quarterfinal

The English Football League has criticised the “undermining” of the Carabao Cup after it was forced to compromise on the date of Crystal Palace’s quarter-final because of fixture congestion.

Palace will now face Arsenal in the last eight at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, 23 December at 20:00 GMT.

The other three quarter-finals take place the previous week but the Eagles’ commitments in the Uefa Conference League – they host Finnish club KuPS at Selhurst Park on 18 December – has left them with four games in nine days.

Palace host Manchester City on 14 December and are away to Leeds on 21 December, either side of the KuPS game.

A statement from the EFL was critical of the “expansion of European cup competitions” which it believes was “implemented without adequate consultation with domestic leagues”.

The EFL said it had “shown a willingness to compromise” but scheduling conflicts are “now entirely unavoidable”.

“To continue making endless concessions only serves to undermine the reputation of the EFL Cup,” said the statement.

“It also challenges the traditional scheduling of the English football calendar and strength of our domestic game.”

Uefa’s European calendar now stretches across 10 midweeks, rather than the six of two seasons ago, with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League each given a standalone week for exposure.

It has caused a huge logistical headache, with the third round of the EFL Cup having to be seeded and played across two weeks to keep clubs in the Champions League and Europa League apart.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner said last week it would be “irresponsible” if the club were forced to play two games in three days.

The EFL said it shared the “frustration and concern” of managers and players concerning the congested programme which deprived clubs of the “necessary time for preparation” and ability to “field their strongest line-ups” in the EFL Cup.

The Premier League recently blamed the increased number of European fixtures for there being just one game on 26 December in the English top flight.

Boxing Day fixtures have been a long-standing tradition in English football but this year the only Premier League game will be Manchester United’s home match with Newcastle United (20:00 GMT).

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION I
#16 Venice at #1 Jefferson
#9 Roosevelt at #8 Carson
#12 Granada Hills Kennedy at #5 Franklin
#13 Sylmar at #4 Legacy
#14 GALA at #3 Birmingham
#11 El Camino Real at #6 King/Drew
#10 Cleveland at #7 Garfield
#15 Santee at #2 Bell

DIVISION II
#16 Dorsey at #1 Sun Valley Magnet
#9 South East at #8 Bernstein
#12 Angelou at #5 Sotomayor
#13 Mendez at #4 Stern
#14 Fremont at #3 San Fernando
#11 Huntington Park at #6 Lincoln
#10 North Hollywood at #7 Sherman Oaks CES
#15 Foshay at #2 Crenshaw

DIVISION III
#16 Hollywood at #1 South Gate
#9 Van Nuys at #8 Taft
#12 Monroe at #5 Orthopaedic
#13 Westchester at #4 New Designs University Park
#14 WISH Academy at #3 Hamilton
#11 Roybal at #6 Arleta
#10 Port of at #7 Chatsworth
#15 Marquez at #2 Hawkins

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION
#8 Verdugo Hills at #1 San Pedro
#5 Wilmington Banning at #4 Marshall
#6 Wilson at #3 Panorama
#7 Narbonne at #2 Eagle Rock

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-III) Nov. 7 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 12 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Sat., Nov. 15 at Garfield High.

World champion Luke Littler hit a sensational 152 checkout in the deciding leg of a thrilling World Grand Prix quarter-final against Gerwyn Price to reach the last four in Leicester.

That wonderful finish capped the 18-year-old’s fightback from two sets down against 2020 World Grand Prix winner Price, who missed three match darts at doubles in the fourth set.

Littler had seemed poised for victory in the final set before Price took out an incredible 156 finish to send the match into a sudden-death leg, in which the Welshman had the advantage of throwing first.

Both players struggled to find an opening double in the decider and neither scored heavily, until the English teenager’s moment of magic finished the match.

After Littler found double 16 to complete his memorable win, former world champion Price smiled and applauded from the back of the stage before the pair shared a warm embrace.

Scotland have not been able to lay so much as a glove on England since however.

Instead it has been one-way traffic, with the Red Roses juggernaut steaming through Scotland again and again.

England have played Scotland 34 times in total, and, apart from those two defeats from another millennia, have won every time.

In the past five meetings, the average points difference between the teams has stretched to nearly 50.

