Defending national champions Anthony Moronez and Daniel Richardson of Bakersfield won three events apiece Saturday at an AAU track and field Junior Olympics national qualifier meet in Tulare, and can to try to defend their titles at this year's national championships next month in Houston.

Moronez, 14, who competes for the Bakersfield Roadrunner Track Club, won the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 30 seconds. He was last year's national champ in the 1,500.

BY ZACH EWING

Californian staff writer

Chargers running back and West High graduate Ryan Mathews will not be present at the Lorenzo Neal youth football camp at Frontier on Tuesday, as was originally planned.

Mathews said he and his agent miscommunicated on the date of the camp; the Chargers have a mandatory mini-camp for players the same day.

Cal State Bakersfield will have nine home men's soccer games this season, according to the 2013 schedule that was announced Friday.

The Roadrunners are coming off a 12-4-5 season when they made the university's first team appearance in an NCAA Division I tournament.

Women's swimming and diving is the latest Cal State Bakersfield sport that is switching conferences.

The Western Athletic Conference and CSUB announced Thursday that the Roadrunners have accepted an invitation to join the WAC in women's swimming and diving as an affiliate member starting in the 2012-13 season.

Chargers running back Ryan Mathews, a West High alumnus, will headline a youth football camp in Bakersfield next week organized by former all-pro fullback Lorenzo Neal.

The camps runs from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday at Frontier High School, where Mathews' high school coach, Rich Cornford, now runs the program.

After more than two decades, the Bakersfield Blaze finally did it. The Blaze clinched its first California League North Division first-half championship since 1991 with a 4-2 victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm on Thursday night at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

With the score tied 2-2, Niko Vasquez smacked a seventh-inning, two-run homer to lift the Blaze to a dramatic victory that ended with Bakersfield closer Brian Pearl striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Kern County, southern San Joaquin Valley

STRIPER DERBY: The annual Bob's Bait month-long striper derby kicked off June 1. The entry fee is $1 per angler and you must register before you weigh in a fish. Only fresh fish can be weighed in and no weighing in of fish the same day as entering derby. The biggest striper weighed in during June will take the $100 prize, plus all the entry fee money from everyone entered. So far, there are 115 anglers signed up which means the pot is $215 at this point. The leader is David Diaz, Bakersfield, with an 8-pounder. Last year's winner took home almost $500. For more information, call Bob's Bait (661) 833-8657.

Late Model stock car drivers return to Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night where three previous races have produced three different winners.

Steve Drake of San Luis Obispo was the last winner at the third-mile clay oval in a wild finish on May 19.

It doesn't get much better than Father's Day and the final round of the U.S. Open. But that's what we have on tap this weekend and I can't wait.

The Olympic Club, some Barbecue and family. What more could you ask for?

STOCKTON -- The Bakersfield Blaze was unable to protect a six-run lead Wednesday in a 9-6 loss to the Stockton Ports, and will try again tonight on its home field to clinch its first California League opening-half title in 21 years.

Either a Blaze victory tonight, against Lake Elsinore at Sam Lynn Ballpark, or a San Jose loss to Modesto, can seal the first-half title for Bakersfield.

The fact that it was an exhibition game had little bearing on Nisa Ontiveros' approach to Wednesday night's Kern County Senior All-Star Softball Game

The recent Ridgeview grad was out to win, just like always.

Matt Cain threw the first perfect game in the San Francisco Giants' history Wednesday night, striking out a career-high 14 in a 10-0 victory over the visiting Houston Astros.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, questioning his victories in those storied cycling races.

Armstrong, who retired from cycling last year, could face a lifetime ban from the sport if he is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

STOCKTON -- All the Blaze needs is one.

One win of its own or one San Jose Giants loss, that is, for Bakersfield to clinch its first opening-half title since 1991.

Bakersfield High has completed its 2012 football schedule with a Week 0 game at Ventura High.

The defending Central Section champions, who started six sophomores full season on a team that went 13-0 in 2011, will play at Ventura on Aug. 24 to open the season. The Cougars were 11-0 last year before losing to Santa Monica in the second round of the Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

MODESTO -- When you have 72 steals, some are obviously more important than others.

Blaze shortstop Billy Hamilton made the most of No. 72 on Monday night at John Thurman Field, stealing second base in the top of the ninth inning to set up the go-ahead run in a 6-3 Bakersfield victory over the Modesto Nuts.

Announcements

Camps

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings' 45-year Stanley Cup quest ended in a triumphant flourish of blood, sweat and power-play goals. After missing two chances to claim the title last week, the long-suffering Kings are NHL champions for the first time.

Hooray for Hockeywood.

It might have been easy for Mariah Alvidrez to give up her college athletics dream and say it wasn't in the cards.

Just over a year ago while playing soccer for Fresno Pacific, she suffered her third torn anterior cruciate ligament, a devastating knee injury that requires reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation and typically sidelines an athlete from six months to a year.