The Tybee Island Community Pool held its first annual Lucky Ducky Derby Saturday on the grounds of the Tybee Island Lighthouse.

Click here to view a Spotted® gallery of the derby

More than a thousand ducks were adopted. Proceeds benefit the Tybee Island Community Pool, which is a non-profit that aims to open a year-round pool on the island.

Click 'Play' to watch video from the event

Lane Vacala was a bit off in her first two events Saturday at the YMCA National Gymnastics Championship. But the 11-year-old from Islands YMCA put those performances behind her and finished with a flourish.

Vacala started her day slowly, competing in the finals of the Level 8 competition at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center. She scored an 8.475 on the bars and had an 8.2 on the balance beam, scores much lower than she had earlier in the week.

But the St. Andrew’s School student showed remarkable poise the rest of the day.

She had a spring in her step during her floor routine, bouncing through her runs with precision and earning a score of 9.40 from the judges.

Then came her final event, the vault, during which gymnasts have two attempts. She did well on her first try but took one step backward on her landing.

She came flying down the runway for her second attempt, hit the vault and flipped into the air for a one-and-a-half somersault, sticking the landing like an Olympian.

Vacala beamed and coach Amanda Turner delivered a high-10 and a hug as the crowd erupted in cheers. Vacala scored a 9.425 and moved up into a tie for 13th place among all age divisions in Level 8.

“That’s one of the best vaults I’ve ever had,” Vacala said. “It’s all about practice, practice, practice. I stayed tight off the vault table. I started out rough today. The nerves got to me, but I think I covered up for it in the last two events. You have to remember it’s over and done with, and you just have to focus on the next event.

“I’m pretty happy with it. You have to remember that this is just for fun,” she said.

Turner was happy with how Vacala fought back to finish strongly.

“She is very mature for her age,” Turner said. “She has learned to deal with things, talk to herself and get back in her routine. She wanted to go out with a bang, and she got it done.”

It was the last of three days of gymastics as Savannah hosted the championship event for the fourth time, and the first time since 2003. Gymnastics coaches, their athletes and families seemed to be in agreement that the Hostess City was the perfect place for the championships.

Lisa Pratt is the director of the Hanover Gymnastics team based in Pennsylvania. Her squad won its fourth consecutive YMCA national crown Saturday. She brought 53 gymnasts — and some of their families had a block of 23 rooms at the Hilton Garden and Inn, while others found other accommodations throughout Savannah.

Elizabeth Growden and Selena Swanger finished first and second, respectively, in the senior championship division Saturday competing for Hanover.

“We love it here. The downtown area is so beautiful and everyone really enjoyed River Street,” Pratt said. “Everyone has been very welcoming in town, and the opening ceremonies in Forsyth Park were really nice. The competition was excellent. It’s a great event for gymnastics.”

Carol Tanrath, director of host team Islands YMCA, was excited about how the week went.

“I’m honestly sad that it’s over,” Tanrath said. “It’s been a roller coaster ride, but I think we achieved all our goals and then some. The Islands team represented the city of Savannah well. People can see that we are a program on the rise.

“And it’s been great to see everyone in the community — from businesses to sponsors and volunteers — rally around the event to make it so special.”

ATLANTA — People like to say the Atlanta Braves live and die by the home run.

Jason Heyward says that’s not always the case, and he offered Saturday’s eighth inning as proof.

“We did a good job getting pitches to hit. We had some sac flies, we had some guys running the bases well, we had some guys drawing some walks,” Heyward said. “When you’re able to do things like that and put it all together, you have a lot of opportunities to win the game.”

Heyward hit a tying RBI double and Andrelton Simmons scored the go-ahead run on the same play in a seven-run eighth inning that gave the Braves an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Braves rallied for their 23rd comeback victory, tops in the National League. Atlanta has won two straight and four of five to lead Washington by 6½ games in the NL East.

The Diamondbacks have lost four of five.

Braves starter Tim Hudson extended his winless streak to 10 straight starts, allowing five hits, four runs and four walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

David Hernandez (4-5) retired the first batter he faced in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Reed Johnson and Simmons were both hit by a pitch before Heyward doubled to left field.

Johnson scored from second on the double.

But third base coach Brian Snitker signaled for Simmons to stop on the bag as Jason Kubel was throwing to cutoff man Eric Chavez at third.

When Kubel’s throw bounced wide left of Chavez, Simmons was able to score easily to give the Braves a 6-5 lead.

“I was bluffing at first just to force a throw (from Kubel) and maybe make him start getting ready to throw home, too,” Simmons said. “When I saw the ball went away from the third baseman, I noticed there was nobody in the space. The catcher was all the way back there, so I didn’t think they were going to beat me to home plate.”

After a single by Justin Upton chased Hernandez, Tony Sipp allowed Brian McCann’s two-run single and Dan Uggla’s RBI double, before B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly RBI to make it 10-5.

Chris Johnson added an RBI single off J.J. Putz for an 11-5 lead.

Hernandez allowed two hits and four runs with no walks or strikeouts in one-third of an inning.

