The San Diego Sparks were hoping to avenge a close 2-1 loss they suffered back in February to RBFC. The Sparks didn’t win but were able to come away with an impressive 0-0 tie instead on May 1.

“Yesterday’s game was pretty even-handed. They are a tough team,” said Sparks Coach Leslie Randolph.

RBFC stands in first place in the San Diego County Soccer League’s Third Division with a 10-2-3 record. The Sparks are in second place with a 9-4-3 record.

Even though the Sparks had their chances to score, Randolph said the difference in this game was the play of each team’s goalies, especially the Sparks’ Chris Harrison.

“Both of the goalkeepers on our side and on their side made some pretty good saves off of shots that could have been goals. There wasn’t any bad play on either side. The Sparks did pretty well and it was a team effort,” he said.

The Sparks take on the SBFC Rangers this Sunday, May 8, at 12:00 p.m. in their final match of the regular season at Robb Field in Ocean Beach.

After suffering their first defeat of the season on April 24 (a 14-5 loss to Bandits ROK), Moby Dick’s Blowholes got back into a winning routine in Open Division D action with two very close wins over Alano Club/Gay & Lesbian Times and Bandits ROK on May 1, improving to 11-1.

The Blowholes’ first game was a nail-biter, but they held on for a tight 7-6 victory over the Alano/GLT (6-6). In a previous battle earlier this season, the Blowholes also won by an identical score, so they knew it was going to be a very tough game from the start.

Both teams brought their best defensive games to the field, keeping the run tally low with excellent infield work from Blowholes’ third-baseman, Kirk Blaylock, and shortstop, Carlos Ramón. Neerav Mistry and Gerald Gapusan made critical outfield catches.

After three innings, the score was locked at 5-5. In the fourth inning, runs by Ramón and Terry Harrison gave the Blowholes a 7-5 lead. Alano/GLT answered back with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The fifth inning boiled down to textbook defense in response to mediocre hitting by both teams with the Blowholes first three batters registering outs. With their last at-bat of the game and trailing by one run, Alano/GLT could not generate any hits, as their first three batters all were sent back to the bench registering outs.

The second game signaled revenge for the Blowholes against Bandits ROK, who stomped the Blowholes the previous week, but were able to hold on for an 8-7 win this week. Bandits ROK’s record now stands at 7-5.

After one inning, base hits mustered by Larry Tow and Eric Maitland were not enough to damage the Bandits and the Blowholes trailed 1-0. After Ramón hit a double, Mike McCarthy pushed the envelope with aggressive base running, driving home alongside a well-placed Bandits throw. McCarthy slid into home plate, avoiding the tag and scoring the tying run. A late-inning hit by Brian Schultz drove in Ramón to give the Blowholes a 2-1 lead.

Larry Tow and Blaylock scored more runs for the Blowholes in the third inning. Strong defensive work by outfielders Frank Aguirre, Gapusan and Mistry coupled with consistent Blowholes infield defensive plays kept the Bandits from scoring additional runs until the fourth inning, after which the Blowholes led 6-4.

The Bandits rallied in the sixth inning with three additional runs to take a 7-6 lead with the Blowholes last at-bat. Aguirre led off with a base hit, followed by two outs. The Bandits intentionally walked Mistry, and then poor pitching led to an unintentional walk of Terry Harrison. Schultz hit a ground ball to the Bandits shortstop with bases loaded, two outs and trailing by one run.

As Aguirre ran home for the tying run, the Bandits botched the throw from shortstop to second base, and all runners were called safe. Amidst a cloud of confusion and infield dirt, speedy Mistry rounded third base and powered home for the winning run.

Women’s A/B division powerhouse Fit 2B Tyed have yet to lose a game this season. They continued their winning ways to improve to a perfect 12-0 with two dominating victories over Hauser’s Players and Happy Hour during interdivisional play on May 1.

