UCI makes hit count

The UC Irvine baseball team was no-hit for nine innings Friday, but,

thanks to some outstanding pitching of its own, hung around long

enough to earn a 1-0 victory in the 10th inning against nonconference

visitor Dallas Baptist.

Dallas Baptist junior right-hander Stuart Sutherland walked only

one and struck out five in holding the hosts without a hit through

nine innings. He threw 99 pitches.

But UCI junior starter Chris Nicoll was up to the challenge,

matching zeroes for nine three-hit innings of his own. Nicoll struck

out a career-high 13 without issuing a walk, before exiting, having

thrown 126 pitches.

The Patriots’ first hit was a two-out double in the sixth.

After UCI reliever Steve Schroer pitched a scoreless 10th,

freshman designated hitter Bryan Petersen singled with the bases

loaded an no outs to drive in pinch-runner Gary Dudrey with the

game-winner.

Mark Wagner opened the inning by reaching on an error and the

visitors elected to intentionally walk Tim Stewart and Erik Johnson

to load the bases.

Schroer earned his first victory in three decisions as UCI

improved to 8-6.

Dallas Baptist is fell to 7-7.

Nicoll, who faced two more than the minimum through nine, lowered

his ERA to 1.95 and has 35 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings this spring.

Sutherland entered the game having surrendered 16 hits in 10

innings. He was 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 appearances, including one

start. Opponents were hitting .348 against him before Friday.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 1,

Dallas Baptist 0

Score by Innings

*--*

DB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1

UCI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 1 0

*--*

Sutherland, Sparks (10) and Thornton; Nicoll, Schroer and Wagner.

W -- Schroer, 1-2. L -- Sparks, 0-1. 2B -- Thornton (DB).

Vanguard goes to 10-0

* TENNIS: Amy Brown and Olivia Amstad each earned 6-0, 6-0 singles

victories as the Vanguard University women’s tennis team improved to

10-0 overall this season with its second straight shutout, a 9-0 win

over Biola in a Golden State Athletic conference match Friday.

Jenny Elder, Alena Votavova and Olga Hlushchanka also won in

straight sets to clinch the win for Lions (10-0, 8-0 in the GSAC),

who remain atop the conference standings.

Hlushchanka and Brown, along with Amstad and Votavova, each

tallied 8-1 doubles victories for the Lions, ranked second in the

NAIA.

OCC women cruising

* TRACK AND FIELD: Ludi Valdez and Aabria Lipscomb each won a pair

of events to lead the Orange Coast women to a 111-33 win over

visiting Saddleback while the Gaucho men edged the Pirates, 78-66,

Friday afternoon in Orange Empire Conference competition.

Valdez posted an easy win in the 1,500 in 4:54.4 to lead a Coast

sweep of the nine available points. Jewel Butler (5:02.1) and Gaby

Santana (5:06.1) rounded out the top three for the Pirates (4-0).

Valdez also took top honors in the 400 hurdles, crossing the line in

1:11.69.

Lipscomb was on the front end of two Coast sweeps, winning both

the shot put (36 feet, 5 inches) and the discus (115-7). Caitlin

Parker took second and third, respectively, in the two events while

Jenny Thompson took third in the shot and Chelsea Metcalf was second

in the discus.

Thompson and Metcalf had solo victories of their own in their

specialty events. Thompson captured the pole vault, clearing 10 feet

and Metcalf tossed 103-10 in the javelin.

The Gauchos claimed 12 of the 17 events on the men’s side. Former

Estancia High standout Humberto Rojas led the way for Coast with wins

in both the 800 (1:59.66) and 1,500 (4:05.28). Kyle Peterson (pole

vault), Jason Valenzuela (3,000) and Chris Burbach (javelin) also

posted victories for the Pirates (2-2).

The Orange Coast track teams return to action March 11 at the Ben

Brown invitational at Cal State Fullerton.

UCI’s Bentzer shines

TENNIS: UC Irvine senior Anna Bentzer won in singles and doubles,

but visiting Long Beach State claimed a 5-2 Big West Conference

women’s tennis victory Friday.

