Month: September 2023

Sharks lose final home preseason game in overtime against the Kings 2-1

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Sharks played a tight-checking affair against Los Angles but came up short losing 2-1.

Getting his first start during the preseason was Magnus Chrona who played last season in college. The Kings had veteran goalkeeper David Rittich who they got from Winnipeg get the start.

This game overall was pretty tightly played as neither team was able to score until the third period. The player who broke the ice was Alex Laferriere as he tipped home a shot from Jacob Moverare.

The third also saw Jacob Doty lay a big hit on Jan Rutta that got a response from Scott Sabourin who dropped the gloves for a spirited tilt. The hit was a little high so we’ll see if there is any suspension handed down from the league. Rutta did not return to the game after the hit.

Later in the third with the goalie pulled Thomas Hertl would tie it with a shot low on the blocker side of Rittich. The assists went to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Mario Ferraro.

In overtime, the game-winner came from Samuel Fagemo on the power play as he one-timed a shot from the point to end it.

Special teams were of note tonight though mainly the penalty kill as the teams combined to go 1/11 with the extra man.

Chrona ended up looking solid in tonight’s game making 28 saves and both goals not being his fault.

The shots finished at 35-30 in favor of the Sharks.

The three stars of the game were 1st: Samuel Fagemo 2nd: Thomas Hertl 3rd: Magnus Chrona

The Sharks will look to bounce back on the road against the Golden Knights on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Earthquakes late goal in second half salvages 1-1 draw with Minnesota FC

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San Jose Earthquakes defender Rodriguez battles for a loose ball with Minnesota FC midfielder Franco Fragapane at Allianz Field on Saturday SEP 30, 2023. (Minnesota FC)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Earthquakes needed some late match comeback magic to earn a critical point.

Paul Marie scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute as the Quakes settled for a 1-1 draw with Minnesota FC on Saturday evening at Allianz Field.

San Jose stayed in eight place in the Western Conference with the tie to stay one point ahead (42) of FC Dallas (41) who earned a point with a 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo. Minnesota is on the outside looking in as they are tied for 11th place in the conference with Sporting Kansas City with 38 points.

Minnesota FC (9-11-11-38 points) controlled the first 15 minutes of the match as they generated scoring chances from Emanuel Reynoso and Bongokuhle Hlongwane only to have both players miss their targets.

San Jose (10-10-12-42 points) generated two scoring chances late in the opening 45 minutes when shots from Cristian Espinoza and Matthew Hoppe were off target against Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

Minnesota FC broke the seal in the 56th minute on a counterattack. Bongokuhle tried to dribble through two ‘Quakes defenders inside the box when the ball deflected off Carlos Akapo. Teemu Pukki cleaned up the loose ball and buried a shot past ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his sixth goal of the season.

“In the first half, I thought we did have some moments of possession, but not enough. I thought we could have connected more and been a little more patient in our build up. I thought it was a pretty fair and even game. We started the second half quite well, but they hurt us in transition. We were down 1-0, and we responded with some aggressive subs with guys who could give us some verticality and speed and take the game to another gear,” Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzlez said.

Espinoza, who has been the catalyst for San Jose’s offense all season, set up the late match heroics when he made a move around Franco Fragapane just outside the box before depositing a cross to the left side where an unmarked Marie one-timed the ball with an arial volley into the upper right corner of net for his third goal of the season.

“Starting or not, (Marie) has been in rotation and involved. He’s important. I think he’s a starting caliber fullback/wingback, not just for us but for the league. I am proud of his mentality, being ready no matter what, starting or not. Knowing the game will have a role for him, and he came in showed that. I am very proud of him, and that shows what kind of a teammate he is to this group,” Gonzalez said.

Both goalies had one save on two shots on target to each the draw.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. Minnesota FC has four.

The Quakes now hold a 5-4-4 record against Minnesota United FC, including a 2-2-2 record on the road.

Espinoza tallied his 11th assist of the season and 56th of his MLS career. Akapo tallied his fourth assist of the season and of his MLS career.

UP NEXT: San Jose finishes its regular season road schedule against FC Dallas in a battle for 8th place in the West on Saturday 10/7 at 5:30pm at Toyota Stadium.