“We didn’t deserve to win the game,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “We walked five in an inning without a hit and only gave up two runs. Then we gave them seven walks, three hit batsmen, made an error. Just melted down. Didn’t play good at all. It’s frustrating. It’s disappointing for sure.”

The Diamondbacks took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth on Miguel Montero’s fifth homer, a solo shot, off Jordan Walden. Walden (3-1) earned the win despite allowing three hits and one run with no walks and one strikeout in one inning.

Arizona scored its first four runs on an RBI double by Montero, Kubel’s RBI single in the fourth and A.J. Pollock’s two-run homer in the sixth.

Hudson was chased when Pollock’s sixth homer scored Kubel in the sixth to tie it at 4-all.

“I wish I’d have had an opportunity at a decision to get one more out, but the important thing is we won the ballgame,” Hudson said. “We ended up having really nice inning in the eighth there. That’s all that matters.”

Arizona’s rotation extended its winless streak to 21 games after Ian Kennedy gave up five hits, four runs, four walks and struck out four in 4 1/3 innings.

Kennedy fell behind 2-0 in the third when Justin Upton singled and scored on Freddie Freeman’s eighth homer.

Hudson, who began the game with a 16.88 ERA with runners in scoring position, labored in the 27-pitch fourth as Arizona tied it at 2-all.

But the Braves took advantage of Kennedy’s control problems in the fifth, scoring two runs without getting a hit and by putting just one ball, B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly RBI, in play.

Kennedy walked three of the first four batters he faced, getting chased on his free pass to Brian McCann.

Will Harris, the next Arizona pitcher, walked the first batter he faced, Uggla, to score Heyward. Upton’s sacrifice fly scored Freeman to make it 4-2.

Kennedy was making his first appearance since serving a 10-game suspension imposed following a brawl between the Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 11.

Making his seventh straight start on the road, Kennedy dropped to 1-4 with a 6.28 ERA in 10 starts away from Phoenix.

Notes

Chavez went 1 for 5 with five runners left on base in his first game since May 30. Chavez was returning from a strained right oblique. ... Putz was activated from disabled list before the game. The Arizona closer had been sidelined since May 7 with a strained right elbow. ... The teams combined to use 13 pitchers.

Two exchange gunfire; woman shot in home

A woman was taken to the hospital Saturday evening after she was struck by a bullet while in her home.

At least two suspects exchanged gunfire near the intersection of E. 30th and Cedar Streets about 8:20 p.m., said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.

A bullet from the exchange pierced a home in the area, striking the woman, Miller said.

Her injuries were not life-threatening.

Police are investigating the incident. Miller said there was no additional information immediately available.

No one knows what the future holds, especially when it comes to young pitchers.

However, based on the last two nights, the future at Turner Field looks bright.

For the second straight night, the Rome Braves, the Class A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, turned loose a young pitcher on the Savannah Sand Gnats and got excellent results.

Lucas Sims, a 19-year-old right-hander who was a first-round draft pick out of Snellville’s Brookwood High School in 2012, threw a six-inning one-hitter and then saw his bullpen close out the game in a 6-2 win Saturday night at Grayson Stadium before a turnout of 2,309.

The game actually was closer than the final score indicated. The Braves didn’t put it out of reach until the ninth when they got three runs off Gnats reliever Wanel Mesa in an ugly inning.

Mesa came on in relief of starter Steven Matz, who turned in an outstanding performance but trailed 3-2 when he left after eight innings.

In the ninth, Mesa came unraveled as he gave up two hits, walked three, had a throwing error and uncorked a wild pitch to give Rome all it needed to win its first game in the four-game series which concludes this afternoon at 2:05.

Slumping Brandon Nimmo had the only hit Sims allowed. The left-handed-hitting Nimmo, who is in the throes of a 3-for-34 skid, was jammed badly but muscled the ball into short left as the Gnats got off to a 2-0 start.

However, after the first inning, Sims was in command — though he did uncharacteristically walk four batters. Sims had walked only seven in 35 1/3 innings going into the game.

The Gnats finished with two hits but did not get the second until Cole Frenzel, who drove in a run in the first with a sacrifice fly, singled with one out in the ninth.

“I’m going after hitters more,” said Sims, now 3-3. “I’m being more effective with my pitches, making them swing. My catcher called a good game, and the defense backed me up.

“Things have been going pretty well for me lately,” Sims said. “I try to pick up something each start and learn from my mistakes.”

Sims said he felt he took a step backward Saturday night with the four walks, but added, “I can’t complain ... the bullpen did a great job. We got good support.”

Relievers Alex Wilson and Shae Simmons, both also in their second year of professional baseball, held the Sand Gnats in check while the Braves managed to push across a run in the second and two in the sixth to grab the lead before breaking it open in the ninth.

Veteran Braves manager Randy Ingle liked what he saw out of the trio he sent to the mound.

“Sims is getting better and better every outing,” Ingle said. “He’s got above-average stuff and great makeup. He’s got an idea (on how he wants to pitch). His control is not bad at all.”

Sims’ performance came on the heels of a seven-inning scoreless outing on Friday night by teammate Mauricio Cabrera, another 19-year-old with a live arm. Cabrera throws in the mid to upper 90s.

