UCLA clamps down to defeat No. 13 Washington State

• October 8, 2023

PASADENA — Defense kept UCLA in the game during a first half that included mistakes and missed opportunities. The run game took the Bruins the rest of the way, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 25-17 victory over No. 13 Washington State on Sunday at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) held Washington State (4-1, 1-1) to 216 total yards of offense and the defense forced Washington State quarterback Cam Ward to throw his first two interceptions of the season and two Cougars fumbles.

The Cougars came into the game averaging nearly 46 points per game, with victories over No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 13 Oregon State. Ward, who in four games had thrown for 1,389 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes (106 of 142), finished 19 of 39 for 197 yards and one touchdown.

His counterpart, Bruins true freshman Dante Moore, finished 22 of 44 for 290 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Washington State put up only a field goal in the first quarter as the defense continued to apply pressure. Edge rusher Laiatu Latu sacked Ward for a loss of six yards with roughly five seconds left in the quarter, then forced a fumble, which defensive lineman Keanu Williams recovered.

The Bruins were unable to score on the ensuing drive. The series ended with Moore getting sacked for a loss of nine yards.

UCLA defensive back Jordan Anderson forced a fumble to begin the second quarter and Choé Bryant-Strother recovered to get UCLA’s offense moving again. Running back Carson Steele was given the ball four times for 17 yards and help set up the Bruins’ first touchdown. Moore sent an 11-yard pass to Logan Loya, who made the catch in the end zone in front of a cluster of photographers and abruptly posed with his chest out and hands down. RJ Lopez missed the extra point for a 6-3 lead.

Steele carried 30 times for a game-high 140 yards to lead a 192-yard ground attack.

UCLA’s Alex Johnson hauled in Ward’s first interception of the season with five minutes until halftime. The Bruins later appeared poised to build on their 9-3 lead near the end of the second quarter, but the Cougars’ Kapena Gushiken crossed in front of Moore on a slant to the right, jumping and catching the ball in his solar plexus and returning it 88 yards for a 10-9 lead with seven seconds left.

Lopez made a 32-yard field goal to give UCLA a 12-10 advantage at 7:25 of the third quarter after a touchdown pass to J.Michael Sturdivant was called back.

The officiating continued to go against the Bruins when Bryant-Strother was dismissed from the game due to a targeting call. The penalty moved Washington State to the 9-yard line, and Ward threw a touchdown pass to Nakia Watson on the next play. UCLA went for a field goal on its next drive, but Lopez’s 33-yard attempt was blocked.

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With UCLA’s defense stepping up, Bruins running back Keegan Jones punctuated the next two drives with touchdown runs, from 13 and 22 yards, to give UCLA a 25-17 advantage with 11:45 remaining.

Washington State got the ball with back with more than four minutes left and moved it to the UCLA 40. But the Bruins’ defense flexed its muscles again, stopping a 4th-and-1 keeper by Ward to force a turnover on downs.

​ Orange County Register 

Caleb Williams, USC football live updates vs. Arizona

• October 8, 2023

Follow along for live updates from USC football reporter Luca Evans before, during and after the Trojans’ game against Arizona.

Tweets by bylucaevans https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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Things to watch tonight for USC-Arizona:

–Does Zachariah Branch (out v. Colorado) play?
–How do the CBs look if Domani Jackson’s out?
–How many touches for MarShawn Lloyd v. gritty AZ defense?

For more on Lloyd’s usage at USC: https://t.co/DDFYcTuK0R

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) October 7, 2023

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​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Orange County’s Week 7 leaders and top performers

• October 8, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

The top performances from the Orange County high school football games in Week 7.

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

WEEK 7 LEADERS

Passing yards

Elijah Brown, Mater Dei                     312

Rocky Palacio, Portola                       298

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach        275

Jeremiah Finaly, Crean Lutheran       274

Sergio Torres, Santa Ana                   245

Anthony Luna, Western                      244

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro                        243

John Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita      227

Nicholas Miali, Foothill                        212

Jacob Perry, Trabuco Hills                  209

Rudy Alcala, Troy                               194

Zack Rodriguez, Loara                       173

Nate Bento, El Dorado                       167

Austin Shepard, Beckman                  165

Aidan Houston, Cypress                     163

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach    160

Matthew Peters, Calvary Chapel         154

Ethan Nguyễn, Bolsa Grande              141

Landon Martin, Sonora                        139

Noah Puertas, Esperanza                   131

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley       121

Sam Thomson, Edison                        117

Rushing yards

Julius Gillick, Edison                        312

Aiden Rubin, San Clemente            271

Nathan Aceves, Brea Olinda            204

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley    204

Matthew Peters, Calvary Chapel     165

Nate Bento, El Dorado                     151

Ardwon Morris, Orange                    151

Jesse Mauldin, Cypress                   150

Charles Hughes, Santa Ana             146

Jake Martinez, Whittier Christian      146

Travis Wood, Tesoro                         146

J.P. Murray, El Dorado                      135

G. Ramirez-Flores, Santa Ana         135

Brandon Figueroa, Irvine                  113

David Nguyễn, Bolsa Grande           111

Nathaniel Frazier, Mater Dei             103

Ethan Nguyễn, Bolsa Grande           100

Makhi, Czaykowski, Beckman           90

Aaron Mitchell, Foothill                      84

Daniel Sonnenberg, Edison              84

John Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita    82

Anthony Abad, Sonora                      81

Austin Shepard, Beckman                 75

Jeremy Rosero, Loara                       70

Receiving yards

Kamran Jahromi, Portola              197

Cristian Ramos, Santa Ana           142

Ryan Luce, Trabuco Hills              117

O. Morales Hyder, Sonora             116

Wesley Lundell, Orange                103

Marcus Brown, Mater Dei                90

Vander Ploog, Troy                          85

Jack Junker, Santa Margarita          83

K. Dixon-Wyatt, Mater Dei               82

Musashi Ray, Huntington Beach      79

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita         77

Davis Gurski, Portola                       76

C. Schamel, Tesoro                          74

Jack Zerkel, Foothill                         73

Lance Guerrero, Tesoro                   71

D. Kai Healey, Troy                          69

Gavin Ghahyasi, Calvary Chapel     68

Ben Byszewski, Crean Lutheran      68

Total tackles

Noah Sulick, Santa Margarita            14

Luke Anderson, Santa Margarita       13

Dalton Hurd, Tesoro                           12

Maxwell Mapstone, Portola                12

Nathan Nieves, Calvary Chapel         11

Waldon Castrejon, Calvary Chapel    10

Hoi Hansen, Edison                            10

Carter Jones, Crean Lutheran            10

Landen Woodson, Capistrano Valley  10

Jackson Sievers, Capistrano Valley    10

Caleb Quiroz, Troy                              10

Cooper Walsh, Dana Hills                   10

Eddie Zarate, Bolsa Grande                10

​ Orange County Register 

ALDS: Astros hold off Twins to win Game 1

• October 8, 2023

HOUSTON — Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the Houston Astros held on for a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in their AL Division Series opener Saturday.

Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run and Alvarez had three RBIs as the defending World Series champions earned their 10th straight victory in Game 1 of a Division Series.

Verlander settled in after a shaky start and the Astros built a 5-0 lead through six innings with big swings from Altuve and Alvarez.

Héctor Neris took over for Verlander to start the seventh. With two outs, Jorge Polanco hit a soaring three-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, rookie Royce Lewis launched his third homer in three playoff games to make it 5-4.

In the bottom half, Caleb Thielbar entered to face Alvarez with one out. The slugger became the first left-handed hitter to homer off Thielbar this season when he smacked an off-speed pitch off the foul pole in right to give Houston some insurance.

Bryan Abreu got four outs, striking out three, and Ryan Pressly fanned two in a scoreless ninth for the save. He struck out Lewis to end it.

The best-of-five series continues Sunday night in Houston.

Altuve pounced on Bailey Ober’s first pitch for his first career leadoff homer in the playoffs. Alvarez connected off Ober on a two-run shot in the third to make it 3-0.

The 40-year-old Verlander allowed four hits and walked three to get his 17th win in 35 postseason starts. The three-time Cy Young Award winner returned to the AL West champions this summer in a trade with the New York Mets.

​ Orange County Register 

Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty expect a competitive WNBA Finals

• October 8, 2023

After having a week off after their semifinals series, Las Vegas and New York are set for the WNBA Finals with Game 1 on Sunday afternoon.

There’s been a lot of hype around the two teams since the season began with both expected to be playing for the championship. There four regular season meetings, which were split 2-2, and the Commissioner’s Cup championship game weren’t competitive with the closest game being decided by nine points.

Players on both sides expect the WNBA Finals to be a lot more competitive.

“It’s the Finals. We all know what’s at stake. I don’t expect a blowout on either end,” Aces star A’ja Wilson said. “It’s going to be an elite competitive basketball (series).”

Breanna Stewart agrees with Wilson that the regular-season matchups weren’t indictive of how the Finals most likely will go.

