Orange County Roundup : Kelly, Shawn Moran to Compete in Speedway Races at Fairgrounds

Kelly and Shawn Moran of Huntington Beach, former U.S. speedway motorcycle champions, will return to the Orange County Fairgrounds at 8 tonight to compete in the Fair Derby.

Shawn won the championship in 1982. Kelly, his older brother, won in 1983 and 1984. Both ride for Sheffield in the British Speedway League, and live in England.

Last week, Kelly finished third in the Overseas Final in Bradford, England, a quarterfinal round leading to the world speedway championship. He is attempting to become the first American rider to qualify for four world championships. He has finished third in all three appearances.

The Morans will autograph pictures before and after the races. Tickets, which include admission to the Orange County Fair, can be purchased beginning at noon.

Mike Lujan, Mark Rasmussen and Greg Marshall, members of the Orange Coast College baseball team last season, have signed national letters of intent to play at four-year colleges next fall, OCC announced Thursday.

Lujan, a second baseman who hit .273 with 5 home runs and 24 RBIs, and Marshall, a right-handed pitcher who was 1-2 with a 6.20 earned-run average, will attend Cal State Long Beach. Marshall pitched in eight games and was bothered by a sore back most of the season.

Rasmussen, a two-year starter in the outfield who hit .296 with 4 home runs and 37 RBIs last season, will attend Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Ida. The college won the NAIA World Series this spring and has won the title in three of the last five years.

The Metropolitan Baseball League of Orange County will play an all-star game against a team from San Diego at 7 p.m. Sunday at UC Irvine.

The teams are composed of recently graduated high school students and community college and college players.

The Orange County team will be coached by Gordon Blakeley, an assistant to Scott Pickler for the Cypress Bulldogs.

The Boarderline Surf Contest will be held at the San Clemente Pier, July 23-26. The $12,000 tournament is expected to draw more than 150 professional surfers, long boarders and body boarders.

Among those expected to surf are Jim Hogan of San Juan Capistrano, Trevor Christ of Encinitas, Scott Daley of Santa Monica and Mike Lambresi of Oceanside. Andy Fomenko, Dino Andino, Steve Ward, Jim Pinkerton and Eric Diamond, all of San Clemente, also are expected to compete.

Around the Area

Longo Garcia, who pitched at Cal State Fullerton last season as a junior, is among the finalists for a spot on the United States team in the Pan-American Games being held Aug. 7-23 at Indianapolis. Garcia, a right-hander from Los Amigos High School and Orange Coast College, is among the final 27 players trying to make the 22-player roster. . . . Doug Adams, who coached baseball at Southern California College from 1977-81, has again been named coach at SCC, replacing interim coach Mark Deushane, a team member who guided the Vanguards to the NAIA District III title after John Hardin was fired . . . Frank Appice and Bob Brucato, outfielders on the Rancho Santiago baseball team, have signed national letters of intent to attend Northwestern University in the fall. Other Rancho Santiago players who have signed letters are first baseman Brent Reese (Alabama), outfielder Troy Barnhart (Chapman), infielder Scott Swearingen (Cal State Long Beach), pitcher Dave Salcido (UC Santa Barbara) and pitcher Brian Raum (UC Santa Barbara), according to Don Sneddon, Rancho Santiago baseball coach.