Nine Innings

LOS ANGELES -- When is a no-hitter not a no-hitter?Mark Gardner of the Montreal Expos will spend the rest of his career wondering about that after holding the Dodgers hitless for nine innings last night before giving up two hits in the 10th to lose, 1-0.Before a crowd of 38,957, Gardner became the first opposing pitcher to throw nine innings of a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium . . . but the fourth opposing pitcher to lose a game there this week.Lenny Harris beat out a slow bouncer over the mound for an infield hit on Gardner's first pitch in the 10th, breaking up the no-hitter.

In a softball game dominated by two fine pitching performances, it was Archbishop Spalding first baseman Jean Sonni's quick bat that had the final answer to help the No. 3 Cavaliers sneak by No. 5 Seton Keough on Thursday in Severn. Sonni's sharp single over third base in the bottom of the ninth inning drove home Kelsey Taylor, sending pitcher Emily Weiman and the Cavaliers to a 3-2 win over defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champion Seton Keough.

Quote: "He throws harder the longer the game goes. I'm glad the game only goes nine innings." -- Dante Bichette on Phillies' Curt Schilling, who was clocked at 98 mph in the ninth inning of a victory over the Rockies.It's a fact: The Cubs' Terry Mulholland has not allowed a stolen base in his past 109 games.Who's hot: The Cubs' Glenallen Hill is batting .462 (24-for-52) with six homers and 17 RBIs in his past 21 games.Who's not: The Athletics have been shut out for the past 19 innings.On deck: The Yankees' Roger Clemens tries for his 21st straight victory tonight.

OK, it's not real baseball. That's a couple of weeks away. But for the time being, for that part of us that likes living in the moment, the World Baseball Classic is better than nothing. Better than, say, MASN's endless repeats of classic Orioles games, which serve only to remind us of what we don't have anymore. What a treat last weekend to sit in the family room, windows open, cold beverage close by, and watch somebody play someone else for nine innings - live. To watch Team USA manager Davey Johnson fidget as the Canadian squad chipped away at his team's lead in front of a rabid Toronto crowd.

Who's hot Doug Glanville of the Rangers is 16-for-30 (.533) in his past seven games. Who's not Frank Thomas of the White Sox is 6-for-42 (.139) in his past 11 games, nine of those as DH. Line of the day Kerry Wood, Cubs P IP R H BB SO 9 0 2 5 8 On deck Randy Johnson of the Dia mondbacks makes his first start today since undergoing knee surgery in May. He said it "They told me I might get up there quickly, but after just nine innings in the...

Southwestern senior Joe Sanford tied a second state baseball pitching record when he struck out 20 in a 7-6 win over Lake Clifton (5-3) in nine innings yesterday. "I've taught myself to pitch, never had a pitching coach and everybody keeps telling me how good I am, but nobody comes to see us play," said Sanford, who throws a fastball in the low- to mid-80s, a slider and a knuckle curve and has superb control. Sanford threw 132 pitches and had no walks. Only twice did he go to a count of three balls, in the second and eighth innings.

OK, it's not real baseball. That's a couple of weeks away. But for the time being, for that part of us that likes living in the moment, the World Baseball Classic is better than nothing. Better than, say, MASN's endless repeats of classic Orioles games, which serve only to remind us of what we don't have anymore. What a treat last weekend to sit in the family room, windows open, cold beverage close by, and watch somebody play someone else for nine innings - live. To watch Team USA manager Davey Johnson fidget as the Canadian squad chipped away at his team's lead in front of a rabid Toronto crowd.

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson and his teammates are understandably peeved at the ruling by the Elias Sports Bureau that Johnson will not get credit for tying the single-game strikeout record with his 20K performance Tuesday night. Johnson's name will not go alongside Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as a co-holder of the single-game record because the game stretched into extra innings, even though he got all 20 strikeouts in nine innings. Instead, he only gets credit for having the second-most strikeouts in an extra inning game - after Tom Cheney, who worked well into extra innings to strike out 21 in a 16-inning game in 1962.

Defending Class 4A state champion Arundel survived Kyle Jefferson's resolute effort last night and escaped the wide-open spaces at C. Milton Wright High in Harford County with a first-round East Region baseball victory by 7-6 in nine innings. Junior catcher Jason Clemons dumped a one-out bloop single just inches in front of C. Milton Wright sophomore center fielder Jon Thurston in the top of the ninth to score Jesse Trout (3-for-5) with the winning run. Thurston had made two diving catches earlier in the game to deny at least three runs.