The Auld Enemy has become old news; a rivalry devoid of jeopardy, a bitter punchline delivered on repeat for the Scots.

Kennedy believes the current gap between the teams is due to three things; structure, investment and raw numbers.

“There are a lot more players in England, firstly,” she says.

“Secondly, it is the pathways for players to become internationals. England set them up early on. They were ahead of every nation in that, not just Scotland.

“England were a lot quicker off the mark with investing in both sevens and XVs, which then feeds into domestic rugby. You don’t just become an international player, you have to come though those clubs.”

Kennedy is hopeful that the Celtic Challenge, a cross-border club competition with teams from Scotland, Ireland and Wales that launched in 2023, can provide a proving ground to rival England’s PWR in time.

World player of the year Ellie Kildunne will miss England’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Scotland next weekend after sustaining a head injury in the Red Roses’ 47-7 win over Australia.

The England full-back was forced off in the second half of England’s Pool A win on Saturday and faces a mandatory minimum 12-day stand-down period after showing concussion symptoms.

The 25-year-old will also need a hitch-free recovery to be back available to England in time for a potential semi-final on Saturday, 20 September.

Obvious concussion symptoms, such as those shown by Kildunne, negate the need for a pitchside head injury assessment (HIA).

Players whose concussion is diagnosed via an HIA, who have no history of concussion and show no symptoms at a check 36 hours after their injury, can return to action in a minimum of seven days.

However, that route – which could have made Kildunne available for the Scotland match – is not open to the England star under World Rugby’s rules as she showed clear concussion symptoms after banging her head on the turf in a tackle.

While 12 days is her minimum stand-down period from matches, Kildunne can only begin her individual training on Thursday morning at the earliest, with a return to team sessions only possible after all her symptoms have cleared.

Players, on average, take longer than the minimum period to pass medical checks and become available for matches.

England’s path through the draw means their semi-final would be on 20 September – 14 days after Kildunne sustained her concussion.

World Rugby have added lights to players’ smart mouthguards at this tournament so they flash when a player is in a collision that exceeds a set level of force, in addition to the existing alert they send to doctors on the touchlines.

Kildunne headed down the tunnel after the incident, but returned to watch the remainder of the game from the bench, offering a smile and wave to the fans when she was shown on the big screen.

The Red Roses were also forced to replace starting prop Hannah Botterman, who had to leave the field due to back spasms in the first half.

“Ellie [Kildunne] will go through return-to-play protocols,” said England head coach John Mitchell.

“There is normally a 12-day stand down. She is fine. She’ll be frustrated because she had a difficult day at the office. She’ll get better.

“Hannah [Botterman’s] got a muscle spasm, so that will take its course.”

England will monitor Botterman over the next two days before making a decision over whether she restarts training with the rest of the the team on Tuesday.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft missed England’s pool-stage wins over Samoa and Australia with a knee injury, but was back in contact training earlier this week and is expected to be available to face Scotland on Sunday, 14 September at Ashton Gate, Bristol.

Holly Aitchison, who had been kept out of England’s first two games by an ankle injury, made her tournament debut off the bench in the win over the United States in a piece of good news for Mitchell.

Pegula arrived in New York in poor form, winning just two matches in her previous four tournaments and losing in the first week of a major four times in six appearances.

While she brushed away the cobwebs with routine wins over Mayar Sharif, Anna Blinkova, Victoria Azarenka and Ann Li, the quarter-finals presented a different challenge.

Pegula has previously struggled at this stage – last year’s run to the US Open final was her first success in the last eight of a Grand Slam singles draw after six defeats.

But Pegula was unruffled by her 1-6 record, capitalising on a slow start from Krejcikova to race into a 3-0 lead, including breaking to love in the second game.

She dominated the baseline exchanges, hitting deep groundstrokes to trap her opponent at the back of the court and regularly attacked the net to keep her opponent off balance.

Although Krejcikova pulled it back to 4-3, she was left to rue a poor serving performance, with a double fault at 40-30 opening the door for Pegula to break again in the eighth game and then close out the set.

Krejcikova’s serving struggles – winning just 28% of points on her second serve in the opener – continued and a pair of double faults at the start of the second set gifted Pegula an early break.