Oakland Roots Draw 2-2 Against San Antonio After Being Up 2 At Half

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Oakland Roots couldn’t hold the 2-0 lead and came away with a 2-2 draw against San Antonio FC at CSU East Bay (@oaklandrootssc image)

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – Four games remaining in the season and Oakland is still fighting for a final spot in the playoff picture. Tonight the Oakland Roots face San Antonio FC at CSU East Bay in the final game of September. 

The Roots started with an amazing goal to open the game nine minutes in as Guillermo Diaz hit a deep pass to Johnny Rodriguez where he hit a fantastic spin kick to score, 1-0 Oakland. A minute later Anuar Palaez stole the ball from a San Antonio player and immediately followed up with a laser shot to score the second goal for the Roots, 2-0.

The remainder of the first half was San Antonio trying hard to develop an offense and they let some shots go, but none hit the back of the net and when the whistle blew for a halftime, Roots were up 2-0. 

The second half was the make or break half for Oakland. They needed to secure a W and lately they haven’t been able to do that in the second half conceding more goals than they’ve scored. San Antonio wanted to keep that streak going ten minutes into the second half, Santiago Patino scored the first goal for San Antonio off a gorgeous shot past Paul Blanchette making it 2-1.

As we proceeded through the second half, Oakland got more physical to hold off San Antonio and this strategy was successful all the way until stoppage time when a long pass was volleyed to Toni Oluwaseyei who scored off a straight shot past Blanchette for the equalizer. 2-2!!!

Oakland’s struggle to hold off opponents in the second half when they have a lead has been what has kept their playoff chances in limbo. The final whistle blew, but not without a little bit of controversy. On the last shot of the game, San Antonio claimed there was a foul to the point where a San Antonio player got in the ref’s face and was awarded a red card. Red card aside the game ended in a 2-2 draw. 

With only three games left, Oakland is fighting for their playoff spot and the next game on their path to the playoffs is against Orange County Sporting Club in Irvine, CA on October 4th.

Giants get the edge on Dodgers and Kershaw 2-1; Asian American managers make MLB history

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San Francisco Giants interim manager Kai Correa stands in the dugout during the third inning as Correa and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts become the first MLB managers of Asian decent to oppose each other in MLB history at Oracle Park on Sat Sep 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Los Angeles (99-61). 000 010 000. – 1. 8. 1

San Francisco (79-82). 001 001 00x. – 2 5 0

Time: 2:07

Attendance: 39,253

Saturday, September 30, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO—Well, two questions were answered last night. Yes, the Giants will finish the season with a losing record. No, Gabe Kapler will not be the team’s manager any longer. Bench coach Kai Correa will handle the orange and black’s managerial duties for tonight and tomorrow’s games.

His choice this evening in San Francisco’s 2-1 hard fought victory. over the division winning was 27 year old right hander Tristan Beck. Statcast calls Beck’s four seamer his best pitch. He throws it 36.6% of the time, and opponents have a .167 BA against it.

This was Beck’s third start of the season for the Giants. The first two were as an opener, but he went five full innings tonight and shut the Dodgers out in the first four of them. In all. This all, Beck allowed one run, and it was earned, on six hits and a walk.

He struck out three Dodgers, and 47 of his 70 pitches counted as strikes. The youngster faced 21 batters and went home with a no decision and a record of 3-3, 3.92. Ryan Walker relieved him to start the sixth. Walker would get the win, his fifth, against four defeats and bring his ERA down to 3.23.

The Dodgers sent an established star, Clayton Kershaw with a sparkling season’s record of 13-4, 2.42, to which a September earned run average of 1.93 contributed, to the mound as a tuneup for the oncoming postseason. The three time Cy Young Award isn’t only a strong candidate for that trophy; he’s a strong candidate for a trophy in Cooperstown as well. Kershaw pitched well tonight, but left with the Dodgers trailing 2-1 with one down in the bottom of the sixth.

Kershaw had faced 22 batters, throwing 83 pitches, 52 for strikes. He allowed two runs, both earned, in his 5-1/3 inning tenure on the mound. They came on two hits, two walks, and a wild pitch. He was tagged with the loss and will end the season at 13-5, 2.46.

The air was, as the cliché has it, rife with speculation about who will be Kapler’s eventual successor. Curtis Pashelka offered a list in this morning’s San José Mercury News. conveniently divided, like Gaul, into three parts. Those already on the Giants’ payroll are Ron Wotus, currently Special Assistant to Baseball Operations, with 36 years of service to the organization; third base coach Mark Hallbereg; and Correa.

