PHOTOS BY JIM KNOWLES

Alfonso Flores scores a run following a base hit by Rick Peterson to give the Washington Manor Dodgers the lead on Tuesday night at San Leandro Ballpark against the Future Prospects Elite from Marin County.

The Washington Manor Dodgers beat the Future Prospects Elite, 3-2, on Tuesday night at San Leandro Ballpark as starting pitcher Jacob Jennings threw a complete game with Jeremy Conti behind the plate.

The Dodgers improved their record to 7-3 for the season.

The Dodgers finished in third place in the June Tournament the team hosted last week at San Leandro Ballpark.

The Dodgers did well, considering the first and second place teams were 20-and-under squads, and the Dodgers are 17-and-under.

The Alameda Black Sox (20-U) won the tournament by winning the championship game, 1-0 in 10 innings against the runner up Watsonville Aggies (20-U).

The Dodgers advanced in the tourney by beating the Bay Area Bombers (16-U), 13-4; beating All Pro (20-U), 6-5; beating the Ports (20-U), 3-2; before losing to the Alameda Black Sox, 10-0; and losing to the Watsonville Aggies, 4-3.

The Dodgers play tonight (Thursday) against the Dark Horses at 7 p.m. at San Leandro Ballpark on Teagarten Street. On Saturday, the Dodgers will play a team yet to be announced at Stenzel Park at 5:30 p.m.

CAPTION 2: Jacob Jennings went seven innings to pitch a complete game victory for the Dodgers.

CAPTION 3: Dodgers batter Ramon Herrera went to first base after getting hit on the thigh by this pitch on Tuesday night.

The St. Felicitas 5th-grade Girls Basketball team won the 2013 Oakland Diocese Championship last month at Moreau High School in Hayward.

St. Felicitas defeated St. Annes 35-33 to win the championship game. The last time St. Felicitas won the Oakland Diocese Championship was back in 2002.  The team was honored at the San Leandro City Council meeting last week when the players and coaches received individual Commendation Certificates.

CAPTION: The St. Felicitas 5th grade girls basketball team is: (front row, holding banner) Amalia Teixeira and Sofia Zamora. (Middle row) Andrea Garza, Rachel Valdez and Catherine Cacho. (Back row) assistant coach Ralph Lupian, Nelia Lechuga, Jessica Lupian, Gianna Cosio, Amanda Moral and head coach Jerry Delos Reyes.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

Gabrielle Cantrell, seen here at the Meet of Champions, finished third in the 100 and 200 meters at the state track and field meet in Clovis on Saturday.

San Leandro High runner Nijae Jones took second place in the 800 meters at the state track meet in Clovis on Saturday in a time of 2.09, just a second behind the winner.

Pirate sprinter Gabrielle Cantrell finished third in the 100 meters in a time of 11.67, and third in the 200 in 23.79. Ariana Washington of Long Beach Poly won both the 100 and 200.

Christian Carter of San Leandro finished sixth in the 400 in a time of 47.56.

Nate Moore of Castro Valley won the boys long jump with a personal best leap of 24 feet 11.75 inches. And then Moore won the triple jump with a distance of 50 feet 11.75 inches.

Sasha Wallace of Castro Valley won the girls triple jump with a distance of 41 feet 9 inches. Wallace also won the 100 meter hurdles in a time of 13.43.

Cantrell wins 100 and 200 at NCS Meet of Champions in Berkeley; Jones wins 800; Pirates relay team wins 4x100

PHOTOS BY JIM KNOWLES

San Leandro High runner Nijae Jones (No. 1 in blue jersey) leads in the 800 meters around the turn and she stayed in front to win the race at the Meet of Champions at Edwards Field at UC Berkeley.

By Jim Knowles

San Leandro Times

Gabrielle Cantrell sprinted to victory in both the 100 and 200 meters and the San Leandro High girls won the team score at the NCS Meet of Champions on Saturday at Edwards Field at UC Berkeley.

Cantrell also anchored the winning San Leandro 400 meter relay team. Camille Watson, Kortni Smyers-Jones, Nijae Jones and Cantrell won the relay in at time of  47.28 seconds, qualifying for the state meet in Clovis this week.

The 100 meter runners had to start over after the timing mechanism failed on the first start. Cantrell shook her head since she had gotten off to a good start. But the runners got on their blocks again and Cantrell came through with the win in 12.15 against a headwind.

“My first start was better, my second start was kind of shaky,” Cantrell said after winning the race. “My times were not what I’d like them to be but it was very windy today.”

Cantrell’s winning time in the 200 was 24.70.

Nijae Jones, a member of the winning 400 meter relay team, also won the individual 800 meters in a time of 2:11.21. Jones said she usually likes to stay back a little in the pack, but on Saturday she led the 800 all the way.

The runners were tightly packed and Jones thought she needed to separate herself to avoid getting bumped.

“I usually stay back, but today I had to get out so I didn’t get hit,” Jones said, explaining her strategy.