Pegula was not without her own service wobbles, throwing away a double break lead in the sixth game as Krejcikova sniffed another unlikely comeback.

But she maintained her composure and, a seventh double fault of the afternoon from Krejcikova brought up match point – which Pegula seized at the first attempt.

“I think I’ve been playing some really good tennis. I’ve been playing really solid and having good starts,” Pegula said.

“She had a couple of really good returns when I was serving at 4-1 and we all saw what she did against Taylor, so I’m happy that we’re done.”

Venus Williams had made it to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open women’s doubles competition five times. Each time, she was partnered with younger sister Serena Williams.

Venus Williams is back in the U.S. Open quarterfinals this year, for the first time since 2014, with new doubles partner Leylah Fernandez.

Williams’ retired sibling hasn’t made it to Flushing Meadows for any of this year’s action so far, but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion made a plea for that to change following her and Fernandez’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zhang Shuai and Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday.

“She’s so happy for Leylah and I, and she’s given us advice,” Williams said of her sister during an on-court interview. “We just need her in the box. So, my message is: Serena, you need to show up.”

Williams was responding to a question about a recent TikTok post by Serena in which the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is watching Williams and Fernandez on TV and rolling her eyes. Once she notices she is being filmed, however, Serena forces some humorously fake-looking smiles.

“When you see your sister @Venus Williams has a new doubles partner @leylahanniefernandez and you are really happy she’s winning with someone else…” the caption reads.

Venus Williams called the post “very funny.”

The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam titles (including the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2009) and three Olympic gold medals as doubles partners. While Serena hasn’t played since the 2022 U.S. Open, Venus returned to the court after a lengthy hiatus for July’s D.C. Open.

At that tournament, the 45-year-old Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match with a first-round victory over 23-year-old Peyton Stearns. Williams also won a first-round doubles match with 23-year-old partner Hailey Baptiste.

At the U.S. Open, Williams lost her first-round singles match to 29-year-old Karolina Muchova in three sets. But she and Fernandez, a 22-year-old Canadian who played in the 2021 U.S. Open singles final, have been on a roll. They have yet to drop a set in three rounds of play.

Williams told reporters that Serena has actually been very supportive.

“She’s definitely coaching from afar, and she’s so excited,” Williams said. “She gets so nervous watching, and she’s got the kids watching. They’re all at home, just really on our side.”

Williams also addressed her earlier request for her sister to “show up” for Tuesday’s quarterfinal match against the top-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.

“If she came, it would be a dream for both of us,” Williams said. “We’d have her on the court coaching. And we’d force her to hit, even though she doesn’t hit often.”

She added with a laugh,”So it’s probably best she doesn’t come because we’d just like, probably bully her.”

Canada: Julia Schell; Alysha Corrigan, Florence Symonds, Alexandra Tessier, Asia Hogan-Rochester; Taylor Perry, Justine Pelletier; McKinley Hunt, Emily Tuttosi, DaLeaka Menin, Sophie de Goede, Tyson Beukeboom, Caroline Crossley, Karen Paquin, Gabrielle Senft

Replacements: Gillian Boag, Brittany Kassil, Olivia DeMerchant, Courtney O’Donnell, Fabiola Forteza, Olivia Apps, Claire Gallagher, Shoshanah Seumanutafa.

Wales: Nel Metcalfe; Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, Carys Cox, Courtney Keight, Lisa Neumann; Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Maisie Davies, Molly Reardon, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Abbie Fleming, Gwen Crabb, Bryonie King, Bethan Lewis, Georgia Evans

Replacements: Kelsey Jones, Gwenllian Pyrs, Jenni Scoble, Tilly Vucaj, Branwen Metcalfe, Seren Lockwood, Kayleigh Powell, Kerin Lake.

A Luis Suarez brace against the Tigres was enough for Miami to overcome Messi’s injury and progress to semifinal.

Luis Suarez scored twice on penalty kicks and Inter Miami overcame Lionel Messi’s absence to beat the Tigres UANL from Mexico 2-1 in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal.

After leading his team to victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy, Messi did not train ahead of the Wednesday night game.

“We all go off what Messi is feeling. Today, [coach] Javier [Mascherano] spoke with him, and he wasn’t feeling the best. We preferred to not risk him, and take a step back,” Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales told reporters after the game.

