Sacrifice Bunt

Nearly every Oakland Mills starter contributed to Thursday's crucial, 9-2 victory over Mount Hebron that broke the Vikings' six-game winning streak.But Scorpions pitcher Joe Coughlan undeniably was the game's star, pitching a five-hitter and hitting a home run.In fact, Coughlan has led a surging Oakland Mills team to six wins in its last seven games and back into the Class 3A, Region I playoff picture.Coughlan (5-1) has pitched five straight complete-game victories, including shutouts over Atholton and league-leading Hammond.

A walk-off win was the best possible way for the Orioles to end an otherwise disappointing 2009 season. But in typical Orioles fashion, the circumstances made it hard to get overly excited about the victory. There was no game-ending home run or even a game-winning single. The Orioles' 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday was achieved when reliever Brandon League made back-to-back throwing errors on sacrifice bunt attempts in the 11th inning. "It was certainly a strange final day," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said.

Severna Park coach Jeff Shepherd had an idea early on how scarce runs would be at North County yesterday when he tried to move a runner from first to third on a sacrifice bunt.The aggressive play failed, and nothing else offensively worked, either, for the No. 3-ranked Falcons against senior pitcher Kellie Evans. Plus, the top-ranked Knights scratched across an unearned run in the fourth for a 1-0 win.All of Evans' pitches were working yesterday, especially a fastball with good location and an occasional slow change to keep Severna Park batters guessing.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- On a day when Barry Bonds hit another spring training home run and laid down his first sacrifice bunt in seven years, a high-ranking official for the San Francisco Giants said he doesn't expect the celebration of the slugger's 715th career home run to be muted in any regard. Nor does Giants chief operating officer Laurence Baer believe that Major League Baseball's celebration of Bonds passing the legendary Babe Ruth - if and when that comes - to be that much different from that of the team Bonds has played for the past 13 seasons.

Unable to contribute with her arm, Mount Hebron pitcher Karen Kreis made a difference with her bat. Playing in her first game in more than two weeks, Kreis hit a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the seventh inning yesterday that drove in the No. 15 Vikings' winning run against visiting River Hill in a Class 3A East region semifinal in Ellicott City. The 3-2 victory catapulted Mount Hebron (13-5) to its first region final since 1995, when the Vikings lost in a state semifinal. The Vikings got yesterday's win, thanks to Kreis, who hadn't played since her pitching shoulder was injured against Centennial on April 28. But that didn't prevent Mount Hebron coach Sal Milio from calling on Kreis to bat. "I was pretty nervous, but I knew he put me in to hit," she said.

Centennial's softball team lost is sixth one-run game of the season yesterday, dropping a 4-3 decision at Long Reach."It's frustrating," said captain Kim Paulus, the lone senior on the Eagles. "It's not that our team isn't good. Obviously we can hang with every team. It's matter of experience and mentally staying in every game."Centennial (4-8) has lost one-run games to Long Reach (twice), Wilde Lake, River Hill, Glenelg and Howard. Its two other losses, against Atholton and Howard, were by two runs.

On the field: Plate umpire Joe Brinkman has absorbed his share of foul shots this year, which could be why he positioned himself several feet behind the catchers to call balls and strikes. Brinkman was so far back that when he knelt down, his back foot was nearly at the edge of the circle around the batter's box.In the dugout: With Cal Ripken on first base, nobody out and the Orioles two runs down in the eighth inning, Jeffrey Hammonds bunted the ball back to Billy Taylor; Ripken advanced, and Hammonds was credited with a sacrifice bunt in what really wasn't a sacrifice situation.

BOSTON -- Jose Canseco has been shooting his mouth off again, but the Oakland Athletics earned the right to talk tough Saturday night.They survived six scoreless innings by Roger Clemens. They ran roughshod over an already battle-weary Boston Red Sox bullpen. They scored seven runs in the ninth inning to turn Game 1 of the American League playoffs into a 9-1 laugher.The victory was such that Canseco flirted with what could turn out to be some famous last words."If they can't beat Bob Welch, they might as well forget it," Canseco said.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins yesterday in Fort Myers, Fla.Ups and downsUP: Jimmy Key. Five innings mark his longest outing since Sept. 16.UP: Jeff Reboulet. Lays down a sacrifice bunt in the first inning, leading to a run, raps a double in the fifth and singles in the seventh.EVEN: Jesus Tavarez. Whiffs on a fly ball to right field in the fifth inning, allowing Javier Valentin to reach second base, then leads off the sixth with a double to right and scores the go-ahead run.UP: Chris Hoiles.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- On a night that Gregg Olson made a rare departure in a save situation and Mike Flanagan picked him up by getting a game-ending double play, Dave Johnson was almost a forgotten winning pitcher for the Orioles.Almost.bTC "That was the best he has thrown in a year and a half," said manager John Oates, after Johnson pitched four scoreless innings in the 8-6 win. "And it was his best four innings in at least a year."Johnson (4-4) needed one break, getting a double play on a long line drive off the bat of Ruben Sierra in the seventh inning, but allowed only two hits in four strong innings.

