Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13), Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrate Rantanens goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period of Game 3 of the second round of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in Denver on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
People gathered in Civic Center Park in downtown Denver to celebrate the Cinco de Mayo Festival at Civic Center Park in Denver on May 28, 2024.
The annual festival and celebration help put the spotlight on the Mile High City’s vibrant Latino population. This year’s festival featured live music and dance performances on three stages. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the outnumbered Mexican army over French forces, providing momentum and national confidence for the Mexican people to drive the foreign power from their country.
Today, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the tradition of freedom and acknowledges the beauty of Latino culture. Denver’s Cinco de Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival has been a Mile High tradition for more than three decades.
Anthony Davis (3) of the Los Angeles Lakers hits Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets with a Lex Luger-esque flying forearm smash as he secures a rebound during the second half of the Lakers’ 119-108 win at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
But when it mattered most, the Patriots found a way to get the job done.
After struggling to score runs for five innings, Heritage came alive late to beat Pittsburg 4-3 on Thursday and firmly secure its spot as the top team in the Bay Valley Athletic League standings.
Heritage junior Alonzo Alvarez was 3 for 4 and had two doubles. Elijah Ward totaled two hits and scored a run while KC Karbowski had a hit and an RBI.
Patriots pitcher JJ Kinnaird pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out three while allowing two runs.
“All week we were preparing to play the best team in our area,” Ward said. “We knew we had to come out and score early and play dominant defense. That’s what we did.”
Pittsburg came into Thursday’s game motivated to even the score against its division rival as the Pirates dropped the first of the two-game series 6-2 at Heritage on Tuesday.
Due for a get-back game, Pittsburg looked dominant early on.
In the top half of the fourth inning, pitcher Josh Painter got caught in a jam with Heritage runners occupying second and third base and no outs. The senior retired the next batter and helped force a double play later in the inning to retire the side.
In the bottom half of the fourth, Pittsburg’s offense broke through.
Niko Fuentes’ single to center field scored Cole Leschak and Anthony Garcia to put the Pirates up 2-0.
A half inning later, Painter retired three of four batters as it looked like the Pirates were in complete control of the game heading into the sixth.
Painter finished the day by striking out seven batters in five innings.
The Heritage crowd sat quietly through the first five innings, but that all changed in the sixth.
With his pitch count at 78, Pittsburg coach Marco Cartagena subbed out Painter as he is still working his way back from an injury sustained earlier in the season.
Heritage High pitcher JJ Kinnaird (13) throws against Pittsburg High during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High head coach Marco Cartagena calls in a relief pitcher during their game against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s Devin Simonton (5) gets back to first base safely under the tag of Heritage High’s Jace Bernard (10) during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s Devin Simonton (5) throws against Heritage High during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Heritage High head baseball coach Kevin Brannan calls out instructions during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Heritage High’s Gio Martini (5) makes a leaping catch during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s (12) gestures towards shortstop Alonzo Alvarez (2) as second baseman Aidan Rangel (28) looks on during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pitcher Mason Roberts (1) throws during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s Aaron Del Real (13) hits a single during their game against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s Aaron Del Real (13) scores in the last inning of their game against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s pitcher Ty Thompson (7) throws against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s JJ Robinson (2) bats during their game against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg High’s Aaron Del Real (13) is congratulated by Paul Salazar (14) after scoring in the last inning of their game against Heritage High at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Heritage High’s Jace Bernard(10) celebrates as Pittsburg High’s Aaron Del Real (5) is out at first base during their game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
As the Pirates relieved their most effective pitcher, the Patriots took advantage.
The first three Heritage runners singled, loading the bases for KC Karbowski with no outs. The senior singled to drive in Gio Martini and give the Patriots their first run of the game. Jace Bernard tied the game 2-2 after he was walked in the next at-bat.
Sophomore Jett Guevara batted in the go-ahead runs when he doubled on a laser to the center field wall, putting the Patriots up 4-2.
“They just got hot and got a couple of hits in a row,” Cartagena said about losing the lead in the sixth inning. “We were lucky it was only four runs.”
Pittsburg had chances in the final two innings to possibly tie or take the lead, but couldn’t convert with runners in scoring position.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates had the bases loaded with one out but grounded into a double play that ended the inning.
In the seventh, Leschak scored from second on a wild pitch to cut the Heritage lead to a run. With a runner on third and two outs, Pittsburg hit a ground ball that landed in front of relief pitcher Jason Stevens. The junior quickly recovered and threw out the runner at first, ending the game and giving Heritage a crucial win.
“We knew they were going to be fired up,” said Heritage coach Kevin Brannan. “We knew if we could find a way to get ahead of them, we would play really well. We’re best when we’re in front.”
The win gives Heritage a two-game lead for first place in the BVAL standings. The Brentwood school has four league games left – a two-game series against second-place Freedom before playing fourth-place Liberty in a two-game sequence.
Pittsburg dropped to third place in the standings and is currently on a three-game skid, but Cartagena was happy the team brought the fight to a rivalry game.
“We got to have this energy moving forward,” he said. “The playoff atmosphere today, we can use to our benefit. But these are also just growing pains. We’re a young team and we’ll keep improving and getting better from here.”