Wilde Lake's softball team surprised seventh-ranked Atholton, 8-7, in nine innings yesterday at Wilde Lake. The loss dropped the defending county champion Raiders out of a first-place tie with 13th-ranked Long Reach. The Lightning, which needed nine innings to beat Hammond, 5-4, on Wednesday, is 11-1 in the county with six games remaining. Atholton, which plays host to Long Reach May 8, dropped to 10-2. Wilde Lake, which lost 6-0 to Atholton earlier in the season, took a 6-4 lead into the seventh inning.

The outs came fast and furious last night. Ground balls that slowed in the infield grass. Fly balls that didn't carry. Routine plays followed by more routine plays. Batters swung and missed. Batters didn't move, regretted the decision and trudged back to the dugout. And it happened on both sides. On a night when Erik Bedard turned in his finest start of the season, the Orioles had less to offer against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' James Shields. It wasn't until the Devil Rays finally went to their bullpen in the 10th that someone decided the outcome, with Huff homering off reliever Brian Stokes to give the Orioles a 1-0 victory before an announced 14,780 at Camden Yards.

Washington -- One of the only early signs that this was anything other than the start of a three-game series between two struggling baseball teams came during the national anthem when Orioles fans at RFK Stadium yelled their traditional "O!" and Washington Nationals fans responded with boos. The game generated little buzz otherwise, so that exchange amounted to fighting words. The first regular-season game between the two cities' baseball teams since 1971 was treated as just another early-season game to the participants, and also for the fans.

Every evening this time of year, I flip open the mailbox and hope to see a red, white and blue priority mail package. And on the glorious day when I get my hands around that 2-inch-thick parcel, my fantasy baseball season begins in earnest. Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster has arrived, and spring seems within reach. I try not to bore readers with too many rave reviews of fantasy-related products, because I find most of the magazines and Web sites incomplete, superficial or just plain bad. But if you want to dominate your casual league or keep your head above water amid more intense competition, get the Forecaster.

BOYS Scott Krieger Calvert Hall, baseball The senior third baseman continued his role as the catalyst for the No. 1 Cardinals, batting .500 last week, hitting his fifth home run, stealing three bases and scoring his 30th run of the season, the game-winner, in a 3-2 league victory over defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champ Mount St. Joseph. Krieger's effort helped lift the Cardinals to an 11-0 league record, their 15th straight win and an overall record of 18-1.

Southwestern senior Joe Sanford tied a second state baseball pitching record when he struck out 20 in a 7-6 win over Lake Clifton (5-3) in nine innings yesterday. "I've taught myself to pitch, never had a pitching coach and everybody keeps telling me how good I am, but nobody comes to see us play," said Sanford, who throws a fastball in the low- to mid-80s, a slider and a knuckle curve and has superb control. Sanford threw 132 pitches and had no walks. Only twice did he go to a count of three balls, in the second and eighth innings.

Who's hot Doug Glanville of the Rangers is 16-for-30 (.533) in his past seven games. Who's not Frank Thomas of the White Sox is 6-for-42 (.139) in his past 11 games, nine of those as DH. Line of the day Kerry Wood, Cubs P IP R H BB SO 9 0 2 5 8 On deck Randy Johnson of the Dia mondbacks makes his first start today since undergoing knee surgery in May. He said it "They told me I might get up there quickly, but after just nine innings in the...

Now that he has mastered the slim-down-fast course, Sid Fernandez needs a couple of add-ons.Not pounds. The former portly left-hander, who reduced his weight by 40 pounds, needs to make a couple of additions to his skimpy collection of weapons.In the critical part of his career, Fernandez needs another pitch. And as base runners become more numerous, he needs to develop a better move to restrict their movement.An extremely live fastball and a deceptive curve have enabled Fernandez to put up some impressive numbers during his first 10 years in the big leagues.

Defending Class 4A state champion Arundel survived Kyle Jefferson's resolute effort last night and escaped the wide-open spaces at C. Milton Wright High in Harford County with a first-round East Region baseball victory by 7-6 in nine innings. Junior catcher Jason Clemons dumped a one-out bloop single just inches in front of C. Milton Wright sophomore center fielder Jon Thurston in the top of the ninth to score Jesse Trout (3-for-5) with the winning run. Thurston had made two diving catches earlier in the game to deny at least three runs.

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson and his teammates are understandably peeved at the ruling by the Elias Sports Bureau that Johnson will not get credit for tying the single-game strikeout record with his 20K performance Tuesday night. Johnson's name will not go alongside Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as a co-holder of the single-game record because the game stretched into extra innings, even though he got all 20 strikeouts in nine innings. Instead, he only gets credit for having the second-most strikeouts in an extra inning game - after Tom Cheney, who worked well into extra innings to strike out 21 in a 16-inning game in 1962.