San Diego Sparks lost a close 1-0 match to SBFC Rangers on May 8. The Sparks finish the regular season tied for third place in the San Diego County Soccer League’s Third Division, with a respectable 9-5-3 record, earning 30 points. SBFC Rangers earned one more point to fall into second place with a 10-5-1 record, while RBFC took the top spot with a 10-2-4 record, with 34 points overall.

Sparks Coach Leslie Randolph said despite this loss they controlled most of the game.

“It was a team effort and although we were somewhat injured and didn’t have our sweeper until the second half, those can’t be used as excuses since the goal didn’t come until well into the second half. It was an unfortunate breakdown in a defense that had an otherwise stellar game.”

The Sparks will now conduct regular practices in Balboa Park on Saturday mornings. Visit this article at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the Sparks Web site for more information.

Club Montage Mustangs upset previously undefeated Hamburger Mary’s 8-7 during the first of two close wins at Poway Sportsplex last Sunday, May 8. Good defense and key hitting were the main factors in handing Hamburger Mary’s (13-1) their first blemish of the season.

The Mustangs’ momentum continued in their second game when they handed Flicks a 10-8 loss, improving their record to 8-6 in the Open C Division.

Initially trailing by six runs, the Mustangs’ offense came together to rally for the win.

“We started off slow in that game… then it was [as] if the switch was turned on. Our bats and defense came alive,” said Mustangs Coach Jose Cuellar.

Third baseman Justin Black hit a crucial homerun to bring in Rob Kirk and John Skoubis, while Sean Bartleson, added a great catch in left field. Skoubis clinched the game with a clutch catch over second base.

Flicks fell to 7-7 overall.

Moby Dick’s Blowholes continued to pull out solid victories to remain in first place in the Open D Division. In their first game of the day the Blowholes got past Rough Riders 7-3.

The Blowholes led 2-0 after two innings. Larry Tow was walked in his first at-bat. A strong hit by Frank Aguirre drove in Tow for the first run. A well-placed infield ground ball by Ryan Doherty advanced Aguirre.

In the third inning, the Blowholes started to rally with hits and runs scored by Gerald Gapusan, Kirk Blaylock, Aguirre and Doherty. Carlos Ramón and Neerav Mistry had RBIs in the third inning and helped put the Blowholes out in front 6-0.

Rough Riders managed to score one run in the bottom of the third inning to bring the score to 6-1. In the fourth inning, aggressive base running following a single base hit by Blowholes pitcher Mike McCarthy allowed him to sneak almost all the way around the bases, sliding into third base and avoiding the tag-out. Dino Danner batted McCarthy home and the Blowholes got their final run of the game.

Rough Riders fought hard and were able to score two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit they faced. Rough Riders remained winless at 0-13, while the Blowholes improved to 12-1.

Despite being in last place, Rough Riders played tough in their first game against the second-place Bourbon Street Gamecocks before losing 6-4.

In their second game, the Blowholes’ offense exploded in a 20-4 win over the Gamecocks. Missing several players who were either injured or out of town, the Gamecocks were also a player short, and many did not play in their usual field positions.

After solid defense shut down the Gamecocks’ offense in the top of the first inning, the Blowholes took advantage of the large gaps in the outfield and cruised ahead 6-0 with hits by Tow, Blaylock, Danner, Aguirre, Ramón and Mistry in the bottom of the first.

The second inning saw solid hitting by both teams. The Gamecocks got on the board with four runs, while the Blowholes registered two more.

That would be the only offensive output of the day for the Gamecocks, however. The Blowholes’ defense shut down the Gamecocks’ offense for the remainder of the game, with excellent infield work by Blaylock, Ramón, Eric Maitland and Tow at first base. Solid outfield catches and relays by Mistry, Aguirre, Gapusan and Danner also paved the way to the win.

The second half of the game was a clinic in solid hitting by the Blowholes, who scored 14 additional runs. The Blowholes improved to 13-1 while the Gamecocks fell to 10-4, good for second place in the Open D Division.

Women’s A/B Division leader Fit 2B Tyed advanced their unbeaten streak to 14-0 with two solid wins over On The Run and South Bark Dog Wash on May 8.

Fit 2B Tyed started off the day with a 10-1 win over On The Run. Carmen Soikowski went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Liz Apodaca was 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs while Rachell Gary was 2-for-3, batting in three runs.

Fit 2B Tyed needed to have their game faces on to come through with the victory against second-place A/B Women’s Division foe South Bark Dog Wash in their second game of the day. It remained close until the third inning, when Apodaca hit a grand slam to right field to break the game wide open. Fit 2B Tyed held on for an 8-2 victory. South Bark’s record fell to 10-4 overall.

Fit 2B Tyed Coach Tina Prato took her team’s opponents very seriously going into the game.

“South Bark is a very tough team,” she said. “We put some key hits together with people in scoring position, which was vital. I’m very proud of the way we played.”

Apodaca went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Krista Kilpatrick was also 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Pam Castanon went a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI. Chasm Bone contributed two hits and two RBIs.

The San Diego American Flag Football League (SDAFFL) played games last Saturday, May 7, at the Linda Vista Recreation Center. The Brians’ American Eatery Bears improved to 3-2 overall with a solid 32-20 win over the Pecs Gators, who dropped to 2-3.

Amid some controversy, the Bourbon Street Hurricanes held on for a 13-7 victory over the Hamburger Mary’s Cowboys. According to Steve Cramsie, after the Cowboys’ captain was ejected from the game and refused to leave, the team by default forfeits per the referees. The game ended prematurely with eight minutes left on the clock. The Hurricanes improved to 4-1 overall and remain in first place in the SDAFFL, while the Cowboys fell to 1-4.

Front Runners of San Diego’s USA Track & Field-certified 5K run and 1.5-mile noncompetitive walk, Run and Stride with Pride, takes place on Saturday, July 30, at 7:30 a.m. It’s the first year the course is USATF-certified and Front Runners’ 13th year participating in San Diego’s Pride festival. The relatively flat course starts at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street, and winds through Balboa Park.

Until July 29, the entry fee is $20 for the run and $15 for the walk. On event day, the fees are $25 for the run and $20 for the walk. A Front Runners member-designed, commemorative T-shirt is included in the entry fees. Register by visiting this article at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the official registration Web site.