Chris Lubanski

Malvern Prep may not have the overall talent it had last season, when it went 31-5 and successfully defended its Inter-Ac League baseball title. But things appear to be fine in the refuse-to-quit department. In Tuesday's Inter-Ac opener against Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, the host Friars climbed out of a 6-0 hole and, with nine runs in their last two at-bats, triumphed, 9-7, in 2 hours, 34 minutes. "We're young this year," Malvern senior catcher Steve Robinson said, "but there's a lot of scrappiness in this team.

For the third straight time in this spring training, Jamie Moyer pitched in a B game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Yesterday morning's exhibition, however, was quite different for the Phillies' 47-year-old lefthander and it wasn't a good different. His pitching line: five runs - all earned - eight hits, one walk, four strikeouts, three innings and quite a few expletives. "I didn't think I threw very well," Moyer said after the Phillies' 8-1 loss to the Jays. "I elevated a few too many pitches.

Frightening injury Another lesson in the importance of pool safety: Oakland first baseman Daric Barton smacked his head on the bottom of a pool during the all-star break, needing six staples to close the gash and leaving him with a neck strain, the Associated Press reported. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. Barton said he dove into a friend's pool and, not realizing how shallow it was, hit his head on the bottom. He never lost consciousness, but blood began flowing down his face and he went to an emergency room.

Kevin Pechin's first head-coaching job came under less than ideal circumstances. Pechin became Conestoga High's interim coach in late April, after close friend Darien Threadgill was relieved of his duties. Threadgill's sudden and controversial departure left the program in a temporary state of upheaval. Pechin did a masterful job of keeping the talented Pioneers focused on the goals they had set prior to the season. In 14 games, the former assistant guided Conestoga to a 12-2 record.

Win or lose tomorrow, West Chester East has had a season to remember. The Vikings will show up for the PIAA Class AAA state baseball championship game, set for 4 p.m. at RiverSide Stadium in Harrisburg, with a 23-2 record. They have outscored opponents, 192-61. East went 8-1 to defend its Ches-Mont League title and advanced to the District 1 final before being nipped by Council Rock North, 6-5. For his role in the Vikings' success, Ed Pappas is The Inquirer's baseball coach of the year.

U.S. sprinter Kelli White escaped a suspension that would have kept her out of the Athens Olympics, and she vowed yesterday to use all means possible to hold on to her two World Championship gold medals. Hours after track and field's world governing body said White tested positive for a minor stimulant that didn't merit a suspension, White announced her plans to run the 100 meters at the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels, Belgium tomorrow. White insisted she deserved no punishment for using modafinil, a drug she said was prescribed for the sleep disorder narcolepsy and isn't specifically mentioned on the anti-doping list.

Paul VI High head baseball coach Tony Mitchell won't have his team working on sliding drills early this season. That's because it's difficult to slide into second base when there is nowhere to put the bag. Not only that, but asphalt isn't the most conducive surface to work on sliding, especially head-first slides. Paul VI, located in Haddon Township, Camden County, is no different from hundreds of other teams in South Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania after a winter that has been less than forgiving on playing surfaces.

A University of Pittsburgh football player was critically injured yesterday after accidentally falling through a church ceiling and landing on a pew, police said. Billy Gaines, a sophomore who plays wide receiver for the Panthers, was attending a cookout at St. Anne convent in Homestead, Pa., when the accident occurred around 2:30 p.m. "For some unknown reason Gaines crawled up, climbed up to the crawl space above the ceiling of the church. There's a small plank you walk across [and]

The Tennis Channel is accusing Comcast Corp. of discriminating against its cable TV network by relegating it to a premium sports tier that reaches only a small number of subscribers, even as Comcast-owned sports channels get much wider distribution. In a complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Tennis Channel charges the nation's largest cable TV provider with violating FCC rules that prohibit such operators from favoring channels that they own over those from other companies.

A person familiar with the decision says the 2012 Breeders' Cup will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The person spoke to the Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the Breeders' Cup has not announced the host track for next year's event. This year's two-day event will be held for a second consecutive year at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 4-5. The Breeders' Cup features 15 races worth $25 million in prize money. Also in the running for the 2012 Breeders' Cup were Belmont Park in New York, and Churchill Downs.