Best of the Blog

The Varsity Times Insider blog, a source for observations, news and game coverage, can be found at latimes.com/highschool.

Here are some excerpts we like to call “Best of the Blog”:

From the City Section

Perhaps a week’s rest was just what the doctor ordered for San Pedro pitcher Taylor Petty, who became the City Section’s career wins leader Thursday in a 20-2 rout of Marine League rival Narbonne. It was Petty’s 79th victory, moving her past former San Pedro ace and current Penn State standout Ashley Esparza, who won 78 games from 2001 to ’04.

Petty had tied Esparza’s record on April 17 against Wilmington Banning and, after sitting out the Pirates’ next three games, returned to the circle Thursday and was her usual dominant self. With two victories since, she is 17-1 this season.

-- Steve Galluzzo

Editor’s note: Petty has won three more games since this posting, bringing her record to 20-1.

From the Inland Empire

Most pitchers would get pretty irritated if they lost a no-hitter late in a game. Even more so if the lone hit was allowed by their coach. That’s sort of what happened Thursday in a Mountain View League baseball game between Norco and visiting Corona Santiago, except Norco pitcher Matt Hobgood didn’t seem the least bit upset.

After the Cougars posted a 7-0 victory over Santiago, coaches from both teams got together to discuss a fifth-inning slow roller up the third-base line, which the Norco third baseman failed to field cleanly. Depending on your point of view, it could have been ruled a hit or an error.

Santiago Coach Ty De Trinidad left it up to Norco Coach Gary Parcell to make the final decision, and Parcell decided to rule the play a hit, leaving Hobgood with a one-hitter.

“One-hitter, no-hitter, it doesn’t really matter to me. We won,” Hobgood told the Riverside Press-Enterprise afterward.

-- Dan Arritt

From Orange County

The Southern Section’s marquee Pac-5 Division, along with the Southwestern Division, will settle its football championships this fall at Angel Stadium -- and not the Home Depot Center -- on Dec. 13.

“We are pleased to be returning to a familiar and friendly venue in Angel Stadium of Anaheim,” Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton said in a release.

Hogwash. The Southern Section announced Monday it could not come to terms with the Home Depot Center, which was obviously the first choice, and for good reason. Anyone who has attended high school football games at Angel Stadium and HDC is well aware that the Carson facility is the superior venue for these events.

-- Martin Henderson

From the Valley North

One of the reasons why I’m not afraid to make an 11th-hour prediction declaring Crescenta Valley as the next Pacific League baseball champion is because it has Kris Kauppila on its side.

The University of Portland-bound leadoff batter has 11 hits in his last 12 plate appearances, pushing his BA up to .555. He has also has 21 RBIs and three home runs. His younger brother, Lonnie, has also helped. He’s batting .440 with 21 RBIs.

-- Austin Knoblauch

From Los Angeles County

Die-hard fans of USC football had to be ecstatic when tight end-linebacker Chris Metcalf of Compton committed to the program in early February. He is, after all, an Army All-American and a 6-foot-3 junior who figures to be a welcome addition on the defensive side of the ball.

But it appears as if he’ll explore his options and make visits to Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and Oregon at some point down the road in an effort to make sure the Trojans are really the right fit.

-- Sean Ceglinsky