Wilson pitched two scoreless, hitless innings while striking out two, and then Simmons closed it out in the ninth. He struck out two while giving up Frenzel’s single.

“Wilson has a good arm and he can throw it 91-92,” Ingle said. “Simmons throws it 95-97 and hit 99 last week. He’s absolutely fearless which is what you need in that guy that’s out there in the ninth.”

Sims was replaced by Wilson after he walked the first two batters in the seventh. Reynolds sacrificed, but Wilson got the next two men on infield grounders with the runners not being able to advance.

While the Braves pitchers did an outstanding job, Matz, who dropped to 2-4, had every right to be equally proud of his performance.

The Braves scored in the second and then got the go-ahead runs in the sixth as former Georgia Tech standout Kyle Wren doubled in a run, and then scored on Tyler Tewell’s sacrifice fly to center.

Wren, called up from Danville of the Rookie-level Appalachian League at the start of this series, is now 5 for 11 with three doubles in the three games.

Rome ab r h bi Savannah ab r h bi

Wren cf 4 1 1 1 Zurcher 2b 3 1 0 0

Pereza ss 2 1 1 0 Nimmo cf 3 1 1 0

Tewell c 3 0 0 1 Johnson rf 4 0 0 0 Kalnksky 1b 4 2 2 1 Sabol lf 4 0 0 0

Marte rf 4 0 1 1 Frenzel 1b 2 0 1 1

Meneses lf 4 0 0 0 Pina dh 3 0 0 0

Luna 3b 3 1 1 0 Rynolds 3b 2 0 0 0

Heffley 2b 4 0 0 0 Evans ss 3 0 0 0

Totals 31 6 6 4 Totals 27 2 2 1

Rome 010 002 003 —6

Savannah 200 000 000 —2

E—Peraza, Evans, Mesa. LOB—Rome 3, Savannah 5. DP—Rome, Savannah 2. 2B—Wren, Luna. SB—Wren. SAC—Reynolds. SF—Tewell, Frenzel.

ROME IP H R ER BB SO

Sims W,3-3 6 1 2 1 4 5

Wilson 2 0 0 0 0 2

Simmons 1 0 0 0 0 2

SAVANNAH IP H R ER BB SO

Matz L,2-4 8 4 3 2 1 5

Mesa 1 2 3 2 3 1

WP—Matz, Mesa. HBP—Reynolds (by Sims). T—2:16. A—2,309.

On my first visit to Zunzi’s 2, I was struck by the comfort of the interior.

Sure, the restaurant had been open for less than 24 hours when I dropped by, and the staff was still getting used to things.

But it seemed obvious that the second location had captured the welcoming spirit of the original – the bustling hole-in-the-wall at 108 East York St.

Zunzi’s 2 is just a few blocks away at 9 Drayton St. in the space last occupied by Isaac’s. Before that, the historic building was the original location of Churchill’s Pub, which is thriving on Bay Street.

Click here to view Spotted® photos from the grand openings of Zunzi's 2

The building was obviously home to a variety of businesses before that, including a private boxing club. The space still has the bar that was used for decades in Grand Central Station before being shipped to Savannah more than a century ago.

With limited seating alongside the adjacent parking lot, the original Zunzi’s is largely limited to daytime hours and a takeout concept.

But those limitations didn’t keep owners Gabby and Johnny DeBeer from garnering national attention last year when their Conquistador sandwich was a finalist on the Travel Channel’s “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America.”

Zunzi’s 2 opens for weekend lunches but won’t open until 4 p.m. on weekdays, which will minimize the competition with the original location. Plus the new spot features table service and a full bar.

For this new venture, Gabby and Johnny have been joined by co-owner Ben Bowne, who showed me around the new space.

“Everything is pretty much reclaimed,” Bowne said as he pointed out the use of wood from an old farmhouse, chairs purchased from another restaurant and booths made by Southern Pine Company from salvaged material.

Some entering the building for the first time might not even know about the upstairs deck, but it’s a relaxing spot – freshly
painted and planted – with a great view of the dome of City Hall.

When we got back to the bar area, Bowne noted the vibrant works by artist Chris Maddox: “We’re trying to make it a gallery space.”

And there’s music. Johnny DeBeer and Bowne will be playing regular early-evening sets, and other acts will appear as well. Zunzi’s 2 has a hybrid license, so at 11 p.m. the restaurant will convert to more of a bar atmosphere with a small dance floor.

The menu will be pretty much the same as the original location. I’m sure that’s a welcome relief to the Zunzi’s lovers out there, especially those who have limited chances to eat there during the day.

For more information and updates on performances, check out the Zunzi’s 2 page on Facebook.

Dining local at 22 Square

I also had dinner last week at 22 Square in the Andaz Savannah hotel on Ellis Square.

When a friend suggested we give it a try, I didn’t even immediately recognize the restaurant’s name. 22 Square just doesn’t seem to get mentioned as often as other fine downtown establishments.

Part of the problem might be the simple fact that the restaurant seems secondary to the hotel itself.

Unlike 45 Bistro at The Marshall House, there’s no separate entrance to the restaurant from the street. A significant marketing campaign and live entertainment have lured locals to the Aqua Star at the Westin, but there has been no big promotional effort to get folks to 22 Square.