Candidates not currently on the payroll but with ties to it or the bay area are Bob Melvin, in the likely event that he’s let go by underperforming Padres; one time Giants hitting coach and resent Texas Rangers bench coach and offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker; and Marin County’s Will Venable, who had been a candidate for the job at Oracle Park in 2019, but Kapler beat him out for it.

The one member of the group Pashelka calls “external candidates with prestige is Craig Counsell, whose contract with the Brewers is at the tail end of its last year.

You pays yer money and you takes yer cherce. Make mine Melvin.

There was little to choose between the way the two teams played in the first two frames. Each got one hit, a double, but nothing more in the first. (San Francisco’s two bagger came from Austin Slater, who suffered The Cure of the Leadoff Double). Each pitcher threw 13 offerings in the first and 11 in the second.

That situation changed in the home third. Rookie Tyler Fitzgerald set his second big league round tripper . It travelled 414 feet before landing in the left center field bleachers and came off a 72mph curve.

The Giants threatened to tack on to the 1-0 lead Fitzgerald’s blast provided them. Luis Matos and Thairo Estrada hit back to back singles that put runners on the corners with two down, but Estrada got caught trying to steal second, and that was that.

Elay tied the score in the top of the fifth on a one out down the line double into the right field corner by David Peralta and a two out double to left by the irrepressible Mookie Betts.

Poor fielding by Max Muncy contributed to San Francisco taking the lead and driving Kershaw from the mound in the bottom of the sixth, but Kershaw wasn’t faultless either. Slater led off with a base on balls and, with Matos batting, went to second on a wild pitch. Matos walked and was forced out at second on Estrada’s grounder to Muncy at third, where Slater arrived safely on the play.

Wilmer Flores then hit a bouncing ball to Muncy, who bobbled it two or three times. Flores reached first on the error, and Slater crossed the plate with the tie breaking tally. The run was earned, and the Giants’ first baseman was credited with an RBI, his 61st of the year.

That’s when Michael Grove replaced Kershaw. He held the Giants hitless through the seventh and was relieved by Caleb Ferguson, who set the Giants down in order in his inning on the hill.

Tyler Rogers, the right handed submariner pitched a crisp 1,2,3 top of the eighth.

Interim manager Correa called on Camilo Doval to try to earn his 39th save in 47 attempts. He got Jason Heyward to fly out to center. He fanned James Outman. Chris Taylor kept the Dodgers’ hopes alive with a clean single to left, bringing David Peralta to the plate. Taylor broke for second on Doval’s first pitch to Peralta, and Bailey threw him out, Estrada providing the tag.

Kyle Harrison (1-1 4.85), recovered from his recent illness, will start for the Giants’ season closing game tomorrow, Sunday, at 12:05. He’ll be opposed by Bobby Miller (11-5, 3.89)

Boyle, A’s defeat Angels 7-3 for 50th win

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics continued their division rivalry series against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. The A’s defeated the Angels 7-3 at Angel Stadium for their 50th win of the season. Oakland improved to 50-111, while Los Angeles fell to 72-89.

The A’s starting lineup featured Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Jordan Diaz, Carlos Pérez, Nick Allen, Esteury Ruiz, and Joe Boyle. Boyle (2-0, 1.69 ERA) took the win after pitching for seven innings and giving up two hits, three earned runs, two walks, six strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s wasted no time getting on the board. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left field for an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Angels finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mike Moustakas was out on a sacrifice fly to Brent Rooker. Nolan Schanuel scored to tie the ballgame 1-1. Brandon Drury went to third base with two outs.

The Angels then took the lead. Logan O’Hoppe homered on a fly ball to center field. Brandon Drury scored to put the Angels up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The A’s responded with a five-run eighth inning to regain the lead. Zack Gelof singled on a ground ball to Jo Adell. Nick Allen scored to cut the Angels’ lead to 3-2. Esteury Ruiz went to third base, while Ryan Noda went to second base. And, with Brent Rooker batting, Ruiz scored on a balk to tie the game 3-3. Noda advanced to third base on a balk, while Gelof advanced to second base on a balk. In addition, Shea Langaliers homered on a fly ball to right center field. Noda scored to extend the A’s lead to 6-3.

