10 Sports WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 Sanchez strong as Jays avoid sweep

The Canadian Press against the Mariners (20-23). Ryan Goins and Edwin Encarnacion TORONTO — Aaron Sanchez is getting hit two-run homers in the fifth inning off more comfortable with each outing on Seattle starter Taijuan Walker (1-5), who the mound. had held the Blue Jays hitless through the The Blue Jays right-hander, making first four innings. just his ninth career start, put in another The Blue Jays added four more runs solid performance on Sunday as Toronto in the seventh inning to blow the game defeated the Seattle Mariners 8-2. open and win for just the third time in “It’s been flowing and we’re just kind of the past 12 games. Toronto is 0-3-1 in its running with it,” Sanchez (4-4) said after last four series. going 6-2/3 innings. “He just gets better and better,” The 22-year-old was coming off a ca- Toronto manager John Gibbons said of reer high 7-1/3 innings start on Tuesday. Sanchez. “You see it in every start. A big AP PHOTO He said that ever since his third start of part of that, I think, is because he’s cut , of Colombia, celebrates after winning the 99th running of the season, a win over the Baltimore Ori- down on the walks.” the 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on oles in April, “things just kind of started Sanchez walked two, struck out four Sunday. rolling.” and gave up seven hits in a 97-pitch “It’s about minimizing the damage as performance. much as you can and keeping these guys “He looks more comfortable. You can in the game,” Sanchez said. “That’s my see it on his face, too,” Gibbons said. job. Keep this team in the game and give Jose Bautista sat out Sunday’s game Montoya earns Indy win them a chance to score some runs.” after receiving a cortisone shot in his That’s how things unfolded Sunday. right shoulder. Bautista has been nurs- The Associated Press “I’m glad I am proving them right, that they Sanchez surrendered a leadoff homer ing a sore shoulder and not playing in made the right choice,” he said, pausing and to Kyle Seager in the second inning but the outfield since injuring it in a game on INDIANAPOLIS — His career at a cross- lowering his eyes. “I’m loving racing right then kept the Mariners off the scoreboard April 21. roads, his confidence shot, Juan Pablo Mon- now.” until he was chased from the game in the Gibbons said Bautista is “day-to-day” toya received a lifeline from The Captain. Oh, that was evident for two weeks at In- seventh. Toronto (20-26) was also able and might miss Monday’s game against called the driver in late 2013, dianapolis Motor Speedway, where Montoya to avoid a three-game sweep in its series the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre. when Montoya found himself without a job confidently boasted to his three teammates after seven frustrating seasons in NASCAR that he’d win the race. On Sunday, he twice that had turned one of the baddest drivers on drove from the back of the field and fearlessly the planet into a struggling also-ran. charged into the final few laps as the leader in The catch? Penske’s offer was a return to a race where few wanted to be out front with Indy cars, which Montoya had left behind the checkered flag looming, and held off team- years ago. The Colombian jumped at the op- mate . That 2000 victory was easy, portunity and cashed in on it Sunday with his he’s always said so, and when a driver leads second victory. 167 of the 200 laps, it clearly was a relaxed The first one was 15 years ago and a step- Sunday drive. Win No. 2 was a battle from ping stone to . the very beginning. Montoya started 15th but The second one came for a 39-year-old an accident on the first lap brought out the man who proved JPM is back. In a moment of caution and Montoya was hit from behind by sincerity following his win, flanked by Team Simona de Silvestro under yellow. He had to Penske President Tim Cindric, Montoya briefly pit to repair the damage and restarted second- suggested how much this one meant to him. to-last in the field. Young earns more honours Citizen staff status. Young emerged as one of the top freshmen in the Northern Sun Conference. The post-season college baseball acco- He led Minot State with a .398 batting aver- lades just keep piling up for Jared Young. age (his .379 average within the confer- Young is a 19-year-old second baseman ence was 11th-best overall) and 18 doubles from Prince George who just completed his (third in the NSIC), while striking out just freshman season with the Minot State Bea- 12 times in 44 games. vers in North Dakota, was recently selected He also totaled 35 RBI and 25 extra-base to the 2015 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division hits, including five home runs and two 2 Central All-Region team. triples. Young was one of 19 NCAA Northern Sun He started out at third base and made the Intercollegiate Conference players chosen to switch to second base 20 games into the the squad and earned second-team honours. schedule. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA All-Region The Beavers missed the playoffs in the teams are voted on by members of the NCAA Northern Sun Intercollegiate Confer- American Baseball Coaches Association and ence, finishing 12th out of 15 teams. the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. 2 Young played last year for the Okana- All-America Committee. gan Athletics of the B.C. Premier Baseball Earlier this month, Young made history League. He’s been invited to join Team Can- when he was named to the All-Conference ada at the 2015 World Baseball Challenge, second team, the first Minot State baseball a six-team international tournament set for player to ever gain NCAA All-Conference Prince George Citizen Field, Aug. 9-23. Rush overtake Roughnecks The Canadian Press others. Aaron Bold picked up the victory in net. CALGARY — It will be an all Canadian Dane Dobbie supplied the offence for the matchup for the National League’s Roughnecks in the tiebreaker. Mike Poulin Champion’s Cup. took the loss. The have advanced to The Roughnecks feature two Prince the final after beating the Calgary Rough- George links: 33-year-old defender Jeff necks 4-1 on Saturday in a tiebreaker mini Moleski and video coach Shawn Cable. game. The Rush won the first game of the series The Rush needed a 10-minute mini game against the Roughnecks 10-8 on May 15, to decide the winner of the West Division but Calgary responded with a 12-9 decision final after Edmonton and Calgary split the in Game 2 in front of 12,785 fans at Scotia- first two games of the best-of-two series. bank Saddledome on Saturday to force the The Rush will now face the Toronto Rock, mini game. who qualified for the Champion’s Cup by Moleski picked up an assist on Calgary’s defeating the three-time defending cham- opening goal by Curtis Dickson in Game 2. pion Rochester Knighthawks in the East With the win, Edmonton advanced to the Division final earlier in the day. Champion’s Cup final for only the second Mark Matthews had a pair of goals for time in team history. Edmonton in the mini game while Jeff Toronto will host Game 1 of the NLL Cornwall and Ben McIntosh scored the best-of-three finals next Saturday.

Gamble costs F1 champ Hamilton

The Associated Press MONACO — An ill-judged gamble by Mercedes cost Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton his fourth win of the season, gifting his teammate and rival Nico Ros- berg a third straight win at the Monaco Grand Prix and putting him firmly back in the title race. Hamilton was suddenly called back to the pits for a tire change. It was an astonishing mistake from F1’s ultra-dominant team, with Hamilton more than 15 seconds ahead at that point.