Rinck Throws No-Hitter; As M&L; Wins

Jeff Rinck pitched a no-hitter and drove in a run as M&L Construction blanked Chapter Eleven/Longhorn Barbecue, 2-0, on Friday night in the opening game of the Spokane American Legion baseball championship series.

The two teams meet again at Shadle Park’s Al K. Jackson Field at 6 tonight. M&L can wrap up the league’s lone berth to the state tournament with a victory, otherwise the two teams will decide the title in an 8 p.m. matchup.

Rinck walked two batters and struck out eight to pick up the win for M&L (25-3). He also batted 2 for 4, driving in Sam Chimienti with a single in the third.

D.J. Funk’s single scored John Barneson with the game’s other run in the first inning. Barneson and Chimienti joined Rinck with two hits apiece.

The hardest hit ball for Chapter Eleven/Longhorn (24-5) came on Chris Wilson’s drive to the wall in center in the fourth, but it was caught by Adam Morris.

Golf

Ken Rizvi of Redmond held his lead despite a 73 in the third round of the 69th Washington State Men’s Amateur golf tournament in Yakima.

Rizvi, who had a three-stroke going into the third round, leads Ken Bensel of Bellingham and Chris Cone of Vancouver by one shot with a 54-hole, 7-under-par 209 total entering today’s final round at the 6,892-yard, par-72 Apple Tree course. Bensel shot a 67 and Cone a 70 Friday.

Bob Christensen of Hayden Lake was alone at 211 after a 70.

Darren Slackman of Spokane shot a 71 for a 219 total while Jered Jeffries, also of Spokane, had a 77 and was at 220.

, DataTimes