Register