So we had the dining room pretty much to ourselves on a stormy evening last week.

Which was just fine.

The street-level windows look toward the bustling public space of Ellis Square. It’s a great spot from which to admire the square’s diverse architecture.

The simple ambiance of the dining room seems a good fit for the menu, which relies on locally sourced ingredients.

We started with a platter of fresh and pickled vegetables from Walker Organic Farms in Sylvania ($7). Served with hummus and a deviled egg, the starter was practically a meal in itself.

I followed that with a rich and interesting entrée of crispy pork from up the road in Brooklet, pumpkin ravioli and Brussels sprout leaves ($17).

22 Square’s drink menu struck me as a little pricy, but I’d go back in a heartbeat for the food. The breakfast menu looks tempting too.

There’s a larger story here of the farm-to-table movement, which has gained steam in recent years with the promotion of fresh, locally sourced ingredients. It’s a trend we’ve been mentioning off and on for years here at City Talk.

And it sure is good to see so many of Georgia’s growers and farmers increasingly acknowledged on restaurant menus.

22 Square opens for dinner at 5 p.m. every night of the week.

City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.

Dozens of community members gathered in a Savannah park Saturday to commemorate the official end of slavery in America.

The Daughters of Mary Magdalene held its annual day-long Juneteenth event in the 38th Street Park to recognize the importance of slavery’s official fall on June 19, 1865, the day Texas, the last state to abolish slavery, emancipated its slaves, said Marilyn Jackson, chairwoman for the Savannah chapter of the group.

“Juneteenth is the day we all became free,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the Daughters of Mary Magdalene “aims to bring awareness to historical education and political issues in our community.”

“We are an awareness group and we want to bring awareness to the people and educate the youth. We want to give everyone a free education in Juneteenth 101,” Jackson said.

The group on Saturday recognized six honorees in the community and provided prayer, entertainment and food for those who attended.

Georgia transportation officials are restricting road construction during the Fourth of July holiday period to make travel easier.

The state Department of Transportation says the construction-related lane closures will be restricted from noon Wednesday through 5 a.m. July 8.

The department is still urging travelers to be cautious because heavy holiday traffic is expected statewide. Some crews may still be working near highways, meaning some long-term lane closures will need to remain in place for safety reasons.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

WASHINGTON — The Fourth of July won't have a patriotic boom in the sky over some military bases because budget cuts and furloughed workers also mean furloughed fireworks.

Independence Day celebrations have been canceled at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and at the Army's Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina. The annual July Fourth celebration also has been scrapped at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga.

The reason is money — namely the lack of it.

The failure in Washington to follow up a 2011 budget pact with additional spending cuts meant $85 billion across-the-board cuts that began in March. Budgets tightened, the military took a major hit and many federal workers absorbed pay cuts through forced furloughs.

When the decision was made to forgo fireworks at Camp Lejeune, the commanding general, Brig. Gen. Thomas Gorry, said the cancellation would "ensure that we can mitigate the fiscal challenges we are currently facing."

Last year's Independence Day at the base cost about $100,000, including $25,000 for the fireworks. The big issue is paying the overtime to personnel for security, transportation, logistics and safety. Base officials said they couldn't justify paying overtime when federal workers are losing pay while furloughed.

Brandy Rhoad Stowe says the fireworks at Camp Lejeune always were spectacular, and she said that she and her kids, ages 3 and 9, will miss them this year.

"I know fireworks might seem silly to other people," Stowe said in an interview. "But what is the Fourth of July without fireworks?"

Her husband is a master gunnery sergeant with seven combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

Stowe says she understands the budgets cuts but still feels a little shortchanged.

"It's just a bummer for the kids," she said. "It's like the Grinch stealing Christmas."

Marines and their families at Lejeune will instead be able to participate in some free activities — golf, bowling, skeet shooting, archery and movies.

Other bases that are canceling ceremonies to mark the nation's birthday:

—Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, where the annual Jammin' July 4th put on by the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw and local city and county officials has been scrapped. The base plans a smaller "freedom bash" on July 3 with pool games, face painting and bouncy castles.

—The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, which is scaling back by canceling the fireworks and instead hosting a daytime celebration featuring the Pacific Fleet Band and the Air Force Band of the Pacific.

SPARTA, Ky. — Matt Kenseth’s fuel-only pit stop gamble helped him beat Jimmie Johnson late and win Sunday’s rescheduled 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

A race that was Johnson’s to lose ultimately became Kenseth’s series-high fourth victory of the season after crew chief Jason Ratcliff passed on putting new tires on the No. 20 Toyota following the race’s ninth caution.

“I thought he was slightly crazy when that happened,” said Kenseth, who widened his lead when the field went four-wide after the restart on lap 246 and saw Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy spin from second place on a dominant day he led three times for 182 of 267 laps.

“I didn’t think there was any way that we were going to hold on for that win. He made the right call at the right time and those guys got it done.”