Bentzer was UCI’s lone singles winner and teamed with Inna

Agababian to post one of the Anteaters’ three doubles wins.

UCI fell to 4-6 while Long Beach State is now 5-4.

VU’s Shaw advances

* TRACK AND FIELD: Vanguard University senior Brandon Shaw

qualified for the finals of the 800 meters and also helped the Lions

distance medley relay advance out of the semifinals Friday at the

40th annual NAIA indoor track and field national championships at

Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tenn.

Shaw’s time of 1 minute, 54.6 seconds in the 800 earned him a

second-place finish in his heat. He has the fifth-fastest time among

the eight finalists and needs a top-six finish to earn All-American

laurels.

The distance medley quartet qualified with a time of 10:06.94,

including Shaw’s 1,200-meter leadoff leg (3:04.3). Zach Powell, a

Costa Mesa High product, then covered 400 meters in 52.0. Ryan Allen

went 1:57.5 in the 800 leg, before Matt Meyer finished with a time of

4:13.1 in the 1,600.

The Vanguard women’s distance medley relay team, including

Estancia High product Liz Huipe, Debby Chop, Christol McDonald and

Jenny Thune, failed to advance from Friday’s semifinals with a time

of 12:31.22.

Sailors win opener

* BASEBALL: The Newport Harbor High baseball team amassed 15 hits

in a 7-2 Newport Elks tournament pool play victory over host Rancho

Alamitos in the season opener for both teams Friday.

Senior Patrick Keehan pitched five strong innings, yielding just

three hits and no earned runs, to get the victory and was also 2 for

4 with two runs scored.

Senior catcher Jeff Sanchez was 3 for 3 with a double, two RBIs

and two runs, while senior Taylor Young was 3 for 4 with two runs and

one RBI for the winners.

Kyle Kastner was 2 for 2 with two RBIs for the Tars, who are

scheduled to continue pool play action today at 2 p.m. against

visiting Estancia.

Newport Elks tournament

Pool play

Newport Harbor 7,

Rancho Alamitos 2

Score by Innings

*--*

NH 2 0 2 0 3 0 0 - 7 15 3

RA 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 4 4

*--*

Keehan, Thompson (6), Gowdy (7) and Sanchez; Peevey and Marquez. W

-- Keehan 1-0. L -- Peevey. 2B -- Sanchez (NH), Bacon (RA).

CdM sweeps Cougars

* VOLLEYBALL: Corona del Mar High’s boys volleyball team swept

host Capistrano Valley, 25-12, 25-14, 25-21, in a nonleague match

Friday.

Senior Kevin Welch had a match-high 11 kills, along with four aces

and four blocks to lead the Sea Kings (2-0).

Sophomore Adam Smith added five kills while senior Grant Almquist

had 19 assists from the setter position.

CdM plays host to Woodbridge at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Lions win third straight

* BASEBALL: Brent Erickson allowed three runs on 10 hits in seven innings while striking out four to help the visiting Vanguard

University baseball team win its third straight with a 12-3 Golden

State Athletic Conference victory over The Master’s College Friday.

Isaac Salazar led the Lions (8-8, 4-3 in the GSAC), who scored

four runs each in the fifth and ninth innings, with three hits in

five at-bats while Todd Merz finished 2 for 5 with a double, three

RBIs and two runs scored.

Robert Klein allowed one hit in two scoreless innings of relief to

preserve Erickson’s first victory this season.

Luke Iverson homered and finished 2 for 6 with two RBIs for the

winners.

Daniel Flores, Zane Jensen and Tim Murphy each had two hits for

The Master’s (7-5, 3-4).

Golden State

Athletic Conference

Vanguard 12,

The Master’s 3

Score by Innings

*--*

VU 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 4 - 12 13 0

TM 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 11 3

*--*

Erickson, Klein (8) and Westerfield; Peters, Crane (6), Stone (9)

and Franco. W -- Erickson, 1-0. L -- Peters, 2-1. 2B -- Merz 2 (VU),

Seston (TMC), Jaime 2 (TMC), Franco (TMC), Murphy (TMC). HR --

Iverson (VU).