In their 16-0 win over Hauser’s Players, Diane Emerson went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. Marge Mongolo chipped in with three RBIs while Kirsta Kilpatrick produced great results as the designated hitter, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Chasm Bone also went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Shortstop Rachell Gary went a perfect 3-for-3, driving home two runs.

Fit 2B Tyed Coach Tina Prato was pleased with their strong offensive output.

“We had some great plays, beautiful hits and everyone contributed to putting the win together,” she said.

Hauser’s Players dropped to 4-5 overall in the C Rec I Division.

In a closer contest, Fit 2B Tyed took a few innings to get their offense going but when they did there was no turning back in an 8-1 win over C Rec I Division foe Happy Hour.

“We struggled the first two innings but pulled some hits together to get on the board at 5-0 in the third,” said Prato.

Liz Apodaca went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Pam Castanon went 2-for-2, and “Muff” went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Emerson added three RBIs going 1-for-2.

“Missile Johnson played great defense at third, shutting them down on the left side,” Prato said.

The San Diego Tennis Federation (SDTF) held their Team Tennis semifinals and finals this past Sunday, May 1, at the Barnes Tennis Center and San Diego Community College.

The Bombshells got past Russian Revolution 12-5 to 5.5 in the semifinals at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma.

In the beginning it looked like The Bombshells were going to run away with the team match, taking a 7.5 to 1.5 lead after doubles play, but Russian Revolution kept things very competitive in singles competition, not going down without a fight.

Russian Revolution were able to split the singles matches evenly 6-6 with close 6-5 set wins from Jerry Sabio, Leonard Trinh and Tommy Sydavong. Ralph Manniquil posted a 6-2 win, while Dean Oleole (6-4) and Edward Bauer (6-3) also had solid victories for Russian Revolution.

However, dominating wins from Bombshells’ Derek Floyd (6-2), Dan Manes (6-1) and Anthony Simmons (6-0) proved to be the difference for The Bombshells.

In the other semifinal played at San Diego City College, Hawaiian Heat got past the Living Legends, 13-5 to 4.5. Top-seeded Hawaiian Heat took a dominating 7.5 to 1.5 lead after doubles play. Hawaiian Heat’s Jordan Brewster and Dana Zeff registered a quick 8-1 win over Pete Mayers and Ricco Espinoza. Chad Bennett and Billy Nordmeier posted a solid 8-4 win over Living Legends’ Brett Bell and Phillip Villagomez. Steven Leff and Jere Halligan earned an 8-6 win over Brian Stone and Jim Wilson for Living Legends’ lone doubles points.

In singles competition, Hawaiian Heat secured a spot in the finals by winning eight matches out of 12. Hawaiian Heat’s Grady Mitchell posted a 6-1 win, while Stone and Wilson both pulled out solid 6-3 wins after rebounding from their doubles loss. David Enkleis (6-1), Bell (6-3) and Villagomez (6-2) posted wins for the Living Legends.

The second-seeded Bombshells took four doubles matches and eight singles matches to defeat top-seeded Hawaiian Heat 13-4 in the finals played at San Diego City College.

The teams kept it close in doubles with The Bombshells taking a 6-3 lead going into singles play. The Bombshells’ tandem of Cyrus Azares and Floyd got past Rob Voces and Mitchell 8-6 with crucial points, while Ned Turner and Manes also posted a close 8-6 win over Hawaiian Heat’s Stone and Wilson.

Consistent singles play from The Bombshells proved to be the decisive factor as they won eight of 12 matches to win SDTF’s Team Tennis Championships. The Bombshells’ Greg Lindsay and Raul Herrera each came away with close 6-5 wins over Vince Travaglione and Wayne Douglas, respectively. The Bombshells’ Mike Hagen took a 6-2 set over Chris Fahey, while Azares (6-1) and David Lang (6-4) both posted wins.

Hawaiian Heat did get some dominating play from Terry Overbey, a 6-0 winner over Bob Walton, while Mitchell defeated Turner 6-3. Stone added a win for Hawaiian Heat, beating Floyd 6-2, and Espinoza was a 6-4 winner over Bill Godsey.