Kenseth led twice for 38 laps, including the final 23. Johnson, the five-time champion and current series points leader, finished ninth and leads Carl Edwards by 38. The restart bothered Johnson, who accused Kenseth of breaking the pace car speed. But he took solace in salvaging his 11th top-10 despite between sandwiched in the logjam that could have been worse.

“We were kind of in an awkward situation in that restart there,” he said. “We were like three- and four-wide going in the corner, then something happened with the air and just kind of turned me around. Unfortunate, but at least we rallied back for a good finish.”

Second was Jamie McMurray in a Chevy, followed by Clint Bowyer (Toyota), Joey Logano (Ford) and Kyle Busch (Toyota).

Rain on Saturday forced NASCAR officials to postpone the race to a daytime start.

The event was red-flagged for 18 minutes following a seven-car wreck involving defending race and Sprint Cup winner Brad Keselowski, who returned to finish 33rd. It was the biggest incident of 10 cautions for 42 laps, but things were clean after Johnson brought out the final yellow flag.

The checkered flag crowned Kentucky’s third different champion in as many events though Kenseth, like Johnson, was due for a breakthrough on the 1.5-mile oval.

He finished seventh here last year and sixth in the 2011 inaugural race. However, victory didn’t seem likely for the 2003 Cup champion after qualifying 16th and running outside the top 20 during the first quarter of the event.

“I thought our first run, we were all right and I guess probably after the second run, we were able to move forward pretty good,” Kenseth said. “I felt pretty good about what we had. I thought we need to get it better.”

From then on, the first-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver was a perennial top-five contender. Trouble was, he and other hopefuls seemed to need Johnson to suffer misfortune to have any shot of catching him. The way he was running, that appeared unlikely.

Turns out, Kenseth needed to rely on the left-side tires Ratcliff ordered the previous stop. Taking fuel only the final time allowed him to gain the lead coming off pit road, and the rubber held up on the rough, bumpy track, both on the restart and through the final laps.

Ratcliff was shocked that more teams didn’t follow suit with that strategy.

“I felt like more guys would make that call, and so I thought it was worth a shot to get out there,” the crew chief said. “When we rolled off pit road and saw what everybody did, I looked to the guy beside me and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe we are the only ones that did that.’ ”

The decision led to a surprising late turn of events, and the tense finish in which McMurray and Bowyer took turns trying to chase down Kenseth provided a nice makeup after Saturday night’s washout.

In a season of struggles, McMurray was just happy with his first top-five.

“Every week it’s been something,” he said, “so it’s nice to have some good luck.”

Bowyer remained third in points and gave Michael Waltrip Racing its second straight top-two run following teammate Martin Truex’s road win last week in Sonoma, Calif.

Fast eight

Kenseth’s victory, meanwhile, typified a weekend where a number of drivers were projected to win at Kentucky.

Friday’s pole qualifying generated enough excitement for the series’ third visit, with eight drivers breaking Johnson’s year-old track record of 181.818 mph. The group included the five-time champion, who shattered his own mark at 183.144 mph before Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 183.636 mph speed in the No. 88 Chevy snatched the record and the pole, leaving Johnson to settle for the third spot.

Earnhardt’s objective was ending a 37-race drought and improving his seventh-place points standing coming in. Earnhardt succeeded with the latter, finishing 12th to gain a spot with nine races remaining in NASCAR’s regular season.

Johnson eventually picked up where he left off in practice and qualifying, becoming the story on Sunday with the best car after several early lead changes.

The biggest incident came on lap 49 when Kurt Busch spun out Keselowski near turn 1, triggering an accident that red-flagged the race. Greg Biffle slammed into Keselowski, lifting his car off the asphalt and leaving both Fords mangled.

Somehow, both returned to finish 33rd and 34th, respectively.

But at the time of the wreck Johnson had already taken his first lead of the race and appeared headed to a walkover victory before Ratcliff’s risk resulted in Kenseth’s reward.

ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman loved watching Jason Heyward slide hard into second base to break up a double play in the third inning.

Without Heyward’s hustle and Justin Upton’s beating the throw to first base, Freeman wouldn’t have had a chance to hit a three-run homer.

“It’s a testament to what they do,” Freeman said. “They never give up. Even it’s an eight-run (lead), they’re running hard.”

Freeman, Dan Uggla and Brian McCann homered, powering the Atlanta Braves past the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 on Sunday for a three-game sweep in a matchup of division leaders.

Paul Maholm (9-6) gave up two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Braves, who improved to a big league-best 28-11 at home.

Trevor Cahill (3-10) allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings as the NL West-leading Diamondbacks lost for the fifth time in six games. Cahill is 0-6 with a 7.91 ERA in eight starts since a May 17 win at Miami.

“Trevor, he couldn’t even find half of the plate,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “He made 104 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. That’s more of the same. We’ve got to try to get him straightened around.”

Arizona has gone 22 straight games without a win from its rotation, the longest streak in the majors since San Diego went 25 in a row from April 17-May 14, 2009, according to STATS.

“This whole series, we were way behind all these guys” Gibson said. “We didn’t really throw good, quality strike ones, and they pounded those. They got ahead in the counts and they did a much better job than we did. Again, they just outplayed us.”

