Oiler softball team grabs some glory of its own

The baseball team at Huntington Beach has accumulated lots of fame this spring, winning the National High School Invitational and making it to finals of the Boras Classic South. But the Oiler softball team is earning some glory, too. The orange and black won the Best of the West Classic in Santa Maria, posting five wins, including a 8-3 victory over previously un- beaten Oaks Christian.

The Oilers faced Los Alamitos on Tuesday, battling for the Sunset League lead against Los Alamitos and risking their winning streak of nine in a row. Against the Griffins, the Oilera continued their ways, defeating them 3-2 and move into first place in the SDL with a 8-1 lead. Los Al is 7-1.

On Monday, Santiago High’s softball team defeated La Quinta 5-2 to grab a half-game lead in the Garden Grove League race. Four games remain in the league schedule so nothing is decided yet.

In Garden Grove League baseball, Loara (9-8 overall, 8-4 in league) stayed in first place with a 4-0 win over Rancho Alamitos on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s action in the Sunset Wave League had Edison defeating Newport Harbor 8-6 and solidifying the Chargers’ grip on first. EHS is 12-9 overall, but 5-0 in league. NH is now 9-12 overall and 2-2 in league

In other Wave action, Laguna Beach (8-10-1, 2-3) edged Marina 1-0.

The Empire League softball race remained tight. Pacifica (16-7 overall, 5-2 in league) thumped Crean Lutheran 12-0, while Cypress (17-2-1, 7-0) and Kennedy (13-6, 5-1) also posted wins.

Prep Sports Scores

Tuesday, April 18 (baseball)

Laguna Beach 1, Marina 1

Edison 8, Newport Harbor 6

Orange 4, Costa Mesa 2

La Quinta 2, Bolsa Grande 2

Loara 4, Rancho Al. 0

Katella 2, Garden Grove 1

Ocean View 16, Westminster 0

Tuesday, April 18 (softball)

Pacifica 12, Crean Lutheran 0

Western 19, SA Valley 2

Savanna 21, Magnolia 7

Hunt. Beach 3, Los Alamitos 2

Monday, April 17 (baseball)

Bolsa Grande 4, La Quinta 2

Loara 9, Rancho Alamitos 6

Monday, April 17 (softball)

Marina 24, Corona del Mar 0

Western 13, Santa Ana V. 3

Santiago 5, La Quinta 2

Loara 14, Los Amigos 13

New direction for the Ducks?

Comtinued from page 8 heim was the NHL’s worst defensive team of the 21st century by several measures during the just-completed season.

“When I looked at it, it was three things,” Verbeek said. “I wanted a fresh start, I wanted a new voice speaking to the team, and I wanted a different direction.”

Verbeek was vague when asked what he meant by that. “I think that just a style or an identity is going to be important,” Verbeek said. “When you look at where we were (with) time spent in our zone ... my concern down that road was it could be difficult for more development if we had stayed on that kind of path.”

Anaheim has a promising young core headlined by playmaking center Trevor Zegras, two-time All-Star Troy Terry and promising forward Mason McTavish.

Look out! Robo-umps are coming!

Comtinued from page 8

The other tried and true method, of course, is arguing. The umpire won’t change his call, but maybe – if you’re angry and loud enough – you might intimidate the umpire into giving you the benefit of the doubt the next time. “Make-up calls,” in which an umpire admits (to himself) that he missed a call and then calls a ball a strike (or the reverse) to make up for the error are not unheard-of.

If the experiment – think Dr. Frankenstein and Igor – is deemed successful – it may be in place on opening day of 2024 in Major League Baseball. Who knows, then, what follows?

Endless replays? Team owners complaining about massive “robo-ump” fraud? Android managers who pick lineups and rosters from spread-sheets? (Frankly, we’re pretty close to that now.)

To the degree that we eliminate the human factor in baseball is the distance we are moving toward turning the sport into a cross between a pageant and a video game.

To paraphrase a chant heard in baseball stadiums for over 100 years, “Kill the (robo) ump!”