Suarez converted his first penalty after Jordi Alba’s cross hit the arm of sliding Tigres defender Javier Aquino.

Angel Correa scored for the Tigres in the 67th minute, slicing through the defence for the equaliser.

Then, the ball once again hit Aquino’s arm in the box, and Suarez scored the match-winner from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

A late header from the Tigres’ Edgar Lopez ricocheted off both posts.

Mascherano was given a red card before the second half began. The Inter Miami coach was seen talking on the phone during the live television broadcast and giving instructions after being sent off, which is prohibited per Leagues Cup rules.

“We were complaining about the time. They said four minutes [off added time], and we ended up playing like six,” Morales said.

“I didn’t see what was going on. To be honest, a lot of things happened on the bench,” Morales said when asked about Mascherano giving instructions by phone.

Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba left early in the second half after hurting his lower leg in a collision late in the first.

“We don’t have the medical report yet, but from what I understand, he took a hit to the knee.”

Miami booked a semifinal Leagues Cup clash with Florida rivals Orlando City, who beat the Liga MX champions Toluca FC 6-5 on penalties after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Carson, California.

Both finalists and the third-place match winner of the tournament will qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, with the Leagues Cup champion securing direct entry to the Champions Cup round of 16.

Flavio Cobolli, one of tennis’ most exciting prospects, reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a hard-fought victory over veteran Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.

In his most difficult challenge of this year’s tournament, Cobolli was pushed hard in a 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) win to set up a potential meeting with his idol Novak Djokovic.

The Italian 22nd seed has impressed with his shot variety and entertaining style during his SW19 run.

The 23-year-old was composed against Cilic, a former Wimbledon finalist and the 2014 US Open champion, but dropped his first set of the competition in an absorbing encounter.

After a breakthrough 2024, when he rose from outside the world’s top 100 to the top 30, Cobolli is now enjoying his best Grand Slam performance, having previously never gone beyond the third round.

His victory kicks off what could be a historic day for Italy, with Cobolli, Lorenzo Sonego and Jannik Sinner all featuring in the last 16.

Should they all win, it would be the first time three Italian men have reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.

Sonego faces American 10th seed Ben Shelton while Sinner takes on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov later on Monday.

Chelsea became the first English side to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following a 4-1 win after extra time against the 10-man Benfica in North Carolina.

Reece James scored the opening goal of the game in the 64th minute on Saturday, with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing.

Angel Di Maria levelled the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time from the penalty spot after a soft handball decision against Malo Gusto.

Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall restored and sealed Chelsea’s advantage in extra time to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Palmeiras.

The result was the least the Blues deserved after dominating the match from start to finish.

The end was heavily delayed, however, when the players were removed from the field of play at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte by the referee due to a nearby lightning storm.

The delay was nearly two hours in length, despite only four minutes remaining of the match when the players left the field. Chelsea’s players were visibly annoyed by the decision to halt the game so close to the full-time whistle, and with victory in sight.

Unusually high temperatures for the time of year contributed to the inclement conditions. Both the cause and the effect are a concern ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup also being staged by the United States next summer.

It is the sixth time a Club World Cup match has been halted due to bad weather.

Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or thunder heard.

The Blues dominated the possession and the chances, the best of which in the first half fell to Marc Cucurella whose curling effort from just inside the box was headed off the line by by Benfica’s Antonio Silva at the back post, with the keeper well beaten.

Cole Palmer drew the finest save from Benfica’s Ukrainian keeper, Anatoliy Trubin, when he was slipped into the box and powered a shot at the near post.

Trubin was left red-faced by the moment of magic from James to win the match as the wide player drilled his effort in at the near post, with the keeper seemingly more concerned about a potential cross.

Benfica’s leveller – after the lightning delay – came after Gusto left his arms flailing in the air and, although soft, the Video Assistant Referee had little choice but to call the referee to review the decision. Di Maria coolly slotted home the resulting kick, despite the stormy conditions that surrounded the stadium.

The comeback from Benfica, after the heavy delay to the match, was merely a further annoyance to Chelsea, whose job was made all the easier by a second yellow shown to Gianluca Prestianni.