The first of Paul Goldschmidt’s two run-scoring, double-play grounders put Arizona ahead in the first, but McCann tied the score in the second with an opposite-field homer that bounced off the top of the wall in left-center.

Freeman’s three-run homer made it 4-1 in the third, and Uggla added a two-run drive in the fifth, his 14th home run of the season, for a 6-1 lead.

Atlanta scored 13 runs from the eighth inning of Saturday’s win through the fifth on Sunday. Uggla said the offense wanted even more.

“You can’t ever pick and choose when you’re going to score runs,” Uggla said. “You’ve got to grind out at-bats. You’ve got to battle and have some timely hitting, so you’ve got to ride the wave when it comes.”

Maholm labored in the seventh, giving up consecutive singles to Cody Ross and Gerardo Parra and a one-out walk to Cliff Pennington. Maholm struck out pinch-hitter Jason Kubel, and Anthony Varvaro relieved and retired A.J. Pollock on a flyout.

Kubel began the game with a .417 average in 12 career at-bats against Maholm.

“He’s done well against me, and it’s probably my last hitter,” Maholm said. “I just tried to mix it up and dropped my arm angle on two of the pitches, but it’s left-on-left and I have all the confidence in getting a guy out.”

Notes

Freeman homered in consecutive games for the second time this season and first since May 30-31 against Toronto and Washington. ... Cahill had not allowed three homers since Oakland’s 10-2 loss at Toronto on April 30, 2010. ... Goldschmidt, who leads the NL with 67 RBIs, went 1 for 9 and stranded four runners in the series. ... The Braves improved to 8-1-4 in home series. ... Maholm beat the Diamondbacks in his second straight start after going 0-3 in his first six career starts against them. ... Arizona RHP Tony Hill pitched a scoreless seventh and has not allowed a run in 11 straight road appearances. ... Atlanta is 34-6 when outhitting opponents. ... RHP David Carpenter pitched the last two innings for the Braves. ... LHP Tony Sipp pitched the eighth for Arizona. ... The Braves are off today and begin a three-game home series against Miami on Tuesday. Arizona opens a four-game series today at the New York Mets.

Police have charged a Savannah man with murder and aggravated assault following a fatal shooting on the city’s southside early Sunday morning.

Homicide detectives charged 46-year-old Ruiz Suchiapa Venturino of Queen Ann Court with the crimes after officers saw him driving to the area where 54-year-old Marco Cruz had been shot, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.

Cruz, of the 100 block of Tibet Avenue, died after being taken by an acquaintance to St. Joseph’s Hospital with gunshot wounds about 3:13 a.m.

Miller said the shooting on Queen Ann Court was reported to have followed a confrontation between the two men.

Detectives are still investigating the shooting, and police did not release any further information Sunday.

Cruz’s death is the 14th homicide investigated by metro police this year.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward. A confidential tip line is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124.

Cole Frenzel believes if as a hitter you can put the ball in play, more times than not, something good will happen.

That’s exactly what Frenzel did Sunday afternoon at Grayson Stadium, and indeed something good happened for Frenzel and the Savannah Sand Gnats as they rallied to beat the Rome Braves 2-1 in 10 innings on Frenzel’s two-out, bases-loaded single.

With many in the crowd of 1,394 long gone after a brief rain shower in the sixth inning followed by thunder in the distance, the Gnats overcame a 1-0 deficit to get their third win in the four-game series.

Savannah’s seven game homestand will continue tonight as 7:05 as the Gnats take on the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads in the first of a three-game set.

For the third straight game, starting pitching dominated.

However, unlike Saturday night when the Braves’ bullpen closed the door to help snap a three-game Savannah winning streak, the Gnats got clutch hits to even their second-half record at 5-5.

Rome starter Wes Parsons turned in his best performance of the Class A South Atlantic League season as he gave up only three hits and struck out a career high nine in six innings.

Parsons departed with a 1-0 lead thanks to Chase Anselment’s first homer of the season, a high drive which easily cleared the right-field wall.

The Gnats tied it in the seventh when Brandon Nimmo singled, stole second and came home on Kyle Johnson’s single.

After Savannah starter Luis Cessa left with two outs in the sixth, relievers Paul Sewald and Beck Wheeler gave up only one hit in 2 1/3 innings to set the stage for Frenzel’s extra-inning heroics.

Cessa gave the Gnats a quality start, allowing seven hits — three in the seventh as he nearly matched Parsons pitch for pitch.

Prior to Anselment’s homer, the defensive play of the game was turned in by Savannah right fielder Eudy Pina, who threw a perfect strike to second base to nail Rome’s Carlos Franco, who was trying to stretch a single into a double. Anselment homered on the next pitch.

It was the second time this season Frenzel had won a game on Sunday in the Gnats’ last at-bat. His single in the bottom of the ninth on April 28 gave the Gnats a 3-2 win over West Virginia.

“It feels good to get a win, and feels great to get a walkoff hit,” said Frenzel, who, up until his game-winning hit, had experienced a frustrating day at the plate, having struck out four times.

“I don’t think I’ve ever struck out four times, certainly not five,” Frenzel said. “Their pitchers really threw well. But our hitters got better as the game went on and made adjustments.”

