Volunteers recapture title

Pat Summitt is used to winning women's basketball national championships — she has won seven in 33 years of coaching at Tennessee — so last night's win against Rutgers was nothing new for her.

For the rest of the Lady Vols (34-3), beating Rutgers (27-9) 59 - 46 to take home the trophy was a lifetime dream come true. It had been seven years since their last title, and only Summitt was with the team then.

Last night's game was never close, and the Scarlet Knights lost the lead for good with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Tennessee then built its lead to as much as 20 points during the second half.

Candace Parker led the way for the Volunteers, scoring 17 points, snagging seven boards and dishing out three assists. Shannon Bobbitt and Sidney Spencer chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.

In the losing effort, Kia Vaughn scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 10 boards for Rutgers.

It was a storybook run for the Knights, who beat the likes of No. 1 Duke, No. 9 Arizona and No. 11 LSU to get to the championship. They could not overcome Tennessee, though, which was on a mission to bring the title back to Knoxville. The Volunteers dominated in tournament play, outscoring their opponents by an average of 19.5 points per game.

Felix dominates, leads Mariners in shutout win over A's

Amid great expectations and an improved work ethic and focus, Felix Hernandez took the mound Monday night for his first opening day start as the Mariners took on the Oakland Athletics. When the game was over, it was clear that the slimmed-down Hernandez was not only new and improved, but also vastly more mature.

After the 4-0 win, Hernandez stepped to the podium with a line of eight scoreless innings pitched, three hits allowed, two walks and a career-high 12 strikeouts on 111 pitches. Wearing the ice wrap around his right elbow and shoulder, he exuded nothing but confidence in himself and his team. He spoke of nothing but happiness over his outing and pride about his new physical condition.

"I was throwing a lot of strikes today," said Hernandez, the youngest opening day starter since Dwight Gooden 22 years ago. "I was getting ahead real fast and I think that's the difference, that's the key. When you get ahead, you can use all your pitches. It was working today."

Shortstop Bobby Crosby had a rough night for the A's. In addition to going 0-3 at the plate with two K's, he made two errors, none more costly than his one in the sixth inning.

Instead of retiring the side and entering the seventh with the scoreboard still showing nothing but donuts, the inning was extended and the bases were loaded. Then, after Raul Ibanez hit a sacrifice fly giving the Mariners the first run of the game, Richie Sexson crushed a pitch over the center field wall, giving the Mariners all the cushion they needed to win.

Strong pitching performances shine on opening day

Ben Sheets, Gil Meche and Felix Hernandez all demonstrated stellar performances on the mound Monday, baseball's opening day. For the three pitchers — one overcoming an injury-plagued season, another grabbing what many thought was the most outrageous deal of the offseason ($55 million for 5 years), and the other becoming the youngest opening day starter in over two decades – the outings answered questions from all of their doubters.

Sheets started the day with a gem, throwing a complete game two-hitter in the Milwaukee Brewers' defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1. Sheets gave up an early home run to Jeff Kent, but then settled down, retiring 22 in a row after that. Sheets also became the first pitcher to throw a complete game on opening day, allowing two hits or fewer since Tom Glavine accomplished the feat 15 years ago.

Next came the Royals' new $55-million-man Meche, who was incredibly inconsistent throughout his career as a Mariner. Touted as the hope for the Royals and a shift in their prospects for the foreseeable future, Meche did not disappoint in his first start for a new team.

As the Royals took on the Red Sox, Meche proved superb. Battling through a shaky first inning, Meche settled down to throw seven 1-3 innings, giving up one run on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts. He walked off the field to a standing ovation as the Royals defeated the Red Sox 7-1.

Reach reporters Anthony Dion and Justin Chartrey at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.