The Saugus softball  team hit five home runs in a 12-5 win over Hart at the Hart PONY Complex. But it was an infield single that ricocheted off of Hart starter Emili Escamilla’s leg that scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

With the game tied 5-5 in the fifth, pinch-hitter Alyssa Rodriguez hit a comebacker up the middle with two outs to score a run and break the tie. Saugus hit three home runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead.

The Centurions tacked on six runs in the seventh inning with a pair of two-run home runs. Erika Escedy hit the first one with no outs to put Saugus up 8-5. Sara Shier hit her second home run of the game with two outs to put Saugus up 12-5.

Saugus took over sole possession of first place in the Foothill League standings with the win.

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Valencia beat West Ranch, 8-5, behind two home runs from Bethany Kemp. Valencia scored five runs in the third inning and went up 6-1 in the fifth.

But Julia Lombardi sparked a West Ranch comeback with a three-run home run to cut the lead to 6-4. Alex Gaff drove in another run to bring West Ranch within one, 6-5, later in the fifth inning.

Kemp put the game out of reach with a two-run home run, her second of the game, in the seventh inning. She also hit a two-run home run in the third inning.

Valencia, West Ranch and Hart are tied for second place in the Foothill League standings, each with 4-3 records and a game behind Saugus.

The Canyon softball team beat Golden Valley, 7-4, scoring five runs in the seventh inning to erase a two-run deficit. Hayley Bottino was 2-for-2 with a home run and drove in two runs.

The Trinity Classical Academy softball team beat First Lutheran, 18-1. Jacey Massetto was 4-for-5 for Trinity.

The Valencia and West Ranch girls track and field teams are ranked in the top 10 of the CIF Southern Section Division I poll released on Tuesday.

Valencia comes in at No. 3 and West Ranch is ranked No. 4. Long Beach Poly earned the No. 1 spot in the poll.

Valencia’s Faith Anumba is ranked as the No. 3 runner in Division I. West Ranch’s Jennifer Owen is the sixth-ranked runner in Division I.

The Saugus girls track and field team is ranked No. 3 in the Southern Section Division II poll, behind Colony at No. 2 and top-ranked Mater Dei. Stephanie Bulder is the third-ranked runner in the Division II poll.

The Valencia boys volleyball team beat Hart in three games to capture its 11^th straight Foothill League championship and run its state record league winning streak to 101 matches in a row.

Broc Oppler had a match-high 13 kills and Eric Ensing had 12 kills for Valencia.

The College of the Canyons baseball team made an early exit in the Southern California Regional playoffs, losing to Southwestern College, 5-3, in the first round. Juan Perez was 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for COC.

Minnesota Twins starter Francisco Liriano pitched the first no-hitter of the season in  1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. He struck out two and walked six. Jason Kubel hit a solo home run in the fourth inning for the only run of the game.

The Dodgers coughed up three runs in the ninth inning and lost to the Chicago Cubs, 4-1. Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier went 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 29 games.

In the NHL playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2 in overtime, to take a two games to one lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3, have a commanding three games to none lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In the NBA playoffs, the Lakers will look to rebound from an infuriating two-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers blew a 16-point, second-half  lead and lost 96-94. Kobe Bryant scored 36 points, but missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.

Game 2 is tonight at Staples Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.

In the other Western Conference semifinal, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 111-102, and even the series at a game apiece.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics, 102-91. Miami leads the series, two games to none.