The Gnats had only three hits through the first six innings but finished the game with 11. They had 16 hits in the opener, and then came five-hit and two-hit nights before Sunday’s comeback win.

Phillips Evans got the 10th started with a leadoff single against loser Jeff Jadofsky (4-3), and after Yucary De La Cruz popped up on an attempted sacrifice bunt, Brandon Nimmo got a bloop single to left and Kyle Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Things looked grim for the Gnats when Stefan Sabol struck out, but then Frenzel hit a slow chopper to short, and Evans scooted home with the winning run.

Scouting reports at the South Atlantic League level are sketchy, but Frenzel said he had an idea of what Scoggins might show him.

“We get some information,” Frenzel said. “Our hitting coach (Joel Fuentes) does a great job of telling us what to look for. You get a chance to see a starter a couple of times. It’s a little tougher with relievers.

“I knew (Scoggins) had a good slider,” Frenzel said. “You see what you see and adjust. I just threw the bat out and put it in play.”

While the Gnats had 11 hits, they also struck out 14 times and left 10 runners on base.

Nimmo suffered through a horrible June. The center fielder entered the game hitting only .215 for the month but ended the game and the month on a positive note as he had three straight singles.

A No. 1 draft pick two years ago, Nimmo has struggled since going on the disabled list in April with a thumb injury.

However, he set up the first run of the game with a solid one-out single, stole second and used his speed to easily score on Johnson’s single.

Nimmo also had four putouts, including going to the warning track to pull in Felix Marte’s fly ball for the final out of the game.

Rome ab r h bi Savannah ab r h bi

Wren cf 4 0 1 0 DLCrz 2-3b 4 0 0 0

Pereza ss 4 0 2 0 Nimmo cf 5 1 3 0

Klekoky dh 4 0 0 0 Johnson lf 3 0 1 1 Snchez 1b 4 0 0 0 Sabol dh 4 0 0 0

Edmdsn lf 4 0 1 0 Frnzl 3-1b 5 0 1 1

Frnco 3b 4 0 1 0 Zapata 1b 4 0 2 0

Anslmnt c 4 1 1 1 Pron pr 0 0 0 0

Grcia 2b 3 0 2 0 Zurcher 2b 0 0 0 0

Cordero c 4 0 1 0

Evans ss 4 1 1 0

Totals 35 1 8 1 Totals 37 2 11 2

Rome 000 000 103 0 —1

Savannah 000 000 010 1 —2

E—None. LOB—Rome 5, Savannah 10. DP—Rome 1, Savannah 1. 2B—Edmondson, Garcia, Pina. HR—Anselment (1). SB—Nimmo.

ROME IP H R ER BB SO

Parsons 6 3 0 0 1 9

Scoggin BS,1 2 5 1 1 0 4

Jadofsky L,4-3 1.2 3 1 1 0 1

SAVANNAH IP H R ER BB SO

Cessa 6 2/3 7 1 1 1 3

Sewald 2 1/3 1 0 0 0 3

Wheeler W, 1-4 1 0 0 0 0 1

HBP—De La Cruz (by Parsons), Johnson 2 (by Parsons), (by Jadofsky.

T—2:45. A—1,394.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Police south of Atlanta are investigating a shootout that began after a family set up a meeting to sell an iPhone 5 with someone they met through Facebook.

WSB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/18qjALP) that a mother, her son and his girlfriend arranged to meet a prospective buyer at a QuikTrip in Jonesboro.

Police said that while the son and his girlfriend were in the store early Monday morning, three men got into the mother's car and demanded the phone, money and her car keys at gunpoint.

When the woman's son approached, one of the suspects flashed a gun and tried to drive off. Police said the son fired 15 rounds at the men's black Dodge Charger. No one was injured.

Officers apprehended three suspects. Few details about them were immediately available.

___

Information from: WSB-TV, http://www.wsbtv.com/index.html

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

YARNELL, Ariz. (AP) — The 19 firefighters killed Sunday in Arizona were part of an elite crew known for working on the front lines of region's worst fires, including two this season that came before the team descended on the erratic fire that claimed their lives.

Click here to view a slideshow of photos.

All but one member of the Prescott-based Hotshot crew died in what was the deadliest wildfire for firefighters in the U.S. in decades.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the 19, whose names had not been released, were a part of the city's fire department.

Before the fire near Yarnell, the group — one of 13 Arizona Hotshot crews — had been profiled in local media last year as they prepared for the fire season and this year as they took on a blaze near Prescott earlier this month.

"The Hot Shots may be fighting the fire with fire," Prescott firefighter and spokesman Wade Ward told the Prescott Daily Courier in an interview last week (http://bit.ly/10tLAsZ). "They may be removing the fuels from the fire, or building a containment line that might be a trigger point for farther down the line."

He told the newspaper members of Hotshot crews are highly trained and work long hours in extreme conditions as they carry out the most demanding of tasks. When the deadly blaze near Yarnell erupted Friday, it came amid a severe heat wave that gripped much of the West. It grew out of control as it was fanned by gusty, hot winds Sunday.

"By the time they got there, it was moving very quickly," Fraijo told The Associated Press of Sunday's fire.