The A’s added a run in the top of the ninth inning. Zack Gelof singled on a ground ball to Mickey Moniak. Tyler Sodestrom scored to expand the A’s lead to 7-3. Esteury Ruiz went to third base.

Notes
Esteury Ruiz tied the AL rookie stolen base record with 66 stolen bases.

In his second season with the A’s, Dany Jiménez (reliever) represents San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Up Next
The A’s will conclude their series and season with a finale against the Angels on Sunday afternoon at 12:07 pm Pacific. The A’s will start JP Sears (5-13, 4.49 ERA), but the Angels’ starter is TBD.

Cardinal Allows Ducks to Soar Freely, Nest and Lay Eggs on the Farm, 42-6

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Oregon running back Jordan James, right, runs the ball on his way to a touchdown against Stanford during the first half at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Sep 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) were invaded and overwhelmed 42-6 by the undefeated and angry #9 Oregon Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) and dropped another conference game, inside Stanford Stadium.

“An Unbelievable team we just played; great in all three phases [Offense, Defense & Special Teams].” Said Stanford HC Troy Taylor.

Stanford won the battle of clock management in the initial 30 minutes of play, but unfortunately not the score. The Cardinal had the ball in their possession 2/3 of the half (20:12), while the Ducks used their third ((9:48) more efficiently and effectively on the scoreboard.

Joshua Karty opened up the scoring a little over five minutes into the game, with a 37-yard kick through the uprights, and his Cardinal were up 3-0. Oregon wasn’t able to muster up any type of offense in the first quarter, unlike their blowout victory the previous game versus Colorado. The three point margin stood at the first whistle.

Karty opened the second quarter right away with a 53-yard boot for three. He is in the early stages of another consecutive FGs made streak. The Cardinal doubled their lead to 6-0.

Midway through the second period, Oregon finally got their offense on track. Sophomore running back Jordan James burst through the Cardinal defense for a 30-yard touchdown. The Ducks also took the lead (7-6) after the PAT by senior Camden Lewis.

Not wasting any of their limited time with the ball, Oregon struck again nearly six minutes later. Junior running back Bucky Irvin made it into the end zone on an elusive 17-yard scamper. Now the visiting birds were up by eight, 14-6.

Oregon put themselves in position to get three more points before recess, aided by a defensive penalty (5 yards) by Stanford. With that infraction, Lewis lined up for a 38-yard attempt, instead of 43. Turns out the penalty didn’t hurt the home team, as he missed the FG with one second left in the half. Midway through the game, The Ducks held their 8-point advantage at 14-6.

Apparently Oregon HC Dan Lanning gave another inspirational speech at halftime, because the Ducks came out in the second half with their heads and bills held high, ready to attack. After scoring 14 straight points to end the half, Oregon poured it on in the third quarter.

Ducks’ senior QB Bo Nix was absolutely motivated, as he put on an aerial display, tossing three TDs in the third 15-minute block. First he hit junior TE Terrance Ferguson for a 10 yard score. Less than two minutes later, he connected with junior wide receiver Troy Franklin for a 46 yard TD. He liked that combination so much, he found Franklin again in the endzone, this time for five yards. Stanford had no response, so after 45 minutes of play, Oregon opened up a 29-point lead, 35-6.

The final segment was no better, as Oregon reached paydirt again, early in the fourth. Nix threw his fourth and final TD (season high) to junior receiver Traeshon Holden, finalizing a 42 consecutive points run.

Nix eventually exited the game with his lofty stats, and the Ducks were able to end the contest taking a knee, or webbed feet. At the final horn, Oregon flew into Palo Alto/Stanford and increased their undefeated record by hammering the Cardinal 42-6 in front of 32,160 inhabitants, although a significant number were supporting the Ducks in their green Oregon paraphernalia.

Stanford has an upcoming Bye week, but will be back in action Friday, October 13th, as they travel to Boulder, CO to take on Coach Prime and the Uber popular Colorado Buffaloes (7 pm MST). Oregon heads back to the Great Northwest, but farther north to Seattle to battle fellow undefeated (At Press Time) conference foe, Washington Huskies, Saturday, October 14 (TBD).

NOTE: Cardinal’s senior kicker Joshua Karty made both of his FG attempts (37) & (53); with his last kick versus Arizona, he has made three in a row since his previous streak ended at 26.