The Patriots, who are ranked eighth in the Bay Area News Group rankings, believe they should be considered on par with top teams like Acalanes, Granada and De La Salle as the best team in the North Coast Section.
“I think we’ve grown since we lost to Acalanes in our first game and I think we’re the best team in the Bay Area right now,” Karbowski said.
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, performs on stage, at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, in Hollywood, Florida. (Michele Eve Sandberg-Contributor)
Norman Lear, born on July 27, 1922, in New Haven, Conn., was a TV legend who wrote, produced or developed over 100 shows throughout his career. Some of Lear’s popular hit sitcoms include ‘All in the Family,’ ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’ He revolutionized sitcom television by using social and political commentary in comedy, attracting millions of viewers. On Dec. 5, 2023, Lear died at home due to natural causes. He was 101.
Norman Lear talks to Jill St. John on the set of the 1963 film “Come Blow Your Horn,” starring Frank Sinatra.Norman Lear in a dark blazer, center, speaks with Carroll O’Connor on the set of the show “All in the Family” in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1971. Jean Stapleton sits at a table in the foreground, while Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner sit to O’Connor’s left.Eve Arden presents the Emmy Award to “All in the Family” producer Norman Lear who accepted the Best Comedy Series Emmy and thanked the Columbia Broadcasting System President Robert Wood for allowing the show, a satire on bigotry, to be aired, on May 9, 1971, in Hollywood, Calif.An off-camera moment with cast from “All in the Family,” from left to right, Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker, Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker, show creator Norman Lear, Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic, Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic and Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson pose for a photo during the filming of the episode “Gloria Poses in the Nude,” on July 27, 1971. The episode originally aired on Sept. 25, 1971.David Rintels, left, chairman of the Writers Guild of America, told the Senate Committee hearing on Freedom of the Press that a poll of television writers shows that most are heavily censored by nervous network executives and are required to write scripts devoid of reality. Norman Lear, right, producer of the successful “All in the Family” television comedy, blamed think-tank mentality in both broadcasting and government for keeping more shows like his off the air on Feb. 8, 1972, in Washington.Norman Lear, left, is pictured with guests including Groucho Marx, right, at a cocktail party held for Norman Lear, at “21” Club in New York on May 1, 1972.Norman Lear, producer and writer for the television series “All in the Family” poses for a picture on Nov. 30, 1972.Norman Lear is interviewed by Marlene Sanders, right, on the ABC TV series “ABC News Closeup,” on the episode “Prime Time TV: The Decision Makers” in 1974.From left to right, Norman Lear, Jean Stapleton and Sally Struthers are interviewed during a party for the cast of the CBS television series “All In The Family” at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington on Sept. 20, 1978.From left to right, Milton Berle, Lucille Ball, former CBS chairman William S. Paley, and Norman Lear smile for photographers as they are inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame on Jan. 21, 1984, in Hollywood, Calif.Norman Lear, left, gets a laugh from Senator Edward Kennedy, as the two talk aboard Kennedy’s campaign plane flying over Iowa on Jan. 7, 1979. Lear joined the Kennedy entourage during the Democratic presidential candidate’s Iowa swing, traveling as what Lear termed “an observer.”Television producer Norman Lear, who established “People for the American Way,” is a leading national figure in a battle to neutralize what he calls “the new religious right.” He has been labelled “the number one enemy of the American family” by Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority.Norman Lear joins the cast of “The Jeffersons” as they celebrate the taping of the 200th episode of the hit series. Lear developed the show nearly ten years ago and is being given a helping hand by cast members, from left to right, Marla Gibbs, Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Lear, Ned Wertimer, Berlinda Tolbert, Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 22, 1983.
Stars attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented by Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Katharine McPhee attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Kim Kardashian attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Normani attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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(L-R) Elliot Grainge and Sofia Richie Grainge attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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(L-R) Marco Perego and Zoe Saldaña attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Ayesha Curry attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Demi Lovato attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Hailey Baldwin attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Sarah Hyland attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Chrissy Teigen attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Lucy Hale attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Joel Madden and Nicole Richie attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Ari Fournier and Cole Sprouse attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jessica Alba attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Salma Hayek Pinault attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Olivia Wilde attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jessie James Decker and Eric Decker attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jenna Dewan attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Christine Ko attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Lori Harvey attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jordana Brewster attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Alessandra Ambrosio attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Julie Bowen attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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(L-R) Vanessa Bryant and Rachel Zoe attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Nina Westbrook attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Adrienne Houghton attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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(L-R) Drew Scott and Linda Phan attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Jeannie Mai attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons attend the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
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Elsa Hosk attends the 2023 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 11, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.
Who says rock-and-roll is dead? Not the Rolling Stones! One of the most popular rock bands of all time, the Rolling Stones released “Hackney Diamonds” on Oct. 20, 2023, almost 20 years after their last album. Check out their surprise NYC performance to celebrate the album’s release at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023.
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The Rolling Stones perform at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones performs at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones performs at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Drummer Steve Jordan of the Rolling Stones performs during a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Mick Jagger, right, and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Darryl Jones of the Rolling Stones performs at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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Ronnie Wood, left, and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.
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The Rolling Stones perform at a celebration for the release of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” at Racket on Oct. 19, 2023, in New York.