Another member of San Leandro’s winning 400 relay team, Kortni Smyers-Jones, took second place in the long jump with a distance of 18 feet 11 inches. The winner was Sasha Wallace of Castro Valley with a meet record-tying jump of 20 feet 2 inches.

And Smyers-Jones took second place in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.31. Wallace won in a time of 13.73.

In the boys events, Christian Carter of San Leandro also qualified for the state meet with a fourth place finish in the 400 meters in a time of 47.71. Everybody in the heat qualified for the state meet in Clovis due to the fast times.

CAPTION 1: San Leandro High runner and long jumper Kortni Smyers-Jones soared 18 feet 11 inches to take second place at the Meet of Champions at Edwards Field at UC Berkeley.

CAPTION 2: Gabrielle Cantrell took the baton to the finish line on the anchor leg of the 4x100 relay as the San Leandro High girls took first place.

CAPTION 3: San Leandro High runner Christian Carter (No. 3) finished fourth in a fast-paced 400 meters to qualify for the state meet in Clovis.

Two St. Leander Girls CYO basketball teams – the fourth grade and the seventh grade – took second place in their respective divisions in the Metro CYO Championship held at St. Leander the weekend of May 4 and 5.

The seventh-grade team advanced to the Oakland Dioceses Championships and took second place in the championship game played at Moreau Catholic High on Monday.

The seventh-grade girls team (top photo) is C. Aguirre, K. Smith, S. Hansen, P. Gonzales, M. Valladares, T. Alexander, A.  Bailey, E. Meadows-Bailey, S. Mendoza-Beck. Not pictured, coach Steve Beck, Ronika Dukes, and  Art Alexander.

The fourth-grade girls team pictured above is: (back row) A. Wooden, J. Hylton, J. Agredano,  L. Cuevas, Coach Harrell, Coach Bernaldo. (Font row)  C. Belenson, S Rider, G. Gonzalez, M. Martinez, J. Antionio,  L. Bernaldo, D. Harrell.

By Jim Knowles

San Leandro Times

San Leandro starting pitcher Kevin Nava threw a complete game 3-hitter in the WACC playoffs to beat San Lorenzo on Tuesday night at San Leandro Ballpark.

Nava gave up two hits in the first inning, and only one hit the rest of the way.

The Pirates advance to play Piedmont on Thursday at 4 p.m., also at San Leandro Ballpark. That game will be followed by the Alameda vs. O’Dowd game at about 7 p.m.

Between games there will be a ceremony for the All-League team, the top players in the West Alameda County Conference.

Nava was HAAL pitcher of the year last season. This year, in the newly formed WACC, there is no pitcher of the year, just Player of the Year, and Nava won that honor with another great season.

At the plate, Andy Ruano went 2-for-3 for San Leandro. Jake Ruiz had a hit with an RBI and scored two runs, and Michael Hidalgo had a hit, 2 RBIs and scored a run.

CAPTION 1: San Leandro High pitcher Kevin Nava threw a 3-hitter as the Pirates beat San Lorenzo, 6-1, in the first round of the WACC playoffs on Tuesday night.

CAPTION 2: Pirates base runner Isias Montenegro advances to third on a base hit during a San Leandro rally on Tuesday night.

PHOTOS BY JIM KNOWLES

The San Leandro High softball team finished in first place this season in the West Alameda County Conference–Shoreline Division.

The Pirates went 6-3 in the league, followed by San Lorenzo, Piedmont, Hayward, Tennyson and Mt. Eden. And Pirates coach Melanie Alkire was named the league’s coach of the year.

And on Tuesday, San Leandro shutout Hayward, 13-0, in the first round of the league championships behind a no-hitter by freshman pitcher Naomi Lopez.

The Pirates play the next round on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Pepsi Field in Hayward.

CAPTION: The San Leandro High softball team is (back row, left to right) Naomi Lopez, Veronica Gonzalez, Dayna Hudson, Chelsea Sligh, Dyemond Dye and Danielle Pacheco. (Middle row) Jewel Sanchez, Lindsay Price-Friend, Judith Okeke, Athena Strange, Kaitlyn Schneider and Victoria De La Vega. (Front row) Kristen Carter, Chelsea Hudson and Alicia Juarez.

TIMES FILE PHOTO

The Pirates baseball team is having its best season in years.

The San Leandro High baseball team won the WACC-Shoreline conference championship last week with a 5-1 win over Piedmont High at San Leandro Ballpark.

The win gave the Pirates an impressive 13-1 league record, and the team is 18-4 overall.

The Pirates play the last game of the regular season on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at San Leandro Ballpark against Mt. Eden. Then the team will advance to the WACC playoffs next week, and to the North Coast Section tournament the following week.

Pirates coach Mike Bungarz the team’s goal since he started coaching last year was winning the league championship.

“The celebration and smiles on the players’ faces is something I will always remember,” he said.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

San Leandro High tennis player Gavi Gelbart, shown here in a match earlier this season, and his doubles partner Sunghoon Chung won the doubles competition in the WACC Shoreline Conference on Saturday at Chabot College.

Romello Rucker of San Leandro High won the championship in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) – Shoreline Tournament on Saturday at Chabot College.