Ducks’ senior QB Bo Nix’ 4 TD passes in one game is a season high thus far in 2023.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Walsh: Sharks host Kings tonight at SAP Center; Couture still hopeful for opening night

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Defenseman Nick Cicek (59) was off and playing some defense against the Anaheim Ducks last Wed Sep 27, 2023 at the Honda Center in Anaheim (@SanJoseSharks photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks were beaten by the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in their last pre-season game on Wednesday at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Pavel Mintyukov, Chase De Leo, Brett Leason and Brock McGinn scored for the Ducks. Lukas Dostal made 45 saves for the win.

#2 Justin Bailey and Nathan Todd scored their firsts of the preseason for the Sharks. Georgi Romanov made 22 saves in the loss.

#3 Bailey scored the first goal of the game at 9:36 of the first period. The goal came on the power play while Nathan Gaucher sat in the box for slashing Jacob MacDonald. Assists went to Danil Gushchin and Henry Thrun. It was Bailey’s first goal of the preseason.

#4 At 18:21, a bad hit by Alex Killorn on Filip Zadina spilled over into several penalties, including a 10 minute misconduct for Radko Gudas and a hi-sticking penalty for Matt Benning. Killorn was called for boarding. Zadina left the ice injured.

#5 Mary Lisa, Logan Couture is still hoping to get in the line up for opening night against the Vegas Golden Knight at SAP Center on Thu Oct 12th.

#6 The Sharks are at home tonight to host the Los Angeles Kings in pre season game #4. The Sharks after tonight’s game head to Las Vegas to face the Golden Knights for pre season game #5 on Tue Oct 3.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s lobbyists suing Schools over Stadiums for blocking Vegas ballpark public funding

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Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel and Resort Park renderings. The Park is expected to be ready for the 2028 season upon approval by the MLB owner relocation vote in mid November. If the Schools over Stadiums initiative makes the ballot and is voted down in Nov 2025 shovels could be in the ground as soon as Dec 2025. If it doesn’t make the ballot or A’s lobbyists win their lawsuit to stop the ballot measure shovels could be in the ground as soon as Jan 2025 (renderings from the Oakland A’s)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, Schools over Stadiums is being sued by Oakland A’s representatives for trying to put a measure on the ballot to stop the use of public funds that will go towards a Las Vegas Tropicana ballpark to the tune of $380 million.

#2 Schools over Stadium are seeking repeals of the State of Nevada’s funding to build the A’s Tropicana ballpark on the Las Vegas strip. Nevada is 49th in the US in education. During the Nevada Legislative special session where the A’s were awarded the $380 million public funding education was left out of the budget in June, Schools over Stadiums seeks to block the funds for the ballpark.

#3 The teachers group says that the state should have invested public monies for education and not a baseball stadium. At the time Schools over Stadiums were considering launching the petition drive critics of the petition drive said it would not impact they’re plans to move ahead to fund a ballpark in Vegas but now they are filing the lawsuit to try and block the potential ballot measure. If the A’s representatives weren’t so concerned before why be concerned now?

#4 Plaintiffs Danny Thompson and David Morely who filed the lawsuit in First District Court in Carson City against Schools over Stadiums because language in Senate Bill 1 are only in portions, the petition is invalid, the plaintiffs want the Nevada Secretary of State to block the measure from getting on the Nov 2025 ballot, block Schools over Stadiums from circulating the petition for signatures, and invalidate any signatures that have been collected.

#5 Defendants named in the lawsuit Schools Over Stadiums, its officers Dawn Etcheverry, Chris Daly and Andrea DeMichieli, and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar in his official capacity. Chris Daly is a former San Francisco Board of Supervisor and is familiar with the Bay Area landscape and can explain how a move by the A’s to Las Vegas would have a tremendous economic impact Oakland and the greater East Bay.

Daniel Dullum will continue his Oakland A’s podcasts regarding the MLB relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Holds Off Arizona State In A 24-21 Victory

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Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) gets through for a touchdown as all ASU Sun Devils linebacker Caleb McCullough (22) can do is just watch at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 30, 2023 (@CalFootball photo)

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – On a chilly, foggy day in Cal Memorial Stadium, the California Golden Bears against the Arizona State Sun Devils for Cal’s Pac 12 home opener. The Bears coming off a hard loss against Washington in their last game moved over the .500 mark (3-2) in the Pac 12 with a with a win over ASU 24-21 on Saturday. 