Hotshot crews — there are more than 100 in the U.S. — often hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities.

The Prescott-based crew last year had four rookies on its 22-member squad, according to a Cronkite News Service report that profiled the group (http://bit.ly/Id3Ca8).

State forestry spokesman Art Morrison told the AP that the firefighters were forced to deploy their emergency fire shelters — tent-like structures meant to shield firefighters from flames and heat — when they were caught in the fire.

The Cronkite News Service had featured the group in its story practicing such deployment in a worst-case scenario drill.

"One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective — kinda looks like a foil type — fire-resistant material — with the desire, the hope at least, is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it," Fraijo said Sunday.

"Under certain conditions there's usually only sometimes a 50 percent chance that they survive," he said. "It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions."

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. 19 IN ELITE FIREFIGHTING UNIT KILLED BATTLING ARIZONA BLAZE

The "hot shot" firefighters were brought into the central Arizona town of Yarnell to protect residents from a fire that destroyed 200 homes.

2. PROTESTERS STORM HEADQUARTERS OF MORSI GROUP

They ransacked the Cairo headquarters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood as protesters geared up for a second day of rallies aimed at forcing the president from power.

3. WHO'S LEVELING NEW SURVEILLANCE ACCUSATIONS

Key allies are threatening sanctions against the U.S. over a report of covert listening devices installed in European Union offices.

4. KERRY LEAVES MIDEAST TO MEND FENCES WITH CHINA, RUSSIA

He arrived in Brunei today for a regional security conference, where he is likely to talk to both nations' ministers about NSA leaker Eric Snowden.

5. SAN FRANCISCO TRANSIT WORKERS STRIKE

Two of the area's rapid transit unions are walking out today, derailing more than 400,000 riders who use the nation's fifth-largest rail system.

6. TWO U.S. PRESIDENTS IN AFRICA

Obama finishes his African tour in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where former president George W. Bush is attending a conference.

7. DEADLY FALL AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

A 31-year-old French performer was being hoisted up the side of the stage when she plummeted to an open pit during the "Ka" show in Las Vegas.

8. RECREATING PIVOTAL CIVIL WAR BATTLE

History buffs playing Union and Confederate soldiers shook hands near a stone wall after re-enacting the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

9. LOST LIMB RETURNED AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS

An American doctor flew into Vietnam to return the bones of an arm he amputated from a soldier in 1966.

10. WILD PERFORMANCES AT BET AWARDS

Erykah Badu brought a white poodle onstage for her act, and Charlie Wilson jammed with Justin Timberlake. No one won the top video of the year award.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Fourth of July won't have a patriotic boom in the sky over some military bases because budget cuts and furloughed workers also mean furloughed fireworks.

Independence Day celebrations have been canceled at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and at the Army's Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina. The annual July Fourth celebration also has been scrapped at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga.

The reason is money — namely the lack of it.

The failure in Washington to follow up a 2011 budget pact with additional spending cuts meant $85 billion across-the-board cuts that began in March. Budgets tightened, the military took a major hit and many federal workers absorbed pay cuts through forced furloughs.

When the decision was made to forgo fireworks at Camp Lejeune, the commanding general, Brig. Gen. Thomas Gorry, said the cancellation would "ensure that we can mitigate the fiscal challenges we are currently facing."

Last year's Independence Day at the base cost about $100,000, including $25,000 for the fireworks. The big issue is paying the overtime to personnel for security, transportation, logistics and safety. Base officials said they couldn't justify paying overtime when federal workers are losing pay while furloughed.

Brandy Rhoad Stowe says the fireworks at Camp Lejeune always were spectacular, and she said that she and her kids, ages 3 and 9, will miss them this year.

"I know fireworks might seem silly to other people," Stowe said in an interview. "But what is the Fourth of July without fireworks?"

Her husband is a master gunnery sergeant with seven combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

Stowe says she understands the budgets cuts but still feels a little shortchanged.

"It's just a bummer for the kids," she said. "It's like the Grinch stealing Christmas."

Marines and their families at Lejeune will instead be able to participate in some free activities — golf, bowling, skeet shooting, archery and movies.

Other bases that are canceling ceremonies to mark the nation's birthday:

—Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, where the annual Jammin' July 4th put on by the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw and local city and county officials has been scrapped. The base plans a smaller "freedom bash" on July 3 with pool games, face painting and bouncy castles.

—The Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, which is scaling back by canceling the fireworks and instead hosting a daytime celebration featuring the Pacific Fleet Band and the Air Force Band of the Pacific.

—New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have fallen 7.6 cents a gallon in the past week to $3.28 a gallon on  Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has fallen 5.7 cents a gallon in the last week to $3.50, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com. 

Prices Sunday were 24.1 cents a gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 4.8 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 13.6 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 12.9 cents higher than a year ago. 

"After an impressive surge abated several weeks ago, we're seeing gasoline prices decline nicely," said GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan. "South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, New Mexico, Virginia, Indiana and Michigan all have at least one station statewide under $3.

"The national average is likely to continue its decline this week as retail prices catch up to the decrease in wholesale gasoline prices."