ST. LOUIS -- Some call it small ball, the way St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa signaled Larry Walker to lay down a sacrifice bunt in the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series last night. Then there are those who would call it desperation. The Boston Red Sox had a way of doing that to teams this October, sweeping Anaheim, going down 3-0 to the Yankees and then winning four straight. Now this: a sweep of the Cardinals, the team with the best record in the game this season.

Unable to contribute with her arm, Mount Hebron pitcher Karen Kreis made a difference with her bat. Playing in her first game in more than two weeks, Kreis hit a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the seventh inning yesterday that drove in the No. 15 Vikings' winning run against visiting River Hill in a Class 3A East region semifinal in Ellicott City. The 3-2 victory catapulted Mount Hebron (13-5) to its first region final since 1995, when the Vikings lost in a state semifinal. The Vikings got yesterday's win, thanks to Kreis, who hadn't played since her pitching shoulder was injured against Centennial on April 28. But that didn't prevent Mount Hebron coach Sal Milio from calling on Kreis to bat. "I was pretty nervous, but I knew he put me in to hit," she said.

After three losses in two days, No. 7 Mount Hebron's baseball team faced a must-win game yesterday against defending Class 2A state champion Atholton and Vyt Rivers, its No. 1 starting pitcher. With three of Mount Hebron's starting pitchers used up over the past two days, and a fourth starter sidelined by the flu, Vikings coach Matt Forsyth, in desperation, went with Andrew Duzor, a junior catcher/outfielder who had never pitched a varsity inning. Duzor responded beyond Forsyth's wildest dreams by pitching a complete-game, six-hitter to beat eighth-ranked Atholton, 3-2. Mount Hebron scored the winning run in the sixth inning on a double by Jeff Carr, a single by Mike Michalski and a sacrifice fly by Andrew Hoffner.

Over the past three years, the Orioles have had losses against the Seattle Mariners that left them feeling a little undermanned. Last night was different. The Orioles made chances for themselves and came away feeling they had underachieved. Seattle stormed out to a four-run lead, and the Orioles came back to tie the score, turning the game into a tale of two late-inning scoring opportunities. The Orioles missed their chance; the Mariners didn't. Jeff Cirillo drove home the go-ahead run off Orioles closer Jorge Julio in the ninth inning, and Seattle claimed a 5-4 victory before 30,287 at Camden Yards.

This hasn't been Scott Erickson's month. After posting solid numbers during April, Erickson went six starts without a win during May, though he came close last night after a rocky beginning. Erickson surrendered four runs in the first two innings, then kept the Seattle Mariners scoreless through the eighth, long enough for the Orioles to come back to tie the score and nearly take the lead. Jeff Cirillo put Seattle back ahead with a run-scoring double off Orioles closer Jorge Julio in the ninth inning, and the Mariners hung on to defeat the Orioles for the 18th time in their past 20 games, this one 5-4 before 30,287 at Camden Yards.

UPPER MARLBORO - Top-ranked Archbishop Spalding challenged 27 softball opponents to try to find a weakness this season. Not one was found. The Cavaliers completed the program's second perfect season yesterday, going 27-0, with their third straight Maryland Independent Schools' state championship. To do it, they needed to work overtime for a 1-0 win over Pallotti that took 11 innings at Prince George's Community College. The win was worth the wait. Super sophomore Jessica Saunders pitched 11 shutout innings of one-hit ball to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

As Franklin pitcher Kara Wingate's wild pitch skipped past catcher Jessie McGraw in the top of the first, Fallston's Lauren Heisey immediately broke from third base and raced toward the plate.McGraw quickly retrieved the ball and flipped it to Wingate, who blocked the plate and tagged out the sliding Heisey just in time.The play ended the inning and prevented Fallston from taking the lead. It also was the last time the Cougars would come close to scoring.Wingate allowed just one other runner past first and went on to pitch a two-hitter, as the No. 15 Indians edged visiting Fallston, 1-0, in a Class 3A North region semifinal.

UPPER MARLBORO - Top-ranked Archbishop Spalding challenged 27 softball opponents to try to find a weakness this season. Not one was found. The Cavaliers completed the program's second perfect season yesterday, going 27-0, with their third straight Maryland Independent Schools' state championship. To do it, they needed to work overtime for a 1-0 win over Pallotti that took 11 innings at Prince George's Community College. The win was worth the wait. Super sophomore Jessica Saunders pitched 11 shutout innings of one-hit ball to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 13-8 loss to the Texas Rangers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DOWN - Al Reyes: Needs to get his act together. And quickly. UP - Delino DeShields: Put him in the outfield and he hits like an outfielder. UP - Jose Mercedes: Can't touch him. DOWN - B. J. Ryan: Another ninth-inning implosion. UP - Mike Bordick -- Two hits from the two hole, including his second homer. UP - Jerry Hairston: Forget the error. He's having a tremendous spring. The bats Eight runs and 11 hits should be enough.

Centennial's softball team lost is sixth one-run game of the season yesterday, dropping a 4-3 decision at Long Reach."It's frustrating," said captain Kim Paulus, the lone senior on the Eagles. "It's not that our team isn't good. Obviously we can hang with every team. It's matter of experience and mentally staying in every game."Centennial (4-8) has lost one-run games to Long Reach (twice), Wilde Lake, River Hill, Glenelg and Howard. Its two other losses, against Atholton and Howard, were by two runs.