Rucker defeated Alex Le of Mt. Eden 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

The San Leandro High doubles team of Gavi Gelbart and Sunghoon Chung won the doubles championship after advancing to the final match to play another San Leandro team, Denny Liu and Michael Bandoma. Gelbart and Chung won the match 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

The San Leandro High players will advance to the North Coast Section (NCS) tournament that begins on Friday, May 3, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

Rucker, along with Gelbart and Chung, automatically qualify for the NCS, due to winning the conference championship. Liu and Bandoma, runners up in the WACC, might also land a slot in the NCS tourney.

— By Jim Knowles

By Jim Knowles

San Leandro Times

The San Leandro High tennis team finished the season in first place in the West Alameda County Conference–Shoreline Division with a 7-0 win over Mt. Eden on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pirates played some of their best tennis of the season on a warm afternoon on their home courts, taking all the singles and doubles matches. Finishing in first place sends San Leandro to the North Coast Section tournament in May as a team.

Before that, the league championships will be played this Friday and Saturday at Chabot College, and some of the San Leandro players will likely make that tournament.

Against Mt. Eden, San Leandro’s No. 1 singles player Gavi Gelbart beat Alex Lee in a long battle that went to a tie-breaker to decide the final set 6-0, 2-6, 7-6 (11-9).

Lee had beaten Gelbart earlier in the season in a close match at Mt. Eden. Tuesday’s match was as close as you can get.

The match was an interesting battle of two different styles of play. The bigger Gelbart charged the net more, trying to put the ball away, while Lee stayed back at the base line, using placement and lobs to try to keep Gelbart on the run.

Gelbart won the match point in the tie-breaker by going with his game plan, a smash at the net.

In the No. 2 singles match, Sunghoon Chun of San Leandro beat Kenneth Ozment 6-2, 6-4.

“The first set wasn’t so bad,” Chun said. “In the second set the heat was getting to me but I held it together.”

In the No. 3 singles match, Raymend Tang of San Leandro beat Matt Weeman 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.

Tang said he finished well in the third set because of a tip from coach Lisa Maral.

“Coach Maral gave me some good advice,” Tang said. “She told me to keep calm, keep my toes moving and keep the ball in play.”

In the No. 4 singles match, Josh Bautista of San Leandro beat Saad Hussan 6-1, 6-0.

The San Leandro No. 2 doubles team, Edmond Lau and Aldrin Cristobal won convincingly, 6-0, 6-1.

“We just started clicking,” Lau said. “In doubles, communication is important and we communicate well. We both help each other play better.”

In the No. 1 doubles match, Ernest Cabreza and Eugene Hong of San Leandro beat Mark Manuel and Josh Sagun 5-7, 6-0, 7-5.

In the No. 3 doubles match, Nnamdi Onyeneke and Marty Villaflor of San Leandro beat J.P. Mindanao and Sean Tiner 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

CAPTION: San Leandro High No. 2 singles player Sunghoon Chung goes to the net for a return shot in a match against Kenneth Ozment of Mt. Eden on Tuesday. The Pirates won the match to take first place in the West Alameda County Conference–Shoreline Division.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

PHOTO COURTESY OF JERRY DELOS REYES

The Washington Manor sixth grade boys’ basketball team recently won the Hayward Area Recreation District (HARD) league championship, defeating East Avenue Middle School to win the big game. The players are Clemente Cahayag, Leo Santiago, Michael Fregillana, Julius Santillana, Charlie Wheeler, Elliot Oliver, James Huang, Aaron Beck, Jalen Williams, Victor Saucido, and Ruben Martinez and their coach is Jerry Delos Reyes.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

San Leandro Old Timers players greet each other as their names are announced during the opening day ceremony on Saturday at San Leandro Ballpark.

By Jim Knowles

San Leandro Times

The San Leandro Old Timers baseball team played their home opening game against Benicia on Saturday, following a ceremony to honor former teammate Rod Pierce who died in a motorcycle accident.

Pierce’s family was on hand for a ceremony to honor the former Hayward policeman and his mom Ruth Pierce threw out the first pitch, as the players from both teams stood along the base lines.

Sierra Jones sang the National Anthem as the Hayward Police Department color guard marched on the field and presented the flag.

Mayor Stephen Cassidy and Councilwoman Diana Souza were among the dignitaries on hand for the ceremony, and threw pitches to start off the season for the team whose players are 35 and older.

Old Timers manager Tony Jackson called on some of the team’s veteran players to step forward because they’ve been inducted into the NorCal Old Timers Hall of Fame. San Leandro players in the league’s Hall include “Downtown” Al Brown, Bobby Scott, George Dean and Dutch Van Wey, Bones Newman, Mike Reardon, Frank Mullaney and Brownie Carrion.

The San Leandro squad is one of 10 teams in the NorCal Old Timers Baseball Association and the league president was also on hand to say a few words about how the league began back in 1941.

League president Terry Bunnell said the baseball league began with the idea of ballplayers who still want to get out on the field and have their day in the sun.