The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Indian Hills Rallies Just in Nick of Time

OAKLAND Like Christmas shopping, Indian Hills waited until the last minute to get going. The Braves rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge Saddle Brook, 5-4, in the preliminary round of the Bergen County baseball tournament on Wednesday.

Bosco Regroups, Puts Away Passaic

RAMSEY Things were starting to pile up on Don Bosco. There was a loss to Clifton where two starters sat out the first game because they violated team rules. That first loss of the season was followed a few days later by the Ironmen somehow being seeded sixth in the North bracket of the NJSIAA boys volleyball tournament. Rather than letting the negativity drag them down and prematurely end what has been a terrific season, the Ironmen called a players- only meeting before Monday's practice. Th...

Ridgewood Win Extra Special ; Girls Need Playoff to Take Second Straight State Title

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP They already had played six hours of golf Wednesday at the Seaview Golf Resort. But when they were told they were going to have to go out and play at least one more hole, the girls on the Ridgewood girls golf team were all for it. "I said, 'Let's go,' " sophomore Eunae Jo said. "We're up for it. It's just another opportunity to win. Of course we'll take it."

Kings of Bergen ; Pascack Hills, Ramapo Reign at Rockleigh

ROCKLEIGH Ramapo's goal was to break 300 and take the top three places at Wednesday's Bergen County team championship. The Green Raiders came incredibly close. Pascack Hills' goal was to win the small-school title to honor retiring coach Dan Fallon in his final tournament. The Cowboys did it with room to spare at Rockleigh Golf Course.

Just Call Him Mr. Clutch ; Westwood's Garafalo Delivers Again for Victory Over Bc

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - Mike Garafalo stepped to the plate with the confidence of someone who had come through in this situation before. Tie score, bottom of the ninth inning, winning run on base.

Wie All Set for N.J.

Salmon's Now On the Menu ; Landlocked Variety Stocked in Two Sussex County Lakes

North Jersey anglers can add landlocked salmon to the list of fish they want to catch some time this year. For the first time in more than 50 years, the State Division of Fish and Wildlife has stocked landlocked salmon in New Jersey freshwater lakes. More than 1,000 salmon were released last week into Lake Wawayanda in Wawayanda State Park and another 400 into Lake Aeroflex at Kittatinny Valley State Park.

Yankees Notes

Damon off Johnny Damon reported to Fenway Park almost five hours before Wednesday night's first pitch, hoping the early treatment on his sore right foot and chronic left shoulder would convince Joe Torre to keep him in the lineup.

Yankees Blog

Just wins, baby May 25, 2006

Escape Artist ; Farnsworth Gets Out of Big Jam to Help Yanks Take the Series

BOSTON Randy Johnson's latest lousy start was just a bad memory by the eighth inning, when Wednesday night's game came down to a battle between Kyle Farnsworth and David Ortiz. Farnsworth had loaded the bases. He sent a slider to the backstop to walk Mark Loretta, sending Big Papi to the plate. A sellout crowd at Fenway Park was on its feet, going mad.

Knicks a Sorry Circus ; the Dolan-Isiah Show Drags On

So, the Knicks spent this week sending out unsuspecting college kids as human shields, accidental workout tourists left as franchise spokesmen about the interaction and mood of the famous faces back in the gymnasium. Somehow, James L. Dolan is letting the final days of Larry Brown to needlessly drag on and on, defying the belief that there were no longer new lows of embarrassment possible here. It couldn't get worse here, everyone believed. Only somehow, it keeps happening. This is a culture ...

Bosox' Closer May Have Makings of Mo

BOSTON David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez against Mariano Rivera - game on the line at Fenway Park - had been the main event Tuesday night at Fenway Park. But the undercard was just as interesting: Jonathan Papelbon against Gary Sheffield, kid fastball pitcher against the game's hardest swinger.

Mets Make Splash, Acquire El Duque ; Trade Julio to Strengthen Rotation

NEW YORK The funky leg kick, the crazy arm angles and the wicked curveball are back but in a different uniform. In a move to bolster the injury-depleted back end of their pitching rotation, the Mets acquired former Yankee Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez from Arizona in exchange for reliever Jorge Julio on Wednesday. Hernandez will join the Mets on Friday in Florida, where they begin a three-game series against the Marlins, though there was no announcement on when he would start.

Mets Putting Up Their Duques ; Battle Back to Lock Up Win in Soler's Debut

NEW YORK The curiosity factor surrounding Alay Soler was high to begin with, with the Cuban defector making a two-years-in-waiting major league debut for the Mets on Wednesday night against the Phillies. But when the right-handed pitcher lost total control of the plate, the interest suddenly took on a freak-show quality. Soler turned the pitching mound into his own personal cage, patient Phillies hitters his tormentors. Observers cringed as Soler walked the first three batters of the game, g...

Bionde's Big Bat Powers Ru

Second baseman Mike Bionde of Pequannock went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs Wednesday as Rutgers beat Cincinnati, 13-7, to stay alive in the double-elimination Big East Conference Baseball Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. The Scarlet Knights, 9-8 losers to Louisville in the opening round, hit three home runs. They will play Connecticut today at 4 o'clock.

St. Joseph, Bosco to Face Tough Out-of-State Foes

St. Joseph and Don Bosco won't be playing each other twice in football this fall after all. The NNJIL rivals have replaced one of their proposed meetings, which would have taken place on Sept. 30, with games against out-of- state opponents from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

State Sectional Track Preview

Boys NORTH 1

Farrington Delivers in Clutch for Depaul

WAYNE Pride wouldn't let Liz Farrington give in. On the 11th pitch of her at-bat in the fourth inning, Farrington looped an RBI double for the decisive margin as DePaul edged St. Dominic, 2-1, in the first round of the North Non-Public A State softball tournament Wednesday.

Hole of the Week

Goffle Brook Park Pond, Hawthorne How to get there

Diaw, Suns Burn Dallas On Its Court

DALLAS The Mavericks still can't stop Phoenix's inside-and- outside playoff combination, even with Amare Stoudemire on the bench this year. Boris Diaw took over Stoudemire's starring role from last postseason, scoring 34 points including a turnaround 7-footer with 0.5 seconds left to cap a tremendous closing finish, sending the Suns past the Mavs, 121-118, Wednesday in a thrilling, fast-paced start to the West finals.