“We played them early, then we saw them a lot in August. We haven’t played them since,” Stewart said. “I hope it’s a great series for everyone to be a part of.”

History is at stake for both sides. The Aces are looking for a second consecutive championship which would be the first time it’s happened in the league since Los Angeles won two straight in 2001 and 2002. The Liberty are aiming for their first-ever title — the only remaining original WNBA franchise not to win one. A victory would also give the city of New York its first basketball championship since the Knicks won in 1973.

Here are a few other tidbits for the series.

CHAMPIONSHIP SUCCESS

Stewart was hard-pressed to remember a time she lost in a championship game/series. She was 4-0 in college at UConn winning national championships. Stewart then went 2-0 with Seattle in the WNBA Finals as well as winning one Commissioner’s Cup title in Seattle and one in New York. She’s also never lost playing as a pro for the U.S. in World Cup or Olympic play.

“I don’t know what the stat is, but it’s interesting to think about,” Stewart said.

After pondering it for a few moments, Stewart did recall one defeat for a title. That came back when she was a freshman at UConn and the Huskies lost to Notre Dame in the Big East championship game.

“I think it was the only year I played in the Big East,” Stewart said, as the Huskies switched to the American Athletic Conference her sophomore year.

Then with a smile on her face, Stewart said, “Then we figured it out,” referring to the Huskies routing Notre Dame in the Final Four en route to the first of her four championships.

LONG DROUGHT

New York ended a 20-year drought of not reaching the WNBA Finals, which was tied for the longest in league history with the Washington Mystics. The Liberty were last in the championship series in 2002 where they lost to the Sparks. Aces coach Becky Hammon was one of the stars of that Liberty team, which came closest to ending that long streak in 2015 when they lost to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. The next year the league switched its playoff format going away from Eastern and Western Conferences. New York hadn’t won a series after 2015 until this year.

STAR POWER

Five of the last six winners of the league’s MVP award are playing in this series. Stewart won it in 2018 and this season, Wilson was the winner in 2020 and 2022. Jonquel Jones was chosen as the best player in the WNBA in 2021. In the five meetings this season, Stewart averaged 17.4 points with 7.4 rebounds. Wilson had 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Jones had 10.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in the five matchups.

BAY AREA FANS

Chelsea Gray and Sabrina Ionescu grew up near the Bay Area and both were thrilled that the Golden State Warriors will have an expansion team starting in 2025. It will give a chance for their family and friends to see them at home.

“The little kid inside of me is happy and joyous,” Gray said. “I can’t wait for the franchise. We had to go an hour to Sacramento to see (the Monarchs) play. But for now it to be in San Francisco the little kid in me was like finally.”

Ionescu was equally thrilled.

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“When we play there down the road, I’ll be able to go home for dinner,” she said. “My family will get a chance to see me play.”

GOING THE DISTANCE

Since the Finals went to a five-game series in 2005, only seven of the series have gone to a deciding fifth game. There have been just as many three-game sweeps. The last Finals to go five games was the 2019 series between Washington and Connecticut that the Mystics won.

​ Orange County Register 

Veterans team up for fishing tournament, bonding in Newport Beach

• October 7, 2023

Veterans from Newport Beach’s American Legion Post 291 were out on fishing boats Saturday, Oct. 7, with others who served in the military to build camaraderie while adding some competitive fun.

The “Boating Buddies” event included early morning breakfast, the ocean outing and fishing competition and a barbecue concluding with trophy awards for the biggest catches.

“It is all about the team concept where we reach out to veterans in the community to not only get to know them, but to demonstrate we care, as well as express our appreciation for their service to our country,” said George Kuper, director with the American Legion’s Yacht Club.

In 1960, Post 291’s leadership formed the yacht club to offer members an affordable way to get involved in boating and sailing. As the club grew, it became one of the most active yacht clubs in Southern California and also one of the most involved in civic and veteran causes.

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​ Orange County Register 

ALDS: Rangers edge Orioles to capture Game 1

• October 7, 2023

BALTIMORE — Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning helped Texas reach the sixth inning with a lead, and the Rangers’ maligned bullpen held on through some anxious moments for a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of their AL Division Series on Saturday.

Josh Jung homered and made a nice play at third base to start a critical double play for Texas, which improved to 3-0 in these playoffs – all on the road.

After squandering a chance to win the AL West on the final day of the regular season, the wild-card Rangers entered the postseason without Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer and with a bullpen largely considered a weak link, but they’ve allowed only three runs in three games against the Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.

Heaney held Baltimore to a run and two hits in 3 2/3 innings. Dunning relieved him and went two innings for the win, allowing a run in the sixth. Will Smith, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc combined for the final 10 outs – but not without some drama.