The Benfica forward was booked during the celebrations for his side’s equaliser and was then shown a second yellow for a late tackle after only two minutes of extra time.

Palmeiras first to book CWC quarterfinal spot

Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time earlier on Saturday to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo.

Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil’s national team, dribbled through the defence with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John’s net.

Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but could not get a goal.

The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attacking play, with a combined 35 shot attempts. Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez was given a red card.

Gomez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack.

The 33,657 fans in attendance helped set the tone for the match with incessant cheering, bringing the flavour of a South American game to the United States.

“Coach has been saying this since the start of the season that we have a dream and dreaming costs nothing,” Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs said after.

“We follow that dream, one game after another. Always thinking about the present, about the next game… We’re very happy, we’re pleased to have qualified, and as I said, we have to keep dreaming.”

Where to begin? It’s got to be the second game on Sunday as defending champions Armagh face Kerry in a repeat of last year’s semi-final.

That game required extra-time and nerves of steel, but the Orchardmen got there by two points on their way to claiming the big prize. As a result, Kerry will have revenge on their minds.

The Kingdom had 10 points to spare when they grabbed the league points in Tralee back in March, but both teams will have a different look on Sunday as success will only be measured for the year by the end of July.

Armagh may have came up short on Ulster final day for a third year running, but they bounced back in the All-Ireland group stage with wins over Derry and Dublin to see them through to the last eight with a game to spare and even in defeat to Galway two weeks ago, there were plusses despite Barry McCambridge and Paddy Burns called ashore early on after picking up knocks.

Kerry also lost the last of their group games, stunned by Meath in Tullamore, but unlike Armagh, this came with repercussions as they were forced into second and therefore had to return to action last week when they swatted Cavan aside with David Clifford netting a hat-trick of goals.

His form is central to Kerry hopes and Jack O’Connor will have been delighted to get Paudie Clifford back on the field, but they did lose Mike Breen and Diarmuid O’Connor prior to throw-in to add to their injury woes.

It came down to fine margins last year and it will undoubtedly be the same this time around with Kerry ravenous for an ambush, while Armagh is not ready to relinquish their title yet.

Donegal have said that it is “most regrettable” and “very disappointing” that their request to play their All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan on Sunday was denied.

Jim McGuinness’ side face Monaghan on Saturday in the first of the double-header of last eight ties at Croke Park that day with throw-in set for 16:00 BST before Tyrone face Dublin in the later game.

Meath take on Galway whilst holders Armagh face Kerry on Sunday at the same venue.

This is despite Donegal requesting a Sunday fixture to have an extra day’s recovery as the last eight tie will be a ninth Championship match in the space of 12 weeks for the county.

It is schedule that McGuinness admitted after their preliminary quarter-final win against Louth on Sunday, was “gruelling”.

In a statement from the county board, Donegal were critical of the decision to deny their request.

“No other county has played as many matches as Donegal in this year’s Championship. To compound the physical and mental demands, those eight games have been played within an 11-week window,” the statement said.

“Match number nine comes this Saturday less than 12 weeks after playing Derry in the Ulster Championship preliminary round on 6 April.

“On that basis, we thought it wholly reasonable and full justified to seek an extra day recovery time for our players this weekend,” the statement continued.

“Donegal concludes that it is most regrettable and very disappointing that our request has been turned down. We feel the welfare of our players was not adequately considered in the decision-making process.”

Fearnley has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last 12 months, rising from outside the top 500 to now sitting at 60th in the world.

This was just his sixth tour-level match on grass but it did not look like it as he played some brilliant tennis at times that Moutet had no answer for.

The British number two came back from 0-40 down in his first service game of the match before immediately breaking Moutet to take control of the opener.

It looked like a straightforward afternoon for Fearnley as Moutet grew increasingly irked but the Frenchman regained his composure to dominate the second set, the momentum swinging after three double faults by the Scot in his first service game.

However, Fearnley found an extra level in an excellent third set and Moutet had no answer to his big hitting, with his frustrations boiling over as he received a time violation after arguing with the umpire.

But Fearnley kept his composure well to serve out victory and join compatriot and British number one Jack Draper in the last eight.

Bulls: Le Roux, Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk, Johannes, Papier, Wessels, J Grobbelaar, W. Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Nortje, Hanekom.

