While stage wins and an overall victory in the Amgen Tour of California are goals for many of the American riders competing in the event, solid performances are important for another reason -- a possible berth on the USA Cycling Team for the London Olympics in August.

The road and time trial nationals take place in Greenville, S.C., May 26-28, but winning there doesn't guarantee a spot. Neither does winning stages at the Tour of California, such as Dave Zabriskie's impressive time trial win on Thursday.

The sprinters, or rather sprinter Peter Sagan, has had his moments in the sun.

Four of them to be exact.

Three Stockton pitchers combined to limit Bakersfield to three hits Wednesday and the Ports edged the Bakersfield Blaze 5-4 at Sam Lynn Ballpark to end a 16-game losing streak.

Myrio Richard and A.J. Kirby Jones had three hits apiece for Stockton (12-27), which scored single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Softball

Division I

Chelby Cooke isn't afraid to admit it: She's picky. And so when it came time to choose a college where she could play tennis, she wasn't so concerned with size or prestige or tennis prowess.

Instead, she signed last month with Santa Clara University, a private school that just felt right to the two-time Central Section singles champion from Bakersfield Christian.

As Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall listed the accomplishment's of this year's Mayor's Trophy recipient Wednesday night in the Harvey Auditorium at Bakersfield High, Silas Nacita sat up in his chair.

Nacita had no idea he was about to become the 36th winner of the award, given annually to Bakersfield's top senior student-athlete as measured by athletic, academic, leadership and community service qualities.

It's pretty simple these days for Cal State Bakersfield baseball:

Take a look at a lot of players with an eye to the future.

Got some spare time on your hands and want a shot at being in a drag racing movie?

Carol Grant Casting is currently seeking non-union background extras for a feature film that will be shooting at Auto Club Famoso Raceway from Monday through May 24. The film -- "Snake & Mongoose, The Movie" -- is a period piece that takes place in California during the 1970s. It's an untold story of how two drag racers, Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, changed the face of sports and ultimately became the most famous rivalry in racing history.

After Liberty closed out Fresno-Central 9-4 on Tuesday at home in a first-round Central Section baseball playoff game, Patriots coach Tony Mills had a question for his club.

"Fellas?" he asked, with his team surrounding him on the outfield grass. "Why not us? Can somebody tell me me a reason why we couldn't win the whole thing?"

Coming home didn't really change what's been happening with Cal State Bakersfield baseball.

The Roadrunners' offense struggled and Cal Poly pounded seven extra-base hits in a 15-hit attack en route to a 6-2 win over CSUB at Hardt Field Tuesday.

Baseball

Central Section playoffs

A couple of points here and a couple of points there made a huge impact on Tuesday's Central Section Division III boys tennis final between Hanford West and Ridgeview.

The visiting Huskies beat the top-seeded Wolf Pack 7-2, but only after pulling out a pair of critical singles matches in third-set tiebreakers.

Patrick Doyle has spent just about all of his career as a relief pitcher.

But the former Missouri State standout looked like a seasoned veteran in his second start, pitching six innings of one-hit shutout ball, as the Blaze beat the Stockton Ports 6-1 to sweep Tuesday's doubleheader at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Before the Olympics, Jake Varner is walking the streets of Bakersfield one last time.

You can catch him Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. in the Bakersfield High cafeteria, where he'll stage a meet-and-greet in the place where his wrestling career took off.

The race is nigh.

The Amgen Tour of California will soon be zipping along Alfred Harrell Highway as thousands cheer on from the starting point at Bakersfield College or other vantage points along the route. It's been two years since Bakersfield hosted, and with pent-up anticipation and massive advance coverage organizers are expecting even more of a turnout than in 2010.

Youth football

Bakersfield Raiders tackle football sign-ups on Saturdays at Lowell Park from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Juniors and seniors team sign-ups, ages 10-12 and 12-14. Contact coach D or Tammy at (661) 322-7441, 847-9144 or e-mail:bakersfieldraiders@yahoo.com.

Liberty High graduate Cassidy Bell, now playing softball for Penn State, finished off a record-breaking season in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Ohio State.

The junior shortstop went 2-for-3 in the Nittany Lions' season finale, raising her batting average to a school-record .423, eclipsing a 24-year-old record of .413 by Nan Sichler.

MADERA -- There is no such thing as home-course advantage in golf, at least not technically speaking.

That theory was put to the test Monday at Riverbend Golf Club, where the Fresno-area boys teams dominated the Central Section team championships.

Donald Lutz went 5-for-5, including his California-league leading 11th homer, to lead the Bakersfield Blaze to an 11-6 win Monday over the Stockton Ports at Sam Lynn Ballpark.

Lutz's two-run homer in the eighth tied him for the league homer lead with Lancaster's Telvin Nash. Lutz was a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

Ten Stockdale athletes who signed letters of intent to play college sports throughout the year were honored Monday at their school.

Two seniors from the Mustangs' section championship boys cross country team headlined the group: Cameron Miller, who signed to run at Stanford; and Curtis Kelly, who's going to Mississippi State.