WAC Axes Basketball Tournament Prelim

The Western Athletic Conference Council voted to eliminate the preliminary game of its postseason basketball tournament and will investigate the possibility of a permanent site for the event.

The decisions were made this week at the WAC’s annual spring meetings in Tucson, Ariz.

San Diego State has played in the WAC Tournament’s preliminary game--which matches the eighth- and ninth-seeded teams--the past three years. In the future, the ninth seed will not participate.

“I think it should have been eliminated,” SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg said. “Hopefully, we won’t have to deal with it (finishing ninth). It’s an extra game; it costs more money, more time away from school. There are a lot of reasons not to play that game.”

The council voted to continue the tournament beyond the 1992 event and will discuss moving it to a permanent location. This year’s men’s tournament was held in Laramie, Wyo.; the 1992 tournament will be held in Fort Collins.

SOFTBALL

San Diego State totals from two games in the Western Athletic Conference tournament: two runs against, zero runs for.

The Aztecs dropped their second 1-0 game and was dropped from the double-elimination tournament at Omaha, Neb. Creighton turned the trick Friday, scoring the game’s only run on two hits in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.

New Mexico had defeated SDSU on Thursday, getting one unearned run in the seventh.

Creighton’s Wendy Moon (two for four) had the game-winning hit, a double down the left-field line against Aztec starter Lisa Perettie (9-6), who allowed only four hits.

Catcher Sue Campbell was two for four for the Aztecs (26-20-1). Creighton is 35-24.

Earlier, Campbell, Perettie, first baseman Debbie Burford and outfielder Stephanie Chapel were named to the All-WAC first team.

No. 2 UC San Diego was eliminated from the NCAA III West Regional at Central College in Pella, Iowa. UCSD was defeated by Simpson College (Iowa), 6-1, and to Central College, 1-0, in the three team, double elimination tournament.

UCSD finishes the season, 21-22.

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WOMEN’S TENNIS

The last of Point Loma Nazarene’s players were eliminated in the fourth round of the District 3 Championships at PLNC. Third-seeded Monica Clancy lost to fifth-seeded Heidi Olding of Westmont, 7-6, 6-3, and in doubles third-seeded Sue Woodling and Kelly Massa lost to top-seeded Olding and Andi Sisel, 6-4, 6-1. In the third round of singles, seventh-seeded Massa lost to top-seeded Sisel, 6-1, 6-1.

With both a singles player and doubles team in the finals, Westmont has secured first place with 18 points. PLNC secured second with 12 points, followed by third-place Cal Lutheran with eight.

BASEBALL

Santa Clara scored six runs in the first inning to beat USD, 10-7, in a West Coast Conference game. Dave Pingree led USD (21-32-2, 11-22) by going three for five with a homer and three RBIs. Tony Moeder had two hits and an RBI. Santa Clara is 31-24, 18-16.