Sborz threw seven straight balls to start the seventh but pitched around a leadoff walk. Chapman walked the first two batters in the eighth before Jung ranged to his left and snagged Anthony Santander’s high bouncer on a short hop to start a 5-4-3 double play. Chapman then struck out Ryan Mountcastle with a runner on third to end the inning.

Leclerc earned the save, although he allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Gunnar Henderson. All-Star catcher Jonah Heim threw out Henderson trying to steal second, and the Orioles didn’t manage another baserunner.

Kyle Bradish struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings for the Orioles but allowed two runs in the fourth to take the loss. Jung and Santander traded solo homers in the sixth.

Texas has been without deGrom for a while, and the Rangers left Scherzer off their ALDS roster Saturday because of shoulder problems that have kept him out since mid-September. So far, however, the Rangers’ pitching has held up.

Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi kept the Rays at bay in the Wild Card Series, and then the Heaney-Dunning tandem gave the Rangers a chance to win again.

The Orioles won 101 games and a division title this year, but it’s been a rough start to the playoffs for the AL East. Tampa Bay and Toronto were swept in the first round, and now Baltimore is trailing after its postseason opener.

This was the first playoff game at Camden Yards since 2014, and a crowd packed with orange-clad fans saw former Orioles star Adam Jones throw out the first pitch and longtime fan Joan Jett sing the national anthem. Bradish struck out five in the first two innings to keep the mood festive.

Adolis García and Evan Carter hit consecutive doubles to put Texas up 1-0 in the fourth, and Heim followed with an RBI single.

Mountcastle hit a run-scoring double for the Orioles in the bottom of the inning, but Dunning came in and held the lead.

Texas was clinging to a 3-2 advantage in the seventh when Sborz issued a leadoff walk to Aaron Hicks on four pitches. The right-hander then battled back from a 3-0 count and retired Adam Frazier on a flyball.

Sborz struck out Cedric Mullins and pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn to end the inning.

The Rangers missed a chance to break open the game earlier. After scoring two runs in the fourth, they had the bases loaded and two outs when Bradish struck out Marcus Semien. Texas left 10 runners on base in all.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: Texas remains without Scherzer in this series, even after he faced hitters at Friday’s workout. He hasn’t pitched since Sept. 12.

Orioles: Baltimore had to leave LHP John Means – who was a possible candidate to start Game 3 – off the roster because of elbow soreness.

UP NEXT

Montgomery is set to start Game 2 for the Rangers on Sunday against Baltimore rookie Grayson Rodriguez. Montgomery pitched seven scoreless innings against the Rays last round. Rodriguez posted a 2.58 ERA after the All-Star break.

​ Orange County Register 

NLDS Game 1: Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks, starting pitchers, lineups, TV info

• October 7, 2023

DIAMONDBACKS AT DODGERS

When: Today, 6:20 p.m.

Where: Dodger Stadium

TV: TBS, 570 AM, 830 AM

LINEUPS

Here is the Dodgers’ starting lineup for tonight …

Tonight’s #Dodgers NLDS Game 1 lineup vs. D-backs: pic.twitter.com/p6V9e4bT1H

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 7, 2023

And the Diamondbacks’ lineup looks like this.

The crew for Game One. #EmbraceTheChaos pic.twitter.com/cW3jKoedKf

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 7, 2023

THE PITCHERS

DODGERS LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (13-5, 2.46 ERA)

Vs. Diamondbacks: 22-12, 2.73 ERA (44 games, 267 innings, 294 Ks)

At Dodger Stadium: 112-41, 2.19 ERA (215 games, 1,413⅔ innings, 1,598 Ks)

Postseason history: 13-12, 4.22 ERA (38 games, 194 innings, 213 Ks)

Loves to face: Tommy Pham, 3 for 21 (.143), 7 Ks; Lourdes Gurriel, 0 for 7, 1 K

Hates to face: Corbin Carroll, 4 for 7, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs

DIAMONDBACKS RHP MERRILL KELLY (12-8, 3.29 ERA)

Vs. Dodgers: 0-11, 5.49 ERA (16 games, 83⅔ innings, 69 Ks)

At Dodger Stadium: 0-5, 7.03 ERA (8 games, 39⅔ innings, 32 Ks)

Postseason history: First appearance

Loves to face: Kiké Hernandez, 1 for 10 (.100), 2 Ks; Austin Barnes, 1 for 6 (.167), 3 Ks

Hates to face: Max Muncy, 14 for 34 (.412), 4 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBIs

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​ Orange County Register