Ramblers handle UCI

* VOLLEYBALL: The UC Irvine men’s volleyball team was defeated,

30-25, 31-29, 26-30, 31-26, by Loyola of Chicago in the first round

of the UC San Diego tournament Friday in La Jolla.

Jayson Jablonsky had 19 kills and Matt Webber added 18 for the

Anteaters, who received 58 assists from sophomore setter Brian

Thornton.

Chris Kozlarek (18 kills) led four Loyola hitters in double

figures.

UCI (6-14), which has now lost five straight, continues in the

tournament tonight at 5 against Penn State.

Moore paces Dons

* SOFTBALL: Newport Harbor High product Kim Moore earned the

pitching victory to lead Santa Ana College to an 11-2 Orange Empire

Conference softball win over visiting Orange Coast Friday.

Moore, 1-0 for the Dons (6-6, 3-2 in conference), struck out two

and did not walk a batter in a game called after five innings due to

the mercy rule.

Shortstop Heather Walker went 2 for 3 to lead the Pirates (1-12,

0-5).

Orange Empire Conference

Santa Ana 11, Orange Coast 2

Score by Innings

*--*

OCC 1 0 0 0 1 - 2 7 3

SA 7 2 1 1 x - 11 13 2

*--*

Van Moorleghem and Dallaire; Moore and Zobac. W -- Moore, 1-0. L

-- Van Moorleghem, 0-5. 2B -- Wilt (SA), Marchegiano (SA). HR --

Marchegiano (SA).

Fassari blazes in back

* SWIMMING: The Estancia High boys swim team lost its season

opener, 101-59, to visiting Orange Lutheran Friday.

Newport Harbor High transfer Andrew Fassari won the 100-yard

backstroke and was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team with

freshman Jeff Crosson and juniors Chad Kunert and Devon Mellin.

Fassari’s winning time of 1:01.68 in the 100 back is CIF

consideration.

Estancia will open up Golden West League Wednesday at 3 p.m. at

Orange.

Nonleague

BOYS

Orange Lutheran 101,

Estancia 59

200 medley relay -- 1. Orange Lutheran, 1:51.87.

200 free -- 1. Edwards (OL), 1:56.23; 2. Mellin (Est), 2:10.22; 3.

MacLian (Est), 2:49.93.

200 IM -- 1. Kunert (Est), 2:23.09; 2. Worster (OL), 2:30.09; 3.

Garcia (OL), 2:44.86.

50 free -- 1. Martin (OL), 22.69; 2. Essen (Est) 29.74; 3. Zimmer

(OL) 30.80.

100 fly -- 1. Edwards (OL) 1:00.04; 2. Crosson (Est) 1:27.86; 3.

Kao (Est) 1:24.22.

100 free -- 1. Martin (OL) 51.35; 2. Fassari (Est) 52.66; 3.

Zimmerman (OL) 1:16.14.

500 free -- 1. Kunert (Est) 5:25.38; 2. Mellin (Est) 6:07.07; 3.

Gjersvold (OL) 6:23.17.

200 free relay -- 1. Orange Lutheran, 1:41.53.

100 back -- 1. Fassari (Est) 1:01.68; 2. Worster (OL) 1:04.91; 3.

Crosson (Est) 1:15.95.

100 breast -- 1. Bev (OL) 1:15.25; 2. George (OL) 1.20.97; 3.

Rodriquez (Est) 1:31.81.

400 free relay -- Est (Fassari, Crosson, Mellin, Kunert), 3:54.77.

UCI pair lauded

* GOLF: UC Irvine sophomore Brian Edick and junior Angela Won have

been named Big West Conference Golfers of the Month for February.

Edick led all Big West players with a seventh-place finish in the

PING-Arizona intercollegiate tournament at Arizona National Golf Club

in Tucson. He shot 3-under 210 for 54 holes and matched the

tournament low with a career-best 6-under 65 in the final round.

Won shot the lowest round in the Bay Area Classic at Boulder Ridge

in San Jose with a 3-under 69 to tie for third in the tournament. The

round of 69 tied her career best.