Baseball: Corona Santiago shows power and heart
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Corona Santiago had all the motivation it needed Friday for its season opener against Santa Ana Mater Dei when pitcher senior Nick Hurtado went to the mound and threw the opening pitch, then went to the dugout after being embraced by teammates and saluted by fans. Only weeks earlier, he found out he has a cancerous tumor in his knee, which will end his season.
But his teammates responded by smashing six home runs, including two apiece from Brandon Baxter and Kyle Kuck, to defeat Mater Dei, 17-2. Mater Dei had its own bad news this week when its top pitcher, Matt Blanchard, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery for a torn labrum.
It was an emotional day, and Hurtado talked before the game about the challenges ahead.
-- Eric Sondheimer