The Sonora Wildcats defeated the Bret Harte Bullfrogs 10-7 on Saturday at Bev Barron Field in a non-league clash.

The Wildcats scored two runs in the first, but the Bullfrogs answered with two in the fourth to tie the game.

Sonora took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth off a Gino Balestrieri double that brought home Ryan Stevenson from first.

The Wildcats broke open the game with five runs in the fifth inning to make it 8-2.

With some families and student athletes getting an early start on their spring break, the Sonora Wildcat track team battled in small numbers at the Jaguar Invitational Saturday at Kimball High School.

Several Wildcats brought home medals, which were awarded to the top five in each event.

“It was a fun meet and great experience for our team to compete against 15 schools,” said Wildcat head coach Frank Garcia. “Many of our athletes came home with medals.”

Summerville's Joey Brocchini (above) deals on Friday against Bret Harte in Angels Camp. Maggie Beck / Union Democrat

“I was really impressed by him (Brocchini),” said Bears head coach Larry Gold. “He started off without the control he probably wanted but was able to battle back.”

Brocchini also hit well against the Bullfrogs going 3 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI.

Sonora senior Cody Hansten helped power the Wildcat boys swimmers to a victory over host Kimball on Friday while the girls suffered a narrow defeat.

Hansten won two individual events and anchored the first-place relay team for a come from behind victory. He won the 50 free (23.96), the 100 free (54.20) and the 400 free relay (3:43.97).

“The boys did great,” said Wildcat head coach John-Jay Verhuel. “Cody had another great meet, Matt Scanlin had a great swim in the 100 back and Owen Ragland had good swims in the 50 free and two relay swims. The boys  are really starting to swim fast. We had a tough workout yesterday (Thursday), and all the boys did great today (Friday). They are on track for a great season.”

The Bret Harte Bullfrogs edged the visiting Bears 7-6 in Friday’s softball clash that officially opened the 2013 Mother Lode League season for Summerville.

The Bears took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, but Bret Harte plated one to narrow the gap.

Summerville had another run in the second inning, but again the Bullfrogs answered, this time with four runs to take a 5-3 lead going into the third.

Calaveras strong at TVL/MLL Challenge

The Calaveras Redskins highlighted local tracksters at the annual Trans Valley League-Mother Lode League Challenge last Thursday with first-place finishers in eight different events. 

Individual winners for the Redskin boys’ included high jumper Macklin Bolton, who took the top spot with a jump of 5-08. Bolton also ran to first place in the 400M (52.68).

Bret Harte's Alex Milward (above) chips from just off the green against Summerville, Thursday, at Greenhorn Creek in Angels Camp. Maggie Beck / The Union Democrat

Bret Harte’s Alex Milward shot a 37 for the third time in four matches so far this season. He had a birdie on No. 7 and shot for par on most others, said Bullfrogs head coach Rich Cathcart.

“As far as Bret Harte teams go, we’ve had some really good players over the years and Alex fits right in with those at the top,” Cathcart said.

Milward’s 37 on Thursday was also good for medalist honors. 

The good news for the Sonora Wildcats on Thursday night was that they impressed their head coach with the way they approached every at-bat.

The bad news was once they put runners on base, they couldn’t turn them into runs.

Sonora stranded runners in every inning, including twice with the bases loaded, and suffered a 5-1 Valley Oak League loss to the Sierra Timberwolves at Bev Barron Field.

Warming weather has turned up the bite for trout and kokanee in local lakes. 

At Lake Don Pedro, local fishing guide Danny Layne reported near limits of rainbows, 14-to-16 inches in the Flemming Bay area. 

They are found at depths from 15 to 45 feet using ExCel lures, Kokanee Killers and Uncle Larry’s spinners.

The Oakdale Mustangs delivered Sonora its first Valley Oak League golf loss Thursday at Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

The Wildcats were coming off a match Tuesday in which they shot a season-low 197 against Sierra.

“We figured, ‘OK, let’s go get ‘em,’ but then came out flat,” said Sonora head coach Steve Lee. “It’s a hard score (240) but not one indicative of what we can do.”