Replacements: Van der Merwe, Matanzima, M. Smith, Kirsten, Van Staden, Z Burger, Gans, Williams.

Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, M Currie, Lang, Paterson, Thompson, Price, Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Skinner, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Sebastian, McConnell, Muncaster, McAlpine, Healy, Bennett.

Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw have been ruled out of Leinster’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Scarlets at Aviva Stadium on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Leinster said prop Furlong is unavailable after picking up a “minor calf injury” while centre Henshaw has sustained a knee injury which could keep him out for four weeks.

In more positive news, Jordan Larmour is in contention to feature after being sidelined for five months with a hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old wing, who has 32 Ireland caps, has been restricted to just five appearances this season, the last of which came against Munster on 27 December.

Furlong has also endured an injury-plagued campaign. The 32-year-old has only managed eight appearances for Leinster while calf and hamstring issues restricted him to just one substitute appearance in Ireland’s Six Nations campaign.

Despite his lack of game time, he was named in Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad last month.

Furlong started all three Tests in the 2017 and 2021 Lions series in New Zealand and South Africa.

Leinster are top seeds in the URC play-offs after finishing the regular season top of the standings, but fell to a shock 35-22 loss to Scarlets in Llanelli last month.

Leave it up to Seth Hernandez of top-seeded Corona High to find a way to impress the many pro baseball scouts attending Tuesday’s Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener with not just his arm but his bat.

He hit two three-run home runs to help Corona defeat Los Osos 11-2. Corona trailed 2-0 into the third inning until the Panthers started going deep. First was a home run by Jesiah Andrade. Then Hernandez started sending balls over the fence. He also struck out 10 and walked one in six innings.

Seth Hernandez of Corona celebrates his second three-run home run.

(Nick Koza)

Corona advances to play Big VIII rival Norco in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Norco 4, Laguna Beach 2: Dylan Seward had three hits and four RBIs while Landon Hovermale threw a complete game.

Crespi 5, El Dorado 2: The Celts rallied for four runs in the sixth inning. Diego Velazquez had a two-run double. Jackson Eisenhauer threw a complete game, striking out seven. Crespi will play Mira Costa in the quarterfinals.

Mira Costa 5, Arcadia 4: An RBI double by Joaquin Scholer in the fifth inning broke a 4-4 tie. He finished with two doubles.

Los Alamitos 8, Orange Lutheran 0: Tyler Smith drove in four runs and three pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout to eliminate the Lancers. Los Alamitos will play Santa Margarita on Friday.

Santa Margarita 6, Huntington Beach 5: Chase Marlow singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning to give the Eagles an upset over Sunset League champion Huntington Beach. Brennan Bauer struck out four in 4 1/3 innings of relief.

Villa Park 8, Aquinas 2: Jake Nobles struck out five with no walks over five innings and Val Lopez had three hits and two RBIs. Villa Park will play St. John Bosco on Friday.

St. John Bosco 5, Vista Murrieta 4: Noah Everly had three hits and two RBIs while Miles Clark homered for the Braves, who rallied with a three-run sixth inning.

West Ranch 12, Crean Lutheran 0: Mikey Murr and Matt Castellon combined on a no-hitter in Division 2.

Sultana 6, Loyola 5: The Cubs dropped the Division 2 game on an error in the ninth inning.

Servite 12, Anaheim Canyon 1: Tomas Cernius hit a three-run home run and Michael Cabral had four RBIs. Servite will play Etiwanda in the Division 2 quarterfinals.

Etiwanda 6, Gahr 1: Angel Mejia finished with four RBIs and Nico Hamilton threw six innings for the Eagles.

Torrance 3, Oaks Christian 2: Mateo Rickman hit a three-run home run to power Torrance, which will face Fountain Valley on Friday.

Fountain Valley 7, Trabuco Hills 0: Josh Grack threw the shutout and also contributed two RBIs.

Foothill 3, San Clemente 2: Ezekiel Vargas and Aidan Colburn each had two hits for Foothill, which plays Mater Dei on Friday.

Mater Dei 6, Simi Valley 4: The Monarchs eliminated second-seeded Simi Valley by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning. Brady Guth hit a three-run home run.