Napa to be host for Babe Ruth District 3 event

By Marty James

NOTES AND QUOTES for a Wednesday in the Napa Valley:

The Napa Babe Ruth League will host the Northern California-District 3 All-Star Tournament for 14-year-olds starting Friday at Kennedy Park.

There are five Babe Ruth teams, including Napa, in the field.

Antioch National and Northern Solano open the tournament Friday at 6 p.m. Antioch American and Vallejo play Saturday at 10 a.m.

Napa plays its first game Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Antioch National-Northern Solano winner.

Games continue Sunday (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.), Monday (6 p.m.), Tuesday (6 p.m.) and July 1 (5:30 p.m. and, if necessary, 8:30 p.m.).

The Napa team is managed by Curtis Smith. Jay Caldwell and William Voshall are the coaches.

The 15-member Napa team consists of Griffin Abernethy, Kevin Bankson, Mariah Braddock, Troy Brown, Michael Caldwell, Andrew Conemac, Emilio Dorame-Martinez, Sammy Hurwitz, Josh Mecham, Alex Parks, Zack Pramuk, Daniel Robinett, Dalton Totty, Justin Voshall and Zach Yates.

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San Francisco State recently honored Spencer Schwandt, a Vintage High School graduate, with the co-most improved player award for men’s soccer during the school’s annual student-athlete banquet.

Schwandt, who will be a senior in the fall, plays forward and midfielder positions.

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Eagle Vines Golf Club was second and Chardonnay Golf Club tied for fifth at the Northern California Golf Association Northeast Bay Zone Championship, which was held at the Bayonet Course in Seaside this month.

The Eagle Vines team of Tim Cullen, Mark Morris, David Pennycook and Bernie Zipp shot 124-134 — 260.

The Chardonnay team of John Dennis, Mark Bratlien, Scott Jenson and Donald Wudtke shot 128-139 — 267.

The format takes the best two of four net scores per hole. Moraga Country Club and Eagle Vines advance to the NCGA Zone Championships, Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill.

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Caroline DeVincenzi of Napa started all 40 games for the Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Ore.) softball team as a freshman utility player this past year. The Justin-Siena graduate batted .282 with four doubles and five RBIs.

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Brett Wallace, a former Justin-Siena star, is batting .260 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs for the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals which plays in the Pacific Coast League.

Wallace was the Cardinals’ top pick in the 2008 major league draft and was a two-time Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year for Arizona State.

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Napa High graduate Matt Yourkin is 3-1 with a 2.41 earned run average and one save in 23 games as a relief pitcher for the Connecticut Defenders, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants which plays in the Eastern League.

In 332⁄3 innings, he’s allowed 31 hits, 10 runs (nine earned), walked 12 and struck out 39.

Yourkin also has five holds. The Giants made him the fifth overall pick in the Triple-A phase of the 2008 Rule 5 Draft in December. He’s in his sixth year in professional baseball.

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Taylor Bickell of Napa had a 2-1 match-play record in the girls 15-17 flight of the Junior Golf Association of Northern California/Northern California PGA Championship at Spring Creek Golf and Country Club. It was played earlier this month.

Bickell won first-round (8 and 7) and quarterfinal-round (3 and 2) matches. She lost in the semifinals (2 and 1).

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Bailey Price batted .246 with four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs as a junior for Southern Oregon’s softball team of Ashland. Price, a designated hitter who also plays first base, went to Vintage.

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Lewis & Clark College’s Ryan Kostecka completed his sophomore season of baseball by batting .284 with six doubles, a triple and seven RBIs.

Kostecka, who plays center field, is a Napa High graduate.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.

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