ASU started the game with the ball and after six plays the Devils were forced to punt and the Cal defense with one of the most underrated defenses in the Pac 12 showing early why they are so highly touted. The Bears’ first drive started with them immediately going to the air on five straight plays, but only connecting on two passes, forcing them to punt on their first drive.

The Bears are third in the conference in rushing yards, averaging 216.8 yards per game with their three backs having a combined 726 rushing yards through four games, so the idea of going run first to start this game seemed like an odd decision.

The Sun Devils offense for the second time couldn’t get out of the starting blocks as the Bears defense had them pinned three and out on their second drive. The first quarter looked like a defensive chess game, so whoever could get the offense going early seemingly would have the advantage. The second drive for Cal showed why they stick to their run game, especially with Jaydn Ott running the rock.

First two plays of the drive were back to back nine yard rushes for Ott, which then opened up the field for a pass to Jeremiah Hunter for 31 yards, then another 16 yard run for Cal. That slate of offense put them in the red zone where they would eventually score from a run by Isaiah Ifanse and an extra point, 7-0 Cal.

Seven plays going 68 yards and 2:58 of possession time, this was probably Cal’s most efficient offensive drive this season, led by Ott. The first big play for ASU was a pass from Trenton Bourguet to Melquan Stovall for 34 yards followed by a 12 yard pass to Gio Sanders that put the Devils within ten yards of the end zone.

The Devils were right at the line with 26 seconds left and a direct snap to Cam Skattegbo punched it in for a touchdown for ASU plus an extra point to tie this game at 7-7. The 13 play 75 yard drive for ASU was a great mix of offense, utilizing the pass and the run evenly to keep Cal’s defense on their toes.

The first quarter ended with the teams tied and their stats almost exactly the same. Biggest difference in the first quarter was time of possession where ASU held the ball for 10:20 and Cal held it for 4:40. 

The drive for Cal ended with them being forced to punt, but quarterback Sam Jackson V wasn’t stopping the drive without a fight almost literally, running the ball seven yards and taking a hit that flipped Jackson V and some words from the Devils defense and Jackson were exchanged. The Bears defense was relentless in their first drive of the second quarter, laying a brick wall on ASU and pinning them on their own five yard line and forcing a punt.

Back to back passes to the end zone by Jackson V were incomplete, but if you ask the Cal fan base both were clear pass interferences and they let the refs know it. When the drive went nowhere, Cal was forced to kick a field goal and Mateen Bhagani knocked it in the uprights to give the Bears the lead, 10-7.

ASU’s following drive was three plays, but stuffed a yard short and the Devils had to go for it on fourth down and with a little trickery, they ran a running back pass which was converted when Skattegbo completed it to Bourguet over the DB for a first down, but three downs later the drive would come to an end and Cal would get another chance at a score.

The Bears try a trick play themselves and it was the exact opposite for Cal as the play completely blew up in their face when attempting a flea flicker for a loss of 15 yards. Ott tried to make up some ground with a 21 yard run, but still had seven yards to go on fourth down with 1:37 to go in the half, so this forced them to punt.

The crowd was abrasively displeased as no intentional grounding was called and the Devils proceeded to march down the field from their own end zone with seconds left in the half. The first half would end with Devils QB Trenton Bourguet attempting to get one more pass off, but was blasted by Myles Jernigan that forced a fumble and it didn’t matter who recovered the half was over and Cal walked to the locker room with a 10-7 lead. 

The second half started with Cal having the ball and even though they had big plays, but penalties halted that progress and were forced to punt and that punt was beautiful and the punt team pinned the Devils on their own ten yard line.

Back against the wall, Arizona State utilizes the screen pass to get out of their own red zone and move the chains. The drive continued for ASU, but on fourth down on their 31 yard line and was stuffed by captain Jackson Sirmon and turnover on downs.

The following drive for Cal was Jackson V trying to make everything happen, on foot, in the air, it didn’t matter Jackson was trying to extend this lead and he did with a gorgeous pass to Hunter in the end zone and it was 17-7 Cal.

Arizona State’s next drive looked like it was going nowhere, but a desperation screen pass to Skattegbo goes 66 yards in the red zone and now the momentum gap has closed. In the red zone, Arizona State’s Bourguet and Skattegbo attempted three plays and were denied, then on fourth and goal a run by Elijah Badger effortlessly scored a touchdown for the Devils, but after further review the touchdown was called back for illegal substitution and ASU had to settle for a field goal making the score 17-10 Cal.

