etel Marte (mononucleosis) played catch in Seattle in his first baseball activity since he was placed on the DL last Wednesday. Servais said Marte is still regaining his strength after losing eight pounds

LOS ANGELES -- Pacific kept it close in the first half against the No. 9 UCLA women.Then the Bruins clamped down defensively in the third quarter when they shot 68 percent on their way to an 82-55 season-opening victory Friday night.Monique Billings had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordin Canada just missed a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Bruins. Oklahoma transfer Nicole Kornet had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Kennedy Burke added 10 points.The good news is we sort of had a maturity about we have to grind this out, UCLA coach Cori Close said. If youre going to have a bad shooting night, you have to rely on your defense.UCLA forced 16 steals and blocked 12 shots, led by Billings with five.Desire Finnie led Pacific with 17 points and GeAnna Luaulu-Summers added 14 points, making all six of her free throws. She had five of the Tigers 26 turnovers, which led to 25 points by the Bruins. They had 21 turnovers.It was frustrating, Luaulu-Summers said. We couldnt get a bucket. Our turnovers really killed us.UCLA rallied to take a 38-32 lead at halftime after starting the game 8 of 23 from the floor.The Tigers got to 42-38 early in the third on a 3-pointer by Jessica Blakeslee.Thats when UCLA took over. The Bruins shot 68 percent from the floor and outscored the Tigers 33-12 in the period.We got punched in the mouth and it was time for us to punch back, Billings said.She and Canada had six points each in a 28-6 run that closed the third. The Bruins defense stepped up, too, limiting the Tigers to 29 percent shooting while getting nine stops in a row.They did a good job of rebounding the ball and we got a little bit undisciplined with what we were doing, Tigers coach Bradley Davis said. They did turn it on there in the third.It was the second blowout of a Tigers team in the same night. Earlier, the No. 16 UCLA men routed Pacific 119-80 in their season opener.BIG PICTUREPacific: Last season, the Tigers opponents averaged 18.2 points in the third quarter. The Bruins upped that number considerably.UCLA: It was the Bruins 400th home victory in program history. Theyve recorded 363 at Pauley Pavilion and 37 in the John R. Wooden Center. Close needs one win to reach 100 starting her sixth season.SECRET WEAPONBurke played in all 35 games last season as a freshman, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds.She did a little bit of everything against the Tigers, hitting a 3-pointer, making 3 of 4 free throws, getting two rebounds and three assists.We used to call her the secret weapon, Billings said. She comes in and brings so much energy and a spark.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Bruins are starting the season with their highest ranking since they were sixth to begin the 1999 season.UP NEXTPacific: Host UC Merced on Sunday.UCLA: Visit second-ranked Baylor on Monday in an early season showdown.Jim Cleamons Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Cedric Henderson Jersey .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. https://www.cheapcavaliers.com/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Ante Zizic Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Alfonzo McKinnie Jersey . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.PITTSBURGH -- The strained right calf that sidelined Felix Hernandez for a third of the season is healed. That doesnt mean the ace is all better, and he knows it.It will take time for the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner to regain his form, yet theres a grit that he showed in Seattles 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night that offered proof to Mariners manager Scott Servais that Hernandez is on his way back.Hernandez picked up his first victory since May 21 despite getting touched for four runs over the first two innings, including a 416-foot homer by pitcher Francisco Liriano. Though Hernandez (5-4) never retired the Pirates in order, he found a way to get through six innings while giving his teammates enough time to get going at the plate.Were certainly looking for crisper, sharper stuff than what he showed early in the game, Servais said. To his credit, he hung in there. He gave us a chance, kept it right there, and then our offense was the story.Kyle Seagers three hits for Seattle included his 20th home run, and Franklin Gutierrez added his 10th off Liriano (6-10) as the Mariners began a rare trip to Pittsburgh by overcoming a three-run deficit and holding on late.The Pirates brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but failed to get even one man across the plate. Seattles only perfect inning came in the ninth, when Steve Cishek picked up his 24th save.Gregory Polanco collected four hits, including his 13th homer, but Pittsburgh left nine men on base and went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.I liked the game plan throughout the game, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. We pushed him every inning. We were able to score but he kept us off the board late.Hernandez spent nearly two months on the disabled list and hardly looked like his dominant self while slogging through 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox last Wednesday.It looked like more of the same early. Polancos shot to center field just cleared the wall in the first. Starling Marte drilled an RBI triple off the wall in right and Jung Ho Kang added a run-scoring groundout to stake Liriano to a quick 3-0 lead.When Liriano sent a Hernandez offering into the bushes beyond center in the second, the Pirates appeared to be in command with a 4-1 advantage.I didnt have good mechanics, Hernandez said. I was missinng a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate.dddddddddddd . Thats what you get when youve been out for a long time. Ive got to have better mechanics.But Hernandez eventually settled down and his teammates went after Liriano, who was dogged by control issues again. He threw nearly as many balls (34) as strikes (38) while walking four. The pitches he did get around the plate were often hammered. Gutierrez homered leading off the third and Seager tied it at 4 four batters later.An RBI double by Shawn OMalley and a run-scoring single by Robinson Cano helped chase Liriano in the fourth. An RBI groundout by Nelson Cruz against Jared Hughes gave the Mariners a three-run lead they would not surrender.BULLPEN HELPThe Mariners got some help for their bullpen after the game, acquiring right-hander Drew Storen and cash considerations from Toronto for pitcher Joaquin Benoit. Storen was designated for assignment by Toronto on Sunday after going 1/3 with three saves and a 6.21 ERA in 38 relief appearances.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (right foot tendinitis) will pitch a simulated game Wednesday in Pittsburgh. It will be the first time he has faced hitters since going on the disabled list July 6. ... SS Ketel Marte (mononucleosis) played catch in Seattle in his first baseball activity since he was placed on the DL last Wednesday. Servais said Marte is still regaining his strength after losing eight pounds.Pirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (facial fractures) will pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday in Gwinnett. Vogelsong, out since May 28 after taking a pitch to the face while batting against Colorado on May 23, left his last start with Indianapolis due to neck stiffness. ... The Pirates have yet to make a decision on who will start on Friday night in Milwaukee in place of injured RHP Tyler Glasnow (shoulder fatigue).UP NEXTMariners: James Paxton (3-4, 4.18 ERA) will try to back up perhaps his strongest start of the season on Wednesday. Paxton held Toronto to one run in seven innings last Saturday.Pirates: Gerrit Cole (5-6, 2.99 ERA) will try for his first win since May 26. Cole is 0-3 with a 3.96 ERA in his last five starts, which are sandwiched around a stint on the disabled list with a strained right triceps. ' ' '