VIRGINIA BEACH Ed Lowery always thought Ocean Lakes High School had enough talent to have a top-notch boys track program. His problem was trying to get those athletes to compete for the team.

  BEACH DISTRICT TRACK AND FIELD MEET When Today and Thursday beginning at 3 p.m. each day Where Landstown High School, Virginia Beach

Lehigh Valley scored early and often Tuesday night, cruising to a 7-0 victory against visiting Norfolk in the first of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.

Western Branch beat Hickory 5-4 Tuesday to take a one-game lead in the Southeastern District with only today's game against King's Fork remaining.

BOYS SOCCER   Hickory 3, Western Branch 1   Jordan Griggs scored twice as the No. 8 Hawks upended the fifth-ranked  Bruins Tuesday and clinched their fifth straight Southeastern District regular-season title.

Boxscores and more highlights:   Baseball

#3 Western Branch 5, #2 Hickory 4 Western Branch 201 000 2 — 5 4 1 Hickory 040 000 0 — 4 8 1

   SOFTBALL

Churchland 4, Lake Taylor 3

The No. 10 Truckers (14-2, 14-0) capped an unbeaten run in Eastern District play Tuesday as Ashley Cornell struck out 14 in a six-hitter. Jessie Hall and Brittany Velazquez each contributed two hits.   Host Churchland meets Lake Taylor again Thursday in a 3:30 p.m. Eastern District tournament semifinal.  

The NBA and NCAA continue to pound square pegs into round holes. What you end up with are simmering - though hardly shocking - scandals such as the one implicat ing former Southern Cal basketball player O.J. Mayo.

SOFTBALL   Greenbrier 6, Covenant 0   Brittany Lane struck out 16 in her eighth no-hitter as the Gators advanced to a 6:30 p.m. Friday state Division II semifinal against Portsmouth Christian at Dumbarton Complex in Richmond.

The Gators (26-1) got three RBIs from Kayla Fussell and two hits and two runs scored from Robbin Kennedy.

Greenbrier Christian 6, Covenant School 0

David Ragan needed a little extra time, but he's showing that his sophomore year holds little resemblance to his rookie season. Ragan heads into Charlotte 12th in the points standings - something few would have predicted based on his performance last year.

CHESAPEAKE 

Western Branch coach Roland Wright has likened the Southeastern District baseball race to a heavyweight fight.

On Tuesday the Bruins hopped off the mat with the resilience of a cagey veteran in the ring.