The next drive wasn’t much for Cal, so they were forced to punt and now the chance for Arizona State to tie it up was wide open. A 52 yard pass to Badger put the Devils back in the red zone, but they had to settle for another field goal after Cal locked them down again and even though ASU was winning the battle of yardage, the score was 17-13 Cal. When the clock hit zero in the third quarter, Cal had the lead and the ball and all of Cal Memorial Stadium on their feet. 

The final quarter was a chance to really silence the crowd for ASU, but they couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt again. Four punts for ASU this game by this point, two field goals, one fumble, and one touchdown is the breakdown for them offensively, but Cal was still not taking them lightly.

The Cal defense jumped on Bourguet in ASU’s own red zone and Matthew Littlejohn picked him off. Bourguet was injured on the play and fortunately was able to walk off the field. Cal capitalized on the interception with a Ott rushing touchdown and now with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter, the game was being blown wide open, 24-13 Cal. ASU wasn’t done yet though, after a long kickoff return, and two straight long passes, the Devils were back in the red zone, looking to get their first touchdown since the first quarter and they did off a Bourguet run in the end zone.

Bourguet followed the touchdown up with a pass to Badger that converted the two point conversion and by this time it was 24-21 with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. Cal utilized their running game to run the clock down.

Cal usually doesn’t get penalties that much, averaging five a game, but this game for Cal has them acquiring seven penalties. On the other hand for Cal they didn’t get many penalties called, but finally with three minutes left in the game a blatant pass interference call on the Devils gave the Bears red zone field position to potentially put the nail in the coffin.

Cal was stuffed in the red zone, giving ASU a major chance to go 100 yards for the comeback. In a last chance effort on fourth down, ASU gets denied and the game was over.

The next game for Cal will be in Berkeley against Oregon State on October 7th for another Pac 12 battle.

Giants open final series of the season with a loss against the Dodgers 6-2

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Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Dodgers X. Brusdar Graterol celebrates closing out the victory against the Giants on September 29, 2023.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN FRANCISCO- The Giants opened up their final series of the season against their rival the Dodgers with a loss by a final of 6-2.

The game-time weather was a little overcast with wind at 15 mph out to CF.

Before the game began Thairo Estrada was named the Willie Mac Award winner as voted on by teammates, coaches, trainers, and fans.

Thairo Estrada salutes the crowd as he accepts the Willie Mac Award at Oracle Park on September 29, 2023.

With Gabe Kapler fired earlier today Kai Correa took over as the interim manager. Correa became the youngest manager in the San Francisco era at 35 years old. The moment was also historic as both Correa and Roberts are of Asian descent which is the first time that two head coaches have faced each other in the four major sports leagues.

Keaton Winn got the nod to throw out the first pitch in this one as the Dodgers countered with veteran Lance Lynn. It was Winn’s ninth game of the season with him coming into this one sporting a 1-2 record and a 3.89 era.

Last game the Giants got a great start from Sean Manea who struck out eight while only giving up two runs in six innings.

Winn’s night on the mound would be haunted by the long ball as he gave up three home runs. The top of the order did most of the damage as Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, and J.D. Martinez got the three homers.

After a little bit of a bumpy start, Lynn steadied the ship going six innings and only allowing two earned runs. Those two runs he did give up both came from Wilmer Flores. In the first Flores got an RBI single and then got a solo home run in the third bringing his home run total up to 23 on the season.

In relief, Sean Hjelle had a solid outing as he gave up no runs and struck out four in 3.2 innings.

There were two batters hit by pitches tonight both Dodgers one of them Miguel Rojas was taken out of the game as he was hit on his left arm.

Freeman was not only of note due to his home run but he also got a single and a double. The double was his 59th of the season. While on the Giant’s side of things, Flores had another great night going 2-2 with an RBI and drawing a walk.

Lynn was credited with the win improving his record to 13-11. While Keaton Winn took the loss making his record now 1-3.

“I don’t play the game to get trophies or get any special recognition but obviously when you think about it now that my coaches and my teammates have voted for me it obviously means a lot,” Thairo Estrada said after the game.

The Giants will play game two of this final series of the season tomorrow at 6:05.